Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

             
I stumbled across this book while I was hunting for more fae books after reading Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Since I have a huge nerd-on for Labyrinth (1986) and subsequently anything along that line, I had to check this book out.

It's a okay book, the plot was a little rushed and confusing at times. The characters could have used a little refining, but overall it was a quick and enjoyable read. The book starts out with Greta already in Mylena and has been for a while, establishing herself as a bounty hunter. All the while concealing her humanity and posing as a sprite. She has been taken in and claimed by a high elf like creature who trains her and becomes a father-figure to her in this world that is not her own. We also meet the Goblin King, Isaac who has dream invading abilities, an ability to get under Greta's skin, and for some reason you cannot say his name because that gives him the ability to invade your dreams???

The fae(ish) creatures of this book are pretty standard, though they're kind of like weres in the sense that during eclipses they lose their ability to reason similar to a werewolf during the full moon. And of course that's a big plot point in the book. Anyway Greta's adoptive father gets murdered, leading her to seek revenge with a half-baked, ill-conceived plan and an overestimate of her abilities. She meets a group of human boys living in the woods who have escaped from an evil wizard who seems more like an afterthought than an actual nefarious villain. The books gave me serious Peter Pan feels in the sense they reminded me of the Lost Boys, which there was a joke about later in the book that had me smiling!

These boys have some hairbrained scheme to free the other human slaves working for the big baddie, which they rope Greta into. She quickly forms a bond and has a sense of camaraderie with the boys, all the while there's a bounty on her head because it was revealed to the world that she's human, and Isaac is looking for her because he's in love with her. There's this big deus ex machina ending and basically everyone goes home happy. Don't get me wrong I really did enjoy this book, I just feel with a little more work the plot could have been expanded upon and made this a better read. I'm still going to read the sequel(s) and see where this goes.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

         
This book was everything I hoped for and more. It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which as you'll recall is my favorite Disney Princess Movie. The book starts about a girl named Feyre who is taking care of her family as they have lost their fortune, their mother, and their father was violently rendered unable to work by bill collections. She is out hunting in the forest on a cold winter day and she shoots a wolf that turns out to be fae. Because of her actions she is taken by the fae lord Tamlin to live on his estate for the rest of her life to make up for killing a fae in faerie land. (It's called Prychian, but it's your typical Tír na nÓg / Otherwolrd / Annwn / Gwyn ap Nudd kind of place. I like fae mythology if you couldn't tell). At first Feyre hates Tamlin and his friend Lucien, but overtime she becomes attracted to Tamlin. Tamlin on the other hand is cursed, as is his entire court (The Spring Court). They have mascarade-esque masks permanently magicked to their faces and they talk of a "blight"in the land destroying everything, and Feyre is the key to saving everything, if only she could be honest about her feelings to herself and to Tamlin.


This book was an incredible read, I was hooked from the very beginning and to the end. I absolutely adored how the trials Feyre had to overcome took a long time and were physically awful for her. However if the second book yields a love triangle between Tamlin/Feyre/Rhysand I am going to be angry as it took true love to break the spell on Tamlin. All in all I am excited to see where this series goes in the next two books. It also makes me want to read Sarah J. Maas' other series A Throne of Glass.

Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen

This is the second book in the Malediction Trilogy and follows the events of Stolen Songbird. Cécile escapes from Trollus and finds herself in the city with her mother preforming on stage as she has always dreamed. Except that it isn't what she wants anymore. She longs to be with her husband Tristan and her friends in Trollus, but she has a mission. She must find the witch Anushka who cursed the trolls to remain under the mountain. Cècile, bless her heart, tries her best to free the people of Trollus and find Anushka, but she doesn't really have a plan of attack. Which is fine and totally within her character. She does however seek the aid of a fellow witch who can help her find Anushka and teach her more about magic. With this knowledge she desperately tries to free the trolls as the Troll King (Tristan's father) is slowly driving her mad with magic to complete the task ASAP. She fails, but manages to free Tristan from the curse by using a blood sacrifice and calling his true name. With the two of them together they attempt to solve the mystery of the witch, while trying to decide if freeing the trolls is a good idea or not.

I loved this book, it was a great sequel, but it does have a tough of middle book syndrome. It's kind of boring in the beginning and picks up midway. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series and I would highly recommend it.

Stolen Songbird and The Songbird's Overture by Danielle L. Jensen

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen is everything I wanted in a book. It has Trolls and a headstrong girl who is kidnapped to marry the Troll Prince like the rape of the Sabine women. Cécile is preparing herself for her journey to the city to join her absent mother as a professional singer and actress, but the night before on her way home to her going away party and shifty guy named Luc meets her and kidnaps her. She finds herself taken under the mountain to a hidden city called Trollus that was long thought to only be a myth. There is is forced to marry the heir to the throne, Tristan, to fulfil a prophecy to free the trolls from the spell of an evil witch that keeps them trapped under the mountain. Of course this doesn't succeed, because if it did there would be no story. Cécile finds herself stuck in Trollus with people whose motives she doesn't understand. She makes friends with her captives and starts to fall in love with Tristan.(I wouldn't necessarily call this Stockholm Syndrome, but more like the Beauty and the Beast effect).

Overall this book was an enjoyable read. If you like Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire this is a good book for you, though the political intrigue is a bit watered down for younger readers as this is a YA (Young Adult) book. It also is a great read if you like anything fae, troll, goblin, Labyrinth (1986) -esque. I look forward to the rest of this series!

This was a nice look into what Cècile's life was like before she was kidnapped and shows how her relationship with her mother is a complicated affair. It gives some good insight, and it is a free read you can find here but you don't nessisarily need to read it to continue in the series.