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The Omte Origins #1
The Lost City
New York Times bestselling author Amanda Hocking returns to the magical world of the Trylle with The Lost City, the first book in the final Trylle arc.
Nestled along the bluffs of the forested coast lays the secret kingdom of the Omte—a realm filled with wonder...and as many secrets.
Ulla Tulin was left abandoned in an isolated Kanin city as a baby, taken in by strangers and raised hidden away like many of the trolls of mixed blood. Even knowing this truth, she’s never stopped wondering about her family.
When Ulla is offered an internship working alongside the handsome Pan Soriano at the Mimirin, a prestigious institution, she jumps at the chance to use this opportunity to hopefully find her parents. All she wants is to focus on her job and the search for her parents, but all of her attempts to find them are blocked when she learns her mother may be connected to the Omte royal family.
With little progress made, Ulla and Pan soon find themselves wrapped up in helping Eliana, an amnestic girl with abilities unlike any they have ever seen before—a girl who seems to be running from something. To figure out who she is they must leave the city, and possibly, along the way, they may learn more about Ulla’s parents.
Nestled along the bluffs of the forested coast lays the secret kingdom of the Omte—a realm filled with wonder...and as many secrets.
Ulla Tulin was left abandoned in an isolated Kanin city as a baby, taken in by strangers and raised hidden away like many of the trolls of mixed blood. Even knowing this truth, she’s never stopped wondering about her family.
When Ulla is offered an internship working alongside the handsome Pan Soriano at the Mimirin, a prestigious institution, she jumps at the chance to use this opportunity to hopefully find her parents. All she wants is to focus on her job and the search for her parents, but all of her attempts to find them are blocked when she learns her mother may be connected to the Omte royal family.
With little progress made, Ulla and Pan soon find themselves wrapped up in helping Eliana, an amnestic girl with abilities unlike any they have ever seen before—a girl who seems to be running from something. To figure out who she is they must leave the city, and possibly, along the way, they may learn more about Ulla’s parents.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2020
About the author
Amanda Hocking
126 books14.7k followersAMANDA HOCKING is the author of over twenty young adult novels, including the New York Times bestselling Trylle Trilogy and Kanin Chronicles. Her love of pop culture and all things paranormal influence her writing. She spends her time in Minnesota, taking care of her menagerie of pets and working on her next book.
Several of her books have made the New York Times Bestsellers list. Her zombie series, The Hollows, has been adapted into a graphic novel by Dynamite. She has published over twenty novels, including The Kanin Chronicles, the Watersong quartet, My Blood Approves series, the Valkyrie duology, and Freeks .
Her newest book is gothic romance written for adults called BESTOW THE DARKNESS.
For more info about her and her books, here are some other places to check out and ways to contact her:
Website: www.hockingbooks.com
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/amandahocking
Instagram: instagram.com/amanda_hocking/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/aehocking
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/aehocking/
Several of her books have made the New York Times Bestsellers list. Her zombie series, The Hollows, has been adapted into a graphic novel by Dynamite. She has published over twenty novels, including The Kanin Chronicles, the Watersong quartet, My Blood Approves series, the Valkyrie duology, and Freeks .
Her newest book is gothic romance written for adults called BESTOW THE DARKNESS.
For more info about her and her books, here are some other places to check out and ways to contact her:
Website: www.hockingbooks.com
Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/amandahocking
Instagram: instagram.com/amanda_hocking/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/aehocking
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/aehocking/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 308 reviews
April 8, 2021
I love Amanda Hocking, and her original Trylle trilogy is one of my favourite series of all time.
I was really looking forward to be back in this world.
However, for one reason or other, this time around, I didn't feel it.
It was like the world Hocking created was different, and here lots of things were missing.
Let me make it clear, this world trolls live in has different kingdoms that look differen (maybe kingdoms is wrong world, but there are different tribes that live and look differently from each other).
And the character we followed and the city she was in looked totally different from the one I fell in love with.
But that is not the problem, because if the world is different it doesn't mean that it's the bad thing.
I think that the reason why I wasn't head over hills about The Lost City is that I feel like the character drive was missing.
We follow Ulla who's mission is to find her real parents.
Although it is a great plot start, I feel like this whole book was about other people then Ulla.
I believe there is a good reason why this series was the plotted the way it is, and that we'll probably find out more about Ulla in the second book, but I wish we got at least something.
Another reason why I wasn't in love is that I didn't connect with side characters, especially to the one who became the most important closer to the end.
The third reason is that I just couldn't read faster because of personal reasons (I have newborn who needs me 24/7) and I hate how I don't have more time to read.
Because of that, I simply can't connect with story if I read it for 2 weeks when back in the day, I'd finish it in 2 days.
The writing style was great just like it always is when it comes to this writer.
I always enjoyed Amanda Hocking's words.
Although I find this book as solid, I feel like the second book will be much better, so I'm looking forward to continue with the series.
I was really looking forward to be back in this world.
However, for one reason or other, this time around, I didn't feel it.
It was like the world Hocking created was different, and here lots of things were missing.
Let me make it clear, this world trolls live in has different kingdoms that look differen (maybe kingdoms is wrong world, but there are different tribes that live and look differently from each other).
And the character we followed and the city she was in looked totally different from the one I fell in love with.
But that is not the problem, because if the world is different it doesn't mean that it's the bad thing.
I think that the reason why I wasn't head over hills about The Lost City is that I feel like the character drive was missing.
We follow Ulla who's mission is to find her real parents.
Although it is a great plot start, I feel like this whole book was about other people then Ulla.
I believe there is a good reason why this series was the plotted the way it is, and that we'll probably find out more about Ulla in the second book, but I wish we got at least something.
Another reason why I wasn't in love is that I didn't connect with side characters, especially to the one who became the most important closer to the end.
The third reason is that I just couldn't read faster because of personal reasons (I have newborn who needs me 24/7) and I hate how I don't have more time to read.
Because of that, I simply can't connect with story if I read it for 2 weeks when back in the day, I'd finish it in 2 days.
The writing style was great just like it always is when it comes to this writer.
I always enjoyed Amanda Hocking's words.
Although I find this book as solid, I feel like the second book will be much better, so I'm looking forward to continue with the series.
November 12, 2020
1.5 stars
My initial excitement for this release has completely died down, unfortunately. I thought this was going to be the start of a new great ya series in the Trylle world, but it ended up really letting me down. I don’t know if it’s because I read the first two series so long ago as a teen, but I still remember really loving them and being surprised by how immersive they were. This book completely swerves away from these good aspects.
First of all, is this even a real fantasy? Most of the time it was only a description of Ulla’s day to day life as she did her internship in the city. She’s supposed to be looking for her mom, but that kind of fell in the back-burner in the end. The book, in my perspective, is pretty “mundane”. It’s a whole bunch of nothing, honestly. Where is the excitement? Where is the intrigue of the fantasy world? The writing style flows really well, but I was so bored I couldn’t wait for it to end. The frustration led me to skim after the first 60% because I just couldn’t do it anymore, and I discovered the action is in the last 5%-10% of the book lol. What a waste of my time.
Characters are easy to distinguish between one another but they’re flat when you really look at what they actually add to the story. This is especially true for Ulla. I remember Brin and Wendy and they were anything but bland. They propelled the story forward, Ulla just lets things happen to her. For a main character that is really sad, I wasn’t able to root for her for a single second.
I also found Eliana and Hanna to be super irritating. Eliana was weird and I didn’t like her at all. And since the book is about her you can see how my relationship with this book was doomed from the start.
I think I need to reread at least one of the previous series to see if it’s a me problem or if it’s just that this book was badly plotted. So far it’s a very sad 2 stars for me, sigh.
******
I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A THING
16 year old me is screaming right now
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
My initial excitement for this release has completely died down, unfortunately. I thought this was going to be the start of a new great ya series in the Trylle world, but it ended up really letting me down. I don’t know if it’s because I read the first two series so long ago as a teen, but I still remember really loving them and being surprised by how immersive they were. This book completely swerves away from these good aspects.
First of all, is this even a real fantasy? Most of the time it was only a description of Ulla’s day to day life as she did her internship in the city. She’s supposed to be looking for her mom, but that kind of fell in the back-burner in the end. The book, in my perspective, is pretty “mundane”. It’s a whole bunch of nothing, honestly. Where is the excitement? Where is the intrigue of the fantasy world? The writing style flows really well, but I was so bored I couldn’t wait for it to end. The frustration led me to skim after the first 60% because I just couldn’t do it anymore, and I discovered the action is in the last 5%-10% of the book lol. What a waste of my time.
Characters are easy to distinguish between one another but they’re flat when you really look at what they actually add to the story. This is especially true for Ulla. I remember Brin and Wendy and they were anything but bland. They propelled the story forward, Ulla just lets things happen to her. For a main character that is really sad, I wasn’t able to root for her for a single second.
