What should
have been a fantastic party turned into a nightmare. On her 6th birthday Wendy's
mother, Kim, goes berserk and tries to murder Wendy. She is convinced that her
daughter isn’t really her child and that Wendy somehow killed her real son. Kim
ends up in an institution and Wendy ends up with a big scar on her belly.
Now, almost
12 years later, Wendy is raised by her brother, Matt, and her aunt Maggie (her
father passed away when she was young). Although Wendy looks like a normal
girl, she has the feeling that she does not belong in this world. She hates the
feeling of shoes on her feet, never seems to make friends, is expelled from
each school and even her eating habits are somewhat anomalous, since she only
wants to eat natural products which didn’t go through a special procedure (no
juice or pancakes, because they have changed the original ingredients).
And then
there's Finn, the new boy at school that’s constantly staring at her. Wendy
doesn’t know what to think of Finn. Is he some kind of creepy stalker or just a
weird guy who’s just a little too interested in her? Anyway, there is no
denying that he is incredibly handsome.
And then
Finn suddenly shows up at her bedroom window, and he seems to have all the
answers about Wendy's life, especially her past. Can Wendy trust him enough to
join him and leave, for the life she, without knowing it or wanting it, left
behind?
In the
beginning I was a little skeptical about the story. The Trylle is basically a
fancy word for "trolls". This would be a book about trolls. Before I
read the book I couldn’t get the picture of a small, ugly man with tufts of
green hair out of my head. After reading the first book, however, I was bowled
over with the world Hocking has created. It takes some time to adapt and
completely get into the story, but I think it's well worth the effort. The
Trylle prove to be a separate breed, who are quite clever individuals with
certain powers. Wendy has the power of "Persuasion", if she can
concentrate enough she can let everyone do what she want.
The
relationship between Finn and Wendy is exciting, full of lust and confused
feelings. That's how I like my love stories! I am curious how this will evolve
in the next two books.
Beware,
this is not a masterpiece. This is a Young Adult book that’s just a fun read,
but it is not a literary miracle. It’s a rather short book (about 300 pages)
that reads smoothly.
I will surely
give a big round of applause for those who have designed the cover. I was
really in love with the covers of all three books! They feel very special under
my fingertips, soft, as if it’s not paper that I have here in my hands, but a
kind of unknown substance. Very nice!
Rating:
