Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Series: Malediction Trilogy #1
Publication Date: April 1, 2014
Genre: YA, Fantasy Romance
Amazon ~ Gooreads ~ B&N

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 Rating: 5/5 stars

My Review: 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