I also found Eliana and Hanna to be super irritating. Eliana was weird and I didn’t like her at all. And since the book is about her you can see how my relationship with this book was doomed from the start.
I think I need to reread at least one of the previous series to see if it’s a me problem or if it’s just that this book was badly plotted. So far it’s a very sad 2 stars for me, sigh.
******
I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS A THING
16 year old me is screaming right now
I received an advanced reader copy through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
July 10, 2020
The Lost City by Amanda Hocking is the first book in the new young adult, urban fantasy The Omte Origins series. While this is a new series by this author it takes place within the same world from her Trylle series of the same genre.
Ulla Tulin is a young, nineteen year old, troll who has no idea who her family is since she was abandoned as a baby. The family who took her in told her all they new of the woman who left her one stormy night but those facts aren’t much to go on.
Since Ulla became a teenager she took a job with a family to be their live in nanny to help with their many children as Ulla finished growing up herself. The head of this family pulled a few strings to get her accepted into the Mimirin, an institution dedicated to learning of all of troll history giving Ulla the hopes of finding out about her family.
Now while I’ve read a few books by Amanda Hocking I have not yet read her Trylle series so going into this one I wasn’t familiar with that world. However, despite jumping into this as a new series and world to me it was easy to distinguish the world within since it’s an urban fantasy and very much mirrors our own world with a hidden world within.
The story flew by with not only the mystery of the main character’s family but with that of a girl she meets at the institute. The romance inside is light with plenty of room to build and all the characters were likable. I would also warn this one ends a bit abruptly leaving us on a cliffhanger but I will be looking forward to more answers in book two.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Ulla Tulin is a young, nineteen year old, troll who has no idea who her family is since she was abandoned as a baby. The family who took her in told her all they new of the woman who left her one stormy night but those facts aren’t much to go on.
Since Ulla became a teenager she took a job with a family to be their live in nanny to help with their many children as Ulla finished growing up herself. The head of this family pulled a few strings to get her accepted into the Mimirin, an institution dedicated to learning of all of troll history giving Ulla the hopes of finding out about her family.
Now while I’ve read a few books by Amanda Hocking I have not yet read her Trylle series so going into this one I wasn’t familiar with that world. However, despite jumping into this as a new series and world to me it was easy to distinguish the world within since it’s an urban fantasy and very much mirrors our own world with a hidden world within.
The story flew by with not only the mystery of the main character’s family but with that of a girl she meets at the institute. The romance inside is light with plenty of room to build and all the characters were likable. I would also warn this one ends a bit abruptly leaving us on a cliffhanger but I will be looking forward to more answers in book two.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
September 24, 2021
ETA 3: 4.5 stars for a cast of characters I love, an enchanting setting, expanded worldbuilding I enjoyed, and a cute romance! The only drawback for me is that the final act could have used more action!
The Lost City is part of a trilogy of trilogies; the Trylle Trilogy, The Kanin Chronicles, and now The Omte Origins, each dealing with a young woman who is part of a different tribe of trolls. The Trylle books star Wendy, a young woman who is heir to the throne of the Trylle, and was raised as a changeling by humans, the Kanin books follow Brynn, a mixed Skojare-Kanin warrior who was raised by the Kanin to defend their kingdom and retrieve changelings from their fake human lives, and now the Omte origins follows Ulla, a young misfit halfblood who hopes to find out why she was abandoned as a baby and by who?
As a HUGE fan of the world, I suggest you go read the books in order before diving into this one: Trylle (switched, torn, ascend) Kanin (frostfire, ice kissed, crystal kingdom) and then you can check out The Lost City.
The Trylle trilogy is not incredibly popular on Goodreads, because a lot of people find the main character too whiney, but in her defense she's an abuse victim who's never had friends and has always been made to feel guilty for everything bad that happens around her. I still recommend them as really entertaining modern fantasy/paranormal romance, though I'd add that with the caveat that the first trilogy is much more paranormal romance while the sequels head into more urban fantasy that features romance, but then again, a lot of paranormal series go that route. So there's something for everyone here!
I did like the ending of this book despite wishing the final climax had a bit more action going on, and I cannot wait for the second book to get here, but God Damn, a few more action scenes during the ball could've been nice! I just felt like I was waiting for a big dramatic scene and then when it finally happened it was too short. What a tease!
That said I absolutely love the direction this is going in, the mysteries, the exploration and adventures that have been set up for the next titles... I have a feeling The Morning Flower is going to give me Rise of The Tomb Raider vibes with Ulla and Pan venturing to a lost icy kingdom frozen in time. Did I mention I'm excited!?!
I adored Ulla, Pan, and their supporting cast and I genuinely loved seeing Finn's new family and his kids. I can already see myself rereading this a million times because I already feel nostalgic for it--our Ulla-Hanna-Eliana-Dagny team is separated and it hurts my heart!
The setting (The Mimirin) is amazing and really leaps off the page. I can't help but this that this would make an amazing setting for a video game series. The Trylle world could totally fit into an open world RPG type framework. Someone make it happen.
As far as the romance goes I have to say Pan is a total hunk and the fact that he's a half-human half-troll elf-herder is so cute and nerdy. Also Ulla is a great heroine; confident and outspoken but very relatable. I like that even though she's not an action hero she can still hold her own and leap into a confrontation if she has to. She's a nice girl with a backbone, and although her intelligence and independent determination is her primary trait, I think we could see her become a sword-wielding warrior before her trilogy is over, depending on what she faces ahead.
It heavily made me want to reread the Trylle trilogy, too, which obviously will always be the OG.
More Jem-Kruk in book two please!
Also, I pre-ordered book 2 a month before it comes out. It's coming out on August 4th. And Amazon still says it's not going to deliver it to me until the 10th. Then why did I pre-order this ish? Jeff Bezos ya better fix your company and pay your workers a living wage ya bald-headed ass fleabag. >.>
ORIGINAL: HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THAT COVER! AND THE COVER FOR THE SEQUEL IS UP TOO! I know I'm not the only one excited for a chubby protagonist who is actually chubby on the cover, ON A PARANORMAL ROMANCE right? Like it's NBD for contemporary, and adult romance, I think, but this is kind of big for a YA PNR. I'm excited as fuck.
Also does the blurb make it sound like the Omte have a secret capitol hidden from the other tribes and may be more powerful and advanced than they let on in previous books? Because hot damn I love the ambitious/cunning vibes that puts off. The title made me think 'ancient ruins' but the blurb makes me reconsider, and I'm not mad at it whatsoever!
ETA 1: I just found out the first and second book come out a month or two apart. That's kind of a bold release strategy but very good for us readers, because, yes, I would like to binge.
ETA 2: I was wondering if this would be a trilogy or break the pattern and be a duology but Amanda Hocking has said on social media in a few posts that it's a trilogy, so I'm counting on it being a trilogy and not breaking the pattern and messing with my obsessive compulsive tendencies for no reason. Fingers crossed that doesn't change.
July 9, 2020
I read all of Amandas books in the troll world and have overall enjoyed them. This book fell very short though.
Ulla Tulin was left abandoned in an isolated Kanin city as a baby, taken in by strangers and raised hidden away like many of the trolls of mixed blood. Even knowing this truth, she’s never stopped wondering about her family.
Ulla is offered an internship working alongside the handsome Pan Soriano at the Mimirin, a prestigious institution. All she wants is to focus on her job and the search for her parents, but all of her attempts to find them are blocked when she learns her mother may be connected to the Omte royal family.
With little progress made, Ulla and Pan soon find themselves wrapped up in helping Eliana, an amnestic girl with abilities unlike any they have ever seen before―a girl who seems to be running from something.
I had a lot of issues with this book. First, there is no character development for anyone. We are introduced to characters who don't have very distinct characteristics and I never felt like I got to a point where I cared about them. The main character Ulla never felt like she had anything setting her apart. I wouldn't be able to describe her because she had no real personality traits. Second, we get no answers to anything. By the end of the book we have triple the questions and no answers for the questions we had starting the book. It made the book feel pointless and drag on for nothing. Third, the whole book is a set up for the next book. I honestly felt like nothing happens in this book. It takes place in about two weeks and just felt like a play by play of each day.
I feel like the second book will be much better because this books set up for that one so much.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc review copy.
Ulla Tulin was left abandoned in an isolated Kanin city as a baby, taken in by strangers and raised hidden away like many of the trolls of mixed blood. Even knowing this truth, she’s never stopped wondering about her family.
Ulla is offered an internship working alongside the handsome Pan Soriano at the Mimirin, a prestigious institution. All she wants is to focus on her job and the search for her parents, but all of her attempts to find them are blocked when she learns her mother may be connected to the Omte royal family.
With little progress made, Ulla and Pan soon find themselves wrapped up in helping Eliana, an amnestic girl with abilities unlike any they have ever seen before―a girl who seems to be running from something.
