Hidden Huntress: Malediction Trilogy Book Two

So it's pretty safe to say that I was extremely excited for this book. Especially because of that mother of all cliffhangers at the end of Stolen Songbird. Suffice to say, as soon as I was able, I was going to read this book. I did dive right in as soon as possible, but after reading, I wasn't sure I felt exactly. Don't get me wrong, I greatly enjoyed this book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did with the first novel in this series. I wouldn't say this suffered from Middle Book Syndrome, but there were parts that were a bit slow. There honestly wasn't much actions, except for the end. All that being said, the ending more than made up for the rest of the book, and it set up the third (and final) novel in this trilogy very nicely. I can already tell that the next book will be nonstop action and excitement. The one thing that I loved in the first book was Trollus itself as well as the mystery behind the trolls. Cecile, along with the reader, were thrust into this world that they had no idea about, and both slowly learned just how powerful and scary the trolls were. Even by the end, there was still the secret of what exactly the trolls were. Even though I had my guesses all along, and I ended up being correct, I just wanted a bit more out of the reveal. It was building and building throughout the story, and then it was almost a "blink and you miss it" type thing. However, despite the slow moments, this book was still extremely good. The writing is amazing as ever, and I was quickly swept away back into the world of trolls, witches, and curses. And quite honestly, I never wanted to leave. I do feel that this book was necessary and the events that unfolded (albeit slowly) were crucial to the direction this series will go. If Cecile wouldn't have opened herself up to certain things with magic, there wouldn't be ramifications in the next story, and even further on in this story. Cecile grows a lot in this novel, and because of everything that happens she is forced to make some very difficult choices. And now she must live with those choices. Ms. Jensen's writing is simply phenomenal and will never cease to blow me away. She writes with such creativity and beauty and I love reading every single word she writes. She has a great talent, and I know that the next book in this trilogy will be even more fantastic! However, I think one of the best aspects of her writing is how well she develops her characters as well as the romance. I was still very much invested in these characters and how everything will turn out for them. Cecile goes through many ups and downs in this book and is forced to rely on those who do no fully trust her. Nevertheless, she pushes through and comes out stronger and braver. Tristan...that boy will always have a special place in my heart, and I hated how much pain he was in during this book. He also grows and becomes someone that is worthy of ruling Trollus, if he can get there. I loved watching both his and Cecile's development over the course of the book, and it proved that while they are amazing together, they can grow without each other as well. I feel like Ms. Jensen did a wonderful job at remaining true to both characters' personalities in this way. Their romance is the sweetest thing, and while it isn't as fully present due to the course of this novel, the scenes where it was present, was something of beauty. This novel ends on a cliffhanger again, but as I said, the entire ending sets the third book up perfectly. There are major changes coming, for all of our beloved characters, and I honestly can't wait until I can get my hands on the last book. I have full confidence in Ms. Jensen that she will create a finale that will please all fans and leave us breathless. Happy reading :)

4 STARS Well, that was certainly interesting! My feelings are all conflicted and discombobulated. On one hand I absolutely adored this book, but on the other, I had quite a few problems with it that just wouldn't settle. My love for these characters and this series runs deep from the first book, but this book lacked a lot of what I fell in love with from the beginning. But nevertheless, I still loved HIDDEN HUNTRESS for it's own reasons, and so excited to continue this series and finally see how it all ends. THE POSITIVE: The magic! I've always enjoyed the fierce magic of this world. The Troll magic is my favorite, it's raw and fierce, and a force not to be reckoned with. And I loved watching that magic be used and all the fun little things that could be done with it. I also liked the witches magic too, but that wasn't as strong or desirable as the trolls magic was. The witches magic was used through the earth, spells, and worst of all, blood magic. And that magic can get to be very dark, and it was almost as fun as the Trolls magic, almost. I still love my two favorite characters Cécile and Tristan, even if the romance lacked, which I will get into below. They were both broken and desperate, and riding the line of extreme. And that was a new side of both Cécile and Tristan, but also an interesting side of their characters vulnerability. Watching them endure and fight through each obstacles as it was thrown at them, just reminded me of why I loved them both so much from the very beginning. THE NEGATIVE: The romance! That was a HUGE let down for me in this highly anticipated sequel. I was expecting full blown chemistry and affection and a deep adoration between our main characters Cécile and Tristan. But they were separated for most of the book, and when they were finally reunited, it was like they were strangers. Let me explain... In the first book I absolutely loved Cécile and Tristan. I adored them both together and apart for their own different reasons. From the start they had bad blood between them for what the king was forcing upon them. But they found that they weren't really that different, and that they were stronger as allies then enemies. And then their pull became too strong and they ultimately became lovers. The bond that united them allowed them to be in-tune with each others desires and needs, so they were connected in away that not too many others were, unless you where bonded. But it was also more then that, they had a chemistry and love so sweet, that it literally broke my heart. But in this book their was none of that, and when they finally did reunite, they had hardly any emotions or sexual interactions. They were distant, and had this gap between them that couldn't be filled no matter what they did. Tristan went through his own struggles with his time in captivity, and his betrayal to his people, so he was hurting, I understand that. But I hoped when he and Cécile finally got back together, it would be different and they would become like they were. But nope that was not the case and it was a heartbreaking let down!! Another issue was the way Cécile let her mother treat her. She let her mother walk all over her like she was a dog. Her mother was nonexistent for most of her life, yet Cécile runs off to join her mother at the opera house when she returns from her life threatening experience in Trollus. And her mother treats her like dirt, and most of the time Cécile does nothing about it. Their was that rare moment when Cécile grows some balls and tries to put her mother in her place, but even then, she doesn't try very hard. It was just the opposite of the Cécile I've grown to love in STOLEN SONGBIRD! Another issue was the predictability of HIDDEN HUNTRESS. I seen most of the twist coming miles away! I knew from one of the first chapters who Anushka was. Something happens in the beginning that Cécile doesn't remember that gave Anushka's true identity away. And that was not fun at all knowing the big twist as soon as the books starts. I wanted it to be a big surprise and have my opinion waver throughout the book. But it didn't, and I also figured out other twists too. But nevertheless, even with all these negative things, I still able to REALLY enjoyed this book, a lot! THE PLOT CÉCILE: Cécile has had her world ripped apart so many times, but this time the fate of both Trollus and the human world depend on what she does. She is destine to break a 500 year old curse, but is it really the right thing to do, and is she willing to subject both humans and trolls to the evil that's bound to be unleashed if the trolls are ever freed? Cécile now lives in Trianon with her overly stern mother. Singing in the opera has always been a dream for Cécile, but now it's nothing more then an interference with her goal. A goal that is now an obligation, a compelling thought in the back of her mind, forcing her to find Anushka no matter the circumstance. But Cécile will have more surprises and struggles then she's ever anticipated, and the path to finding the witch may just bring her back to where and why it all started, and ultimately, change her in ways she never thought possible... TRISTAN: Deep below the rock mountain, the Trolls remain cursed to their eternal resting place, where they're destined to stay until the ancient curse can finally be broken. The prophecy has been foretold... "Bring forth and bind the Prince of Night and Daughter of Day, and together the witch they will slay... Then and only then, will the curse be broken, forever... But after 500 years there is still no sign of Anushka, the witch who cursed them to their eternal doom. But the time has come for her to finally come out of hiding, because Anushka has just met her match, Cécile... Tristan is still living with the repercussions of defying his father, the king of all Trollus, for saving his wife Cécile from dying at the hands of his wickedly insane brother. He has lived with iron shackles for two months in a prison cell binded by magic. He has been striped bare and endured much for his deceit. So when his father releases him from his imprisoned hell, picking himself up after betraying the people he was suppose to be protecting, and killing so many who entrusted their lives in his hands, is no easy feat. Because he is now the despicable fallen prince of all of Trollus... No longer heir to the Trollus throne, Tristan has reluctantly been let out of his cage, only to have a different kinda of hell thrust upon him. No one trust him, everyone hates him, his friends have been punished for their loyalty and assistance to him, his best friend was murdered, only to find that she wasn't actually murdered like he thought. His mother is going insane, his brother is now the new heir, and will bring is wrath down upon all he chooses when he wears the crown. And his wife and love of his life, is a world away going through her own kinda pain, and their is nothing he can do about any of it. But Tristan has not come this far and inflicted and endured all this pain for nothing. He will keep fighting, he will find a way to save his people, his wife, and hopefully humanity before all is lost to them all.... Overall, even with all my ups and downs, I still highly enjoyed this book, a lot. At times I found myself fully immersed and addicted, but other times I found myself rolling my eye and saying okay, enough of that lets move on to something else already. But my overall feeling when I closed this book was where is book three, I NEED it in my life NOW! So though the beginning and some of the middle were a little rough, the ending was amazing and fully sucked my into it's addicting story. So I was left feeling satisfied and overly confident that book three will give book one a run for it's money, and I can't WAIT!! NOTE: I received an eBook from Angry Robot for reviewing purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way!

