Title: Ascend

Author: Amanda Hocking

Series: Trylle #3

My rating: 4.5 of 5

Summary:

Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself.  If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe.  But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?

The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life - and now all their lives might be coming to an end.

Everything has been leading to this moment.  The future of her entire world rests in her hands - if she’s ready to fight for it.

 

This edition includes the bonus story "Ever After".

My Thoughts on the Book:

And now it's time to talk about the last (and best) book in the Trylle trilogy - Ascend. If you don't want any spoilers, don't read below, because I'll definitely include some, especially who Wendy ends up with, or more correctly who she chooses to be with. Actually, there will probably be a lot more spoilers then that.  

Since Elora is sick, Wendy with the help of Tove takes care of all the Trylle business, and she tries to change things, and I liked that. At the beginning Loki shows up (yay) & he asks for amnesty & he gets it, so we see a lot more of him. In most of this book, Finn was a-hole, and I really disliked him. Wendy was still a little blind when it came to him, but not so much later in the book. So, you can guess who she ends up with :D I actually had a feeling early in Torn that she'll end up with Loki, and I'm glad they got their happily ever after. And yeah, I love Loki so much, he's amazing, and they're great together. This book was both fun and sad. And I just loved the ending, I knew what will happen, although I didn't realise how will happen, and it was great. I got teary-eyed a couple of times in the end, but overall it ended happy. So, in the end, I was happy with this book & it joins my list of fav books :)  

Now, for the bonus short story, I loved it so much, it was amazing. It happens around a year and a half later, and it was great seeing how everyone are doing, and it made me love this book even more. 

So, do I recommend the series? Yes. If you like YA series with interesting take on a mythology, try this one, and if you're female - you must meet Loki! You won't regret it! As I said before, and I'll say it again - Loki's the best thing in the Trylle trilogy, I wouldn't enjoy these books so much if it wasn't for him, although yeah, I would've still enjoyed them, but probably not as much ;)      

Challenges:

2012 YA Mythology Challenge

100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012

Title: Torn

Author: Amanda Hocking

Series: Trylle #2

My rating: 3.5 of 5

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…

Wendy 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.

 

As a special gift to readers, this book contains a new, never-before-published bonus story, “One Day, Three Ways”, set in the magical world of the Trylle.

My Thoughts on the Book:

Torn picks up right where Switched ended. I won't go into details about the story, not to spoil it for anyone, but in Torn there was one big surprise that I didn't see it coming, although it happens quite early. We get to meet lots of new characters: Loki, Oren - The Vittra King, Sara - The Vittra Queen, (although technically they were in the bonus short story in Switched), hobgoblins, Finn's family, etc... In this book Wendy trains & works on her powers. Also, her relationship with Elora improves & I really started to like Elora, after some things were revealed, so now I can understand her. We also see a lot more of Matt, and I really liked him, and he & Willa were great together. Finn was a little irritating, and I didn't like him anymore. As for Wendy, at times she would do something & I'd start to like her, then do something stupid (most things were about Finn) and it went back & forward. Also, I didn't like that she was a little blind when it came to some things, so that I didn't like. But, the good thing was that she didn't actually annoyed me or irritated me. Tove was such a sweety & I loved him as a character. And the best thing about this book (and the series) Loki. The amazing Loki :) Yeah, I'm a big fan of Loki. I loved everything about him. Even with everything he's been through - he's so fun, and he's sweet & knows what he wants, and the most important thing - he fights for what he wants. I loved the interactions between him & Wendy. Overall, really good sequel, and a little bit better when compared to the previous book. We also learn a lot more about the Trylle & the Vittra. In this book, the short story "One Day, Three Ways" was in 3 parts, the same day from 3 different PoVs. One was from Finn's PoV & it was ok, the 2nd was from Tove's PoV & I really liked it, it was sweet. And the last one was from Loki's PoV & I loved it, but it was sad & heartbreaking. This part made me love Loki even more. So, do I recommend  the series? Definitely.      

Challenges:

2nds Challenge 2012

2012 YA Mythology Challenge

100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012

Title: Switched

Author: Amanda Hocking

Series: Trylle #1

My rating: 4 of 5

Summary:

When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.

Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

 

This edition includes the bonus story "The Vittra Attacks".

My Thoughts on the Book:

I've heard great things about the Trylle trilogy, long before these new gorgeous editions came out, so when I saw these editions, I knew it's time to get them, so I did. Overall, I enjoyed a lot Switched. The author's idea of using troll mythology was really interesting, and I liked it a lot. I didn't especially like Wendy as a character, but at least I didn't dislike her ;) It took a time for me to warm up to Finn as a character and their romance, but in the end I started to like him. I also disliked Elora in this book, but I liked Rhys & Tove. The ending was good, and to be honest - this book was for a rating of 3.5, but because of the awesome The Vittra Attacks short story, I raised it to a rating of 4. This short story is from Loki's PoV, and although we don't meet him in Switched, this is set at the same time as Switched, and I was really intrigued by Loki as a character, and this short story was actually what made me quite interested about reading the sequel. So, overall, interesting take on a mythology, and if you're a fan of books based on a mythology, I recommend  to try the series.      

Challenges:

1st in a Series Challenge 2012

2012 YA Mythology Challenge

100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012