I had a lot of issues with this book. First, there is no character development for anyone. We are introduced to characters who don't have very distinct characteristics and I never felt like I got to a point where I cared about them. The main character Ulla never felt like she had anything setting her apart. I wouldn't be able to describe her because she had no real personality traits. Second, we get no answers to anything. By the end of the book we have triple the questions and no answers for the questions we had starting the book. It made the book feel pointless and drag on for nothing. Third, the whole book is a set up for the next book. I honestly felt like nothing happens in this book. It takes place in about two weeks and just felt like a play by play of each day.
I feel like the second book will be much better because this books set up for that one so much.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc review copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2020
All she wanted was to find her parents and focus on her job, but Ulla Turin, abandoned as a baby, mixed blood troll, would find so much more, love, friendships and the possibility she is royalty.
Amanda Hocking’s THE LOST CITY has all the promise of her Trylle trilogy, and readers of that series will find much to like about this spinoff. Details that are deep and vivid, main characters that grow throughout and a plethora of plots to unravel. It was almost too busy for me. There were times I wanted depth and didn’t get it, times I wanted this to move along. There is a huge info dump to absorb, and at times, it almost covered what was really important in my opinion.
A good read, but for me, not a great read. That said, Amanda Hocking DEFINITELY has a fertile imagination!
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Wednesday Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: The Omte Origins - Book 1
Publisher: Wednesday Books (July 7, 2020)
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy | Romance
Page Count: 400 Pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Amanda Hocking’s THE LOST CITY has all the promise of her Trylle trilogy, and readers of that series will find much to like about this spinoff. Details that are deep and vivid, main characters that grow throughout and a plethora of plots to unravel. It was almost too busy for me. There were times I wanted depth and didn’t get it, times I wanted this to move along. There is a huge info dump to absorb, and at times, it almost covered what was really important in my opinion.
A good read, but for me, not a great read. That said, Amanda Hocking DEFINITELY has a fertile imagination!
I received a complimentary ARC edition from Wednesday Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.
Series: The Omte Origins - Book 1
Publisher: Wednesday Books (July 7, 2020)
Publication Date: July 7, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy | Romance
Page Count: 400 Pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
September 6, 2020
I must confess I've never read a book by Amanda Hocking so this was my first time discovering the magical world of Trylle where there are all kinds of trolls but not only.
In The Lost City, you'll meet Ulla, a girl that was left as a baby. Kind strangers took her and raised her while telling her stories about how she came to be with them. One day, an opportunity arises and she's able to have an internship where she might discover who her parents where and where she came from. There, she'll meet Pam, her love interest and other characters.
Unfortunately, not a lot of progress is made in her search that might lead her to royalty. Instead, she spent a lot of time helping a girl who seem to be amnestic. No one knows who she is or what happened to her but she seems to be running from something. The identities of those after her were pretty obvious to me and I have to say while I was entertained and enjoyed this book, I wish we'd learn more about Ulla and I feel like not a lot happened in this book. I don't think this book managed to hook me enough to make me want to read book two either.
(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)
In The Lost City, you'll meet Ulla, a girl that was left as a baby. Kind strangers took her and raised her while telling her stories about how she came to be with them. One day, an opportunity arises and she's able to have an internship where she might discover who her parents where and where she came from. There, she'll meet Pam, her love interest and other characters.
Unfortunately, not a lot of progress is made in her search that might lead her to royalty. Instead, she spent a lot of time helping a girl who seem to be amnestic. No one knows who she is or what happened to her but she seems to be running from something. The identities of those after her were pretty obvious to me and I have to say while I was entertained and enjoyed this book, I wish we'd learn more about Ulla and I feel like not a lot happened in this book. I don't think this book managed to hook me enough to make me want to read book two either.
(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)
July 10, 2020
Thank you so much to Wednesday Books for the advanced copy and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for The Lost City by Amanda Hocking! Before I jump into the review, here are the book’s quick facts!
Title: The Lost City
Series: Omte Origins #1, in the world of the Trylle
Author: Amanda Ticking
Publisher & Release: Wednesday Books, July 7th 2020
Length: 384 pages
Rating & recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ yes for fans of modern fantasy
This is my first book by Hocking and I had no trouble picking up the storyline. I also read the glossary and index first, which by the way is a total gem. Have no worries if this is the first of the Trylle books that you read.
I haven’t read a lot of modern fantasy, with modern music and computers and technology, so The Lost City was interesting in that aspect. The trolls live alongside humans, kind of like how the wizarding world shares but is totally separate from the muggles. Once I got used to trolls in modern places I was able to enjoy the book quite a bit. Some of the trolls are more human-like than others. It was fun to learn about their quirks such as hoarding, and preferring bare feet.
The characters were a good lot as well. Ulla has a tough streak that I applauded. Pan is just a nice guy. Eliana is …. interesting, while Hannah and Dagny were fun. I am docking my star for characters seeming to act out of line at times though, such as the entire ending. Cute but like – really?
I thought the pacing was really even too. No part dragged and it was difficult to put the book down towards the end. I would totally recommend for modern fantasy fans who enjoy a twist of legend and magic in their reads! While the book is not specifically YA, the content seems entirely appropriate for readers of any age as well.
Title: The Lost City
Series: Omte Origins #1, in the world of the Trylle
Author: Amanda Ticking
Publisher & Release: Wednesday Books, July 7th 2020
Length: 384 pages
Rating & recommend: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ yes for fans of modern fantasy
This is my first book by Hocking and I had no trouble picking up the storyline. I also read the glossary and index first, which by the way is a total gem. Have no worries if this is the first of the Trylle books that you read.
I haven’t read a lot of modern fantasy, with modern music and computers and technology, so The Lost City was interesting in that aspect. The trolls live alongside humans, kind of like how the wizarding world shares but is totally separate from the muggles. Once I got used to trolls in modern places I was able to enjoy the book quite a bit. Some of the trolls are more human-like than others. It was fun to learn about their quirks such as hoarding, and preferring bare feet.
The characters were a good lot as well. Ulla has a tough streak that I applauded. Pan is just a nice guy. Eliana is …. interesting, while Hannah and Dagny were fun. I am docking my star for characters seeming to act out of line at times though, such as the entire ending. Cute but like – really?
I thought the pacing was really even too. No part dragged and it was difficult to put the book down towards the end. I would totally recommend for modern fantasy fans who enjoy a twist of legend and magic in their reads! While the book is not specifically YA, the content seems entirely appropriate for readers of any age as well.
July 20, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending me an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ulla Tulin is a nineteen year old girl who was abandoned by an Omte warrior inside an inn. The family managing the inn took her in and raised her.
When she was old enough to leave them, she got a job working as a nanny taking care of five children.
The one thing she’s always wanted is to find out who her parents are. Fortunately for her, Finn, the father of the children she nannies, has some important connections and she’s able to get accepted into the Mimirin. This is an institute where they dedicate themselves to learn all about troll history and ancestry, giving Ulla an opportunity to find a little bit more about her origins.
THOUGHTS
Even though they described The Lost City as part of the Trylle World, I honestly don’t think that’s true. Even though The Trylle Trilogy and the Kanin Chronicles are completely two different stories with different main characters, they still show you a little bit of the Trylle World.
The first one, of course, introduces you to the trolls and the way of living of the Trylle. While the Kanin Chronicles show you the Kanins… I know, a little redundant, but it’s important.
I thought Omte Origins was going to show us the Omte culture and their daily lives but it doesn’t. Maybe the sequel will introduce you more into this world but I was expecting that and it didn’t happen.
The Lost Cityjust focuses on the Mimirin Institute and it actually doesn’t focus on the main character! It revolves around a side character that just appears out of the blue.
The pacing is very slow and not action packed, it seemed like the story was building up for something major. But that never happened, not until maybe the last 10% of the book.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it was an “okay��� fast read. I just felt like it was long and drawn out at the same time. Because of this, it was difficult for me to stay interested in the story while reading it.
It’s not necessary to read the other two trilogies from this world because Amanda did an amazing job filling the blanks while, at the same time, not overloading with too much information. Would it help? I think so. It really depends if you would like to know a little bit more about the Trylle and the Kanins, but it doesn’t affect the narrative of The Omte Origins.
Overall, even though it wasn’t my favorite read, I’m still intrigued to know more about Ulla’s real family and I’ll definitely read the sequel. Maybe The Lost City was a very long introduction and there’ll be more action as the series continues.
Ulla Tulin is a nineteen year old girl who was abandoned by an Omte warrior inside an inn. The family managing the inn took her in and raised her.
When she was old enough to leave them, she got a job working as a nanny taking care of five children.
The one thing she’s always wanted is to find out who her parents are. Fortunately for her, Finn, the father of the children she nannies, has some important connections and she’s able to get accepted into the Mimirin. This is an institute where they dedicate themselves to learn all about troll history and ancestry, giving Ulla an opportunity to find a little bit more about her origins.
