Review: Stolen Songbird

STOLEN SONGBIRD
The Malediction Trilogy #1
Danielle L. Jensen
Young Adult/Fantasy
436 pages
Strange Chemistry
Available April 1st
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
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 THOUGHTS

Stolen Songbird is everything we could hope for in a fantasy story, a richly complex world enhanced by the beautifully layered characters who inhabit it to ensure we’re captivated from first page to last. The dark and cavernous environment of Trollus is not as sprawling as some fantasy worlds, its more self-contained nature allowing us to wrap our minds around its layout with far more ease than is sometimes the case with fantasy novels. We’re also given enough history as to the how’s of the trolls’ curse so that the legs we’re standing on in this world feel solid beneath us, but the why’s are left a bit more up in the air, piquing our curiosity as our hearts and imaginations are taken on an unforgettable ride.

Cecile is an absolute delight, a fairly ordinary young woman in terms of physical strength who finds herself at the mercy of a group far stronger than she is, but yet she fights tooth and nail for her freedom in a way we can imagine ourselves doing were we taken against our wills. She’s easy to relate to from the onset, and while we admire the way she doesn’t simply roll over and expose her vulnerable belly to the more powerful trolls, where she impresses us most is the way in which she fights, knowing when to push and when to sit back, observe, and sort through information about her captors as it comes to her. She doesn’t give up on escape, but neither does she have tunnel vision with regard to it, letting herself get to know the trolls she’s surrounded by and opening herself up–albeit warily–to Tristan rather than holding her circumstances against him every moment of every day.

The romance is as stunning as the rest of the story, starting out largely antagonistic thanks to the kidnapping and the enormous secrets about where Tristan’s loyalties lie, but thanks to time and a bond that allows them to feel each other’s emotions, the two of them build something warm, beautiful, and so memorable as to guarantee they land themselves on our list of top fictional couples. The fact that they can sense what the other is feeling is a fascinating aspect, the assumption upon hearing such a thing being that it would allow them to fall in love faster, with the bond acting as a window to the other’s heart and soul they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. What we find, however, is that the bond muddies their waters in the most striking way, forcing both them and us to look deeper at every emotion for not only what they’re feeling, but also the root cause of it. The result is a relationship that’s simultaneously strong and fragile, the two of them partners in every sense of the word but yet we feel how tenuous each emotion flowing between them is, understanding that the slightest tug will snap those threads free and leave both of them reeling.

Another aspect that makes the romance one we’re fully invested in is Cecile’s honesty despite the situation she’s found herself in, willing to display her trust in Tristan in order to win his in return. While Tristan is not as forthcoming with his secrets as Cecile is with hers, he’s at least honest about the fact that he’s keeping things from her, allowing her to know his dark corners exist without fully shining light upon them. The two of them together are a joy to read about, and though we might wish for a little bit more information in a couple areas (namely Tristan’s destructive brother Roland), overall this first installment is mesmerizing on a variety of levels. We’re left with hearts bruised but not broken, the strength of Cecile’s will, her ability to adapt to any situation, and her shining love for Tristan all giving us hope that book two will return to us what the end of this first book takes away.

Rating: 4.5/5 

Find Danielle:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.