Tagged: loki
Ascend by Amanda Hocking
(Cover picture courtesy of …It’s Always Something…)
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.
To tell you the truth, I had very serious doubts about Ascend as I was reading. Things weren’t going the way I expected (and wanted) them to and it really looked like things were going to turn out badly. By badly, I mean it seemed like it would turn out to be the last act of Tosca. Amanda Hocking really does know how to manipulate her reader’s emotions and since I’m not usually very emotionally involved in a novel, this was a refreshing change!
Wendy surprised me constantly, but in good ways. Her temper that often flared up in Switched? Controlled. Her trying to put love before duty in Torn? Gone, for the most part. Wendy has finally matured as a character and in Ascend, she becomes the Princess everyone knows she would be. She thinks with her head, but also allows her heart to guide her. She knows that her duty to all of Trylle supersedes the own longings in her heart. Very, very few female protagonists in YA are like this and that’s why Wendy is one of my new favourite heroines.
The final battle felt a bit rushed to me, but then again, I tend to lean more toward books in the 500-600 range (the Trylle series doesn’t surpass 350). Still, what happens at the end makes sense and Amanda Hocking really did work hard on building up the suspense. You know how the climax is also called The Darkest Hour in writing circles? Well, the climax of Ascend really does deserve that title. The ending was satisfying and the best part was that it was not perfectly happy. There’s nothing I hate more than a completely happy ending.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Torn by Amanda Hocking
(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.