"Stolen Songbird" by Danielle L. Jensen

Title: Stolen Songbird

Author: Danielle L. Jensen

Series: The Malediction trilogy, #1

Publisher: Angry Robot Ltd

Imprint: Strange Chemistry

Publication date: April 1st, 2014

My rating: 4 of 5

(Book read from March 28th to March 29th, 2014,  from an eARC received from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.) 

 

Summary:

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For those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling comes another truly fabulous fantasy...

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined. 

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity. 

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader. 

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

  

My Thoughts on the Book:

Stolen Songbird is one rich fantasy debut, and a great addition to the genre. This book will enchant you, delight you, and charm you, and before you know it, it will be over, and you'll be eager for more.

At the beginning, we meet Cecile. After learning a few things about her, and her past & hopes, and dreams (enough to understand her & get to know her), she gets kidnapped & thrust into a world she didn't even knew existed, and thought a myth. I was actually happy that the beginning didn't drag at all, we got right to the good & interesting stuff - a.k.a the world of Trollus.

I was delighted by the world the author had created, I thought it was interesting & refreshing, and I got so wrapped up in the story, that I didn't even overthink some things. There was something that felt a little bit familiar, like I should've recognize it from somewhere, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, (as I said, too captivated by Tristan & Cecile's story), and after it was revealed (ok, hinted at), I wanted to smack myself on the head. But, I loved how the author keeps the reader busy with all the intrigues, and dangers, and politics, and romance - all in a wonderful, fairy-tale-like package, that I wasn't able to stop reading.

I loved the author's twist of the trolls and you-know-what in the story, and the curse, and the magic, and the society of Trollus, everything. I have a thing about stories where something from the past still has consequences in the future, and Stolen Songbird is a story like that. 

I also loved the characters, at least the ones we're supposed to love of course. Cecile is smart & brave, and sweet, though not perfect. And Tristan - he's amazing. He's so good at the life he has to lead in his world, and so brave & smart & good, though also selfish, so not perfect, but you won't be able to stop yourself from cheering him on, as well as Cecile, and wanting their happily ever after. After all, they're perfect for each other, and so, so sweet. I loved that the author managed to make both Cecile & Tristan feel & act like teenagers, yet they weren't whiny at all, something that isn't often found in the YA genre. The rest of the characters were quite likable, too, as for the villains, yeah, they were scary & evil, and I wouldn't want to live in a world with them.

 

Other thing I quite loved about this book was that at times it felt like I was reading a fairy tale or a fairy tale retelling, it had that magical & wonderful setting, and that added to the charm of the story a lot.

Another thing I have to praise is the cover. Sure, when I saw it for the first time, I thought it was quite pretty, but the fact that all the details on the cover were included in the book, made me love it even more, and it's definitely the perfect cover for the book.

If you're a fan of YA fantasy books with romance, magic, politics, and monsters - than this is the book for you, and I highly recommend it! Danielle L. Jensen is the author to watch, and I can't wait to see what she will come up with next, as well as where the Malediction Trilogy will take us next!

 

 

 

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