Review: Ascend by Amanda Hocking

Title: Ascend
Author: Amanda Hocking
Release Date: Jan 2011
Series: Trylle #3
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Source: Kindle Lending Club

With a war looming on the horizon, Wendy’s fate seems sealed. But everything she sacrificed might be in vain if she can’t save the ones she loves. Her whole life has been leading up to this, and it’s all coming to an end.

'Ascend' is the 3rd and last novel in Amanda Hocking's Trylle Trilogy. This novel deals with Wendy being crowned queen and the war that erupts as a result of it. As the war against the Vittra rages on, Wendy has to deal with the war inside her heart, between her loyalty to Tove, her love to Finn, and her passion to Loki.

WORLD BUILDING: 3
At this point, the majority of the Trylle world has been built. You do get a short inside look into another Trylle compound, Oslinna, and there is now mention of 3 other Troll species besides the Trylle and the Vittra.

CHARACTER BUILDING: 3
Hocking could have done so much more with Wendy and Loki. Especially Loki. You never really learned about his personality, other than his stubbornness. I would have enjoyed if he was more like his namesake, Loki the Trickster. Finn, Elora, Tove, Duncan, Matt, Rhys and Willa were all written beautifully.

ROMANCE: 3
The final scene between Finn and Wendy was heart wrenching and well written. However, the romance between Wendy and Loki was rushed. It wasn't like she fell in love with him over the course of the trilogy. He showed up book 2 and she was instantly in love. I hope Matt and Willa ultimately have a happy ending

KICK-ASS: 3
Okay, what Wendy did to Oren at the end of the novel was awesome, but there wasn't anything in the rest of the novel to make it kick ass.

OVERALL: 12/20
This novel was a lot better than the other 2, just from the fact that it was edited pretty well. However, I thought it cleaned up the loose ends too neatly. In the epilogue, everything was tidy, right down to Wendy being with Loki and getting pregnant. I would have preferred a few loose ends, even if Hocking never plans on writing another novel in this world.