PROPHET - R J Larson

"Close your eyes, Ela of Parne. Close your eyes and you will see."

Ela Roeh of Parne doesn't understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She's undignified, bad tempered, and only seventeen--not to mention that no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as the elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite's prophet, Ela knows she will die young.
"Istgard has turned their back on Me. See the evil they do."

Yet after experiencing His presence, she can't imagine living without Him. Determined to follow the Infinite's voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite's word to a nation torn apart by war. Here she meets Kien, a young Traceland ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela must surrender to her destiny . . . and determine how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.
"Will you accept the branch and speak My will? Will you be My prophet?"

***********************

A YA fantasy tale reading like a Bible story and that's not a bad thing. I like Bible stories, my favorites are the ones that have strong female protagonists. That's what PROPHET has, a strong lead character who is offered the daunting task of becoming the voice for the Infinite, the being her people worship. The Infinite wants war to end and for others to come back to his fold.

The story flows along nicely with plenty of well-written dialogue, action, a bit of romance, humor. It's the beginning of a lovely series that's not too preachy.

Four lovely flowing beans.....

SWITCHED: A Trylle Novel - Amanda Hocking

Overview of the book:
Amanda Hocking is an indie publishing sensation whose self-published novels have sold millions of copies all over the world. Switched is the book that started the phenomenon. Prepare to be enchanted….
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.
Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.
Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…

**************************************

This is one of those fab-when-you-find-it books, one of those books that is meant to be read in one sitting if possible. Thankfully, it was possible for me.

Fantasy can be a tricky genre for me, especially YA fantasy. It walks a fine line of being gunky or good. Since the Trylle trilogy is about trolls (yep, that's a lotta 'trah'), it could easily be on the gunky side. But it's not.

Not your stereotypical trolls of Brothers Grimm. The reader learns in the book that trolls are written badly in stories. They trade out their babies, changelings, with human babies. The troll babies look like humans, put with families until old enough to realize what they are. Troll hunters come get them and bring them home. Home is their own community in Minnesota (who'da thunk it?) and there is a distinct heirarchy in place. Wendy finds out life as she knows it is no more.

Wendy knows she's different, she knew when her mother tried to kill her when she was young that something wasn't quite right. She just didn't know how different until Finn, the hunter, comes along.

I read a few reviews of for SWITCHED before reading it and hesitated a bit. Glad it was a LibraryThing win or I might have passed it by. Some of the reviews compare SWITCHED to TWILIGHT. I am not a fan of the sparkly vampires, so you will understand my hesitance. By no stretch of the imagination is the same as the sparkly vampire series. Trylle trilogy will stand on its own, no sparkles needed.

I enjoyed my time with this book and I look forward to reading the rest of the trilogy. Thank you LibraryThing for sending this book my way.

Five not your historical troll beans.....