Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen

Appropriate For: Ages 12 and up
Paperback: 469 Pages
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Publisher: Strange Chemistry
Narration: First Person: Cecile, Tristan
Genre: Fantasy/ Historical Setting
Paranormal Type: Trolls

The Malediction Trilogy
Book One: Stolen Songbird
Book Two: Hidden Huntress (2015)
Book Three: Untitled (2016)

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Goodreads Synopsis:

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 Review:

Trolls. Trolls? My first thought: Shrek 

Is Shrek even a troll? Anywho, fortunately that wasn't what a troll looked like in Trollus, which by the way, is a horrid name. About half the trolls were beautiful and otherworldy looking, while the other half was deformed and misshapen due to inbreeding. This was interesting to me, because for the first time in forever *Breaks into Frozen song*, we don't just have a race of perfect, gorgeous people. It's not that big a deal, but to me, it stood out.

Another thing I liked was that the heroine was down to earth and overall, very normal, yet strong. Although she was prophesied to be the savior who broke the curse that trapped all the trolls under the mountain, she failed. It's not like I wanted her to fail, but for once, I wanted a heroine to not be perfect, to not be able to pull off amazing feats just because she was the big and powerful "chosen one." She made her fair share of mistakes, but she always learned from them. She was intelligent and cunning, yet she could also be stupid. She was compassionate, but she wasn't willing to throw her life away or put it in danger before she knew exactly what she was fighting for. Cecile had depth, and I enjoyed that about her.

I also very much admired Tristan, the love interest. My heart broke for him over and over again throughout the story. All his life, he's had to act like someone he's not. He's had to paint himself as the bad guy, bearing the hatred from those who didn't know him any better all in order to make the world, or more like cave, a better place for the half-bloods who are constantly being discriminated against. Ever since he was young, his father tried to instill in him a sort of ruthlessness, but Tristan always followed his own moral compass. When Cecile comes along and bonds with him, he's most afraid of her seeing through his deceptions. The only place where he's ever been allowed to be himself is in his own mind, and with the bond, that's taken away from him. Because of this, Cecile and Tristan's relationship starts off a bit rocky. There's a mistrust between them, but that mistrust turns into a reluctant friendship, which then in turn morphs into something more. The romance wasn't instant; it was gradual.

Although I really enjoyed those aspects of the story, this novel dragged a bit too. At times, I skimmed the pages just to get to the interesting stuff. The action wasn't slow persay, but it did have its moments. The writing style was average. Things were explained well and the sentences flowed. Overall, I enjoyed Stolen Songbird because of its uniqueness, not only story wise, but character and romance wise as well.

Heroine- 5/5
A special snowflake that lacks specialness. However, despite her failure, she held her head up high and lived with it.
Romance- 4.5/5
A nice change.
Action- 3.5/5 Dragged in places.
World-Building- 4/5
Unique. How many stories do we hear about trolls?
Humor- 4/5 Lots of pointed jabs between the happy couple.
Overall- 4/5