Review - Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

by Danielle L. Jensen
publisher: Strange Chemistry
date of publication: April 1, 2014
format: eGalley
pages: 469
source: Netgalley
series: The Malediction Trilogy #1
buy it: Stolen Songbird: Malediction Trilogy Book One

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.

The premise for Stolen Songbird intrigued me from the very beginning.  After all, how often do you see a book where trolls play a large part and make up about 95% of the cast of characters?  Not often is the answer.  The story of Cécile and Tristan is one full of danger, subterfuge, and heartbreak.  I couldn't help but get lost in the underground world of Trollus and all of its dangers, politics, and strange beauty.  Each chapter was a new adventure and I couldn't put my reader down.  

Cécile was a well-imagined character.  She is impulsive, rash, and stubborn, along with caring and well-meaning.  She does much of what one would expect a character who has been kidnapped to do.  She tries at every opportunity to escape, though some of those attempts are ill-advised and make you question her from time to time.  There are moments where she isn't altogether realistic, however, especially some of her reactions to her captors.  You wouldn't expect someone who has been kidnapped to spend quite so much time considering how handsome this one or that one is, at least as much as Cécile seems to.  From time to time I sincerely wanted to shake her, but fortunately those moments came in small increments.  For the most part, Cécile and Tristan were well-written, easy to relate to characters with great background stories and vivid personalities.

Trollus is a harsh yet intriguing city that kept me captivated from start to finish.  Descriptions of its curse, while somewhat vague, really add an even more mysterious air to the story and its cold yet glittering glass gardens add an ethereal yet lonely backdrop for some amazing scenes.  The citizens of Trollus make it even more amazing, whether they are good, bad, or somewhere in between.  Such an array of horror and beauty is simply fantastic in every way possible.  It really made the story what it is with its rich and imaginative offerings.

Set in an imaginative underground world, Stolen Songbird is a lush story of intrigue, danger, and romance.  Fantasy fans won't be disappointed with this wonderful new offering and will be left wanting more by the time to last page is turned.  I couldn't get enough of this beautifully frightening world and all its denizens.  If you're looking for a story filled with romance and magic, then Stolen Songbird just may be what you're looking for.

Stacking the Shelves #2 - April 12, 2014

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is a meme dedicated to sharing your book hauls and swag.  Please visit this link to find out more.

Compared to last week's catch-up post, this week's is tiny, but no less welcome.  I was surprised to have anything this week, to be honest, but I had a surprise in the mail yesterday in the form of my LibraryThing Early Reviewers prize for March.

ARC

The Falconer by Elizabeth May (won from LibraryThing Early Reviewers)

eGalleys

Reborn by C.C. Hunter
The Fire Wish by Amber Lough

The Dolls by Kiki Sullivan
Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann

eLibrary Loans

A Darkness Strange and Lovely by Susan Dennard
Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Feature & Follow Friday - April 11, 2014

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. It is a way for book bloggers to get to know each other better. To join in and make some friends, simply follow the directions listed by Parajunkee on her blog.  This week's question is:

Tell us about a book that you didn’t like and why we shouldn’t read it…nicely.

Well, this is a loaded question, isn't it?  There are a few books that induced pure rage in me, but I'll try to keep it tame.  I'll just go with my most recent dislike... Defy by Sara Larson.  Oh, my but did that book upset me.  I just reviewed it on Tuesday, but for the sake of this post, I'll keep it brief.  Rape as a plot device when there's no good reason for it is not okay in my book.  No way, no how.  We'll keep it at that.  What books really bothered you?

What's In a Name

Here’s some quick trivia about me. I was born in Michigan. I am shy. I am a name snob. None of those really have anything to do with reading except the last one. I love names. I love strange names. I love names with meaning. I love guy’s names with girls. I love weird spellings. I even like a nice classic name once in a while.

