Amanda Hockings ‘Switched’ (available at Waterstones) is a must-read if, like myself, you are a bitter and twisted old person, still with a chip on your shoulder about the sibling who, many eons ago, insisted that you were an unwanted changeling!
The novel centres around the character of Wendy, the troublesome daughter of a supposed mother who despises her so much that she attempts to dispose of her – courtesy of a kitchen knife.
Thankfully, Wendy’s not quite a reincarnation of Cinderella, as her human-world older brother and aunt, adore her. These attachments do, however, beggar belief, as there’s not an awful lot to like about the childhood version of Wendy, who seems to expend an inordinate amount of energy upon temper tantrums over unwanted birthday presents and food!
But, if the reader thinks all will be well with mother-daughter relationships when Wendy discovers that she is really a troll, and catches up with her biological mother, they are disappointed. As far as mothers are concerned, Wendy seems to be doomed.
Switched is only the first book in a trilogy, so I’m going to have to read the others to find out whether all of the evil surrounding Wendy’s upbringing turns out to all be for the good in the long run. Hence, I’m about to troll through Amazon to order copies of Torn and Ascend, but for those of you who’d like a long read, you can always order a copy of the complete trilogy and save yourself a few pennies for another rainy day.
With the way the plot is going so far, I’m predicting a love-triangle-type scenario, with similarities to the Katniss-Peeta-Gale triage of the ‘Hunger Games’ series.
This is fantasy/adventure novel that will appeal to fans of ‘Twilight’, Hunger Games, ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’.
As for the age of the audience, then I imagine that the author was aiming for a teenage market, but as I’m well into my middle-age, and read all of the aforesaid books, well-past the age of forty, then:
‘Whatever your age, adventures are good for you – so blow out your candles.’ (Bev Williams, in ‘Let’s Not Age; Let’s Just Marinate’)
And, with this in mind, then I’m about to cast of my shoes and, in the style of a troll, run, bare-footed, across the wildlands of Chilton. Who knows, perhaps, I will find a suitable tree for perching in – once my copy of Torn arrives.
In other words, fellow-oldies, escape from the washing-up – and get reading!
Copyright of review owned by Jay Cool, July 2019
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
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