Monday, May 11, 2015

Stolen Songbird by Danielle J. Jensen Review♥

Monday, May 11, 2015


  • Stolen Songbird
  • Danielle J. Jensen


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  • Series: The Malediction Trilogy
  • Publisher: Angry Robot (April 1, 2014)
  • ISBN-13: 978-1908844965
  • Genre: Fantasy, YA
  • Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Nobles
  • Source: Personal Kindle Purchase
  • Synopsis: 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.

  • Stolen Songbird is a fantasy novel about trolls and witches. Cecile de Troyes is stolen and kidnapped from her family and home, she is sold to the trolls, the trolls are seeking for a union between a troll and a human that can break the curse upon them. However, Cecile wants no part in the trolls business, she is only concerned with escaping, but she must not let anyone be suspicious of her. She has taken upon many challenges on herself and as a reader, we see her survival instincts kick in. However, she begins to make friends at the palace and the local market. She begins to fall for the troll prince Tristan to whom she is in an union with. Now she realizes she might just be the only hope for the half-bloods who are part humans and part trolls. Half-bloods don't receive any respect in society because they are mixed with mankind. Now, Cecile must make the ultimate choice: help her people or escape forever?
  • Well, I don't know why I took that long to read this novel.. I thought it might be something I might not like, but how wrong I was! Stolen Songbird is a perfect novel, it has the right blend of fantasy with romance. There's nothing about this novel that I actually disliked, although, it is a bit on the lengthy side. Maybe a few less chapters could have it helped it's pace otherwise it's on the moderate side. This is being added to my newest favorites though, I actually really did love this novel! This is one book that sucks you into the story, I wanted to finish this book right away however, I fell asleep because I was SLEEPY not because the book was boring. I finished reading it in two days though, and I do adore this novel.
  •  Although, this is a fantasy novel about trolls, trolls are portrayed completely different here. Many trolls can be physically beautiful, however, several trolls have a ugliness inside. It's quite refreshing because we imagine trolls as ugly, and greedy beings. This was a unique concept because the author implied human characteristics to the trolls, some humans can be physically beautiful but very evil on the inside as well.
  • Cecile de Troyes is clever, talented and she is kind. She's not a badass heroine or anything, I don't believe she can actually fight but that is okay because a lot of women can't fight professionally. However, she is not afraid to hold her own. She is brave which makes her courageous, she's more emotionally strong. Almost everyone around seems to hate her because she is from the human race, although, she doesn't seem to care much because she is fixed on escaping. Her kidnapping is an horrifying experience though, I wouldn't want anyone to feel as helpless as she did. Sometimes, I felt her pain and I did cry with her, like literally I did feel her pain. Maybe it was the one of the magical concepts of this book, those who have read it can probably guess what I mean - I don't want to spoil that many details. It's great that fantasy novels can suck you into a different world and some of the concepts can be actually pretty realistic. 
  • The troll prince is named Tristan. I love Tristan.. he is just amazing, he can put on a cruel act but he is actually genuine and kind hearted as well, I'm definitely shipping their boat. I do wish Tristan was not as gorgeous as the author showed him though, I would have loved this book even more if he was actually a hideous troll, it would made the book more unique and it would have shown physical beauty isn't everything. Some of these trolls in the books have two sides to them, like literally one creature in the front and another attached in the back. Moving on, the romance was perfectly balanced with the actual plot, it didn't take away from it all. The characterization of both characters is realistic, many people can understand them and their choices better. The female friendships in this novel were unique as well; there is girl on girl hate in the beginning, but I did love when it matured into an actual friendship such as with Anais. Now that's how it should be done.
  • The world-building plot was just fantastic. It's not a dystopian novel, but Tristan's father is corrupted - a rebellion does begin and of course, Tristan is their secret leader. The premise makes it obvious enough. The Stolen Songbird aspect of the book was unique as well, Cecile sings hence the "songbird" mention. I can just keep on gushing on how wonderful this book is. It is something that I would recommend checking out. I would give Stolen Songbird five beautiful butterflies. The ending killed me though, it is just epic. I need the SECOND BOOK NOW!
“I think it is our nature to believe evil always has an ugly face,” he said, ignoring my question. “Beauty is supposed to be good and kind, and to discover it otherwise is like a 
betrayal of trust. A violation of the nature of things.” 

“Why?” I slammed my fists down on the table. “Why can’t you believe me? Why don’t you trust me?”

“Because you’re human, Cécile. You can lie, even to yourself.” 



Recommended for fans of Stolen.

Shukran for reading this! Leave your blog links in the comments & I'll be sure to check them out & follow :) Stay in tuned pretty creatures..