THOUGHTS
Even though they described The Lost City as part of the Trylle World, I honestly don’t think that’s true. Even though The Trylle Trilogy and the Kanin Chronicles are completely two different stories with different main characters, they still show you a little bit of the Trylle World.
The first one, of course, introduces you to the trolls and the way of living of the Trylle. While the Kanin Chronicles show you the Kanins… I know, a little redundant, but it’s important.
I thought Omte Origins was going to show us the Omte culture and their daily lives but it doesn’t. Maybe the sequel will introduce you more into this world but I was expecting that and it didn’t happen.
The Lost Cityjust focuses on the Mimirin Institute and it actually doesn’t focus on the main character! It revolves around a side character that just appears out of the blue.
The pacing is very slow and not action packed, it seemed like the story was building up for something major. But that never happened, not until maybe the last 10% of the book.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it was an “okay��� fast read. I just felt like it was long and drawn out at the same time. Because of this, it was difficult for me to stay interested in the story while reading it.
It’s not necessary to read the other two trilogies from this world because Amanda did an amazing job filling the blanks while, at the same time, not overloading with too much information. Would it help? I think so. It really depends if you would like to know a little bit more about the Trylle and the Kanins, but it doesn’t affect the narrative of The Omte Origins.
Overall, even though it wasn’t my favorite read, I’m still intrigued to know more about Ulla’s real family and I’ll definitely read the sequel. Maybe The Lost City was a very long introduction and there’ll be more action as the series continues.
![Profile Image for julia ☆ [owls reads].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1636739475i/5520447._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
June 5, 2020
2 stars.
*
Full disclosure: I skimmed some chapters around the middle so I could get to the end faster.
The Lost City was not the best reintroduction to Hocking's work, personally. I loved her earlier stuff, Trylle included, but I didn't connect with this book. One thing I did like was the chapter lengths--they were all pretty short and easy to read and made it so the pace held steady and was pretty fast throughout the story.
Everything else was not the best. There were a lot of info-dumps and telling-not-showing paragraphs which were super evident due to how short most chapters were. The characters were also kind of flat? They had their own personalities, but the dialogue didn't help much with how stilted it was at times.
I was intriguing by Ulla's past, but that wasn't enough to make the rest of the book interesting to me? I was bored through most of it and had a hard time getting through the middle, so I skimmed about 20% of the story around the 50% point so I could get to the resolution and climax of the story to see if things for better. For me, they didn't.
I'm sure YA Fantasy fans will love this; it just wasn't the book for me. Also bothered me that the final 10% of the novel are only dedicated to 'tribal facts' and the glossary instead of plot.
*
Series: #1 in The Omte Origins series.
POV: Told from Ulla's POV.
Content Warnings:
Instalove:
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA:
Up Next: The Morning Flower.
*
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*
Full disclosure: I skimmed some chapters around the middle so I could get to the end faster.
The Lost City was not the best reintroduction to Hocking's work, personally. I loved her earlier stuff, Trylle included, but I didn't connect with this book. One thing I did like was the chapter lengths--they were all pretty short and easy to read and made it so the pace held steady and was pretty fast throughout the story.
Everything else was not the best. There were a lot of info-dumps and telling-not-showing paragraphs which were super evident due to how short most chapters were. The characters were also kind of flat? They had their own personalities, but the dialogue didn't help much with how stilted it was at times.
I was intriguing by Ulla's past, but that wasn't enough to make the rest of the book interesting to me? I was bored through most of it and had a hard time getting through the middle, so I skimmed about 20% of the story around the 50% point so I could get to the resolution and climax of the story to see if things for better. For me, they didn't.
I'm sure YA Fantasy fans will love this; it just wasn't the book for me. Also bothered me that the final 10% of the novel are only dedicated to 'tribal facts' and the glossary instead of plot.
*
Series: #1 in The Omte Origins series.
POV: Told from Ulla's POV.
Content Warnings:
Instalove:
Cliffhanger: No.
HEA:
Up Next: The Morning Flower.
*
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 6, 2020
I have not read the Trylle Trilogy before diving into this spinoff (though I own it). Thankfully I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything. Just an FYI though, I have seen some reviews indicate this may have some spoilers for those who have not finished the trilogy. Hocking did a wonderful job keeping the reader informed and making this feel like its own book for me though.
Ulla is a mixed breed troll. She was abandoned as a baby and has always wondered who the mysterious woman was that left her behind. When she receives an internship at the prestigious Mimirin she finally has the tools to discover what her past holds. The arrival of an amnestic troll named Eliana derails Ulla’s goals as long disbelieved troll fables and folklore meet their modern day beliefs.
This was definitely a builder novel in my opinion. It sets the groundwork for what is to come in the rest of the series by building the characters and the background. There is a lot of history and explanation which can be helpful for those like me who have not read Switched yet. Though a lot didn’t happen it does hold promise for the second book in the series and sets the precedence for the journey to come. I’m definitely looking forward to the second novel to see where this goes.
This was slightly hard to rate. The writing is great and though there wasn’t a lot going on I wasn’t bored with the progress. I enjoyed the character development and the world building. I think in the sense of a builder novel this is a good 4 but for action and attention grabbing it is more of a 3. My true rating to encompass both aspects is a 3.5.
Thank you to Amanda Hocking and the Publisher, Wednesday Books, for and advanced reader copy. Stay tuned for the upcoming review on The Morning Flower (Book 2). I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t eager to get started.
Ulla is a mixed breed troll. She was abandoned as a baby and has always wondered who the mysterious woman was that left her behind. When she receives an internship at the prestigious Mimirin she finally has the tools to discover what her past holds. The arrival of an amnestic troll named Eliana derails Ulla’s goals as long disbelieved troll fables and folklore meet their modern day beliefs.
This was definitely a builder novel in my opinion. It sets the groundwork for what is to come in the rest of the series by building the characters and the background. There is a lot of history and explanation which can be helpful for those like me who have not read Switched yet. Though a lot didn’t happen it does hold promise for the second book in the series and sets the precedence for the journey to come. I’m definitely looking forward to the second novel to see where this goes.
This was slightly hard to rate. The writing is great and though there wasn’t a lot going on I wasn’t bored with the progress. I enjoyed the character development and the world building. I think in the sense of a builder novel this is a good 4 but for action and attention grabbing it is more of a 3. My true rating to encompass both aspects is a 3.5.
Thank you to Amanda Hocking and the Publisher, Wednesday Books, for and advanced reader copy. Stay tuned for the upcoming review on The Morning Flower (Book 2). I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t eager to get started.
July 16, 2020
Have you read any of the Trylle Trilogy? if not, you should! Amanda Hocking's world building is brilliant and she has outdone herself yet again with the first book in the new Omte Origins trilogy, which will be the last installment set in the world of Trylle. I found that Ulla was a very relatable character and I loved the relationship she develops with Pan. The book sensitively explores issues around abandonment, identity and finding oneself, all set within a fantastical world with an interesting magic system...and Trolls. 🧡
I'm super happy to have had the opportunity to be part of the blog tour with wednesday books st martins press and amanda hocking
I'm super happy to have had the opportunity to be part of the blog tour with wednesday books st martins press and amanda hocking
September 23, 2020
She arrived during a snowstorm, carrying a dagger befitting for a warrior and sought shelter at the Iskyla lodging. Before dawn, the Omte warrior had departed, leaving behind a newborn child with the elderly couple. Ullaakuut Tulin is an orphan living with her new adoptive family in Förening, the Trylle capital, assisting with their children and continuing the search for the woman who abandoned her as a child. Learning ancient Scandinavian languages has guided the eighteen year old to an apprenticeship in the illustrious Merellä metropolis, the Inhemsk Project reuniting trolls of mixed blood heritage with their families. The Mimirin is an abundant research facility, library and university and Ulla will spend the next several weeks researching her origins.
Ulla is such a beautiful young woman, she's gentle, compassionate and charismatic, assuming she was born of Omte parents according to her statuesque physique. The Omte society are rarely forthcoming with information and trolls of mixed blood heritage are often degraded and endure adversity. Her journey is wonderful, her relationships and eagerness to learn is admirable. Ulla is determined and tenacious but allows herself to be vulnerable, creating an endearing character.
On the way to Merellä, she reluctantly agrees to escort Hanna, a sullen teenager who will be staying with her grandparents while Ulla is away but Hanna has other plans and the two journey to Merellä until Hanna's parents can collect their stowaway. Hanna bakes up a storm while Ulla and Dagny, her roommate, are at work and a few pages may now be crinkly from drooling. Hanna is such a lovely and vibrant character, her enthusiasm for life is infectious and I hope she'll also play a part in future installments or perhaps her own series.
