Switched - Amanda Hocking

If you liked Twilight, then you may like this. Even if you didn't like Twilight, then you may still like this. It is a fantasy story, with action, romance, and food for thought, as it is different and well thought out. It is about trolls (not the ugly ones we hear about in Lord of the Rings and the Billy Goats Gruff), and changelings. The trolls swap their children with children in the outside world who come from rich families and therefore will inherit, and then collect them when they are grown up so that they can use their Trust funds to support the troll community. There are different classes of trolls, which is where the romantic problems arise, when the princess troll falls in love with one of the lower-class trolls. The trolls have lots of quirks, and are similar to the vampires of Twilight as they too have individual powers. Amanda Hocking, the author, self-published her first book and it has become a bestseller. This is the first in a trilogy, and I have enjoyed all of them, and am reading them. I was going to go on to the next one in the series, but I have just discovered that when Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park and The First Great Train Robbery) was a medical student, he wrote under different names, so I have discovered some more of his books written in the 60s/70s, and I am really enjoying them. I will let you know how I get on in my next post, and I will for certain come back to the Trylle trilogy by Ms Hocking.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - C.S.Lewis

Some people will say that there's a problem when Peter gets to kill a villainous wolf, stabbing it with his sword so that it is covered with blood and hairs.  Susan and Lucy, meanwhile, get to weep over a dead Aslan, or play nurse to wounded soldiers.  Such anachronisms aside, however - and there are others who will argue that men should not kill either, should rather take on some peace-time nurturing qualities - this is a delicious book, teaching us how important it is to be honest and kind and fun-loving.  I recommend it then; and now that I am out of the wardrobe, I might try to get back in sometime.