Review Detail

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!