The secondary characters are wonderfully vibrant. Panuk was born to a human mother and unknown father from the Kanin, a researcher at the Mimirin and Peurojen by night, an Elk shepherd. Dagny is Ulla's new housemate, a candid and detached assistant troglecologist researching the biology of the troll kingdoms and communities. Dagny is brilliant, I loved her no nonsense approach to life, including Ulla's mission to find her identity. Eliana is an interesting character. She's also a troll but with chameleon like abilities, wildly acrobatic and has absolutely no idea who she is or why she's travelled to Merellä. Dagny was more interested in solving the mystery of Eliana than Ulla's and it added a mysterious element to the storyline that I really enjoyed unravelling.
Ulla is such a beautiful young woman, she's gentle, compassionate and charismatic, assuming she was born of Omte parents according to her statuesque physique. The Omte society are rarely forthcoming with information and trolls of mixed blood heritage are often degraded and endure adversity. Her journey is wonderful, her relationships and eagerness to learn is admirable. Ulla is determined and tenacious but allows herself to be vulnerable, creating an endearing character.
On the way to Merellä, she reluctantly agrees to escort Hanna, a sullen teenager who will be staying with her grandparents while Ulla is away but Hanna has other plans and the two journey to Merellä until Hanna's parents can collect their stowaway. Hanna bakes up a storm while Ulla and Dagny, her roommate, are at work and a few pages may now be crinkly from drooling. Hanna is such a lovely and vibrant character, her enthusiasm for life is infectious and I hope she'll also play a part in future installments or perhaps her own series.
The secondary characters are wonderfully vibrant. Panuk was born to a human mother and unknown father from the Kanin, a researcher at the Mimirin and Peurojen by night, an Elk shepherd. Dagny is Ulla's new housemate, a candid and detached assistant troglecologist researching the biology of the troll kingdoms and communities. Dagny is brilliant, I loved her no nonsense approach to life, including Ulla's mission to find her identity. Eliana is an interesting character. She's also a troll but with chameleon like abilities, wildly acrobatic and has absolutely no idea who she is or why she's travelled to Merellä. Dagny was more interested in solving the mystery of Eliana than Ulla's and it added a mysterious element to the storyline that I really enjoyed unravelling.
July 31, 2020
Review: 4 Stars
You can also read my review here!
The Lost City is the first book in The Omte Origins series, which is a spin off of the Trylle series, it can be read without having previously read the Trylle series, but fans of the Trylle series may appreciate it more. As soon as I saw that a spin off was coming out I was so excited. I couldn’t wait until closer to publication to read this book because I was so happy to have gotten an ARC and needed to read it right away, so I did hold my review until now. I am super excited that I can continue on to the next installment right away because I already have that ARC as well!
In many ways this book kind of felt like a prequel, as I felt like it set the scene for the upcoming adventure that will be in book two. Plot wise there wasn’t a ton that really happened and I do have to admit that by the end I had so many questions and not many answers. There was a lot of world building going on and the fact that the setting was basically a troll history research site really helped give context to the world and made it feel real. I thought that I might get bored with the book considering that a lot of it is about Ulla researching her own genealogy, but despite the fact that the book wasn’t action packed I was still incredibly invested.
It was the characters that really made this book great. Ulla was a pretty level protagonist and while I really did like her, it was the the side characters that I truly loved. Pan was a romantic interest that I really liked, he was so kind hearted and the growing romance between him and Ulla was so sweet. Hanna was my favorite though. She was so bubbly and full of excitement that her happiness just rubbed off on the other characters. Eliana fascinated me and I can’t wait to find out more about her, but I really hope that Hanna is in book 2 because Hanna and Eliana’s friendship was a big highlight of this story for me.
Overall I think that this is a great spin off. Fans of the Trylle series will definitely enjoy this book. It isn’t action packed, but it has great characters and world building and Amanda Hocking’s writing is always captivating. I think this is probably a series that I would prefer to binge read. It’s hard not to be able to dive right into the next book after finishing this one.
You can also read my review here!
The Lost City is the first book in The Omte Origins series, which is a spin off of the Trylle series, it can be read without having previously read the Trylle series, but fans of the Trylle series may appreciate it more. As soon as I saw that a spin off was coming out I was so excited. I couldn’t wait until closer to publication to read this book because I was so happy to have gotten an ARC and needed to read it right away, so I did hold my review until now. I am super excited that I can continue on to the next installment right away because I already have that ARC as well!
In many ways this book kind of felt like a prequel, as I felt like it set the scene for the upcoming adventure that will be in book two. Plot wise there wasn’t a ton that really happened and I do have to admit that by the end I had so many questions and not many answers. There was a lot of world building going on and the fact that the setting was basically a troll history research site really helped give context to the world and made it feel real. I thought that I might get bored with the book considering that a lot of it is about Ulla researching her own genealogy, but despite the fact that the book wasn’t action packed I was still incredibly invested.
It was the characters that really made this book great. Ulla was a pretty level protagonist and while I really did like her, it was the the side characters that I truly loved. Pan was a romantic interest that I really liked, he was so kind hearted and the growing romance between him and Ulla was so sweet. Hanna was my favorite though. She was so bubbly and full of excitement that her happiness just rubbed off on the other characters. Eliana fascinated me and I can’t wait to find out more about her, but I really hope that Hanna is in book 2 because Hanna and Eliana’s friendship was a big highlight of this story for me.
Overall I think that this is a great spin off. Fans of the Trylle series will definitely enjoy this book. It isn’t action packed, but it has great characters and world building and Amanda Hocking’s writing is always captivating. I think this is probably a series that I would prefer to binge read. It’s hard not to be able to dive right into the next book after finishing this one.
July 8, 2020
Ulla is just a troll trying to find her place in this world and when given the opportunity to access resources that’ll hopefully point her in the right direction of where she comes from, she jumps at the chance, even though it means leaving the only family that she’s ever known. Traveling to a secret city that holds the Omte kingdom, Ulla begins her journey to find out who she is and where she comes from, and what she learns is certainly not what she expected.
THE LOST CITY is the first in a new series that explores the Omte, a race of trolls that have been previously introduced in two of Hocking’s other series, one of which I’ve been interested in for quite some time. It’s not necessary to have read either of them because she does a fantastic job of filling in the blanks without overloading the reader and bogging down the narrative. The only thing I found confusing were the trolls in this world — they aren’t very detailed and aside from a few brief descriptions, Ulla could have very well been a tall, blonde, vegetarian human. She wore human clothing, drove a jeep and I don’t know what I was expecting, but nothing about the characters, Ulla included, particularly screamed troll.
I really liked Ulla as a character, I loved her loyalty to those she loves, I loved her determination and her drive to discover where she comes from even when it seems like everything and everyone is stacked against her, and I loved her perfect balance of strength and vulnerability. She is definitely a character with plenty of heart, but she can and will fight when she needs to. THE LOST CITY is a very quick read, and while not particularly fast paced, Hocking’s writing style is so smooth and no-nonsense that it’s so easy to just keep turning the pages. I’ve read several of her other books and that’s always something I appreciate about her style.
Bottom line — THE LOST CITY was a good series starter that will definitely leave the reader with more questions than answers. The story is just getting started and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds in the rest of the trilogy, though I think I’ll probably read the other two connected series before continuing on. But only because I’m weird like that. 3.5 stars.
*Many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the arc.
THE LOST CITY is the first in a new series that explores the Omte, a race of trolls that have been previously introduced in two of Hocking’s other series, one of which I’ve been interested in for quite some time. It’s not necessary to have read either of them because she does a fantastic job of filling in the blanks without overloading the reader and bogging down the narrative. The only thing I found confusing were the trolls in this world — they aren’t very detailed and aside from a few brief descriptions, Ulla could have very well been a tall, blonde, vegetarian human. She wore human clothing, drove a jeep and I don’t know what I was expecting, but nothing about the characters, Ulla included, particularly screamed troll.
I really liked Ulla as a character, I loved her loyalty to those she loves, I loved her determination and her drive to discover where she comes from even when it seems like everything and everyone is stacked against her, and I loved her perfect balance of strength and vulnerability. She is definitely a character with plenty of heart, but she can and will fight when she needs to. THE LOST CITY is a very quick read, and while not particularly fast paced, Hocking’s writing style is so smooth and no-nonsense that it’s so easy to just keep turning the pages. I’ve read several of her other books and that’s always something I appreciate about her style.
Bottom line — THE LOST CITY was a good series starter that will definitely leave the reader with more questions than answers. The story is just getting started and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds in the rest of the trilogy, though I think I’ll probably read the other two connected series before continuing on. But only because I’m weird like that. 3.5 stars.
*Many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the arc.
August 7, 2020
I didn't know Amanda Hocking prior to reading this book. I only knew yesterday that she had another trilogy in the same ... then this one, and I know, seeing how I devoured this book, that she will become one of my star authors.
I adore Ulla, she's a fascinating young woman with a past that leave many unanswered questions, to which she does all she can to have the answers. Or some answers at least. She was abandoned as a baby, and she wants to know who is her mother, if she was the woman that left her all those years ago...
All the others characters of the story also bring something special to the story. It is well developed and ends with a promise of a big adventure that I can't wait to read about in book 2!
Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I adore Ulla, she's a fascinating young woman with a past that leave many unanswered questions, to which she does all she can to have the answers. Or some answers at least. She was abandoned as a baby, and she wants to know who is her mother, if she was the woman that left her all those years ago...
All the others characters of the story also bring something special to the story. It is well developed and ends with a promise of a big adventure that I can't wait to read about in book 2!
Many thanks to Wednesday Books for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
June 19, 2020
I love Amanda's writing and if you have not read her books now is the perfect time to dive into her books. The pacing on this one was a little slower than the rest of the books in the other series. This book was a book that drew us into getting to know the characters and expanding the world. The action just started at the very end. It definitely left me wanting more.
The Lost City was like a delicious appetizer and I can not wait for the main course and dessert. The great thing is the release of the books in this series are close together. I also enjoyed the body positive representation and asexual representation. If you have not read Amanda's books I highly recommend starting now and with any 1st book in this series.
The Lost City was like a delicious appetizer and I can not wait for the main course and dessert. The great thing is the release of the books in this series are close together. I also enjoyed the body positive representation and asexual representation. If you have not read Amanda's books I highly recommend starting now and with any 1st book in this series.
May 15, 2020
3.5 stars A YA fantasy set in a world already known to Hocking fans, but this is the first of her works I've read, so I can't compare. It's the story of Ulla, a part-troll woman who was abandoned as a baby and is now looking for information about her family and where she comes from. I thought the story was pretty original and a pleasant and easy read, but nothing really happened. The story seemed a bit shallow, like it was building up to something, but it never really did. Maybe in the sequel.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.
Want to read
April 18, 2021
April 9, 2020
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I have a confession to make. I haven’t had the opportunity or time to check out Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy or Kanin Chronicles and I think that led to some confusion when I read this book, The Lost City.
I felt very out of place and could tell that I was missing the bigger picture of this story. Nonetheless, I will give my honest review of Hocking’s newest book.
Let’s start with the characters. They were all very well developed and had a lot of depth. I appreciate the author’s dedication to creating characters that weren’t just mere stock personalities like one can find in so many other fantasy stories. You know what I’m talking about; you have the pretty one, the one with the attitude, the naïve one, the handsome guy etc.
All these character were present in this story, but there was more to them than just their one-word description, which had me constantly wonder, if I could really trust this character, was there more than meets the eye and do they have some sort of personal agenda? They kept it interesting.
I sometimes liked the protagonist and I sometimes didn’t. I have seen in recent new publications the move away from the pretty, special snowflake type female protagonist, who is just physically so perfect it made the reader sometimes sick, to the more relatable female protagonist, who is a bit more curvy and does not sport perfectly symmetrical features. I loved it.
I wasn’t quite sure about the plot. The title of the book said one thing, but the actual story seemed more focused on something else. It confused me and had me wondering when the action would really kick in.
It never really did. It was a very in-depth, info-overload, explain everything in detail and let the reader wait for the action type story. It felt like a book-long introduction to the actual story. A sort of set-up of what is to come in later installments.
For someone, who is notoriously impatient for the action to start, this was a bit of a test of patience for me.
I really liked the writing style, though. It was easy to follow. It had a nice flow and it was able to let me picture all the settings in a lot of detail.
Overall, as I said before, I wish I had been more familiar with this world before plunging head-first into this new series. It was entertaining enough, but it didn’t have me obsessing over it. I would suggest it to anyone familiar with Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy or Kanin Chronicles.
ElliotScribbles
I have a confession to make. I haven’t had the opportunity or time to check out Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy or Kanin Chronicles and I think that led to some confusion when I read this book, The Lost City.
I felt very out of place and could tell that I was missing the bigger picture of this story. Nonetheless, I will give my honest review of Hocking’s newest book.
Let’s start with the characters. They were all very well developed and had a lot of depth. I appreciate the author’s dedication to creating characters that weren’t just mere stock personalities like one can find in so many other fantasy stories. You know what I’m talking about; you have the pretty one, the one with the attitude, the naïve one, the handsome guy etc.
All these character were present in this story, but there was more to them than just their one-word description, which had me constantly wonder, if I could really trust this character, was there more than meets the eye and do they have some sort of personal agenda? They kept it interesting.
I sometimes liked the protagonist and I sometimes didn’t. I have seen in recent new publications the move away from the pretty, special snowflake type female protagonist, who is just physically so perfect it made the reader sometimes sick, to the more relatable female protagonist, who is a bit more curvy and does not sport perfectly symmetrical features. I loved it.
I wasn’t quite sure about the plot. The title of the book said one thing, but the actual story seemed more focused on something else. It confused me and had me wondering when the action would really kick in.
It never really did. It was a very in-depth, info-overload, explain everything in detail and let the reader wait for the action type story. It felt like a book-long introduction to the actual story. A sort of set-up of what is to come in later installments.
For someone, who is notoriously impatient for the action to start, this was a bit of a test of patience for me.
I really liked the writing style, though. It was easy to follow. It had a nice flow and it was able to let me picture all the settings in a lot of detail.
Overall, as I said before, I wish I had been more familiar with this world before plunging head-first into this new series. It was entertaining enough, but it didn’t have me obsessing over it. I would suggest it to anyone familiar with Hocking’s Trylle Trilogy or Kanin Chronicles.
ElliotScribbles
July 4, 2020
[I received a digital arc from netgalley for an honest review]
I've read almost all of Amanda Hocking's books. The Lost City makes book 20 of hers that I've read and her writing style in this has the same feel as all her other work. The Lost City is the start of a new trilogy that takes places in her Trylle universe. Therefore, while it stands strong on its own, fans of her previous series ( The Trylle Trilogy & The Kanin Chronicles) will recognize some names and faces the main character comes across.
Ulla Tulin has no idea who her birth parents are or where she came from. After being left at an inn as an infant when she's older she finds herself as a nanny and part of a large welcoming family but the urge to know her roots never lessened. She lands an internship at job that will give her access to ways of discovering her patronage. When there's a chance her mother might have been of royal blood she is blocked at every attempt to find out more. She learns that even her world has secrets and maybe the fairy tales aren't quite tales after all.
The Lost City was on par with what I expected from it. Hocking's books tend to have a slow build and the first book always leaves you with mysteries you want to know more of. She also totally set up the YA love triangle trope subtly by giving us the loyal charming sweet boy companion and dangling a tall dark and handsome mystery man before us that leaves us wanting more. {{sigh}} You just know boy next door will eventually get his heart crushed down the line. Anyways I digress, the book does a lot of explanation of the Trylle world, history and social class. While the story progress a little it definitely feels a bit slow. Ulla doesn't learn a whole lot and at the ends set off on her big journey.
The Lost City was a good start to a new YA trilogy by Amanda Hocking. With likable characters and mysteries to uncover, I foresee it being a trilogy that I end up wanting to add to my bookshelf. I think fans of her previous Trylle universe series are going to enjoy this one as well.
I've read almost all of Amanda Hocking's books. The Lost City makes book 20 of hers that I've read and her writing style in this has the same feel as all her other work. The Lost City is the start of a new trilogy that takes places in her Trylle universe. Therefore, while it stands strong on its own, fans of her previous series ( The Trylle Trilogy & The Kanin Chronicles) will recognize some names and faces the main character comes across.
Ulla Tulin has no idea who her birth parents are or where she came from. After being left at an inn as an infant when she's older she finds herself as a nanny and part of a large welcoming family but the urge to know her roots never lessened. She lands an internship at job that will give her access to ways of discovering her patronage. When there's a chance her mother might have been of royal blood she is blocked at every attempt to find out more. She learns that even her world has secrets and maybe the fairy tales aren't quite tales after all.
The Lost City was on par with what I expected from it. Hocking's books tend to have a slow build and the first book always leaves you with mysteries you want to know more of. She also totally set up the YA love triangle trope subtly by giving us the loyal charming sweet boy companion and dangling a tall dark and handsome mystery man before us that leaves us wanting more. {{sigh}} You just know boy next door will eventually get his heart crushed down the line. Anyways I digress, the book does a lot of explanation of the Trylle world, history and social class. While the story progress a little it definitely feels a bit slow. Ulla doesn't learn a whole lot and at the ends set off on her big journey.
The Lost City was a good start to a new YA trilogy by Amanda Hocking. With likable characters and mysteries to uncover, I foresee it being a trilogy that I end up wanting to add to my bookshelf. I think fans of her previous Trylle universe series are going to enjoy this one as well.
July 16, 2020
I am excited to be returning to the world of the Trylle Series. Trylle was my first series from Amanda Hocking, so there is quite a bit of nostalgia surrounding it for me.
From the opening page, The Lost City is easy to read and engaging. With just enough back story woven in for it to flow easily. The characters are fantastic, complex with their own back stories being smoothely integrated into the book.
