Stolen Songbird Paperback – October 19, 2020

Originally posted at http://angreads.blogspot.comAside from that gorgeous cover, I was drawn to this book from the really interesting synopsis. Trolls? Magic? Witches? Count me in!We start out in Cécile's place of living, which is a small town where most of the residents cannot read. It is basically a farming town. Cécile is getting ready to go live with her mother who is a famous singer when she is kidnapped by a "friend." He takes her to the underground land of Trollus in exchange for literally her weight in gold.Trollus is a beautiful place. There are glass gardens, carved masonry, light orbs that followed the troll they belonged to, etc. But to Cécile, Trollus is a prison. The purpose of her kidnapping is to bond her to a troll Prince in hopes that their union will break the curse that has kept them underground for so many years. This is from a prophecy that was foretold. When it fails to work, Cécile is trapped. They will not allow her to leave in case the prophecy does work. Her new husband, the troll Prince Tristan, hates their union as much as she does. In fact, he argued against her kidnapping. But his father, the ridiculously cruel and evil King would hear none of it. So, Cécile and Tristan must live with their marriage. Cécile must play her part so that she can make her escape.All of the characters in this book were well developed. Cécile is not a "Mary Sue" who is overly special or attractive. Nor is she a damsel in distress. She is not the type of girl to sit around and wallow in self pity because of imprisonment. No, she manages to take control of her captivity by forming bonds and making plans to escape. She does do some really stupid things that almost get a few people killed but she makes up for it by the end of the book. Tristan is not your average good looking Prince either. He is extremely complex. I didn't like him at the beginning of the book because he was rude and uncaring towards Cécile. Soon we learn that his attitude is all an act because he is the leader of a rebellion in which he seeks to take his father off of the throne and to help the half-breed trolls rise up. He must hide his true feelings towards Cécile so his father will suspect nothing. Marc was another favorite of mine. He was so kind to Cécile at the beginning, while other trolls hated her simply because she is a human. There were plenty of other secondary characters that really made the book and the plot move.The romance was so well done! Usually with books like these there is the ever annoying insta-love factor. There was none of that in Stolen Songbird. In fact, Tristan and Cécile hated each other from the very beginning. Slowly that hatred developed into an alliance, then a friendship, and finally they were able to admit their feelings for each other. Their whole relationship is based on mistrust, because trolls cannot lie but humans can. For this reason Tristan was wary to ever believe anything that Cécile says. Eventually they start to trust each other, but by that time the story explodes and Cécile is faced with a terrible and heartbreaking reality.The ending was magnificent and heartbreaking at the same time. It did setup the sequel perfectly, and I look forward to reading about how Cécile will overcome the hurdles that stand in the way of her happily ever after with her troll Prince.Stolen Songbird was perfection. It was everything I wanted in a Young Adult/Fantasy book. I was transported to a magical land and by the time the book ended, I didn't want to leave, just like Cécile.The sequel, Hidden Huntress, is set to hit shelves on June 2nd, 2015.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. JensenBook One of The Malediction TrilogyPublisher: Strange ChemistryPublication Date: April 1, 2014Rating: 4 starsSource: Bought from AmazonSummary (from Goodreads):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.What I Liked:I think this is my favorite Pili-pushed recommendation so far. For those of you who don't know, Pili (from In Love with Handmade) and I trade recommendations, and once a month, we read/review a recommended book. To read all of my Pili-pushed reviews, see the "Pili-Pushed" tag at the bottom of this post!Cécile is kidnapped out of nowhere, by someone she wants thought a friend. The "friend" takes her to the secret home of trolls, which Cécile didn't even know existed. There, the trolls are planning her marriage to the crown prince, Tristan, so that Cécile will break a curse placed on the trolls. Cécile is married against her will - but as time goes on, Cécile falls for the prince, and makes friends with other trolls. Soon, she's caught up in the politics and deception. How can she leave when the half-bloods (half-human, half-troll) are suffering under the rule of the full-blooded trolls? How can she turn her back on her husband's secret cause? How can she not try and give so many people hope?The beginning was a bit busy, in my opinion. The focus is Cécile's voice, her singing, and Cécile trying to fill her mother's shoes. Cécile has just completed a performance, and is really happy. And then a former friend kidnaps her and takes her to a mountain and trades her for her weight in gold. The trolls need a red-haired daughter of the sun to help break the curse. So, Cécile is now married to Tristan, and it's like hate at first sight.To be honest, I am a HUGE fan of the hate-then-love-at-first-sight thing. It's one of my favorite romance tropes. Cécile hates Tristan because she hates the entire situation - she doesn't want to be forced to marry anyone! Tristan hates Cécile because (according to Cécile) she's human; really, that's not why he despises her. He doesn't like being bonded with anyone, and Cécile is human (i.e., very breakable). If she gets hurt, he feels it. They can feel each other's feelings. It's not Cécile's fault that she seems to feel a lot... which is annoying to Tristan.Soooo... I loved the romance. Very slow-burn. very hate-to-love, very passionate. In the beginning, Cécile and Tristan really do not like each other. Then, they slowly understand each other better, and only pretend to antagonize each other so that people think they are not getting along. Then it comes to the point where they really care about each other, but there's that facade in the way...I liked Cécile. She's very rash and impulsive and lives in the moment, making stupid, quick decisions that have heavy costs. However, I LIKE her. She's fiery and determined, strong-willed and protective of herself. She's a strong person and a strong character, and while I can't say I agreed with everything she did, I liked her nonetheless.I really liked Tristan. We get Cécile AND Tristan's first-person point-of-view, though not necessarily alternating. Tristan is not who he appears to be, throughout the book. But in my opinion, he is a selfless and sweet guy, who has a lot of adult burdens that have a lot of adult consequence. Princely burdens with princely consequences. I liked his rationale better than Cécile's, when it came to making decisions.At first, I was apprehensive about the story - kidnapping, forced marriage, no thank you?! But the story starts to get really interesting (it was already interesting, but more in a positive way) quickly, and I especially loved watching Tristan and Cécile step around each other. Jensen weaves a complex and intricate story, pulling all the strings together at the end. The world-building is very good; this novel is fantasy, involving trolls and magic and witches and curses. I loved the uniqueness of this story, the characters, the romance.The end... the end is the only reason why this one isn't getting five stars. I'll get to that in the next section. Rest assured, I will definitely be reading Hidden Huntress.What I Did Not Like:I'm actually kind of irritated with the ending, to be honest. It's cliffhanger-esque, and it's brutal, and I wasn't very happy with it. It felt a bit cliche, and I had a feeling it was coming. That doesn't mean I have to like it (and I didn't). But that's okay...Would I Recommend It:Despite the ending, I would totally recommend this one! Especially to fantasy lovers. This book has been so highly recommended to me, by many, many bloggers. Many bloggers participated in the Top Ten of 2014 event during the last week of 2014, and many bloggers featured this book - multiple times during that week! I know see why.Rating:4 stars. More like 4.5 stars. I really, really enjoyed this book - it was so fun and engrossing to read! It didn't feel like nearly five hundred pages, to be honest!

