Review - Ascend by Amanda Hocking (Trylle Trilogy #3)

Picture from Goodreads.com

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy

Format: Paperback (326 pages)

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: April 24th 2012

Rating: 5/5

Source: Bought from Costco =)
Get it at: Chapters | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

What I think: (May contain spoilers)

Oh my goodness! Ascend made its place to be one of my favorite book with an ending that exceed my expectation. Hocking did an amazing job tying the important loose ends and still leave the readers some open ended bits. I love the epilogue but it didn't felt like one since there are extra scenes from the insert that goes beyond the epilogue, nonetheless, the story left me all giddy and happy. It's been a long time since I read a series with such happy ending that I was satisfied the characters' closures. Happy story like this reminds me of Meg Cabot's work!

I enjoyed the plot of Ascend. Everything was super fluid and easy to understand. I particular love all the twists that were thrown in the last book as surprises for the final stretch of the trilogy. All the scenes were vivid and incredible. I adore the actions and the drama/character conflicts because they all contribute to character development. I'm happy that things finally have closure between Finn and Wendy even though it was bittersweet, however I was still awed with everything. I'm happy that Finn also found happiness in the end (it was so cute!). I'm sadden that Wendy did not get to know her mother Elora as she should, however, I was happy that Elora explained everything to her and that no matter what, Wendy always will have motherly love. That part just had me in tears. As with Matt, I'm happy that he had a large role in the story. Maggie FINALLY came back and everything seemed to be good with her. Tove and Bain? Did not see THAT coming.As for the protagonists Wendy and Loki, SUPER CUTE that my heart melt! Literally.

Although everything was once again pushed till the very end, the important scene was not rushed. I was really relief about that otherwise I'll be not as satisfied with the ending as I should because this book have so much potential! I love love love the ending because everything is happy! Eventually, you'll end up loving all the characters too! I read the thing back to back and now I have to make up for the hours that I lost for work, but I regret nothing! For the Trylle Trilogy, everything was worth it! I still have a hard time grasping the time frame of the story haha. Some term are kinda old like "chamber" instead of room even though the story is like 21st century.

Cover art and Title:
The covert art and titles for all three book were genius. Honestly, this is the first time that I really love the cover art and the title at the same time. Everything just suit the story perfectly. Each cover is basically a summary of the whole novel. The colors were also well chosen. Love it!

Rating: ★★★★★