Stolen Songbird (The Malediction Trilogy #1)

 
0.0
 
4.3 (3)
485 0

User reviews

3 reviews
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
4.3(3)
Characters
 
4.3(3)
Writing Style
 
4.3(3)
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A(0)
Already have an account? or Create an account
Back to Listing
3 results - showing 1 - 3
Ordering
STOLEN SONGBIRD
Overall rating
 
5.0
Plot
 
5.0
Characters
 
5.0
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
THIS BOOK!

STOLEN SONGBIRD is a truly magnificent story of magic, politics, love, and deception. Cécile is taken from the life she knows and thrown into an entirely new one when she is sold as a bride to Tristan, the troll prince of Trollus. Stuck in a strange and dangerous world beneath the Forsaken Mountain, Cécile has one duty—to fulfil the prophecy that’ll free the trolls from the curse that stops them from leaving the mountain and entering the human world. Trollus is a cruel place, ruled by a harsh human-hating king. Anyone not a full-blooded troll is treated as a lesser being, and the divide creates a lot of tension. Despite its gloom, I found Trollus a glorious setting—especially the glass gardens. The world building is exceptional, and Cécile and Tristan are such wonderfully crafted characters. Same goes for all the characters, actually, but those two are my favourites. Cécile is so feisty and I liked her right away. Tristan is incredibly sweet . . . in his own way! I loved him! The development of their relationship was touching and I became very attached to them both.

I loved STOLEN SONGBIRD so much it hurt! It’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. And I don’t say that lightly. I read it in January because I simply couldn’t wait to start. The story has stayed with me since, and I think it will do for a long time. Everything about the book is so special and enchanting. Absolutely perfect!
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Quite enjoyable
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Trolls – I have read only one series centered on trolls and that was Amanda Hocking’s Trylle trilogy. While Stolen Songbird is also based on trolls, the stories are entirely different with respect to lore. It is more fae-based (which I suspect is the true nature of the trolls) and Cecile is the Meghan to Tristan’s Ash. No, seriously, I was reminded of Iron Fey, partly because of the human in a world of fae/troll thing. She isn’t taken seriously, is basically treated well just because she is royalty and more to the point, basically a captive. The first third of the novel was about her plotting escape – she is smart, so she is pretty much trying everything to gain the upper hand in a world where all the creatures have more power than her. Rough world, especially when she is married off to the prince on her first day itself – a prince who has a lot of secrets, starting with his reasons for not accepting her as his wife. There is a period of truce, punctuated by petty fights, which I found a bit hilarious at times – like, people really believed that?

The next part was her learning of the troll society, the politics, the oppression of half-bloods and realizing that all trolls are not the villains she made them out to be. She is then eager to learn more about the world that she lives him, ready to become the beacon of hope for the people and possibly break the curse that binds them. It’s a total reversal for her – she is captive but she wants these people to gain freedom. That was one of the highlights of her character development. The last part was more dedicated to the romance, as Tristan and Cecelia come closer, but there is still the species difference between them. It drives a wedge into their relationship, the ability to not wholly trust the other, and with such troublesome times, where Tristan is damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t, misunderstandings pile up. He feels unworthy of her and tries to drive her away. It (the plot) was mercifully saved by her discovery of her lineage and if I wasn’t hooked until then, I was at this point. The ending was quite explosive, with things all coming together and breaking apart – and we are left at a cliffhanger! The writing was so engaging and beautiful, I almost didn’t notice the length of the novel. Really good and looking forward to the sequel!
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
A must read for fans of ya fantasy genre
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Without any doubt, I can already say that Stolen Songbird will end up on my and many other lists of best novels for young adults published in 2014. Stolen Songbird is an example is how it looks when a team of professionals works on a book: great writing, editing & design. What did I like? The list is mile long:
- Intriguing title that hints at one of the main plot elements.
- Beautiful cover with our heroine Cécile holding a glass rose and city of Trollus in the background.
- Writing style is easy to read.
- Good world building with right amount of details.
- Romance without love triangle, insta-love and all other boring cliches that are overused these days.
- A love story that slowly develops over time through thoughtful gestures.
- Strong heroine that you will find easy to cheer for and who will make all the right choices. Cécile is a great role model for young adults.
"I wouldn't lie down and die, but neither would I give up on obtaining my liberty, I would live each day and fight for what mattered most: my freedom."
- A hero that will slowly win your heart.
"He looked like Prince Charming from the fairytales, except for one thing: Prince Charming was human, and the boy standing in front of me was decidedly not. His pale skin was too flawless, his motions too smooth and controlled."

The biggest flaw of this book is the summary – it reveals too much. A lot of books published by Strange Chemistry suffer from this problem and Stolen Songbird has it too. I made a mistake and read the summary before reading the book, so I blame it as a reason why I just liked it very much. If some events and twists in plot were not already known to me, Stolen Songbird would have blown my mind.

IN THE END…
Stolen Songbird is one of those rare occurrences when the promo description from publisher does not lie. They recommend it “for those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling” and I can only agree that Stolen Songbird has all the best elements from these books: intricate character development and cute slow building romance from Seraphina mixing it up with action and political intrigue from Graceling. So fans of ya fantasy, be brave, don’t be scared by number of pages, it will be worth your time.

Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
3 results - showing 1 - 3