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron 
femmmefatalee@gmail.com

55 comments:

  1. OMG I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! A blogger friend kept pushing it on me, and I kept seeing it on everyone's year-end top favorites lists, so I figured, it's fate! I loved this book - the fantasy, the characters, the romance. I actually read Hidden Huntress but I will keep my thoughts on that one out of this review/comments space ;D I hope you enjoy it when you read it, Benish!

    Fabulous review :)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. Thank you Alyssa, I know I thought this one was pretty fantastic. I'm surprised I didn't pick it up sooner!

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  2. I loved this book! I read it in 2013,as an ARC and had no idea that it will become this famous!:)Well I should've known,after all this book is amazing:)
    I can't wait to read the sequel.
    Wonderful review Benish!

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    1. Aaaah, yes that's very true - I remember some books I have reviewed from a while ago when they were very underrated now they're quite popular. Thank you ♥

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  3. I'm so glad you ended up loving this, Benish! <3 It was definitely lengthy, but honestly I wouldn't have minded an extra thousand pages, haha! I also loved how Cecile didn't fight physically, but was more of a mental and emotional fighter. Normally the fake-cruelty trope from the love interest doesn't sit well with me, but it was fabulously done in this book. ;) And yes, the ending was ASDFGHJKL.

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    1. The ending killed me, so sad to see the book end in a cliffhanger <3 & YES to your comment! She was more emotionally and mentally stronger. More heroines like Cecile!

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  4. YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! I adored it! And I agree with you so much on Cecile. She knows her strengths and her weaknesses, but she does whatever she can to help. That's what I admired about her. The world Jensen created is a wonderful world of fantasy. She did a great job at taking me on an amazing ride. Glad you enjoyed this one :)

    Lovely review!

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    1. I agree with you, she's more emotionally strong than physically. I adored this novel ♥

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    2. I agree with you, she's more emotionally strong than physically. I adored this novel ♥

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  5. Loved this, too, although you do seem to enjoy books considerably more than I do, lol. I'm not as easy to please as you are. But I can certainly acknowledge the fact that Danielle J. Jensen's writing is spectacular. A lovely story written with a lovely writing style? How can one resist? Plus, how often do we read books about trolls, really? This was one of my firsts, for sure. Anyway, great review!! xoxo

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    1. Aaah yes you're a tougher critic than me xD Thank you Lola, I thought this was a great fantasy novel as well :)

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  6. Oh man, I need this book in my life! It sounds like it has a lot of deeper meaning to it even though it is a fantasy romance on the surface, and I like the idea of trolls being beautiful and harbouring evil within on occasion. Also, that quote was perfect for luring me in <3 The cover is gorgeous and I do have this one on my TBR, but I didn't know how much of a gem it was until now!

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    1. You so should go for it! I think you might just like it, it's equally balance with the plot and the romance :)

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  7. I do enjoy fantasy/romance books and while the idea of trolls has always been a bit repulsive to me it seems the author has re-imagined them into her own sort of creature. I do like a strong female lead and you're right, most women are not trained to fight but emotionally strong is the key ingredient to a fine character. I'll have to keep this in mind next time I have a craving for a fantasy novel. Lovely review! :)

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    1. Thank you Rachel & yes, that is very true. Most women are more emotionally stronger than physically. Hope you do check this one out soon :)

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  8. Ooh, this book sounds very interesting. Though, when you mentioned trolls, I couldn't help but imagine the trolls from Frozen, lmao! I'm not much into fantasy novels but I feel like I should give this one a try. Wonderful review, as always, Benish!

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    1. LOOL I loved the movie Frozen honestly ♥ Thank you Blessie.

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  9. I love it when you pick up a book that you have had for ages and LOVE it! I think I would really enjoy this one!

    Naomi @ Naomi’s Reading Palace

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    1. I think you would too, it's a fascinating novel :)

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  10. It's been a long time since I've read fantasy with witches and trolls! This sounds like a fun read. And Tristain sounds likean intristing hero. This will be going on my list to buy :D

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    1. Aw, hope you enjoy this book as much as I have Sarah :)

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  11. I love the different approach to trolls and the worldbuilding sounds wonderful. It always seems that we let awesome books sit in our TBR pile and end up kicking ourselves after..LOL

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    1. Lool yes that's very true - it has happened to me a couple of times before too.

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  12. I love stories about witches! The trolls sound interesting too. Especially, how the author has them take on human characteristics. World-Building is so important in Fantasy novels, and it sounds like the author nailed it! I love when I start reading a book, and wonder why I took so long to read it! That right there tells me how much you loved it! Great Review!!!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. Thank you for all your comments Lindy ♥ & I agree, the human characteristics with the trolls was pretty fantastic. This was a really wonderful novel overall :)

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  13. Fab review! I really adored this book, but unfortunately the sequel has let me down somewhat. I like what you mentioned about Tristan's perfect looks - in a world of disfigured trolls, it would make more sense for him to be a less than attractive love interest, instead of the only pretty one. Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Ohh, it has a sequel out already?? I wasn't aware of that O_O Thank you for agreeing ♥ I loved the book, but Tristan shouldn't had been that perfect.

