Review: Ascend by Amazon Hocking

Ascend (Trylle Trilogy #3)

By Amanda Hocking

Published: April 24, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Paperback, 326 pages

Wendy Everly is facing an impossible choice. The only way to save the Trylle from their deadliest enemy is by sacrificing herself. If she doesn’t surrender to the Vittra, her people will be thrust into a brutal war against an unbeatable foe. But how can Wendy leave all her friends behind…even if it’s the only way to save them?

The stakes have never been higher, because her kingdom isn’t the only thing she stands to lose. After falling for both Finn and Loki, she’s about to make the ultimate choice…who to love forever. One guy has finally proven to be the love of her life—and now all their lives might be coming to an end.

Everything has been leading to this moment. The future of her entire world rests in her hands—if she’s ready to fight for it. --Goodreads

4 Stars

Review

At last, the end draws near to an action-packed series. After experiencing the ups and downs the first two books, I am proud to say that I actually really enjoyed this series despite its faults and cannot wait to see what else Amanda Hocking has in store for in the future.

Ascend begins right after the bleak ending of Torn. Trylle world is in a state of chaos with their queen dying, numerous Vittra raids and an unhappy marriage between Wendy and Tove. So it's totally expected that everything is mellow for the first chapters. Compared to the previous two books, Ascend was better in presenting the tragic scenes as actually tragic. Instead of facepalming myself when I read the cheesy depression that the characters were going through, I really felt a tug in my heart during the desperate points of each character.

I've read some reviews that are annoyed with the epilogue at the end of the book. They comment on how the book does not resolve the flaws within Trylle society. It is true that not every problem is resolved, but Wendy does claim that they are working on the faults that have still yet to be resolved, so I don't really see why the big fuss. Well, anyway...

My only complaint is probably going to be the climax. After all of this tension built up in the past three books, you would expect the climatic battle to end this all would be one of the grandest or largest like in history. Unfortunately, the battle was wrapped fairly quickly and only lasted like 2 pages. It was a little disappointing when you consider that the same king who is extremely feared is so easily defeated.

Overall, I felt that Ascend was the most solid and the best book of the Trylle Trilogy. There is just something that Amanda Hocking just improves on each time she picks up the pen. Whether or not it is character depth or plot pacing, the journey that has been taken in this trilogy has been a great one for Wendy just as much as the author. Both have matured significantly, with Wendy being less rash, irritating, not to mention selfish, while Ms. Hocking just having a story with better flow. This is definitely a series worth trying and I recommend it to you all.

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