As a fan of Danielle's other works I knew I needed to read her first series.I had some troubles getting in the story at first but I knew to persevere to get what the author wanted to write.And my expectations of Danielle's work were right. Cécile is not just the chosen one, she is flawed and does not manage everything at once. This isn't some love at first sight or other trope that you often find in YA. I did enjoyed reading this book, I know they are some other mysteries to be unveiled and I'm excited to read more about this world.

Trolls hate humans but of course the powerful Prince of the trolls is bound in marriage to a mere human, kidnapped to break a course binding the trolls. That's where the familiarity end and the journey through Trollus city, discovering the trolls, their politics, dreams and a slow burning, romance... This first book has left me wanting to dive right into the next book in the series to continue with Cécile & Tristan's story!

Wow, what a ride! This is real story making, at its best. I loved the characters; they were flawed, realistic, and masterfully created.Cecile, Tristan and Marc were so beautiful.I haven't been this entertained and transported by a novel in quite some time. Cannot wait to read the rest of this series! Thank you, Danielle, for sharing your creativity.

Stolen Songbird has left me completely speechless. With a relatable main character, a swoon-worthy male lead, hilarious supporting characters, and a world so magical and well described it makes you want to live there. This book can hands down be one of the best books published in 2014.After being kidnapped and taken to the lost city of Trollus, where Trolls have been trapped for five centuries, Cécile is forced to marry the King's son against her will, hoping that the marriage will grant the Trolls the power to escape the mountain. When that fails, Cécile is left trapped in a world she can't escape from, with a troll husband she never wanted.Cécile is one of the most relatable characters I have ever encountered. She's not beautiful, she's just considered your average looking girl with nothing too special about her appearance. She's not a genius, she has her moments where she uses her brain to come up with something smart, but she almost makes mistakes like the rest of us make. There are moments when Cécile breaks down and cries from her pain or being homesick, and if I was in her place I would have done the exact same thing. Most of the time while I was reading the book, I felt like it was me going through the story because action she did, was the exact same thing I would have done. This made her such a wonderful character to read about and fall in love with.The supporting characters in this story are all so wonderful! Each one of them has their own story that is so much different from on another (except for the twins, obviously). The stories that the characters present Cécile make you fall in love with them so easily. Tristan is just a babe, and you immediately fall in love with him, theres no denying it. Marc is that one guy who's always sad and lonely, but when you finally hear his story it almost makes you drop to your knees and cry your heart out. And the twins are so energetic and hilarious that you can't help but fall in love with both of them.The plot is filled with tons of action to keep you on your toes and twists and turn that keep you guessing. There are obviously some predictable moments in the story, but there was also lots of times where I was blindsided by some of the events that occurred. It had the perfect balance of surprise and "aha I knew it!" which made the book so much more enjoyable to read.The world building in this story was on point! You'd think there wouldn't be too many places to explore under a mountain, but there was. We got to explore so many places, like the labyrinth outside the city, the royal palace, the mines and tons of other places the characters ventured off to! Each one of the was perfectly described in a way that made you imagine the whole scene as it took place.Overall, I could not be more impressed with this book. The only regret I have is not reading this book sooner! To me it was perfect in every way possible and I strongly recommend it to any Fantasy and Paranormal fans out there. You might thing Trolls are weird, and unheard of in YA books, but trust me when I say take the chance, because you will fall in love with beauty of Stolen Songbird.Happy Reading,-Aneta

