A girl destined for the stage. A prince cursed to darkness. A bond that will unleash magic caged for centuries.

Centuries ago, the Isle of Light was ruled by cruel creatures with dangerous magic until a witch bound them to their underground city. But a prophesy has spoken of a union with a human girl that has the power to set them free.

Cécile is a singer destined for the stage when she is kidnapped and bonded to the cursed prince of Trollus, with their minds linked in a way she never dreamed possible. Trollus is both magical and deadly, but as Cécile hunts for a way to escape, she discovers there is more to her mysterious husband than anyone realizes. 

As tension brews and political games escalate, Cécile finds herself at the center of a rebellion... and she is the one with the magic needed to overthrow the tyrant who rules.

Torn between returning to her human life and becoming the princess Trollus needs, Cécile must decide which world she belongs to... and how far she's willing to go to save the prince who holds her heart. 

Title : Stolen Songbird
Author : Danielle L. Jensen
Series : Malediction Trilogy (book one)
Format : physical
Page Count : 469
Genre : YA fantasy
Publisher : Strange Chemistry
Release Date : April 1, 2014

Reviewer : Hollis
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★

Hollis' 4 star review

Yes, I am surprised about this rating myself. In no way did I expect this to live up to the four stars I gave it back in (check notes) 2015. I even rather jokingly said to a friend that I did not have high hopes for my return to "troll YA". And here I'm eating them words. Yum.

In hindsight, while I thought I remembered this story, I only remember the first half (this seems to be a trend). Everything after that felt like reading something for the first time which was a nice bonus. I will admit I did like the first half more (maybe why it was more memorable) but the latter was still good. Just.. a little chaotic and fast moving.

But yes, if you didn't already know about this one, it's about a girl who has been kidnapped and brought to a kingdom of trolls, long since thought to be gone from the world, who have been trapped under a mountain by a long-ago witch's curse. Thinking to break said curse, Cécile has the unfortunate luck to match the description of a prophecy and is quickly bonded (wed) to the prince. Their dynamic, of course, is reluctant and uninterested and fractious -- at first -- but time, and necessity, and then more, changes that. Also, as she realizes she cannot escape the mountain, she slowly starts to integrate into her surroundings and take note of the various politics occurring around her; the oppression and violence targeting the half-bloods or those too mortal to have any magic.

I was actually pretty surprised by how well Jensen handled numerous elements in this story, not just the romance. Though that was well done, too. This felt fresh and different in a variety of ways and I flew through it over the course of a few hours. I can only hope the trend continues for the rest of the series. GR tells me I read book two but after that ending.. I was actually doubting the accuracy of my shelving because I can't picture any details that follow. Guess we'll see!