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  14. I never realized this book was about trolls until now as I just readed the blurb for the first time, it sounds so original. The whole plot with the trolls and witches and how the main character wants to escape but makes friends there as well, sounds interesting. And the romance and world building sound very well done. Great review!

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    1. I agree, I thought it might be some fluffy romance about a badass girl lol but how wrong I was. Thank you Lola ♥

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  15. Oh, wow! I'm so glad to have read this review of yours, Benish! I bought this book about a year ago, when Strange Chemistry announced they were closing down (I am still sad about that, to be honest). I really liked the sound of it, but never got around to actually picking it up. Now I want to pick it up ASAP! It sounds super awesome and unique.

    I d agree that it would have been awesome if Tristan was actually the general "ugly" troll fantasy creature that we all imagine when we hear or read the word. I think it would have gotten a pretty good message across.

    But even so, it sounds like this book was super awesome, and I cannot wait to read it :D

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    1. I'm glad you could agree Chiara ♥ I guess many people want gorgeous heroes so the author might have chosen this reason, otherwise it's still a fantastic novel though that I heart :) I hope you enjoy it as well!

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  16. It really was unique. I love me some trolls! So happy you loved this one too.

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  17. This sounds amazing! I've has this on my shelf for a while, but I think I might make this my next read. The world sounds great, although I'm nervous about that ending. Fantastic review :)

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    1. Thank you Montana, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have :)

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  18. YAY! 5 butterflies! I am happy right now. I have this book and I have been wanting to read it but was afraid since I hadn't heard much about it since it's release. Now I'm ready to dive in.

    Dreams @ Once Upon A Dream Books

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    1. Aw<3 I think you might just like this one, I found it pretty much amazing and it has all the elements a great novel should.

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  19. I bought this book from Amazon the other day and I'm so desperate to get to it! Last year it was so hyped up and the sequel is coming up soon. I'm glad you loved it too!

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    1. Thank you for your thoughts Marianne, I hope you enjoy this fantastic read ! :)

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  20. Your reviews are always so good :)thank you for sharing

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  21. WOW, this sounds really good! I bought it around Christmas, when all the Kindle specials were happening, but it was more of an impulse buy, I had no idea what it was about. Trolls are different, and that excites me! And I LOVE that there is a strong female friendship, that is fabulous. And I think I like that the heroine is not some super fighter, it makes me relate more. I am definitely going to have to read this one sooner than later. So glad you loved it!

    Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

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    1. Yes, I agree with you - I love badass heroines but most women aren't physical fighters, they're mostly emotionally stronger. You might love this one for sure knowing your taste, if you don't I might just cry LOL :D Thank you for dropping by Shannon ♥

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  22. I totally need to read this, everyone loves it, and I totally feel like the last person to read it, haha. But sounds so original (well, I haven't read any about trolls, anyway) The way they are though sounds good. Yeah, it would've been nicer to have that as the romance, but yay for the friendships. :D

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    1. Yes, it's a very interesting novel about trolls :) I think I've only read one other series besides this one about trolls. I would so recommend it to you, I think you might just love it.

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  23. This is one of those books that I have wanted to read since it first came out but have just been putting off. I need to change that.
    Wonderful review!

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    1. You should get started on it soon :) thank you <3

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  24. Despite having heard SO MANY positive things about this one, I STILL haven't read it either. I even own a copy so I have no excuse! Reading how much you loved it has me kicking myself for waiting to long XD I have a feeling I'll LOVE this one just as much as you did - it sounds perfect! Lovely review Benish^^ ♥

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    1. I can understand what you mean, so many people I know have loved this series, I was the one who took forever to pick it up - it's a beautiful book though :) Thank you for dropping by <33

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  25. Your reviews are always so wonderful, thank you for sharing another great fantasy novel :)

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  26. It's so weird how trolls can be beautiful here! Although that sounds like an interesting twists, and I love how it uses internal concepts as well to illustrate their ugliness. Oh gosh, Cecile being kidnapped would be the most horrific experience ever, so that's great that she can still be brave. I'm glad that the female friendship did evolve over time, and definitely agree that should be how it is. This book sounds absolutely briilliant and I can't believe I haven't read it yet! Wonderful review Benish.

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    1. Omg you haven't read this one yet? You should so go for it! ♥ I think it's one of the best books I've read this year, & the female friendship aspect was really wonderful as well. Thank you Jeann ♥

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  27. Ahhh another amazing review for this! I've been hearing so many good things about Stolen Songbird! This is the first I've heard about the trolls and being ugly on the inside rather than the outside, which is a unique take on the concept! I think I'll try to grab this on Amazon!

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    1. You should so check it out soon, I thought it was such a beautiful book <3

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