Title: Torn
Author: Amanda Hocking
Published: February 28, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin

Rating:

The Summary:
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.

The Review:
Marginally better than the self induced train wreck that Switched was, Torn was a little bit better. Not much, a whole half umbrella, but I rounded it up to a rating of 2. Things I did like about this book were that we got more information about the Trylle, and more world building in general. We get to learn more about the characters and some of their motivations for doing as they do. I felt that there was less whining about Wendy not fitting in, but on the other hand, she was constantly complaining about everything else. She didn’t like her ability, and didn’t like training her ability, but at the same time she used it on lots of people.

I do not like the inclusion of yet another love interest, though Loki is far more entertaining than Finn. I genuinely like Tove’s character, but the ‘big reveal’ concerning him seemed a bit contrived and thrown in there for ‘teh dramaz’. I’m still going to read Ascend, but I’m not expecting much from it. I have a feeling I know where this series is going, and it’s a massive blinking neon sign that I would normally avoid. I wanted to like this series, because the premise is still cool–but I’m so not into it.

Overall: Leaps and bounds better than Switched but still not the greatest thing in the world. It’s kind of frustrating.