Switched by Amanda Hocking

Jumping right in today. Switched is about a girl named Wendy who has had a really rough childhood. Her mom always hated her for reasons she never understood. There was always a strong hatred she got from her mom and when she was six, her mom tried to kill her and called her a monster. She has since lived with her brother and her aunt but things recently have started to become a bit strange. Long story short, urban fantasy stuff happens. Right up my ally.

Right off the bat, I have to say I really liked this book. It was very interesting because Wendy is a character that you like but has some very major flaws. But they're flaws that you can't blame her for having and that you kind of just accept her for who and what she is. Or, at least I did. I can easily see why many people would call her bratty and selfish but I also think it's important to note that she isn't like that on purpose and that she is a good person at her core. She can't help the way she is and I think it's interesting having her battle this inner part of her that is naturally kinda mean but she was raised in the human world making her much more aware of what she's doing to others.

I also really liked other characters who's names I sadly cannot remember. I loved her brother. I felt like his character was very well defined even though he isn't in most of the book. It is possibly the best brother sister relationship I've read. Well, on his side at least. He definitely takes care of her in a way that just melts your heart and it left the most warm and fussy feeling in my chest. I really have to give props to Hocking for making me care about a character so much and making him very defined in such a little section of the book. As for the love interest, I thought he was pretty cool. Nothing really special to me at least. He was there and he served his purpose in the book but he wasn't that memorable to me. Same with the aunt. She served her purpose and did it well but it wasn't anything to remember. Although, I will say she defined her character very well as well. I think this family dynamic of Wendy, her brother, and her aunt is the epitome of unconditional family love. It brings a really soft and warm feeling to the book even though their lives aren't perfect and there is still conflict. The moms in this book, and yes, I do say moms, are also very defined characters. Wendy's adopted mother, so to speak, is very one sided and scary but you can't help but feel sorry for her because there is that terrible and haunting question of what if? What is Wendy wasn't in her life? Would she be a better person? Who knows? Wendy's biological mother was somewhat mysterious and withdrawn but she for sure has a background that you want to learn more about.

As for the plot of this book, I honestly didn't feel like it was something out of the ordinary for me. Maybe I just read too many urban fantasy books and at this point I feel like I've seen it all but this wasn't much different. Normal girl. Weird things happen. Magical world discovered. Girl is important in world. Must begin to fit in. Finds love. Probably forbidden. Saves world. Nothing really new here but I must say that I did end up enjoying this nonetheless. If you want an urban fantasy book and want it to be character driven I say pick this one up. The way it ended makes me want to get my hands on the next book. If you want something out of the ordinary, maybe skip this one for now but I do think it's worth reading, especially because of some of the characters. 4 out of 5 stars.