Towards the middle of the book, there is a lull where nothing is happening, just Ulla going to her internship and nothing is really progressing. I get that in real life people go to work and its boring, but this lull really takes away from the overall feel of the book. Yes it may be important in that this is where Pan and Ulla are establishing their friendship and we are learning about them as characters. But it isn't adding anything to the book.
The addition of Eliana's story line adds excitement to this book. It adds the action that it was missing. Eliana is such an intriguing chatacter, also a little frustrating but interesting none-the-less. She feels mysterious and adds a flare of unknown to the book.
The ending was fast paced and action packed, leaving me yearning for the next book, for Pan and Ulla's adventure. As always Hocking has written something dreamy and fantastical that lives alongside our world. It makes you wonder if they are real.
If you loved the Trylle and Kanin series from Amanda Hocking, you definitely need to pick up The Lost City and dive into learning about the Omte.
Thank you so much to Macmillan Australia for sending me a copy of this book.
From the opening page, The Lost City is easy to read and engaging. With just enough back story woven in for it to flow easily. The characters are fantastic, complex with their own back stories being smoothely integrated into the book.
Towards the middle of the book, there is a lull where nothing is happening, just Ulla going to her internship and nothing is really progressing. I get that in real life people go to work and its boring, but this lull really takes away from the overall feel of the book. Yes it may be important in that this is where Pan and Ulla are establishing their friendship and we are learning about them as characters. But it isn't adding anything to the book.
The addition of Eliana's story line adds excitement to this book. It adds the action that it was missing. Eliana is such an intriguing chatacter, also a little frustrating but interesting none-the-less. She feels mysterious and adds a flare of unknown to the book.
The ending was fast paced and action packed, leaving me yearning for the next book, for Pan and Ulla's adventure. As always Hocking has written something dreamy and fantastical that lives alongside our world. It makes you wonder if they are real.
If you loved the Trylle and Kanin series from Amanda Hocking, you definitely need to pick up The Lost City and dive into learning about the Omte.
Thank you so much to Macmillan Australia for sending me a copy of this book.
June 24, 2020
So I have yet to read the original Trylle books but when I came across this spinoff start to a new set of books it sounded good and I wanted to jump right in. I don't know if reading the first set might have increased my enjoyment in this one, probably a bit. I did still enjoy it for the most part but I would have liked to see more action. The story kept a rather slow pace and that could make it feel like it was dragging at times.
I liked Ulla well enough. As a protagonist she's rather interesting...she's so even-keeled and pragmatic, which is kind of refreshing in a sense, but it also made it her feel maybe a tad robotic at times and left a little disconnect there. I think her story, her search for answers on where/who she came from helped even that out and give her more depth and feeling. I had similar feelings on the other prominent characters in the sense that I liked them but none were exactly jumping off the pages. Eliana might be the one stand out, but I think a lot of her intrigue came from all the mystery surrounding her.
While it lacked in action for the most part it certainly didn't lack in imagination or world building. This was an interesting world to explore and I would like to see where the next book takes me. I think that one will likely make or break it for me.
I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Booka via Netgalley and this is my honest review.
I liked Ulla well enough. As a protagonist she's rather interesting...she's so even-keeled and pragmatic, which is kind of refreshing in a sense, but it also made it her feel maybe a tad robotic at times and left a little disconnect there. I think her story, her search for answers on where/who she came from helped even that out and give her more depth and feeling. I had similar feelings on the other prominent characters in the sense that I liked them but none were exactly jumping off the pages. Eliana might be the one stand out, but I think a lot of her intrigue came from all the mystery surrounding her.
While it lacked in action for the most part it certainly didn't lack in imagination or world building. This was an interesting world to explore and I would like to see where the next book takes me. I think that one will likely make or break it for me.
I received an arc of this book from Wednesday Booka via Netgalley and this is my honest review.
June 29, 2020
THE LOST CITY is a highly engaging YA fantasy read about Ulla, a troll. Trolls are secretive creatures who live hidden from, but sometimes interacting with, humans. Ulla was left at an Inn when she was an infant and has always wanted to know more about where she came from and what her ancestry is. Now that she is an adult, she has secured a internship at Mimirin, where they conduct research into troll ancestry and may be able to help her figure out who her parents were.
Once she arrives, she learns that the process will be much harder than she thinks and that the answers may be difficult to find. At the same time, she is managing the stowaway (Hanna) who came with her and a mysterious girl Hanna has befriended.
What I loved: This was really engaging, and I overall really enjoyed reading it. There's a lot about trolls and their history with a touch of their mythology, and the world is built really well. The mysteries about Ulla's history and everything about the mysterious Eliana really propel the plot forward. This is somewhat of a finding-herself book mixed with bigger potential conspiracies and plots that we only glimpse in this first book.
The characters and the world are constructed well here, without huge data dumps or any slow parts of the book. Even if you have not read the series this one spins off of, it is easy to follow and understand. It definitely has me wanting to read the next book. The characters are really interesting and I really want to know more about them. We get a good picture of current personalities of all the main characters, but I feel like they all have stories I want to learn. As a smaller point, I also really love that Ulla is attractive and not thin.
What left me wanting more: I felt like I have more questions and answers, but this may be due to the large amount of information we learn and setting up for the rest of the series.
Final verdict: An enthralling YA fantasy that takes place in our current world, THE LOST CITY gives us unique characters, an interesting premise, and a fully constructed universe that I am eager to learn more about.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
Once she arrives, she learns that the process will be much harder than she thinks and that the answers may be difficult to find. At the same time, she is managing the stowaway (Hanna) who came with her and a mysterious girl Hanna has befriended.
What I loved: This was really engaging, and I overall really enjoyed reading it. There's a lot about trolls and their history with a touch of their mythology, and the world is built really well. The mysteries about Ulla's history and everything about the mysterious Eliana really propel the plot forward. This is somewhat of a finding-herself book mixed with bigger potential conspiracies and plots that we only glimpse in this first book.
The characters and the world are constructed well here, without huge data dumps or any slow parts of the book. Even if you have not read the series this one spins off of, it is easy to follow and understand. It definitely has me wanting to read the next book. The characters are really interesting and I really want to know more about them. We get a good picture of current personalities of all the main characters, but I feel like they all have stories I want to learn. As a smaller point, I also really love that Ulla is attractive and not thin.
What left me wanting more: I felt like I have more questions and answers, but this may be due to the large amount of information we learn and setting up for the rest of the series.
Final verdict: An enthralling YA fantasy that takes place in our current world, THE LOST CITY gives us unique characters, an interesting premise, and a fully constructed universe that I am eager to learn more about.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
August 10, 2020
2.5 ⭐️ i guess a generous rating would be 3.
Okay I REALLY wanted to love this book. I absolutely adored Amanda Hockings “Switched” books and was so excited for this one. But honestly it was quite boring. This whole book was just a ton of information dumping. I wish it had been cut in 1/2 and then have some adventure into the last 1/2. Where the book ended is what I would have liked to see more of. The character and world building was all just okay. I mean all you really get to know is the main character and her history with little tid bits of everyone else. The world was all just in 1 city the whole time or should i say 1 building really. The apartment and the building she worked at...that’s it! She went to her job everyday and gained information. Which most of the time wasn’t even helpful to her journey. No one really could give her clear answers to her questions, it was all just a guess it seemed like. Then the whole “twists” and character building with Eliana were all just okay as well. I mean can you even call what Amanda did with Elianas character any building of backstory? Eliana couldn’t remember a dang thing or contribute ANYTHING to the overall story other than she’s lost and doesn’t have a memory. I’m just very very disappointed with this entire story. I really wanted more. But it all just fell flat for me. 😞
Okay I REALLY wanted to love this book. I absolutely adored Amanda Hockings “Switched” books and was so excited for this one. But honestly it was quite boring. This whole book was just a ton of information dumping. I wish it had been cut in 1/2 and then have some adventure into the last 1/2. Where the book ended is what I would have liked to see more of. The character and world building was all just okay. I mean all you really get to know is the main character and her history with little tid bits of everyone else. The world was all just in 1 city the whole time or should i say 1 building really. The apartment and the building she worked at...that’s it! She went to her job everyday and gained information. Which most of the time wasn’t even helpful to her journey. No one really could give her clear answers to her questions, it was all just a guess it seemed like. Then the whole “twists” and character building with Eliana were all just okay as well. I mean can you even call what Amanda did with Elianas character any building of backstory? Eliana couldn’t remember a dang thing or contribute ANYTHING to the overall story other than she’s lost and doesn’t have a memory. I’m just very very disappointed with this entire story. I really wanted more. But it all just fell flat for me. 😞
July 9, 2020
The Lost City was my first read by Amanda Hocking. She has quite a vivid and boundless imagination. The world she has created here was pretty impressive. This story follows our main character, Ulla who'd been abandoned as a baby. She's on a quest to find her parents and understand more about her lineage. This trek takes her to the Mimirin, where she has an internship and hopes to also research her personal history.
