Torn by Amanda Hocking

Title: Torn
Author: Amanda Hocking
Release Date: February 28th, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 291
Format: Paperback
Acquired: Bought
Interest: Series
Others in the Series: Switched
Age Group: Young Adult
Rating: 5 Stars

When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knows her life will never be the same. Now she’s about to learn that there’s more to the story…

She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined—and they’ll stop at nothing to lure her to their side. With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to master her magical powers—and marry an equally powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who’s strictly off limits…and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she’s ever wanted…in both worlds.

I wasn't in much of a hurry to read this book, and it's not to say that I didn't love it or anything. Obviously I did since it got a five star rating, but I just didn't feel as excited when I got it as I would for other books that I'm anxiously awaiting.

The story essentially picks up where the last book left off, and I mean that literally, like not even five minutes had passed between the two books. So I liked that because it kept the story fresh for the reader, but I didn't like it and it had a lot to do with Matt. He is Wendy's overprotective host brother and he is the reason that Wendy was in a hurry to get back home from the community that she would soon rule. Well, the way that Hocking represents him as being very caring for Wendy and wanting to make her happy, I feel like he didn't take the whole situation the right way. In fact, I think that was one part in the book where I felt like everything was very detached.

But besides this little part in the beginning, Hocking keeps the reader's attention by not leaving any action out. And as soon as Wendy finds herself home, she then finds herself being thrown from one place to another and she gets the chance to meet King Oren. He adds a new twist to the tale that I think fits well with the overall plot line of the story and Hocking did an amazing job of placing him there.

Another new face that get's presented is Loki, who actually grew on me at the beginning. My feelings for him are a little mixed up right now, but there was something that I liked. And along with new faces came some familiar ones. Tove comes back, and he's the same bad-ass self. I really liked how Hocking brought him out a little more. And I also liked the new side of Willa that I got to see. It was different but better.

The entire story starts to unravel a little more about the life and world of the Trylle and the reader gets to see an inside look into the enemy, the Vittra, who aren't what they seem.

I think that reader's are right when they say the character's start to grow on you. I did feel like there was more of a connection and I loved the way that Wendy had been able to grow as a character from her immature self.

There is a lot of promise for the third and last book. This is a book series that takes some growing on a reader, but when it does grow I think it'll be really hard to let something like that go.

Amazing book from a rising author.