Book Review: Switched (Trylle Trilogy #1)

Synopsis: When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth.With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of. (Courtesy of barnesandnoble.com)

Switched is the first book in the Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking. The reader is met in the prelude with the story of Wendy's mother trying to kill her on her 6th birthday. The first sentence kicks off the rolling tide of drama, romance and wonderment that floods throughout the book.

Wendy is a picky eater, a stubborn girl and has never really felt like she fit in anywhere. She lives with her aunt and brother, and is constantly getting kicked out of school and having to move. When a guy at her new school seems unable to stop staring at her for the past 2 weeks, she finally confronts him and the plot begins to unfold. Wendy quickly finds her world and everything she has ever known flipped upside down and blended into a confusing mess.

Personally, I LOVED this book! There a few contemporary references and plenty of humor to go around. The characters are quite likeable and emotion is conveyed clearly throughout the entire novel. You can relate with Wendy's confusion, frustration and sorrow at multiple times, and there is hardly a dull moment. The seemingly minor characters have their own moments to shine, and no one is left out of the plot for too long.

I highly suggest that you take a look at this book if you want to read some Fantasy that leaves you panting for the next installment of the series: Torn.

I happily give Switched a 5 out of 5 on the beam scale!

Book Review: Soul Identity

I figured that I should start doing book reviews before they all start piling up on me. However, I have just realized how difficult reviews are, but I'll try anyway.

The first book I completed this year was Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder. As a general rule, I stick to reading young adult/teen fiction books, but when first getting my Nook phone application, I grabbed every free e-book that I thought might be even mildly interesting. Soul Identity is an adult fiction book, and therefore it was a bit different than what I tend to devour in my reading times.

Synopsis: What if you could bank your money for your next life? Smart-aleck and computer security expert Scott Waverly is skeptical of his new client's claim that they've been tracking souls for almost twenty-six hundred years. Is it a freaky cult, or a sophisticated con job? As Scott saves Soul Identity from an insider attack, he discovers the importance of the bridges connecting people's lives. (Courtesy of Barnesandnoble.com)

Soul Identity certainly didn't fail on the realm of "interesting." The story focuses on Scott Waverly being hired by a corperation called Soul Identity. This organization provides members with a way to store treasure for their next life, which I'm sure their present-life beneficiaries really appreciate.

The theory is that eyes, like fingerprints, are different for everyone. But once a generation eyes match with a set from the past, which SI claims means these people are the same soul, just reincarnated. If previous soul holders have stored away information into SI's headquarters, it is given to the present soul holder once their eyes are matched.

The book has a lot of scenes of action, skepticism and intrigue, along with insider tension and mystery. While I liked the book in theory, I don't think I liked it enough to search for the sequel. There was some cursing throughout the book and a few vague sexual scenes, but nothing I found terribly offensive.

While the book did a great job of providing some ideas to think about, it wasn't quite what I enjoy in a book. I found nothing extremely relateable or anything that I would long for in my own life, nor did it have the humor to lighten the serious tone of the story.

I think that adults that enjoyed reading mysteries and theories on other philosophical practices would find this more interesting. But personally, it just wasn't my style.

Because of this, I give Soul Identity a 2 out of 5 on the beam scale.

The First Step is Always the Hardest

It's been a long time since I tried to seriously blog. I suppose I either felt like my life was either too lame to write about and didn't want to bore anyone, or there was so much going on that I couldn't fit it all into mere blog posts.

It had absolutely nothing to do with me being lazy. Nope. Not at all.

So instead of just having random thoughts whenever I feel the urge to share my mind with the rest of the world, this blog is completely dedicated to one of my first and most consistantly present loves: Books!

I'm the type of person that will go out and buy 11 more books that sound interesting, even though I already own 20 that I have yet to read.

My dear friend Jenny (check out her blog here) also introduced me to the joys of ebooks. While they certainly don't feel as awesome as the texture of pages under your fingers and phone screens don't smell quite as wonderful as either the fresh scent of a new book or the dusty musk of an old one, they are still books. Kind of. Ebooks make up for the lack of tangibility with the characteristic of extremely reduced prices and convinence. I simply use my Nook [shameless plug] application on my phone during lunch break to get in some extra reading. Instead of worrying about spilling food on the pages or struggling to hold the book open while eating a sandwich, I just tap my screen to turn the page. However, food spillage is still something to be careful of, regardless of reading means.

One of the major reasons I'm starting this blog is because there are some book challenges that I'm interested in trying out. Ideally I will also be reviewing the books I read, but I make no promises.

Now then, let the festivities commence!