I loved the fantasy world that Amanda Hocking created in the worrld of the Trylle. It is a complex society that lives within our own world, completely off the grid for most humans. I read a lot of fantasy and rarely have I come across a world featuring trolls, especially depicted as socially cultured and refined creatures.

 

The society of the Trylle and the lore behind it reminded me a lot of Aprilynne Pike's Wings series. There is a very defined caste system which most are unwilling to change or challenge, different social groups of trolls who all function in specific ways. The changeling theme is also similar, although that is a piece of the lore that exists in a lot of mythology.

 

But, despite those commonalities, the story is its own. Wendy has had a rough childhood in a lot of ways. Her father died when she was very young and her mother hated her, going so far as to try to kill her when she was only six years old. She has never fit in and she was always more than a little difficult, no matter how hard she tried. Even with all of that, she grew up with her aunt and her big brother, both of whom loved her unconditionally. Despite the paranomal aspect to the story, there are some strong messages on family acceptance and love.

 

And then she meets Finn, who turns her world upside down when he tells her the unimaginable... that there is a reason that she is the way she is and that her life is in danger because of it. She soon discovers that latter is true, although she has a tough time wrapping her head around the rest of it.

 

I love Wendy as a character. She is strong and loving, and more than a little stubborn. She loves her family fiercely and is strong in her own beliefs. But she isn't sure that her new life is better or worse than her old life, and neither was I as a reader. Finn is a great character, strong and loyal. He is a warrior and a protector and full of honor. He is the epitome of the knight in shining armor, almost to a fault as he is willing to sacrifice even his own needs and wants for the greater good. Elora (Wendy's mother), however, is a conundrum. She is regal to the point of being more than a little cold. She and her biggest rival, Aurora, seem to take a great deal of pleasure sniping at Wendy. Nothing she does is ever good enough and there is no compassion for the changes she has been through. Elora is the woman we love to hate and Aurora is a raging snob!

 

Bonus: There's a bonus short story in the newer editions of the book, The Vittra Attacks, set in the world of the Trylle!

 

My Recommendation

 

Forget the fact that the cover is gorgeous... this is a fun book with a great premise. There is a lot going on under the surface that we are only just getting hints at. There are secrets and mysteries and intrigue and I can't wait to read the second book!

**To read the full review, click the title!**

 

Let's just say that this is one book I rather forget I read. It's widely loved, so I know I'm the minority with this opinion, but it just pressed all the wrong, most aggravating and infuriating buttons for me. 

 

First there was the insta-love alert. Then the annoying heroine alert. Multiply personality disorder alert, and obsessive love alert. And those are only the ones I counted. So, if any of those are really not for your tastes—as they weren't mine—this is probably not the book for you.

 

 

I admit – this was an interesting choice of supernatural beings; trolls of all things! Of course, Hocking's trolls are the farthest thing away from the big, ugly boulders of rock or whatever we're accustomed to. In fact, they look like humans – only more attractive. Because ugly boulders just won't do as main characters, and we all know it.

The Vittra Attacks (Trylle Trilogy Bonus... 1.9

2.6

Interesting version of the changeling concept. With this, Wendy is swapped for the child her mother should have had, only she doesn't know this and she doesn't feel that she fits into her community, her school her life. She can make people do things for her and it occasionally worries her but it can make her life a little easier. She could have used it when her mother tried to kill her. Finn turns up at her bedroom window and convinces her to go back to her real mother, to a life she's not sure of, where children are sent to rich human families to ensure that the community has the wealth to keep it comfortable and where she is a princess, but she finds that it's a bit of a gilded cage. I think I would have been just as frustrated with the "Later" responses she kept getting, it was a bit annoying. She is an interesting character and you could see that her love for the family she ended up with was greater than with people who apparently hold her at a remove instead of loving her. Curious to know what happens next.