Danielle’s Comments (group member since May 19, 2014)

Danielle’s comments from the Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group group.

Perla wrote: "Danielle wrote: "DISCUSSION QUESTIONS!!!

Here are the discussion questions! You can answer as many or as few as you want, and you can also pose questions about these chapters to me!

TO UNLOCK EX..."

I also LOVE swoony scenes :D
Their love story is pretty epic. Tragic, but epic. It deserves to be told in its entirety, I think :)

Adriyanna wrote: "1. I don't mind prologues, I think they're great for background information but I guess it depends how they're written. If they're short and to the point, that's great. I have seen a lot of prologu..."

Hi Adriyanna,
Yes, they are definitely more prevalent in adult and NA novels, and probably the upper end of the YA market. I personally don't mind them if they are well done. I have a WIP that has a short prologue, because one of the instigating events happened in the past, and it made sense for me to present it that way.

Lillian wrote: "1.) From what I've noticed from reading books with prologues, they're usually there for a reason. An important one, at that. Sometimes you can find hidden answers in the prologue, and other times, ..."

Hi Lillian,
That's a really good point you raise! I agree that if Marc had not taken the risk in bonding Penelope, that he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. Better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, right?!

Erika (The Nocturnal Fey) wrote: "After reading Warrior Witch, it feels so heavy to answer in the discussions now. loool. My heart.

1. I usually see prologue with New Adult novels, even on fantasy new adult. I read prologue, and s..."

Hi Erika!
Yup! These questions WOULD be tough for you to answer :) And thanks again for your wonderful no-spoiler review of Warrior Witch :)

It's funny how you mentioned Chris trying to win over Cecile, because I think it's actually Tristan he ends up winning over. #bromance

Karim wrote: "1. I like prologues and I find that they are becoming a little more common in YA, Twilight has them in every book. I like knowing a little something about the story and maybe see where the prologue..."

Hi Karim,
It's a tough question to answer, right?! What's good for humanity is bad for the trolls, and vice versa. Certainly if Tristan *had* the names of every troll, he'd be better able to control them, but most of the evil trolls would NEVER give up that sort of power. Plus they'd be constantly looking for ways to kill him, and given he isn't immortal, eventually he'd die and everyone would be free to do what they wanted. There is no good solution, which is why it's such a fun plot line to write :)

Mi-Mi wrote: "I don't really love or hate prologues. It depends on whether or not the particular book needs one, so I'll definitely read it if it's there. I completely understand why Marc bonded with Penelope. W..."

Hi Mi-Mi!
So everyone seems to have this massive dislike for love triangles. Why do you think people hate them so much?

Pili wrote: "1.- I really do enjoy reading prologues and the info that they usually give and the questions that they provoke! I loved reading the deleted prologue for Stolen Songbird with all the info that it g..."

Hi Pili,
That was exactly the reason the prologue was removed! Cécile is the primary protagonist, and it made the book stronger to have the readers discover what the trolls are like and all those little details along with her. That's also one of the reasons why Tristan didn't get a POV scene until well into the book – getting insight into his mind too early gave too much away.

Not a single person has admitted to liking love triangles! This makes me laugh, because given how many novels are published that contain love triangles, SOMEONE must like them :D

Shreya wrote: "1. I'm a fan of well written and relevant prologues. I definitely read them if they are there, regardless, but it's much better when a piece of the book dedicated to giving some insight actually do..."

Hi Shreya,
Good question! So while Anaïs knew that her father and the King had contracted her and Tristan to be bonded, Tristan didn't know about the arrangement until his father told him in Chapter 17. Now assuming he *had* known, no, I don't think he would've been upset about it. As royalty, he would've grown up with the expectation that his marriage/bonding would be arranged for political reasons, so I think, despite the fact he doesn't love her as more than a friend, he wouldn't have been upset about the choice of Anaïs. Plus, he never knew what true love felt like until Cécile, so he wouldn't have necessarily have known what he was missing, if that makes sense.

If you're interested in Anaïs's thoughts on the matter, check out this letter she wrote :) http://www.leeanna.me/guest-post-dani...

Jen wrote: "1. I always read the prologues. To be honest, it's never even crossed my mind to skip them. There could be something too important in there, like a clue to what is going to happen in the future.

2..."

Hi Jen,

Have you read Marc's love letter to Pénélope? http://danielleljensen.com/2015/01/05...

It IS a hard question! And it's a question that Tristan and Cécile grapple with for most of the series :)

Nicole wrote: "I never thought there would be a love triangle (and I'm glad there wasn't - unnecessary drama) but I LOVE Chris. I found myself - a few times - wanting Cecile to just love Chris because... it would..."

You are very right that it would've been the easier choice for her! But when does Cécile ever make the easy choice ;-)

Nicole wrote: "1. I always read them. Sometimes they are confusing at first because they show something "out of the blue", when you still know nothing about the story, so I tend to forget what I read in this kind..."

Hi Nicole,
It's true that prologues can be a bit confusing sometimes. Generally, they are supposed to provoke more questions than they answer, so they rarely make much sense until you're well into the novel.

Cécile IS a pretty impressive young lady, so it makes sense that she'd have a few boys from her past that had crushes on her. A love triangle really wouldn't have worked for this particular story. Much of the plot hangs on Cécile and Tristan being so very committed to each other, and if one of them had feelings for another person, I think it would have taken away from that.

Ellie wrote: "I don't mind prologues when they're done well!
I think Marc was brave and in love when he bonded, knowing what could happen. And I'm really glad that Tristan intervened and saved him even if it was..."

Hi Ellie,
I'm smiling a little bit reading your answer, because I know you've read Warrior Witch, and... well we can't really talk about THAT without lots of spoilers :)

I agree that it was probably good for Tristan to have a taste of jealousy, especially after what he put Cecile through with Anais. Fair IS fair ;)

Makenna wrote: "#1. I actually enjoy prologs! I feel that they give you a sneak peak as to what you will be reading and helps you move into the story a little more gracefully then throwing you smack dab in the sto..."

Hi Makenna!
It's kinda crazy how readers love near-death romance scenes, but I AGREE! It makes everything the characters say more poignant than in other circumstances. Even if one of the characters is covered in monster poop :)

Perla wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Carol wrote: "So when are you going to write a prequel book?"

I second this!!! :D"

I second her second! Maybe it is her anger, but Pénélope is not what I had imagined, then again,..."

Hi Perla,
Pénélope is very quiet and even-tempered compared to her sister, so this was sort of a very rare moment where she has snapped. Pretty much everything has gone wrong for her, so she's really, really upset :(

Shreya wrote: "This would've been an amazing start! The prophecy scene was mind blowing and I loved the twist with his mother hearing the prophecy! But, besides the fact that Thibault didn't physically harm Trist..."

Hi Shreya!
The Guerre piece doesn't actually look like Cecile in the prologue – it's just a generic "human" piece. Tristan is just sort of imagining Cecile (or as much as he knows about her from the foretelling) as one of the pieces, because the human pieces in the game are the weakest and most expendable. And that worries him.

Gaby wrote: "Hi!! I'm sorry I'm late at participating, but school (and pretty much life in general) has been pretty hectic ://

1. I don't really have a concise opinion about prologues, I guess it really depend..."

Hi Gaby!
Believe me, I know what it feels like to have NO TIME!! But I'm glad you are participating NOW :D

Sounds as though you are just like Cécile in your optimism. There is a line in WARRIOR WITCH that makes me think of your choice 'C'

'I’d always take the path that would save lives now versus saving lives later, because I believed that time would provide a solution that would see all lives saved.' ~ Cécile

Nicole wrote: "Oh I loved how Cécile is the final piece to make Tristan realise who he is! I think this is one of the reasons why their relationship feels so real: they change each other for the best, which is wh..."

I really do love their relationship so much for that VERY reason!

The primary reason the prologue was cut was so that the reader would discover what the trolls were like at the same time as Cécile. The prologue would've spoiled that reveal. Also, it gave too much insight into Tristan's mind, so the reader would know before Cécile that he wasn't the jerk he was pretending to be. Also, it gave away his intentions against his father, and that was also a spoiler.

Basically, the prologue was a big giant plot spoiler, so it had to go :)

But it sure makes a good extra!!

Nicole wrote: "That's awesome! I loved to see how the foretelling happened. Was it hard for you to write the poem? Did you get the name Guerre from Latin? I don't know it, but "guerra" is war in Portuguese, so I'..."

Guerre is the French word for war :)

Melissa wrote: "Eeeeeeeep! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I've always wanted to know how the prophecy scene occurs. And to think that Tristan could have kept it a secret if not for his mother.

"The b..."

Well, I'd say that's something that is inconsistent with the final version of the novel. The King stuck with psychological abuse. Which obviously is still awful.