if you want an enjoyable, fast-paced series, the Malediction Trilogy could be the one for you. In Stolen Songbird, we were forced to ditch a lot of our preconceived notions about trolls (though not all of them) and found ourselves hoping for a blossoming of the obvious love between Tristan and Cecile and felt desolated when Tristan had to return her to her own world in order to save her life. In Hidden Huntress, we learn how dearly his actions have cost him and all of his friends and while she is is back in her own world, Cecile is bound by her vow to the troll king to find Anushka and break the curse. She cannot settle into her life on the stage while dealing with her demanding mother, her obsession to find Anushka, her worry for Tristan and the need to master her own magic. There are lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested, and even though you may figure out one of the big twists before it is actually revealed, it will be no less exciting. I can't wait for the last book in the trilogy as a pivotal event was about to take place at the end of Hidden Huntress. Danielle Jensen is an imaginative and exciting new author. I look forward to more good things from her.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The build up to finding Anushka was entertaining and the last couple chapters created a satisfying end while still building up to the grand finale of the last book in the series. I do feel like the author has introduced a lot of epically-proportioned problems for our characters to miraculously solve in the final book... I don't love it when authors do this because it leaves me with a feeling of dread as I mentally prepare myself for the characters to be broken and beaten down repeatedly until they somehow - against all odds - prevail in the end. So I may put off reading the final book for a bit. One thing that I didn't like about the second book was the romance. And by that I mean the complete lack of romance... Tristan and Cecile are supposed to be bonded, but I feel like I'm *told* they're bonded way more than I'm *shown* they're bonded. It was clear they cared and thought about eachother, but other than one or two scenes, their love might has well been a familial love between brother and sister - or something equally unromantic. I feel like love and romance in books needs to be overdone or else it is hard to believe... and in this book it was definitely hard for me to believe.

I enjoyed this book, I already preordered it when I had read several reviews about how bad it was. So of course I read it anyways. My two cents, it has a different feel from the first one, the characters build and grow in this one. I think I would of enjoyed at touch more action in parts and maybe a bit more romance between the two when they see each other again, but that really wasn't the focus for this book. It was more learning they loved each other beyond the lovey dovey emotion. The plot grows and twits, and characters mature. Overall a good read and sets up for an exciting final book.

~~~~~~4.5 Stars~~~~~~ "Sometimes one must do the unthinkable, for it is the only way to accomplish the impossible." Immediately after finishing the first book I found myself NEEDING this second book like a newly minted addict. In fact, I put aside my mountainous TBR books that need to be reviewed just to get my fix. On the one hand I was richly rewarded with beautiful writing, amazing world development and exceptional character depth. On the other hand the story just didn't grab me and hold me entranced, desperately needing to know more. This may have been due in part to the fact that I was on vacation (making it painfully impossible to find reading time) as well as being able to easily foresee almost every major plot twist immediately. This lead me to spend the entire time yelling at my eBook for the MCs to open their eyes and put some/any clues together. Don't get me wrong. I in no way feel the need to demand my time returned. In fact, I adamantly reaffirm my devotion to the trilogy. lf you are looking to immerse yourself in a beautifully written, character driven fantasy that puts forth alternative views on Fey (most notably Trolls thus far), you absolutely will not be disappointed. The Hidden Huntress continues to lay a very satisfying and solid foundation for what I can only expect to be a fabulous ending to a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy. In other words....READ IT!

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 cloying and I love that it's not the sole focus of the story. The politics, mind games, and general suspense were so well-crafted that I was kept at the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading. Although I have to admit that I kind of predicted that huge twist, it didn't stop me from enjoying the story immensely. Danielle Jensen has constructed and intricate fantasy world of trolls, humans and other mythical creatures of which I couldn't get enough. I'm a little sad that the third book won't come out until next year but I'm not eager for the story to end yet. Excuse me while I go and re-read both books.

I liked this book. It wasn't as good as the first. But I still liked it. I wish there hadn't been so much of Cecile wandering around just doing the opera thing, but I suppose it was necessary plot-wise. As usual, I enjoyed the Tristan chapters over the Cecile ones. But the Cecile chapters were still plenty interesting. So let's talk about the characters At first I didn't like Sabine. she got on my nerves. But she grew on me. She was sweet and loyal and she loved Cecile. Tristan's father somehow managed to be the lesser of the evils when it cam to the trolls. And I almost felt sorry for him at times. We already know plenty about Tristan and Cecile, so I won't say much other than that their reunion was beautiful and things happen that should've in the first book. So how about that twist? I have to be honest, I saw the big twist as pretty obvious. I expected it even while I was reading Stolen Songbird. And the second twist that comes out slightly later? I figured that much near the beginning of Hidden Huntress. So I have to say, this book was kind of predictable. So that ending Yeah I didn't quite expect exactly what happened. But I love the cliffhanger. And now I'm anxiously awaiting the next book! So what did I think? I liked it. I didn't love it the way I loved Stolen Songbird. But it was still good if slightly predictable. Currently anxiously awaiting Warrior Witch. If you liked the first book, you'll probably enjoy this.