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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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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Aug 08, 2019 Monse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 0-serie-started-books-read, 2019-read

4.7 ¡¡¿Qué?!! ¡¡Holy Molly, este libro no puede terminar así!! Ok, seguimos con inicios lentos, ¿pero la última mitad? ¡¡Juro que me la terminé de una sentada!! Simplemente todas esas conspiraciones y secretos, esas vueltas en la trama y cuando revelaron quién era Anushka me tuvieron enganchada, ahora sí todas mis teorías de por qué la maldición y quién era se fueron por la borda. Cécile & Tristan simplemente me encantan, se nota la evolución de los personajes, y amé cuando se reencontraron. ¡¡N ...more

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Aug 05, 2014 Eileen (BookCatPin) rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars! I took my sweet time reading this one because, let's face it, it's a monster. But also because I wanted to make sure I took in everything! Much happens, good and bad, things I liked, things I didn't like but I can say if you loved SS, you'll enjoy HH :)

Any fan of The Malediction trilogy would not want to miss out on this exquisite continuation to Stolen Songbird! Now back in the human world, boundaries are tested and emotions run amok. With the politics pushing and pulling on both sid 4.5 stars! I took my sweet time reading this one because, let's face it, it's a monster. But also because I wanted to make sure I took in everything! Much happens, good and bad, things I liked, things I didn't like but I can say if you loved SS, you'll enjoy HH :)

Any fan of The Malediction trilogy would not want to miss out on this exquisite continuation to Stolen Songbird! Now back in the human world, boundaries are tested and emotions run amok. With the politics pushing and pulling on both sides the stakes are as high as ever. I had the hardest but most wonderful time reading this book because All. The. Feels.

So let's just get one thing out of the way - yes, Hidden Huntress is a chunky book. The pacing was slow but honestly there's nothing I would want to have taken out. Every part of the story felt essential to how the plot came together at the end. I wanted all the details and that's what I got. I read the book slowly in increments just to make sure I didn't miss out on any clues no matter how minuscule it may be. Danielle seriously does a seamless job weaving all the parts together.

Picking up from the last book, we see Cécile finally made it to Trianon to sing on stage. I didn't enjoy seeing how much control her mother had over her. Genevieve spoke caring words to Cécile, but it was more than obvious she did not genuinely care for her daughter. It more or less, among other influences, affected Cécile's decision-making ability leading her to making some poor choices. Some of the things she ends up doing were awful but I could really sense her desperation. I would not want to be put in her spot.

Tristan and Cécile were destined to walk a hard path but that didn't stop them from trying to hurdle over every obstacle in their way. They were separated for half of the book but I had no problem with that. Sure I missed seeing them together but I also really loved seeing them work hard by themselves towards their own goals. Neither were truly alone as Cécile had Sabine and Chris and Tristan had Marc and the twins. The unlikely friendship, or should I say banter, between Chris and Tristan was especially adorable. Cécile and Tristan's pretense was also noteworthy and deserve applauses ;)

Props to Danielle for the twists and turns. We get clues sprinkled here and there but nothing was solid until those final moments. Every realization had my head spinning and doing double takes to make sure I was reading it right. The mystery to who Anushka was kept me on my toes. I had my suspicions because of the odd behaviour but I wished my prediction was wrong. It's so tormenting to find out I guessed right :( I felt the heartbreak for all. Sorry but I'm trying to stay vague so I don't give anything away.

The ending was epic (view spoiler) and I demand more!! I cannot wait (view spoiler). The last instalment is going to be insane but for now, buckle up and be prepared for all the feels because there is no shortage of it in Hidden Huntress. ...more

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May 26, 2015 Elliot A rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, fantasy, historical-fiction

This much anticipated second installment of The Malediction Trilogy was a bit of a let down for me.

The plot was very confusing to follow. It felt like it was running in circles without any clear indication of where it was supposed to take the reader or what the story was actually supposed to convey.

I found the characters in this installment to be inconsistent with their presentation in the first part. I found the female protagonist to be displaying rather annoying character traits that were not ...more

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Feb 07, 2015 Meg Mc rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book was a bit slower of a pace than Hidden Huntress was. At about 50% I felt like the book was close to being over, but it really wasn't. I still enjoyed it though I was longing to spend more time in Trollus. The ending is excellent and does a great job of setting up book 3. ...more

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Aug 26, 2014 Erika (The Nocturnal Fey) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2015-reads, high-fantasy

I freakin' love the first book of the series, Stolen Songbird. And I was extremely excited to read Hidden Huntress. That being said, I haven't had the time to read this immediately after I received my copy, not until now.

I have read mixed reviews about this book. Some loved it still, but some didn't like it as much. So I have set my expectations lower because I'm afraid to get disappointed.

BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SOME OF YOU DIDN'T LIKE THIS SEQUEL. LIKE, SERIOUSLY???

This is the sequel I have ...more

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Jan 21, 2015 yun with books rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: terjemahan, physically-owned, high-fantasy-adventure, supernatural-romance-fantasy

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Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Finally berhasil menghabiskan buku ini dalam waktu yang super lama. Langsung saja, buku kedua dari seri Stolen Songbird ini mengecewakan. Tidak sesuai ekspektasi awalnya. Pada buku pertama, aku sangat menikmati ceritanya karena begitu romantis, sweet, cute, dan magical. Namun, di buku kedua ini aspek-aspek tersebut hilang. Cerita hanya difokuskan pada Cecile yang bingung bagaimana menemukan Anushka, yang mana pada akhir buku diketahui bahwa Anushka bersembun ...more

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May 07, 2015 ShinHyunRin 신현린 rated it really liked it

https://duniadeena.wordpress.com/2015...

review paling panjang yang pernah dibikin kayaknya sih...
asyik emang kalo udah usaha keras terus langsung dapet dan langsung dibaca
tapi abis itu bete deh karena, OMG cliffhanger lagiiii T____T

cecile nyari Anushka, Tristan berusaha mendapatkan lagi kepercayaan para half-blood. trus ternyata tindakan tristan ini udah ketebak sama raja. ih, demi ya... thibault selalu dua langkah didepan! bete!

PR banget buat bu Jensen bikin cerita di buku terakhir seri ini leb ...more

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