Tough Traveling: Hidden Kingdom

The Thursday feature "Tough Traveling" is the brainchild of Nathan of Review Barn, who has come up with the excellent idea of making a new list each week based on the most common tropes in fantasy, as seen in The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynn Jones. Nathan has invited anyone who is interested to come play along, so be sure to check out the first link for more information. Compulsive list-maker that I am, I'm very excited to take part!

This week's tour topic is: Hidden Kingdom

Usually reached through CAVERNS or after an arduous trek into the heart of the central masssif, this is often the object of the Tour QUEST…

I'll be honest, when I saw this week's topic, I drew a big blank. There are plenty of hidden worlds I can think of, but most of those involve jumping through portals and planes existing on completely different realms. A lot of the ones I can think of that are hidden beneath the earth or in a mountain are actually ruins or untamed "lost worlds" that aren't exactly kingdoms. Maybe I'm overthinking things, but I was only able to come up with a few this week. Hey, just be glad I didn't whip out Otoh Gunga from The Phantom Menace novelization!

Hollow World by Michael J. Sullivan
The first book I thought of when I saw this topic was of course Hollow World, a cross-genre novel about a man with a terminal disease traveling into the future to find a cure. What he finds is an earth overgrown, seemingly devoid of much activity on the surface. But then he is brought below ground into a hollow world, where the denizens of the time had created an impressive civilization beneath the earth, complete with its own solar source.

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
Stolen Songbird is a book I recently read that fits the theme. Though later we find out that Trollus isn't completely hidden, since some merchants know the way to trade there, but for the most part the existence of the troll city is but a mere rumor. This kingdom was buried under the ruins of Forsaken Mountain five hundred years ago by a witch's curse, and since then the trolls have been bound to this place beneath the earth and rock. The main character Cécile was kidnapped and brought here through an underwater passage and a series of confusing caverns. This one totally counts!

The Silk Map by Chriss Willrich 
Dammit, now I'm second guessing myself. Does this book really count? I know in this latest installment of the Gaunt and Bone series our dynamic duo have to travel far to the west to find the mythical land of Xembala. These books have a bit of a surreal quality to them, so it was a bit hard to follow exactly how our heroes actually managed to make it to Xembala. But it is a kingdom and it did actually exist and it was well-hidden. That, and because I'll only have a paltry two entries otherwise this week is why I'm gonna count it!

Book Review: Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of The Malediction Trilogy

Publisher: Strange Chemistry (April 1, 2014)

Author Information: Website | Twitter

Mogsy's Rating: 4 of 5 stars 


Stolen Songbird was my top anticipated young adult novel coming out from Strange Chemistry this year, and I have to say all the lusting and the pining has been worth it. Author Danielle L. Jensen opens up a whole new world for readers who love magic, romance, and enchanted lands.

Buried deep within the Forsaken Mountain lies Trollus, a city forgotten by time. It is said that monstrous trolls live there, bound by a witch's curse. However, on the night before Cécile de Troyes is about to embark on her journey to become a famous singer, she is kidnapped and taken to Trollus, where she discovers there is far more to what she thinks she knows about the trolls and their city. For one thing, they're not all hideous monsters. The troll prince she is supposed to marry is actually pretty good looking! But one thing the legends got right is that trolls are talented magic users -- the more pure their blood is, the stronger their ability. Even all the magic in Trollus cannot break the curse and set the trolls free, however. Cécile and Prince Tristan's union was supposed to be the key, but the plan ends up failing, leaving Cécile a prisoner in Trollus, biding her time and waiting for the perfect moment to escape.

But over the weeks, Cécile inevitably falls for Tristan. How I just loved the way their relationship developed! Instead of the usual formula of treating each other horribly but then falling head over heels in love anyway (a trope which is a big pet peeve of mine), Cécile finds out that the prince really isn't such a bad troll after all. In fact, he's secretly championing the rights of the half-bloods, who are part troll and part human, treated as nothing more than slaves and property by the arrogant pure-bloods. So while Cécile and Tristan may at each other's throats in public, it's actually all a part of a brilliant plan they've hatched up to throw off suspicion. What a delightful little twist to the usual YA romance.

The story also has just enough of that "Forbidden Love" vibe to it so that I just can't help myself. I like romances a lot more when they are hindered by outside forces rather than internal ones like misunderstandings between the lovers (Tristan and Cécile aren't completely innocent of this, but at least it was kept to a minimum) and the relationships usually emerge stronger and more compelling to me. Of course, the author also leaves their relationship mercilessly hanging in the first book, making you wonder what will become of the hero and heroine, but this meant she succeeded in building a lot of interest in these two characters. 

There are also plenty of little surprises all over this book. One thing that is sort of a "twist", but not really -- and I'm sorry if I'm being vague but I think it would be best if it comes as a surprise to others the same way it did for me -- is the nature of the trolls.

It did occur to me as I was making my way through the story to wonder the creatures are called trolls in the first place. They are smart, quick, have super strength and magic powers, but apart from a few exceptions in the royal family, they appear mostly human. And that's when the author began to drop certain clues and I had one of those "AHA!" moments where I realized where she's going with all this. Well played, Ms. Jensen, well played! Like I said, I don't think it's meant to be some big twist because once you start catching the hints it becomes pretty obvious what she has in mind, but in that moment of clarity I started to get really excited about the future of this series.

In fact, Stolen Songbird is an excellent start all around, the first of a trilogy that builds a good framework and promises even bigger things to come. I would like to know what happens to Tristan and Cécile, but I'm especially pumped for more about the troll origins story. It goes without saying, I'm all in for book two!

 A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Strange Chemistry!

Waiting on Wednesday 02/12/14

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can't wait to get our hands on!

Mogsy's Pick

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen: April 1, 2014 (Strange Chemistry)

I need more Strange Chemistry in my life! I haven't had the chance to pick up their newer titles recently, but this one is one has been on my top-anticipated list for a while.

"For those who have loved Seraphina and Graceling comes another truly fabulous fantasy...

For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever."