This book is, and has been, available in ebook. Switched, the first in a trilogy, will be released in print for the first time January 24, 2012. Each book in the series will contain a bonus, never-before-released short story to entice current fans to buy the new media.
As I started reading this teen book, I couldn’t help but compare it to Twilight. Which is a shame. What did we compare teen books to before Twilight?
Switched has an archetypal set up: a girl moves to a new school, where she feels isolated and misunderstood. Fortunately she is beautiful. There is a boy, Finn, dark haired and pale, who stares at her. She is intrigued but slightly creeped-out by this.
And while I’m sure other books have used this before Twilight, that book is all I could think about. How does Finn stand out from Edward? Will everyone fall in love with Wendy like they did Bella?
Finn reveals that Wendy is not who or what she thinks she is. She is a Trylle. (And, of course, a princess.) He is her tracker, and her guide as she enters the world of her people.
Once the novel moved away from the school and into the world of the Trylle, I enjoyed the book. The Trylle are trolls with inborn magical abilities. Most have some control over the elements. Some have more power, such as persuasion or telekinesis. Their entire hierarchy is based on the power of a bloodline and their inherited wealth. That wealth is gathered through their changelings, Trylle babies exchanged with human ones, left to be raised by the human world’s elite.
It seems that their desire for money and a life of leisure has stunted their powers. With bloodlines getting weaker, there are strict guidelines as to who can marry, and procreate, with who. Which reminds me of something pointed out in the Wheel of Time series: if the most powerful do not have children (or in this case, have very few children) then the bloodlines will naturally diminish. I have the feeling that once this new princess, who is uncommonly attached to her human pseudo-family, is in power these rules will be overthrown, leading to resurgence in Trylle power.
And most importantly of all, she can be with the one she loves.
But will she choose Edward or Jacob? I mean…Finn or Rhys, or her arranged match, Tove?
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a light read typical of teen paranormal romance. Parts of it were very predictable, like everyone chastising Wendy for breaking social rules while refusing to explain key information. Wendy is a likeable character who offers just enough surprises to keep me reading. The Trylle world was interesting enough for me to keep reading, and I'll probably continue the series once it is in print.
At least the character is likeable. I don't really remember Teen novels before Twilight; I didn't read them, and I don't think there was one definitive source we referred to. I think what I like best about your comments here is how you acknowledge those similarities, but you also discuss how the book moves beyond them. Maybe it's just because Twilight used timeless themes, and that's why we won't get away from it.... Good on to the author, for getting an ebook published as a physical book also!
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