A short review of "Switched" by Amanda Hocking

I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to books. There is never a time when I do not have something on the go. When I was a kid, authoring seemed like a dream job because it would allow me to practically live in my local bookstore. I could immerse myself in new worlds, escaping into the imaginations, and gaining the insight, of these near mythical beings: the "author."

Of course, the bookstore that I used to frequent is long gone, bought out by a much larger chain, as well as the very wing of the mall that it used to be in. The publishing world itself has changed so much from when I used to snatch up the newest title from Christopher Pike that I don't think I could have ever foreseen it; the whole idea of ebooks, of having portable devices capable of storing hundreds of these, of having hundreds of thousands of titles waiting for me at a touch of a few buttons, just seems too futuristic and magical.

I'm determined to make 2013 a year of interesting reads. From Les Miserable, to Matched, I'm trying to read a wide gambit of fiction, and I'm open to pretty much anything. From time to time, I would like to share my reads on the blog, just to let everyone know what I'm up to.

I've owned Switched for quite some time. Ever since I heard about Amanda Hocking's series, I put it on my to-do list. Life got in the way; I had no ereading device; it went unread. But then I heard that she had signed with an agent, a house, and that she was going to be traditionally published, so I waited for it to come out in hard copy. I didn't get around to reading it until this last week, though.
Hocking has an easy style, making Switched an enjoyable read. I really like that this is speculative fiction (urban fantasy) that doesn't focus on vampires, witches, or werewolves. Because of that, the story comes off as nice and fresh. There are sufficient twists and plot devices to keep the story moving along at a good pace and I can easily see myself buying the rest of this trilogy soon, as well as picking up some of her other works. I definitely recommend this book.

Happy reading!