Names I Love: 
When I was younger I read a book called, The Cup of the World by John Dickinson. The main character in there is named Phaedra. I became obsessed with this name after I read it. I named a character in the story I was writing Phaedra. I temporarily used that as an alias on a writing message boards.

My favorite unseelie prince in the Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa. Ash. I really love that name for this character. Normally I would associate Ash with a girl, but for some reason it just really works for this guy. It adds to his mystery and makes him even more appealing. In his instance, I feel like Ash reminds me of his past and the people he has dueled and killed. Like those people are reduced to ashes and destruction. (Probably not for everyone, but that’s what it reminds me of).

Then there is Neryn in Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier. There is another book that uses a name very similar to that for a guy and I hate it. Don’t know why, but for some reason every time I see that name I cringe. This one I love because it makes the girl seem strong and a force to be reckoned with. It may go along with my guys names for girls love, but I really love this name for a girl. It also fits perfectly in the fantasy novel. I love it when the names are a little weird and unique, but aren’t crazy and hard to pronounce.

Names from books I haven’t read, but friends have: 
Pierce from Abandon by Meg Cabot. I haven’t read this book, but I love that name. I’ve seen Pierce used as a guys name before, but never for a girl. It makes her sound smart and sharp minded. Ember from Article 5. It’s sort of similar to Amber, but not. It sounds like an awesome mysterious name. It sounds like a girl who is overlooked, but is so kickass. I have no idea whether or not that is an accurate depiction of the character, since I’ve never read the book, but that’s what this name says to me. Also, I would totally name my kid Ember.

Review - The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

by Marie Rutkoski
publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers
date of publication: March 4, 2014
format: ARC
pages: 355
source: publisher
series: The Winner's Trilogy (#1)
buy it: The Winner's Curse (Winner's Trilogy)

From Goodreads:

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love.

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction.

Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Having just finished The Winner's Curse, I find myself pondering the best way in which to tell you what I thought of this book.  First, it isn't quite what I had expected.  What I got instead was something so much better.  Expecting a war-time romance, what I found was a story of distrust, betrayal, passion, and grave danger.  The tale of Kestrel and Arin is not a tidy one by any means.  Theirs is not an easy love and by the end of The Winner's Curse you will see their individual struggles between what is right and what is wrong when it comes to both love and country.

Kestrel is one of the most cunning, intelligent characters I have been faced with in a long time.  Even though she has the mind of a strategist, she has a love that outshines any ambition for the military life her father wishes for her.  Kestrel is a gifted pianist and it is her love for music that ultimately changes the course of her destiny far beyond anything she ever expected.  Arin is one of those characters that makes you tease out every little facet, every little blip of information from them.  He is strong, silent, and defiant.  What's more, he is not who he first appears to be.  When these two come head to head, there is no denying the nature of their relationship.  There is distrust.  There is heartache.  First and foremost, there is a series of hard choices that ensures a struggle for their love beyond their wildest dreams.

The landscape of The Winner's Curse is both desolate and rich at the same time.  I'm still not sure how Rutkoski pulled this off, but suffice it to say she did.  The impression of isolation from the rest of the empire is there, yet there is frequent mention of the bounties the region boasts.  When bolstered with details of Harrani turned Valorian estates, sumptuous balls, and high-stakes games of chance, the full picture is painted.  Harran is the now jewel of the Valorian empire, one which the Valorians ruthlessly made their own.

In the end, the first line in the book's above description has it right.  Winning isn't always the thing you need or want the most.  Kestrel and Arin learn this the hard way and take us along for the ride.  The Winner's Curse isn't just about freedom or possessions or even romance.  At the heart of it, betrayal, redemption, and heartbreak are the ongoing themes.  The fact that it isn't a perfect love story is part of its appeal.  It really makes you think and, in doing so, you are drawn right into the story, not knowing who is right.  Perhaps no one is.  Either way, The Winner's Curse is rife with emotion and beauty.  You would be hard pressed to find a better story, at least during this half of the year.