(Cover picture courtesy of A Beautiful Madness.)

When Wendy Everly first discovered the truth about herself—that she’s a changeling switched at birth—she knew her life would 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.

I rarely ever get involved in the typical fangirl Boy1 vs Boy2 debates about love triangles.  It’s usually obvious which boy the narrator will choose and besides, I’m not really the type to get fanatical about anything.  (Except Harry Potter because I was 9 when I read it.  Looking back, I laugh at my fanaticism.)  However, I will take a side in the Finn vs Loki debate: Loki.

In Torn, Wendy is even stronger than before, both power-wise and character-wise and we see her moving away from Finn.  Why?  Finn has chosen his duty as a tracker and bodyguard over his supposed love for her.  I say ‘supposed’ because I mean he’s manipulative and a jerk, the kind of guy your mother warns you about and your father threatens violence toward.  Besides, Finn has no sense of humour whatsoever whereas Loki is hilarious.  Another hour of reading the last book in the trilogy, Ascend will see who wins.

What I really like about Torn is that unlike a lot of second novels in trilogies, it doesn’t drag on as it sets things up for the final battle.  Amanda Hocking expands on the Trylle universe and gives us some backstory about Elora and the truth about Wendy’s father.  At the same time, she’s not info-dumping and keeps Torn moving along at a fast pace without the usual sagging middle.  Finally, an author who knows how to properly pace a novel while having an engaging world!

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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