Hey! Switched was one interesting book. I loved the story. Every new development was exciting and fun and left me wanting more. The whole plot line is supposed to be a mystery, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone so I'll make this a little vague. Wendy is a teenager who has, as she puts it, anger-management issues. She also has odd eating habits, odd hair, and an odd way of getting what she wants. Most people think this has to do with what happened to her when she was younger, because her mother tried to kill her as a child. Throughout the book, Wendy is thus struggling with the knowledge that she is hard to deal with, cold, and distant with people. And now that she's moved to ANOTHER new town, ANOTHER new school, with ANOTHER new house, she has promised her brother she's going to try to make this place work and not get in as much trouble. She tries making friends, and so is connected with two boys, one being her love interest with a secret, Finn. My favorite elements in this story were: - The Chosen Paranormal Element: I don't want to give away what Wendy is, but it's super rare to read a story about them. It was very cool to see something new and different come out in a story, instead of the same old vampires, werewolves, or fairies (Don't get me wrong, I like some of those, but...they get tiresome after the hundred or so novels you read about them). - Wendy's Emotional Damage: I think this was dealt with both with subtlety and finesse. You can really believe that Wendy has been emotionally hurt, and that her life has been extremely impacted by that damage. - Wendy's Tough-Girl Personality: No damsel-in-distress here. No matter what is happening, whether she has an annoying popular chick giving her grief, two kidnappers trying to subdue and capture her, or an all-out battle engaged around her, Wendy is always trying to find a way to at least help take out the bad guys. Wendy doesn't wait around to be saved, she gives it everything she's got to save herself. - The Romantic Interest: NO LOVE TRIANGLE!! YAY!!! I am beyond sick of love triangles. She loves one guy, that guy loves her, they have issues that make sense, and the teen angst doesn't go on forever. Wendy doesn't just whine over the fact that their romance seems impossible, she goes out and tries to get the man she loves anyway. - The Quirky Viewpoint: This author has an interesting way of looking at things. There are several lines in this book that I find completely perfect, which is rare in any book. I love her point of view and would continue reading just to hear more of the way Amanda sees the world. What I Didn't Like: - The Ending: It sucked! It was a cliff hanger, nothing had been really settled, Wendy was doing something both stupid and annoying, and it left me unsatisfied and listless. Fortunately there's a sequel. Unfortunately, there's a sequel to that sequel, and it isn't out yet. - The Runaway Syndrome: Seriously, it's a 257 page book and yet Wendy manages to run away from home four times, not to mention running away from the situations and conversations she dislikes about six times. About the only thing Wendy doesn't run away from is a fight, which isn't always a good thing. - The Powers: While they sound really awesome, and seemed really cool, they weren't really integrated into the storyline very much. Neither were they fully explained. I was very disappointed not to see these used more in the story, and Wendy's powers never got to grow at all either. Very early in the story they discover one of Wendy's powers, talk about how she has to train it for the rest of the book, but never seem to get around to the actual training. Maybe Amanda Hacking tackles this issue in the next book in the series. Anyway, that's what I thought of Switched. It was a beautiful story, that I adored. I would have given it five stars if the ending hadn't been so disappointing. The rest of the book had me completely mesmerized, but the last chapter just didn't deliver. Even a cliff hanger can be alright, but the ending just left me vaguely annoyed. While I still want to read the next book, that ending stunted my desire a little bit, which was just too bad. The rest of the book had been thrilling and exhilarating, and I couldn't wait to see what was next. Now, I want to know what happens but I'm not so die-hard HAVE to know as I was before. Hope that helps and have a great day! Luv ya, Tashi :)

This is the first book I've not put down till finished with it in a long time. I bought it for my daughter originally, but chose to pre-read it first (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) I wound up falling in love with the book. It reminds me quite a bit of "Twilight" but is no where near as whiny or silly as sparkling vampires. The plot twists a bit (though it is fairly predictable at times) and keeps your attention throughout the chapters. If you haven't purchased the second book, expect to run out and do so as soon as you've finished the first!

I got this NOOOKbook but cant get past the first 100 pages. The author needs to take a writing class. After just a few pages the plot has been revealed to us, the similarities to Twilight have been attempted, the main characters are acting unlikable and the book seems too rushed and underdeveloped. I love a good scifi romance but trolls?? Come on. Basic writing classes teach writers to "show" the reader the story instead of simply tell it. I don't want the author to write "I was mad". Rather, I want the author to describe the feelings, facial expressions and reason for being upset. I want the words I read to let the story unfold and then draw me in. This book gives the reader none of that. No character development, not motive for behavior. One minute the character, Finn, is being nice and dancing with Wendy, and the next minute he's insulting and rude and the author never says why. Wendy loves and trusts Finn two pages after meeting him and right after he hurts her feelings and makes her cry. It's total nonsense and I'm completely shocked there is a sequel to this book. It's over 400 pages long and I'm struggling to continue reading it. I mean, plot twists or not, I don't care enough about the girl or her troll heritage to keep reading. There are so many good books out there in this genre. Don't waste one penny, or one minute on this one. Summary: stupid plot, unlikable and unbelievable characters, poorly written. C-

If you are a Twilight or Sookie Stackhouse reader you will probably like this book. The book is pretty well written wih only a few typos or missing linking verbs. All in all, a good mix of action and adventure; drama and pg-rated romance.

I only purchased this book because it was cheap. I wasn't expecting it be very good, but I did enjoy it a lot. Don't expect some epic story, because it's not. And I get the feeling that's not what the author was going for either. Regardless, it's good and had me entertained.

As a writer, editor, and publisher, I find this book has weak and predictable characters and a derivative plot. That would not concern me too much, except the book is also poorly written with an appalling number of grammar errors. As a grandmother with grandkids in this writer's target demographic, I would not recommend this book at all. Kids learn to write by reading, and one reason many kids can't write is because they have not been exposed to good writing. There is just too much wrong with this book as it stands. As a publisher, this book is an example of the reasons self-publishing continues to have a bad reputation. Shoddy editing, amateurish writing, poor word choices: all contribute to an overall perception of schlock. Hopefully, Ms. Hocking will spend some of her earnings to hire a good editor. She sorely needs one.

I enjoyed the story line and the writing. I could do with a little less teenage romance and crying. If you liked the twilight books you will like this. Too much teenage drama for me.

Very good book! I couldn't stop reading! Needs a second book! I want the story to keep going

Kept me reading non stop!

It was awesome and I absolutely loved it! Definitely read it, not your average trolls. They are awesome!