My understanding is that this is a new series which follows her other previous series. As this is the first book I've read by this author, I wonder if my personal experience would have been richer if I'd read the previous series as well. That said, I enjoyed it but didn't adore it. There was a tremendous amount of detail in order to "build" this world and create the characters. Even though I do understand the necessity for it, sometimes the level of detail felt tedious to me. I craved more action, adventure and romance. I think there is definite potential for this series and will consider reading on when the next book drops.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
My understanding is that this is a new series which follows her other previous series. As this is the first book I've read by this author, I wonder if my personal experience would have been richer if I'd read the previous series as well. That said, I enjoyed it but didn't adore it. There was a tremendous amount of detail in order to "build" this world and create the characters. Even though I do understand the necessity for it, sometimes the level of detail felt tedious to me. I craved more action, adventure and romance. I think there is definite potential for this series and will consider reading on when the next book drops.
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 3, 2020
August 03, 2020: The Lost City gracefully finds a woman's true identity through a journey of belonging and not belonging in a world where she doesn't hold any knowledge about her parents. In an intricately built world that incorporates technological fantasy into complex history, this young woman is supported by a sweet boy and placed in a romantic trope of love triangles by bringing a mysterious stranger to the equation.
Despite serving quite a few interesting bits and leaving the readers hanging for more towards the end, the book doesn't fare absolutely well in terms of pacing and overtly description of this world being set. However, the easy writing and going back to the highly loved tropes—some might be cliches—in addition to the positive plus-size body representation.
Received a digital copy via Netgalley.
Despite serving quite a few interesting bits and leaving the readers hanging for more towards the end, the book doesn't fare absolutely well in terms of pacing and overtly description of this world being set. However, the easy writing and going back to the highly loved tropes—some might be cliches—in addition to the positive plus-size body representation.
Received a digital copy via Netgalley.
Want to read
July 2, 2020ALERT: If you are planning to read the Trylle trilogy, DO NOT read this first!!!!!! I received an arc of The Lost City and have not finished Trylle; I skipped over it to read The Lost City before it releases. I got majorly spoiled within the first two chapters, and I am very upset. HEED MY WARNING!
July 12, 2020
Amanda Hocking's The Lost City offers lovers of her Trylle series yet another journey into that world.
But this time through the eyes of a young troll raised by a human family. Who later comes to make her home among trolls. As a nanny.
Only to leave that family when give the opportunity to intern as a transcriptionist in the Mimirin.
Which is essentially the great archive of Troll history.
Where she will also have the chance to possibly discover the identities of her parents. As well as adding her information to the effort of gathering histories for those designated TOMBS. Or Trolls Of Mixed Blood.
And all seems to be going according to plan. Until our main character learns that she has acquired an unexpected stowaway on her journey to the Mimirin. In the form of one 12-year old Hannah. When of the children for whom she serves as nanny.
Unable to take the child back to her family. Leading lady Ulla, decides to continue on to her destination. And work out the how's why's and wherefore's of what to do with Hannah after their arrival.
An arrival that is also heralded by a literal "run in" with a mysterious and beautiful creature. Who literally dents the top of Ulla's jeep as she runs across it.
And all that happens in just the first few chapters.
The Lost City is written in much the same "coming of age" vein of the first books of the Trylle series.
The major difference of this offering being that Ulla is a young adult, rather than a teen. And she is much more at home within the world of the trolls. Than the heroine of previous books.
This book concentrates on building Ulla's world and establishing her history.
Everything about this world is a beginning
The encounters she makes.
Her love interest Pan.
Her squad Eliana and Dagny.
Her quest to find herself.
All of the mystery and intrigue that goes along with such endeavors.
Overall, this is a good start to the coming series.
Although, it is quite clear that this book is more information than action, on all fronts.
Which makes this read more of a light and fast start of an adventure series,that will hopefully grow in depth and complexity in coming progressions.
This first book is truly one to wet the appetite for adventures to come, roads yet untraveled, and lessons yet unlearned.
Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing the review copy on which my honest critique is based.
But this time through the eyes of a young troll raised by a human family. Who later comes to make her home among trolls. As a nanny.
Only to leave that family when give the opportunity to intern as a transcriptionist in the Mimirin.
Which is essentially the great archive of Troll history.
Where she will also have the chance to possibly discover the identities of her parents. As well as adding her information to the effort of gathering histories for those designated TOMBS. Or Trolls Of Mixed Blood.
And all seems to be going according to plan. Until our main character learns that she has acquired an unexpected stowaway on her journey to the Mimirin. In the form of one 12-year old Hannah. When of the children for whom she serves as nanny.
Unable to take the child back to her family. Leading lady Ulla, decides to continue on to her destination. And work out the how's why's and wherefore's of what to do with Hannah after their arrival.
An arrival that is also heralded by a literal "run in" with a mysterious and beautiful creature. Who literally dents the top of Ulla's jeep as she runs across it.
And all that happens in just the first few chapters.
The Lost City is written in much the same "coming of age" vein of the first books of the Trylle series.
The major difference of this offering being that Ulla is a young adult, rather than a teen. And she is much more at home within the world of the trolls. Than the heroine of previous books.
This book concentrates on building Ulla's world and establishing her history.
Everything about this world is a beginning
The encounters she makes.
Her love interest Pan.
Her squad Eliana and Dagny.
Her quest to find herself.
All of the mystery and intrigue that goes along with such endeavors.
Overall, this is a good start to the coming series.
Although, it is quite clear that this book is more information than action, on all fronts.
Which makes this read more of a light and fast start of an adventure series,that will hopefully grow in depth and complexity in coming progressions.
This first book is truly one to wet the appetite for adventures to come, roads yet untraveled, and lessons yet unlearned.
Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing the review copy on which my honest critique is based.
August 16, 2020
3.5 star
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan Aus for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was such a fun and light read. It honestly surpassed my expectations that I originally had and I was pleasantly surpassed by how much I ended up enjoying this.
Ulla as a main character was very average and really had little development, but the fast paced and unique plot is what really made the story for me. Ulla is in search of her true family, as she is a orphaned troll and has very little idea of her true ancestry. Learning about all the troll origin stories was super fascinating and interesting.
I like that this book discussed the hierarchy and racism that occurs in 'troll culture' as it opens up discussions for young adults to talk about the injustices and racism that are relevant to modern day.
For me, the main reason this wasn't an incredible, life changing read was the characters. All of the characters felt very under-developed and I couldn't connect, relate to or understand them. I think if I had really enjoyed reading about Ulla, Pan or Dagny, this book would have been rated higher as the plot was really entertaining.
To my knowledge, Amanda Hocking has written other books in this same world that discuss and explore the other troll tribes. I think I may have felt more connected to the stories if I had read any of her other books, but The Lost City (Omte Origins #1) is the first book I've read from her. I feel that there may have been subtle details or references that I missed.
I'm intrigued to see where the story goes, as this book was left on a cliffhanger. I hope that with the next installments of this series I can connect with the characters more and therefore enjoy those future books more than this one.
Overall, this was a super fast paced enjoyable read and if you want a light fantasy, that's set in both a new world, and modern world this is such a fun read. The writing style was very easy to read., but sometimes bordered on being more MG than YA. I personally didn't mind this, but if that usually bothers you, it's something to keep in mind.
Once again thank you to Pan Macmillan for gifting me this book.
Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan Aus for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This book was such a fun and light read. It honestly surpassed my expectations that I originally had and I was pleasantly surpassed by how much I ended up enjoying this.
Ulla as a main character was very average and really had little development, but the fast paced and unique plot is what really made the story for me. Ulla is in search of her true family, as she is a orphaned troll and has very little idea of her true ancestry. Learning about all the troll origin stories was super fascinating and interesting.
I like that this book discussed the hierarchy and racism that occurs in 'troll culture' as it opens up discussions for young adults to talk about the injustices and racism that are relevant to modern day.
For me, the main reason this wasn't an incredible, life changing read was the characters. All of the characters felt very under-developed and I couldn't connect, relate to or understand them. I think if I had really enjoyed reading about Ulla, Pan or Dagny, this book would have been rated higher as the plot was really entertaining.
To my knowledge, Amanda Hocking has written other books in this same world that discuss and explore the other troll tribes. I think I may have felt more connected to the stories if I had read any of her other books, but The Lost City (Omte Origins #1) is the first book I've read from her. I feel that there may have been subtle details or references that I missed.
I'm intrigued to see where the story goes, as this book was left on a cliffhanger. I hope that with the next installments of this series I can connect with the characters more and therefore enjoy those future books more than this one.
Overall, this was a super fast paced enjoyable read and if you want a light fantasy, that's set in both a new world, and modern world this is such a fun read. The writing style was very easy to read., but sometimes bordered on being more MG than YA. I personally didn't mind this, but if that usually bothers you, it's something to keep in mind.
Once again thank you to Pan Macmillan for gifting me this book.
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