Review Detail

Switched was an interesting read because I was constantly flip-flopping over how I felt about it. While it was a quick and easy read that I found hard to put down, it was also filled with shallow characters, lacklustre villains and an abundance of plot holes. So while I enjoyed it for it’s mindless entertainment value, it definitely wasn’t without its issues.

A good chunk of my problems with Switched had to do with the way in which Hocking described her characters. If I wasn’t offended, then I was completely put-off by how awful her characters came across.

"She was thin, the way she had always been, in a beautifully elegant borderline-anorexic way."

I’m sorry, but I don’t think that anyone who is described as “borderline anorexic” should ever be described as elegant or beautiful – not in something that is marketed to such a young and impressionable demographic. I also had a hard time warming up to Wendy, because of her self-admitted and unapologetic brattiness, and Finn, because of his constant secretiveness; it wasn’t alluring and mysterious, it was annoying and frustrating.

Fortunately I was able to mostly forgive Wendy for her quick temper and childish ways when it was revealed that, even though she looked human, she was actually a troll princess, and a heated temperament was a characteristic of all trolls. Unfortunately, when it was explained that Wendy was a Changeling, a troll switched with a human child at birth, and that she had been raised by humans in order to help fund Forening, a troll community, so that they could live their lives without having to put in a days work, I lost all respect for anything Switched was trying to accomplish.

"And so we leave our children with the most sophisticated, wealthiest human families. The changelings live a childhood that is the best this world has to offer, and then return with an inheritance from their host families that infuses our society with wealth."

So not only are these trolls lazy, they’re stupid. With this kind of wealth at their fingertips, why wouldn’t they invest it and remove their dependency on humans, not to mention alleviating any risk to their children’s lives should their host family suspect that something wasn’t right? Considering their numbers are dwindling, keeping their children safe should be a priority. It might also reduce the chance that a troll would mate with a human, further diluting their lineages.

Also, with this kind of wealth, how is it that they are subject to attacks from a rival troll community? How is it that a large group of trolls are all able to sneak past the large gate fencing in the community, sneak onto the palace’s property and smash through the skylights without attracting anyone’s attention or setting off some kind of alarm? What is all of this wealth buying them if it isn’t security?

Oh right, this is where Switched’s superficial plot comes in to play. We’re expected to believe that Wendy’s real mother, the Queen Elora, is trying to stave off having her rule overthrown by hosting dinner parties where the guests are forced to dress like they’re attending a lavish ball. Amidst threats of mutiny and enemy attack, we’re also meant to believe that she is more preoccupied with planning Wendy’s debut than actually teaching her how to be a princess that could defend herself from these kind of attacks. Oh, and that trolls with magical powers would cower in fear while a bunch of trolls relying on brute force tried to steal their princess.

But, like I said before, despite its numerous flaws, Switched is also immensely readable – it’s a quick read that I found hard to put down. So that’s gotta count for something, right?