Stolen Songbird - Book Review

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

What is it about:
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.

What did I think of it:
I will confess: this is yet another book where the beautiful cover lured me in. The mention of trolls sealed the deal.

I should have known of course that it wouldn't be the kind of trolls I was hoping for. But when I came at that point of the story I was intrigued enough by what was going on to let it slide. At least the trolls in this story are actually different from humans in important ways, and are not just humans with a bad hair day, like in another troll book I once read.

The troll issue out of the way:

This is a beautiful read.

Jensen created a wonderful underground world, full of mystery, darkness and danger. I will confess it took me a while to warm up to both Cécile and Tristan, but this story is so captivating that even if they hadn't grown on me, I would still have loved it. Luckily both undergo some changes during the story that made me like them. I liked how they start out not liking each other at all. The character development, the interaction between the two were very well done.

I loved several of the other trolls as well. One of them, Marc, is especially interesting, and I hope there will be more about him in the next two books.

The story is full of intrigue. Cécile has to be careful who to trust. She longs for freedom, but with everything going on around her she soon finds herself fighting to just stay alive. She has some important choices to make, that will not only have an influence on her own life, but on others as well.

Although I had a feeling where the story might lead to, it kept surprising me, and then left me with an ending that made me anxious to get my trotters on the next book, but I'll have to wait a year! I will have to reread Stolen Songbird for sure to tide me over.

Why should you read it:
It's a beautiful and captivating YA Fantasy read.