Review - Torn (Trylle, Book 2) by Amanda Hocking (3/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: February 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-1250006325
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Trylle series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

This is the second book in the Trylle trilogy. This was a decent book. This series is entertaining enough, but nothing super creative or special. Readers who love YA paranormal books will probably like this series.

Wendy has tried to escape the Trylle and their drama by returning home. When she, Matt, and Rhys are kidnapped by the Vittra she finds herself in the thick of things. Enter Loki a Vittra who helps Wendy and crew...he also makes things a lot more complicated. Will Wendy finally decide to take on her responsibilities as a Trylle princess or will she follow her heart?

This is a pretty typical YA paranormal book. Wendy has multiple love interests, all of which she is torn up over. She has to choose between love and duty. It is all a bit cliched but decently done nonetheless. My problem with this book is that it doesn't really have anything to set it apart from a million other YA paranormal books out there. Yes, it is about trolls...but the way they are treated you could be reading about fairies and not know the difference. I do love that it is set in Minnesota, but was a bit disappointed that this never really influences the story or features in it.

If you enjoyed the first book you will probably enjoy this one. We get to learn a ton about the history between the Trylle and the Vittra, and what a complicated and convoluted past it is! We meet some new characters; most notably Loki (one of the Vittra) with his cutting sense of humor and daring.

This book starts out action packed and then kind of turns into dramatic filler. Yes, we need to learn these things to back up the story and some of them are interesting. My problem is I never found this story really compelling. Wendy could have been any one of hundreds of other YA heroines; she never really distinguishes herself to me and I have trouble keeping her separate from other YA heroines I've read about. Wendy constantly thinks she wants Finn, but Finn is pretty much a jerk to her most of the book. There is a lot of "I love him, I hate him" going on between him and Wendy...this is great for those who love that kind of thing, but I am not a fan.

The book is well-written, easy to read, and natural sounding. It's a decent read and somewhat entertaining. It just didn't feel like anything special to me; when I was done I wasn't desperately wanting to read more, I was just kind of like "Huh, okay well on to a different book."

Overall a decent continuation of this series. Those who loved the first book will most likely love this one. I am having a bit of trouble with this series because it just seems like such a typical paranormal YA novel; the Trylle are a lot like fairies, Wendy isn't all that unique or interesting, and there is a lot of teenage drama/romance. I did like learning some of the background behind the Trylle and Vittra; I also enjoyed Loki as a new character (he has more personality then all of the other characters put together). If you read the first book and enjoyed it go ahead and read this one. If you want an action packed YA series with a touch of romance check out Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, The Iron King by Julie Kagawa ,The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver, or Mythos Academy by Jennifer Estep..I think all of these are better paranormal YA than this book.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge