Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy, #2) in Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group

Aug 26, 2014 Irena BookDustMagic rated it it was amazing

If you liked Stolen Songbird, Hidden Huntress will probably be on your list of enjoyable books as well.
Maybe it is not as excellent as Stolen Songbird was, but it is really, really, really, really good read.

In the next installment of The Malediction Triology Danielle L. Jensen is taking us outside of Trollus and the things we are about to witness are getting serious. We'll get to see our dear Cecile in Opera as she works on her singing career and in her free time, she'll take us on a little fun ...more

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Aug 20, 2014 Errin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, young-adult, 2015, netgalley, fantasy, arc

This was my first NetGalley ARC and I am forever grateful! Stolen Songbird was one of my top favorite books of 2014 for it's dazzling worldbuilding and gorgeous characterization. Naturally, Hidden Huntress was high priority in 2015. Admittedly, some parts dragged but all in all, I was not disappointed! Pretty much everything I was hoping for, I've fallen in love with Cécile and Tristan all over again!

This sequel takes place a few months after the events of the last book but it reads like we're p This was my first NetGalley ARC and I am forever grateful! Stolen Songbird was one of my top favorite books of 2014 for it's dazzling worldbuilding and gorgeous characterization. Naturally, Hidden Huntress was high priority in 2015. Admittedly, some parts dragged but all in all, I was not disappointed! Pretty much everything I was hoping for, I've fallen in love with Cécile and Tristan all over again!

This sequel takes place a few months after the events of the last book but it reads like we're picking up right where we left off. I was slow to remember some characters and details from the previous book so I wish there was a little more recapping or that I reread ~~but who am I kidding, I was too excited having this in my posession to wait.~~.

Cécile and Tristan spend a lot of time separated, dealing with the impact of their actions individually. The dual POV works seamlessly. At the same time Tristan attempts to fix the injustices in Trollus under his father's scrutinizing eye, Cécile desperately searches for Anushka while dealing with her estranged mother and her role on the opera stage. They make dangerous decisions and the consequences are immediate. Their impulsiveness should have concerned me but I adored their devotion to each other and their cause too much to be bothered.

The magic, history and politics of this series remain some of the most extensive and intricately crafted I've seen in my experience with YA. There are so many players involved in this power struggle. Cécile and Tristan have good allies in their friends. Tristan and Chris had the funniest scenes, BrOTP! However, the list of people working against them is far longer. Plenty of twists, some predictable, others unexpected. (view spoiler)

I continue to love the emotional bond between Cécile and Tristan. Those hoping for romance will not be let down. The imminent threat of doom is strong but squealworthy moments still manage their way into the story. SWOON CITY.

If you're interested in high fantasy, nasty politics, a little witchcraft here, some morally ambiguous family ties there, and genuinely loveable protagonists, you must pick up Stolen Songbird so you can read this fantastic sequel! ...more

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May 26, 2015 Karleigh rated it it was amazing

AMAZING! I need more!!!

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Feb 26, 2015 Adriyanna Zimmermann rated it really liked it

Hidden Huntress is book two in the Malediction Trilogy, and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than book one. Although I loved Stolen Songbird for introducing these amazing characters and the world of Trollus, I could see a difference between the two from the start! The character development is hugely expanded on, and in my opinion the strongest aspect when compared to plot and world-building. With all kinds of magic and witchery, this book embodies the title of “Hidden Huntress”.

I first noti Hidden Huntress is book two in the Malediction Trilogy, and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than book one. Although I loved Stolen Songbird for introducing these amazing characters and the world of Trollus, I could see a difference between the two from the start! The character development is hugely expanded on, and in my opinion the strongest aspect when compared to plot and world-building. With all kinds of magic and witchery, this book embodies the title of “Hidden Huntress”.

I first noticed the author is more comfortable with her fantasy world, and in turn the reader is drawn deeper into the characters. I loved that the POV’s were split between Tristan and Cecile! Usually I can’t stand this sort of thing, but it works really well for the book. The reader learns a lot more about what’s happening in Trollus as well as the human world - in particular Trianon. And a great deal of things are happening. Tristan is on the outs with his father & the half-bloods while his friends are being punished for his actions in Stolen Songbird. There’s no one Tristan can trust in accomplishing his goals. It was great being inside his head as Tristan combats these different issues plus we get a better understanding of Tristan as a character - more so than we did in Stolen Songbird.

Minor and briefly-mentioned characters of Stolen Songbird are expanded on! My favourite examples were Chris and Cecile’s mother, Genevieve. Chris proves himself to be a valuable friend and ally. Even when his life may be in danger, he continues getting involved in Cecile’s search for Anushka. With Genevieve, there’s a lot of tension between mother and daughter. This showed an interesting dynamic because after many years apart, the two are forced to come to terms with each other. Furthermore, this benefited the plot [by moving it along], as it turns out Anushka has a deeper connection to Cecile, and her mother, than she realized.

World-building. We get to learn about some of the politics of Trianon and how the rest of the Isle is structured leadership-wise. Cecile discovers the Regency - the reigning government of the Isle - has close ties with the trolls and Anushka. I absolutely loved all the plot twists Jensen had waiting for the reader, most were a complete surprise! However, I would have liked more world-building. It felt to me she only scratched the surface, and I had more questions for every answer provided.

Witchery, grimoires, magic - all these things were manifested in Cecile and came with serious character growth. The magical side that she only discovered in Stolen Songbird, is put to good use in Hidden Huntress - for better or worse. Cecile dives straight into the dark arts and animal sacrifice, her love for Tristan and their friends a huge motivator. It was a fascinating turn of events, as Tristan seemed to go a more moral route. Cecile’s self-less nature drives her to do whatever it takes to find Anushka and break the curse.

I did have some issues with the writing. There were times when I liked it, and times when I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. I encountered this with Stolen Songbird, but definitely feel it has since improved. This could just be a style thing, but I’ve never been so conflicted about the writing in any book I’ve read. In addition, I found the first 30% of the book to be very long. It was almost a chore to get through. I find the author uses a lot of adjectives, so her writing is visually beautiful, but sometimes it’s too much and hard to understand what is going on. If a few less words were used I don’t think I’d have found it so long.

Overall, Hidden Huntress undeniably surpasses as a sequel to Stolen Songbird. Once again, SS was great for introducing this fantastical world of trolls & magic, but HH gives that bigger visual of the Isle, the world Cecile comes from and where she might have gone if the trolls hadn’t intervened. I was blown away by the ending and cannot wait for book 3 - which is even harder since I read book 2 before it was even released! Danielle L. Jensen has shaped an underground city of magical creatures into one of my most valued book worlds - and that makes me extremely excited for future works.

I received a free e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Oct 13, 2015 Avy ❄️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-books, all-time-favorites

ITS OVER AND I DONT HAVE THE NEXT ONE

full review at http://extremebookworm.blogspot.com ...more

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Mar 15, 2015 Katarina Antonio rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fanfuckingtastic, criminally-underrated, highly-anticipated-unreleased

I had high hopes for Hidden Huntress because I loved Stolen Songbird so much. I'm happy to report that the book did not disappoint. All the action, drama, humor, wit, and romance that endeared the first book to me were very much present in the sequel. I love Danielle Jensen's prose because it comes off as elegant yet accessible (I hope that makes sense). I am so invested in the main characters, Cècile and Tristan because they're so intelligent. The romance is compelling without coming across as ...more

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Sep 16, 2015 MsArdychan rated it it was amazing

After reading Danielle L. Jenson's Stolen Songbird recently, I hurriedly got my hands on it's sequel, Hidden Huntress. The book is an action packed tale full of royal intrigue, dark magic, the strong romance between Cécile and Tristan, and the domineering presence of Cécile's mother, Genevieve.

As she rushes to fulfill her oath to find the witch, Anushka, Cécile must contend with the strong desire of her mother to have Cécile become a great opera singer. Genevieve is the ultimate stage mother! A After reading Danielle L. Jenson's Stolen Songbird recently, I hurriedly got my hands on it's sequel, Hidden Huntress. The book is an action packed tale full of royal intrigue, dark magic, the strong romance between Cécile and Tristan, and the domineering presence of Cécile's mother, Genevieve.

As she rushes to fulfill her oath to find the witch, Anushka, Cécile must contend with the strong desire of her mother to have Cécile become a great opera singer. Genevieve is the ultimate stage mother! Although Genevieve is the current star of the opera, she is ready to retire and have Cécile take her place. Is her mother looking out for her, or is there something else motivating Genevieve to push Cécile so hard? The mystery is complex and fun for the reader to solve!

The love story between Cécile and Tristan grows even stronger in this book. As their love for each other deepens, they must each shed their emotional layers and trust in each other. This is tough for most people to do. Can anyone let their guard down totally, exposing deep secrets and fears, and not get hurt? Cécile wonders how Tristan will react when he learns of the lengths she goes to in order to help him. Can he love her despite what she has done?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The comparison between the human world and the troll world seem to show that some behaviors such as greed, jealousy, and love are universal. As Cécile moves toward possibly freeing the trolls, she must think about the consequences. Would she sacrifice the happiness of all her friends in Trollus to keep the human world safe? Would being ruled by the trolls be better or worse than being ruled the current Regent? And who is she to make such a decision?

I see this conflict between the human world and the troll world as an analogy for the real-life conflicts of today. When we demonize a population, it is much easier to marginalize them and treat them as less. This is why I love fantasy novels. They have so much to say but will envelop it in a story that is entertaining and compelling. This is a wonderful book. I can't wait for the third installment, due out in May 2016! ...more

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Aug 17, 2015 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Amazing!!! I loved, loved, loved it! This is turning out to be one of my favorite series and Is going to my top ten list of greatest series! I didn't know if this book would be as great as the first one but it most definitely was! This author is an AMAZING writer and storyteller because I was hooked from page one just like the first book. I absolutely love Cecile's and Tristan's characters, they were made perfectly as well as other side characters such as Fred, Sabine, Chris, and even the bad gu ...more

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Aug 04, 2014 Amanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: paranormal-romance, favorites, fantasy, young-adult, own, beauty-and-the-beast, goblins, fae, audible

This is the second book in the Malediction Trilogy and follows the events of Stolen Songbird. Cécile escapes from Trollus and finds herself in the city with her mother preforming on stage as she has always dreamed. Except that it isn't what she wants anymore. She longs to be with her husband Tristan and her friends in Trollus, but she has a mission. She must find the witch Anushka who cursed the trolls (view spoiler)[fae (hide spoiler)] to remain under the mountain. (view spoiler)[It's still her

...more

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Dec 18, 2014 Amanda Rose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorite-books, stories-i-could-live-in

Well well done Danielle Jensin! This sequel is everything I wanted and more. After Cecile's departure from Trollus she spends her time with her mother singing on stage. Her mother is vain and evil, basically the stepmother from Cinderella. Cecile is on a mission to find the witch who put the curse on the trolls. She does so with the help of her two friends, Sabine who is her childhood friend that joins her in Tranion (or whatever the town's name is) and Chris the stable boy who has known about t ...more

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Jun 02, 2015 BellaKara rated it it was amazing

Loved it!! It was so fun to read and had me on the edge of my seat for the whole read. I bought it and finished it the same day, I really couldn't put it down. I had even guessed right on who the true villain was which was so cool. I hope the next one comes out soon. ...more

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