Tag: Paranormal (Page 20 of 51)

Synopsis:

Beneath the mountain, the king's reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cecile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king's power. Or his manipulation.

Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.

To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cecile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted.

Review:

***I did NOT like the final book in this series. It was missing everything that I had previously fallen in love with. And that’s not even the worst part. Worst of all was that ending. That ending left me completely unsatisfied and utterly depressed. You can see my review of Warrior Witch here – Warrior Witch: 1/5 Stars***

*Spoilers for Stolen Songbird*
Hidden Huntress was mysteriously intriguing, and it was entertaining trying to unravel the questions that surrounded Tristan and Cecile.  There is so much more at stake, and it felt as though their trials were insurmountable.  But at times, I found myself distracted.  Because honestly, I was desperately racking my head as each page passed trying to figure out how in the world they were going to find their way back together again.  While I whole-heartily love Tristan ad Cecile separately, I desperately missed their chemistry.  The way they were capable of making my heart clench and then become elated on a single page, sigh.  Together they were intoxicating.  So while I struggled in the middle of the book, I was without a doubt happy to be drawn back into their world!

Upon escaping from Trollus and healing, Cecile has taken residence with her mother in Trianon.  By night she performs and by day she hunts for the witch who has cursed the trolls.  While she knew it would be a near impossible search, what she doesn’t count on is that she is still within the grasp of the King.  And his incessant need to be freed from Trollus.  But Tristan isn’t able to protect or help her, because he is being held captive within his own city that he was once destined to rule.  With their lives continually piling up with obstacles, how can they ever start to dig themselves out?

Even though situations were changed, Tristan and Cecile still contained all of the same attributes that made me love them in Stolen Songbird.  Cecile was still daring and brave.  The decisions she had to make were difficult and at times selfless.  And I love that no matter how hard or dark times got, she still pushed ahead.  She still searched and never gave up trying to find a way to be with Tristan again.  I was rooting for her on every single page!

Oh, and Tristan, how I love you!  This time we got to be in his head so much more!  His thoughts, agony and suffering were ours to behold.  Nothing was held back and we got to understand every single tiny part of him.  How he wanted to be a better person, err troll, for not only Cecile but everyone else in Trollus that is counting on him.  I did miss his witty, sarcastic side, but circumstances definitely wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.

So yeah, I did struggle in the middle.  I started to ache for Tristan and Cecile to be back together again because I desperately needed their chemistry to be on the pages I was reading.  Yes I know that I am being whiny but my goodness, the way they were written in Stolen Songbird together was phenomenal.  It was impossible not to miss that feature while starting this book.  But, and this is a big but….the characters are strong enough to stand on their own and the mystery was still a lot of fun!  Ohhhhh, and the way this book ends?!?!  It looks as though we will get to experience the peril that elated yet terrified me in Stolen Songbird!  I am counting down until the final book is released next year!  I. Can’t. Wait!

*ARC kindly provided by Angry Robot Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Stolen Songbird #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Hidden Huntress #2 Reviews: Jen	Hidden Huntress #3 Reviews: Jen

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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.

Review:

***I did NOT like the final book in this series. It was missing everything that I had previously fallen in love with. And that’s not even the worst part. Worst of all was that ending. That ending left me completely unsatisfied and utterly depressed. You can see my review of Warrior Witch here – Warrior Witch: 1/5 Stars***

This book was beautifully intoxicating.  From the feeling of being in past generations from their dialect, to characters that enchanted my heart, to the intricate storyline that kept me glued to the pages, it was impossible not to become lost in their twisted world.  I was completely blown away by how much I loved this book and how Cecile and Tristan’s happiness, sorrow and horror became mine.  Everything that filled these pages was perfection and what I always hope for when picking up a book!

Does a troll know sadness, anger, or happiness? Can a troll love another troll? Or are they as cold inside as the rocks they were buried beneath? – Cecile

Cecile is destined for fame with her opera voice, and her mother has been grooming her for her destiny.  But before her departure to start her new life, she is kidnapped and taken to Trollus.  A city that is trapped underneath a mountain where the trolls have lived for over 500 years because of a witch’s curse.  They are hoping that by creating a union between Cecile and one of their own, a prince, that the prophecy will be fulfilled and that freedom will become theirs for the taking.  But Cecile has her own plans, and those include escaping.  But while plotting her escape, her feelings for the troll Prince, Tristan, start to bloom.  For what shall she do?

And I was done with crying – tears accomplished nothing but exhausting me further and I needed my wits about me if I were going to escape this place. Perhaps not today, tomorrow, or even the next day, but I would stand beneath the sun again. I swore it to myself. – Cecile

Cecile is now on my favorite heroines list.  She was daring, brave, smart and a fighter who truly cared about the hardships of others, even if they were trolls.  Her feelings and reactions to situations felt so real and honest that I had such an easy time slipping into her shoes which helped me become further lost in the story.  But my favorite thing about her?  That she doesn’t lay down and die when her situation is dire.  She plots, plans and bids her time.  Time that is sometimes filled with Tristan, sigh.

If I wasn’t careful, she would be my undoing. – Tristan

You MUST meet the troll Prince, Tristan.  I was all kinds of questionable about falling for a troll BUT he is sexy, infuriating, haughty and sarcastic.  His actions sometimes made you swoon and other times made you want to punch him in the face.  But the swoon worthy moments I promise are worth his jerky moments!  Not only do we get those swoon worthy moments, but we also get a few chapters here and there that are from his perspective.  Plus add in the fact that we get to know what his emotions are from Cecile, once they have bonded, and clearly we can see that there is a lot going on underneath his indifferent facade.  When you combine some of the acts he did without hesitation and the emotions he radiated, it solidified what an amazing troll he was and kept me hoping that he had feelings for Cecile.  He always tried to wear his mask of indifference when it came to her, but the more it slipped, the more I fell for Tristan.

“They aren’t ugly.” I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. “More like beautiful things that have had the misfortune of being broken.” Tristan turned his face back to me. I saw the sorrow in his eyes and felt it in my heart. – Cecile

I had a feeling that I was going to love this book, but so many things still took me by surprise.  The peril was through the roof intense.  It was the type of situations where you can’t read fast enough yet you also want to slow down because you are terrified about how much more horrific everything is going to turn out.  I panicked, I cried, and I even yelled at my book.  Those multiple scenes turned me inside out.  And then on the flipside, the banter and fighting between Cecile and Tristan had me laughing so hard I had tears pouring down my face.  I desperately wanted them to defy the odds and be together.  And I won’t ever forget the setting of Trollus, it felt so real and vivid.  So without a shadow of doubt, Stolen Songbird is going on my favorites list!

Reading Order & Links: Amazon (click on covers), iBooks (click on titles) & Book Depository (click on book #)
Stolen Songbird #1 Reviews: Jen Chelsea Anna	Hidden Huntress #2 Reviews: Jen	Hidden Huntress #3 Reviews: Jen