Stolen Songbird is one my favourite books in a long time and had I read it last year, it would have been a strong competitor against books such as Clockwork Princess for the top spot. Luckily, however, I didn’t read it last year and therefore didn’t have to make that impossible choice. Instead Danielle L. Jensen has set the bar very high indeed for any book I am to read this year.Since Clockwork Princess, I’ve not devoured a book so quickly, especially given that I was playing audiobook for my brother with this one. But neither of us could resist the incredible pull that Stolen Songbird, with its brilliant characters, entrancing magic, and fantastic stories had over us. We just had to keep reading, no matter if it got later into the night then we had originally planned.Stolen Songbird starts with Cécile’s kidnapping by one of her acquaintances to be sold to the trolls that live under the mountain, or so say the old legends that Cécile only half believes. But the trolls are very much so real, as she discovers when she finds herself in the city of Trollus, buried under the mountain and trapped there by an old curse. Before she has truly had the time to register what is going on, Cécile finds herself bonded to the crown prince of Trollus, Tristan. And being bonded means far more for trolls than marriage does to humans.Tristan isn’t any happier about the situation than she is, and they don’t get off to the best start together. He makes her feel unwanted, lesser for being human, and she can’t help but see the non-human in him, the ‘monster’ from the stories she has heard. But there is a lot more to trolls than Cécile first believes there to be. In Trollus, politics and magic are the most important things, and as she possesses no magic, Cécile pulls herself away from fear and despair, and decides to learn all she can, so she can play a part in the intricate intrigues of the trolls.And Cécile has an important part to play: the trolls expect her to break the curse. As she gets to know Tristan’s friends and the half-bloods of the city better, she becomes more than just a tool, she becomes a force in her own right, refusing to let other people dictate what her life and decisions will be.Opposite Cécile, as the other POV of the book, is Tristan. Seemingly cold and uncaring at first, Tristan is far more than just the icy exterior outside. Tristan has spent the last few years of his life building himself up to the man he is now: incapable of lying as all trolls are, he has learnt to bend his words to suit his purpose. But Cécile is melting away the exterior he has so carefully built up, and Tristan himself isn’t sure what he thinks of that.Their relationship was one of the most compelling relationships I’ve read. I cared about every word exchanged in between them, every action they took towards the other in a way I don’t usually. I like there to be romance in a book, but I’m not normally on tenterhooks the entire way through the book wanting the characters to get that chance to get together, no matter what circumstances are trying to keep them apart. In that, Tristan and Cécile were very much so like Will and Tessa from Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices series. I wanted them together.Stolen Songbird is filled with amazing characters: from Marc and his quiet melancholy and fierce loyalty to Tristan, and the twins and their many quirks, to Trip who works in the mines and shows Cécile the other side of Trollus, the cast is more than varied and all the characters feel wonderfully fleshed out, neither human nor troll being left out.This book was a wonderful adventure, full of intrigue and mysteries that made you want to just keep reading, and made it very hard to leave the world behind when the last page was turned. Jensen hooked me within the first few pages and never let go, the pacing perfect throughout the story. Stolen Songbird was the book I had been waiting to read for a long time: a totally enchanting trip into YA fantasy, with the perfect measure of romance, adventure, and intrigue.On top of it all, and despite a set up where Cécile could very easily become a ‘damsel in distress’ stereotype (she does get kidnapped and is forcibly married to someone!), Jensen expertly avoids this and makes Cécile one of the strongest and most likeable YA heroines I have encountered. Add to that the fact that Tristan is so gentle and caring on the inside, as well as being the more insecure one in his relationship with Cécile (he is afraid she would lie to him, whereas he can’t), and the strengths of this book just keep on coming.There are too many good things about Stolen Songbird for me to list them all. Suffice it to say that I didn’t want this book to end, I didn’t want to have to leave the cast and Trollus behind. Tristan and Cécile will certainly be a pair that I look forward to returning to, and book two of the Malediction trilogy is already on my list of anticipated reads for next year whilst Stolen Songbird has already set a very high bar for any book to top it as my favourite book of the year.