Title: Hidden Huntress
Author: Danielle L. Jensen
Series: The Malediction Trilogy #2
Series: The Malediction Trilogy #2
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Publication Date: June 2nd, 2015
Page Count: 480 pages
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via Netgalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
Summary:
Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.
To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…
*The Reader’s Review*
My rating: 5/5 stars
After little over a year of waiting, I can’t believe I have already read the sequel of my favorite book of 2014. It feels like a dream and a nightmare of sorts. A dream because it was in every way as amazing as I thought it would be, and a nightmare because this book was brutal to my heart and once again I’m living through all the pain and anguish of waiting for the next (and final *sob*) book in the Malediction Trilogy.
My heart soars and breaks at the same time just by thinking about this book. This awesome, stunning and wonderfully written book. Hidden Huntress was epic & such an exciting adventure into a world filled by magic so dark and beautiful. It made me smile, it made me grieve, it made my heart pump faster than ever before, and impossible as I thought it was, it made me fall harder and deeper in love with this series.
But, even though I was so excited to finally read Hidden Huntress, I was also extremely nervous and afraid to find out what Danielle L. Jensen had in store for Tristan, Cécile, Marc and every other character I fell in love with in Stolen Songbird. I knew in my heart that even though they are her characters, she still had the power to make them suffer, to make US all suffer, and unfortunately, this comes true. In Hidden Huntress, no character is left untouched.
The fates of my beloved friends stabbed my heart. Like my beautiful Tristan, whose magic seemed unstoppable and his strength unshakable. My once jolly friends Vincent and Victoria, I seriously thought they would ALWAYS be cracking jokes. Marc, Élise, including Anaïs … not enough words to express my pain for them. For everyone, really.
The one good thing is that Cécile doesn’t suffer as much as everyone does, but her pursue for Anushka sure takes its toll on her. Since desperate times call for desperate measures, she is forced to use any means to find Anushka. And guys, what she accomplishes will surely make everyone gasp and shout and perhaps squeal quite loud.
However, do not worry too much. This is just me suffering like I love to do when I can’t get over a book. Though Hidden Huntress is definitely a much darker read and different from Stolen Songbird as it gives us a wider perspective from the human world, it does have its amusing, feel-good moments and you will even learn to love many more characters who you didn’t get a chance to feel for in Stolen Songbird. But without giving too much away, I can assure you that you will also get plenty of answers and probably, possibly, maybe get the unexpected. Whatever that may be. Just prepare yourself.
For me, Hidden Huntress was the sequel I was dreaming for and I wish I could just copy & paste the ENTIRE book here just to show you right now how awesome it is. I was once asked which part of the book was my favorite, but since it would be revealing a heavy spoiler, I’ll just share my favorite line, the one quote that I can’t get out of my mind:
“Sometimes, one must do the unthinkable,” I said, “for it is the only way to accomplish the impossible.”
Those words, although they appear on the covers of both books, didn’t come to mean so much for me until THAT moment when they were put together.
And that’s it, I’ll say no more about this incredible book until you read it. You HAVE to read it when it comes out. If you are hesitant about it, don’t be. It’s an incredible book. Before reading Stolen Songbird, I never thought I would come to love a story about trolls and magic so much that it would erase every other single book from my mind. Now look at me, beyond obsessed with it! And, honestly, I won’t ever tire of recommending the Malediction Trilogy.
Need.Book.Three.NOW. 😉
P.S. @StolenSongbird on twitter is giving away a copy of Hidden Huntress! It ends today, so hurry. 😉
https://twitter.com/StolenSongbird/status/596720701672792064
This book sounds amazing, Melissa. I am really going to try to read this one soon. Great review!
I absolutely agree with your review – Hidden Huntress was amazing in every way – such a perfect middle book! The stakes are higher, the characters grow and suffer. And that ending definitely made me wish I had the third book in my hand! 🙂 I loved reading your thoughts on HH!