Review: Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

My apologies in advance for all the blanked-out lines. It was hard to review this book without spoilers and I really wanted to share my review with all of you.

Stolen Songbird

(The Malediction Trilogy #1)

by Danielle L. Jensen

April 1, 2014

469 pages

 

Goodreads  Indigo  Amazon

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review

 

So hard to rate this book because I had mixed feelings after finishing it. Not because I didn't like the story but because it turned out to be very different than what I expected.  While a tiny part of me may have been silently chanting for the story to get on with it, I enjoyed the slow progression of the story.

The world was complex and neat even though it was buried under a mountain. The trolls managed well despite not being able to set foot outside the mountain. They established order no matter how unjust and disgusting it was for the half bloods. I thought the way the world under the mountain was set up was pretty brilliant. It worked perfectly. Read the book to find out for yourself ;)

The first half of the book wasn't quite as interesting as the second half. However, it definitely built up the story for the explosive second half. Everything just began to unravel when Cecile was misled about Tristan and Anais's relationship and she ran for it. There were so many heart-pounding moments afterwards such as the rock falling after the earthquake, Cecile working her magic to save Tips and Roland hurting Cecile. I loved all the action!

So many feels for Tristan and Cecile! The emotional baggage they both carry was overwhelming. And they're only seventeen! Cecile was so courageous, she never gave up. Even when she had the chance to be free from Trollus,  she chose to stay because she loved Tristan. Although she can be rash, she takes control of her actions. As for Tristan, I can't imagine how hard it was for him to hide his true feelings and to pretend otherwise for all his life. I admire his dedication to saving the half bloods and Cecile. He was willing to sacrifice the freedom of Trollus and himself in order to protect the humans. Also, I absolutely admire how loyal Marc, Anais and the twins were to Tristan. He wouldn't be where he was without them.

With all the hints, I know that the trolls are Fairies, right?! Maybe it's because I've read the Iron Fey series so it's hard not to know the True Name bit. I also recall hearing that trolls are just the evil and uglier version of Fairies. If that's not what they are then I will be pleasantly surprise :D

That ending left a world of possibilities in my mind!! I want to know why Cecile unconsciously visited that man (and his mean wife) to get Tristan's (??) true name and how exactly does she fit into breaking the witch's curse? Will Roland wreak more havoc? I'm most excited to see Cecile learn her magic and grow strong to go back for Tristan!!

 

 

Note: Danielle's giving away personalized signed swag if you show her your copy of Stolen Songbird. Check out her blog for more details. Isn't she awesome!?! Here's mine!