The Malediction - La série

I wrote this story as a tool to help me with writing Hidden Huntress, and it turned out well enough that I decided it would be fun to share it with fans of Stolen Songbird rather than leaving it to languish on my computer's hard drive. It takes place four years prior to the events of Stolen Songbird, and it will give a taste of what Cécile's life was like before the trolls.

LOVE WILL BE THEIR DEMISE. A revolutionary, Marc conspires to overthrow the tyrant who rules the underground kingdom of Trollus. But treason has its price. And if Marc wants to avoid execution, he must keep his involvement a secret from everyone. Especially from the girl he loves. A talented artist, Pénélope lives in the shadow of her younger sister’s more powerful magic. But when Pénélope accidentally destroys her sister’s chance to become queen, her father gives her an ultimatum: Find proof that the young man she's in love with is conspiring against the crown. Or die trying. Marc and Pénélope must navigate the complex politics and dangerous magic of their world. Powers on all sides are intent on using them as pawns, forcing them to risk everything for a chance at happiness. Except being together will be the greatest risk of them all…

Trolls are said to love gold. They are said to live underground and hate humans, perhaps even eat them. They are said to be evil. When Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and sold to the trolls, she finds out that there is truth in the rumors, but there is also so much more to trolls than she could have imagined. Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus, the city she hadn't even known existed under Forsaken Mountain: escape. But the trolls are inhumanly strong. And fast. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity. But something strange happens while she's waiting--she begins to fall in love with the handsome, thoughtful troll prince that she has been bonded and married to. 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 from Goshawk's Hollow. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch.

Sometimes, one must accomplish the impossible. 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 thrilling conclusion to the breakout Malediction Trilogy by Goodreads Choice finalist Danielle L. Jensen. Cécile and Tristan have accomplished the impossible, but their greatest challenge remains: defeating the evil they have unleashed upon the world. As they scramble for a way to protect the people of the Isle and liberate the trolls from their tyrant king, Cécile and Tristan must battle those who’d see them dead. To win, they will risk everything. And everyone. But it might not be enough. Both Cécile and Tristan have debts, and they will be forced to pay them at a cost far greater than they had ever imagined.