Review: Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2) by Danielle L. Jensen

Hidden Huntress

(The Malediction Trilogy #2)

by Danielle L. Jensen

June 2, 2015
464 pages

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Goodreads Summary:

Sometimes, one must accomplish the impossible.

Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.

Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…

Review

 

Any fan of The Malediction trilogy would not want to miss out on this exquisite continuation to Stolen Songbird! Now back in the human world, boundaries are tested and emotions run amok. With the politics pushing and pulling on both sides the stakes are as high as ever. I had the hardest but most wonderful time reading this book because All. The. Feels.

So let's just get one thing out of the way - yes, Hidden Huntress is a chunky book. The pacing was slow but honestly there's nothing I would want to have taken out. Every part of the story felt essential to how the plot came together at the end. I wanted all the details and that's what I got. I read the book slowly in increments just to make sure I didn't miss out on any clues no matter how minuscule it may be. Danielle seriously does a seamless job weaving all the parts together.

Picking up from the last book, we see Cécile finally made it to Trianon to sing on stage. I didn't enjoy seeing how much control her mother had over her. Genevieve spoke caring words to Cécile, but it was more than obvious she did not genuinely care for her daughter. It more or less, among other influences, affected Cécile's decision-making ability leading her to making some poor choices. Some of the things she ends up doing were awful but I could really sense her desperation. I would not want to be put in her spot.

 

Tristan and Cécile were destined to walk a hard path but that didn't stop them from trying to hurdle over every obstacle in their way. They were separated for half of the book but I had no problem with that. Sure I missed seeing them together but I also really loved seeing them work hard by themselves towards their own goals. Neither were truly alone as Cécile had Sabine and Chris and Tristan had Marc and the twins. The unlikely friendship, or should I say banter, between Chris and Tristan was especially adorable. Cécile and Tristan's pretense was also noteworthy and deserve applauses ;)

 

Props to Danielle for the twists and turns. We get clues sprinkled here and there but nothing was solid until those final moments. Every realization had my head spinning and doing double takes to make sure I was reading it right. The mystery to who Anushka was kept me on my toes. I had my suspicions because of the odd behaviour but I wished my prediction was wrong. It's so tormenting to find out I guessed right :( I felt the heartbreak for all. Sorry but I'm trying to stay vague so I don't give anything away.

The ending was epic (dragon!!!!!) and I demand more!! I cannot wait to witness the two three? races and worlds collide. The last installment is going to be insane but for now, buckle up and be prepared for all the feels because there is no shortage of it in Hidden Huntress.
 

*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.