Hidden Huntress

This is a story that gets your attention from the start. It gets your attention and doesn't let go. From one chapter to the next. A great read l can't wait to see what happens next...

4 STARSWell, 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 PLOTCÉCILE: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!

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 :)

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 am screaming. What an amazing installment to a fantastic young adult fantasy series. It is a thrilling mixture of everything I love in the genre - witches, magic, politics, mystery, love, lies, betrayals, etc. Nonstop action and stakes that keep going up and up. I'm so excited to see how it will all end in the last book.

Well, what a ride this book was.Cecile is a strong, willful main character who cares so much for her friends and loved ones. Tristan is brave and compassionate, and I'm so glad that the prophecy brought them together.Finding Anushka will test everything they thought was true and just and may destroy what they hoped to create.The story is far from over, and the only hope for the 2 world's lies in a love no one thought possible.

I really liked knowing more about Tristan, his past and what was happening in Trianon. I felt like Cécile had all the puzzle pieces but didn't bother to put them together.That said, I was actually surprised by the reveal, I was like Cécile, aware that I could understand but I didn't x)So in my opinion I really liked this second book and I'm ready to read more.

Hidden Huntress is the second book in the Malediction trilogy, picking up where Stolen Songbird left off. Cécile is now free of Trollus and returned to Trianon. What she is not free of, however, is the compulsion to find a way to free the trolls from under the mountain. For this she must find the witch Anoushka who has been in hiding for centuries and could be anywhere. Now living with her mother and working at the opera house, Cecile is dedicating every second of her spare time to finding the witch and understanding her own budding powers as a witch. Her friends are few both on stage and when the curtain has fallen: her childhood friend Sabine argues against her attachment to Tristan and warns her of the danger of finding a way to free the Trolls from under the mountain. After all, she argues, they must have been locked there for a reason. But Cecile can only fight the compulsion so much and the will of King Thibault is strong and tugs at her forcing her to carry on looking, barely eating or sleeping or existing in between rehearsal and performance.Meanwhile, in Trollus, Tristan is having to face the consequences of the botched rebellion against his father: Anais is dead, the twins separated and in the mines, Marc more distant than ever and he has lost the trust of many of the half-bloods. Not only that but he can hardly use his magic bound in iron as he is. Worst of all, he can sense Cecile’s distress as she tries desperately to find a way to free his people, something that Tristan does not want to see happen for he fears what his kin is capable of and how much destruction his brother would wreck on the humans. Still he tries to help his people from within, still trying to convince his father to let him build the stone tree to hold the mountain up above them instead of the magic that has done it so far. But he has much to make up for before his old allies will trust him again and see in him the potential King they once saw.Unlike the first book, Hidden Huntress offers two POVs, Cecile and Tristan, alternating in between Trollus and Trianon. It offers a whole new perspective to the story and Jensen does a very good job of using the bond that links the two to still intertwine their story lines. Their love and depth of interaction are not diminished for their separation and we feel for them at every step of the story, wanting, much as they do, to see them reunited one way or another.Hidden Huntress is everything I wanted, probably even more. It’s everything that it needed to be to become a worthy successor of Stolen Songbird. Cecile is everything I wanted her to be: strong and brave, yet still just as kind and sensitive as she was in the first book. She is devoured by the need to find Anoushka and she is also coming to terms with the fact that she, too, is a witch. Her powers draw her into a downward spiral where she has to make the kinds of choices she didn’t want to: but for her who is so desperate to unearth the truth, power is alluring and calls to her in ways it never had before. Tristan is at a turning point in his life: will he rise from the ashes of the fallen rebellion, or will he bend under the will of his father? He needs to find his strength inwards, come to terms with decisions he has made regarding the rebellion and prior to that. He has to become the leader that his friends have always known he could be. But separated from Cecile his heart aches, and his own word given to the half -bloods is threatening to send him over the edge into exhaustion and maybe death.Jensen’s writing is as magical as in Stolen Songbird and she paints a vivid image of the opera world that Cecile moves in, with its stages, costumes, and colourful characters. Similarly, returning to Trollus is always a pleasure, with its beautiful palaces and strangeness. It’s one of those books that will keep you turning page after page as the story unfolds and you crave to find out what comes next. It’s a tale of love and adventure, of betrayal and strength. It’s a story that will change the world, no matter how it ends.

Note: this is the second book in the 'Maledicition Trilogy', in which each book contributes to one overall story arc. Therefore the books need to be read in the intended order and I recommend to not start reading here.ReviewThere were some things I didn't like regarding book one. Especially the length and the moments without driving the plot forward. The pacing was a bit off. But I did like the protagonists, especially Cecile, who kept her level head no matter the circumstances. And I liked the world building, the detailed and rich drawing of Trollus and the various kinds of magic. So I was expecting a continuation of the good and a possible reduction of the bad ' and in no way was I primed for Cecile's changed personality and the rather dull world of the human city of Trianon.The story takes up right after the events of 'Stolen Songbird': Cecile is in Trianon with her mother the famous singer. She is performing and using her social life to pursue her search for the witch Anushka who cursed the trolls and prevents Tristan from getting out from under the mountain. Even worse, Tristan is punished for his thoughtless and panicked uprising against his father to save Cecile from allegedly sure death. And boy is he suffering, I swear I nearly felt the iron piercing him. Whenever the story was told from his POV, I loved the plot. He is having a great many epiphanies about loyalty and friendship and power and at the same time he is plotting against his father in entertaining and ingenious ways. Sadly, my entertainment did not hold up, when the POV switched to Cecile, because let's just say it: she is so incredibly dense, I had to forcibly stop myself from throwing my kindle away. She does not just make the sporadic wrong decision, no. She continuously ignores what is right in front of her, runs around in circles and is as bright as a donkey in everything she does. Even when she has the truth biting her in the a**, she makes decisions that threaten ' no, not herself ' but her friends and loved ones. She perpetually makes bad decisions that have other people suffer the consequences. Oh my. And when she is not making dumb decisions, she is whining about how it all is her fault. And sadly I found myself saying aloud: 'You are so right!'.That the witch's identity is just a pseudo-mystery, because let's be clear, who Anushka is, is kind of so obvious, it made Cecile just look even more stupid. There really wasn't a secret after the first few pages and that dimmed my excitement further.So no, overall I was not amused. The main character disappointing, the city of Trianon a not so exciting place to be and a plot that holds no surprises. If not for Tristan and the fate of the trolls, I wouldn't have finished the book. So the trolls' part salvaged the book and made me give three stars.

Great story, can't wait for the next one.