Torn by Amanda Hocking

Torn (Trylle, #2)

by Amanda Hocking

In the second part of Amanda Hocking's bestselling Trylle trilogy, Torn, Wendy is desperate to return to her old life, but can she put the Trylle, and especially Finn Holmes, behind her?

Acknowledging that she was different from everyone else wasn't difficult for Wendy Everly - she'd always felt like an outsider. But a new world and new family is a little hard for any girl to accept. Leaving behind the mysterious country of her birth, she is determined to fit back into normal life. But the world she's left behind won't let her go that easily . . .

Kidnapped and imprisoned by her true family's enemies, Wendy soon learns that the lines between good and evil aren't as defined as she thought. And those things she'd taken for granted may have been lies all along. With the help of the dangerously attractive Loki, she escapes back to the safety of Foerening - only to be confronted by a new threat.

It's time to make a choice - can she put aside her personal feelings for the sake of her country? Torn between duty and love she must make a choice that could destroy her one chance at true happiness.

Reviewed by Kim Deister on

4 of 5 stars

Share
Torn begins as Switched finishes. This is an apt title for this book, as it is all about Wendy being torn between the people she loves and her destiny. She struggles to decide what the right choices are, knowing that the wrong choice could destroy her world... both of her worlds.

She is conflicted, unsure of what she should believe and who she should trust in her new world. She is overwhelmed and confused and doesn't really understand what is happening around her. That drove me nuts. For most of the book, various people are pulling at her in different directions, telling her what she should be doing without telling her why. There are so many things going on under the radar in the kingdom, but no one will explain anything to her and she tends to rebel. Elora and Aurora continue to snark at her, trying to mold her into something, someone she just isn't.

I loved this book even more than the first. Her struggles were real and I felt her frustration. I wanted to jump into the book and slap those who treated her so badly, even as they wanted her to save them all. The caste system also drove me nuts in this book, how badly the trackers were treated. These are the people expected to sacrifice everything for the nobles and yet they were treated as though they were disposable. They were the soldiers of the society and I suppose that, as a former soldier myself, it bothered me that their lives were so worthless and unsupported, even as they were expected to risk themselves.

Willa, whom I really didn't like in the first book, begins to come into her own. She grows up and realizes that people are people, regardless of caste. I loved that change, and it made me love her. There are all kinds of new characters inn this book, Tove being one of my favorites. He is starting to have a big role in the series and there is a bit of mystery about him. Wendy, too, begins to change and I love that she still has that spark and bucks the traditions of the kingdom!

Bonus: There's a bonus short story in the newer editions of the book, One Day, Three Ways, set in the world of the Trylle!

My Recommendation: Love the cover, love the story! This is my favorite thus far and I definitely recommend it! I gave it 4.5 mugs!

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 19 August, 2014: Finished reading
  • 19 August, 2014: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 19 August, 2014: Reviewed