Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group discussion

Here is a brief summary of chapters 1-5 for those who need it :)

Chapter 1

In the first paragraph, I introduce you to our heroine, Cécile. She’s practicing an opera piece on the steps of the inn in Goshawk’s Hollow while the town folk watch on. She completes the piece successfully for the first time ever, but her unpleasant vocal coach warns her not to get too puffed up in the head about it, because she still isn’t as good as her mother. Cécile has a flashback to the moment when her fate as a future opera star was sealed: the moment when her absent mother decided that Cécile would move to Trianon to live with her when she turned seventeen

(This scene takes place real-time in the prequel short story THE SONGBIRD’S OVERTURE, which you can read for free here http://issuu.com/angryrobot/docs/thes... )


Lesson over, Cécile meets up with her best friend Sabine, who has been watching. Both girls are sad about the fact Cécile will be leaving in the morning for Trianon, although Sabine is more so, as she is the one being left behind. Cécile urges her friend to attend her going away party that night at the de Troyes family farm, but Sabine is reluctant. Cécile’s appears to unwittingly use some sort of power to compel Sabine to attend the gathering. Promising to return shortly with a cart (Sabine is afraid of riding), Cécile gallops out of town.

On her way back to the farm, Cécile is struck by a sense of unease. When a rider appears behind her on the road, her first instinct is to gallop away, but she stops when she hears her name called, the voice familiar. The rider is Luc, a boy who grew up in the Hollow, but now lives in Trianon. He has a bad reputation, and Cécile’s unease grows with his strange questions and comments. He grabs her horse’s reins and tells her he’s taking her to meet some individuals, but she pulls free, galloping toward her friend Chris’s farm for help. But her flight is short-lived, as she is pulled from her horse by a tree branch and knocked unconscious.

Chapter 2

Cécile awakes tied to the back of Luc’s horse. He is cagey about where he is taking her, which we later learn is because of the oaths he has sworn which keep him from speaking about the trolls outside of Trollus. They reach the outer edge of the Forsaken Mountain rock fall, and Cécile recalls the stories she’s heard about treasure hunters searching under the mountain for gold, many never seen again. She attempts to escape, and when that fails, to scream for help, but Luc strips her down and drags her into a pond next to the rocks. At first, she believes he intends to drown her, but instead he instructs her to swim down under the lip of rock and into the cave on the other side. Once there, Luc explains that he’s found the lost city of Trollus, and that he has sold her to the king of the trolls.

Escape attempts foiled, Cécile accompanies Luc through the maze of tunnels that make up the labyrinth. There are markers in the stone that treasure hunters use to find their path, and Luc explains that one of the symbols indicates sluag, which he understands to be a dangerous creature best avoided. They come across the corpse of a fellow treasure hunter coated in a foul slime, and that is when they hear the roar of the sluag. They run.

Chapter 3

The sluag pursues them through the maze of the labyrinth. Cécile and Luc reach a tunnel so narrow they must get on their stomachs to crawl through, but Luc insists they will be safe once beyond. He shoves her out of the way and goes first, and as she is waiting to follow him, the sluag appears from around the corner. She screams and drops the lantern, desperately crawling and barely making it out of reach in time. On the other side, they find themselves lost in the darkness. Cécile uses magical compulsion to break free and run towards a light she believes is the moon. She doesn’t make it far. Luc attacks her and begins to beat her, but is torn off by an invisible force.

A man approaches them, his progress lit by an orb that floats above him. She begs him for help, believing him another treasure hunter. But a sixth sense warns her something is wrong with the situation, a fact that is confirmed when Luc tells her the man is a troll. The light moves around and reveals the troll’s face, and she screams.

Chapter 4

The troll, Marc, is horribly disfigured, but once Cécile gets over her initial shock, she realizes she has no choice to but to go with him. He leads her through passages that begin to take on the appearance of crushed city streets, and her curiosity grows as she discovers that it is magic holding up the rubble of Forsaken Mountain. They reach a gate, and stepping through, she has her first glimpse of Trollus.

The city streets are nearly devoid of life, and Marc tells her the population is under curfew. They reach the palace, and Marc takes her to the throne room, where she meets the troll king, Thibault, and his queen, Matilde. The King is displeased by Cécile’s appearance, but Marc comes to her defense, explaining that she had an encounter with the sluag and was mistreated by her guide. A voice demands to see her, and the Queen turns to reveal she has a tiny conjoined twin attached to her back.

The twin, Duchesse Sylvie, assures the King that Cécile is “the one” described in her foretelling. When Cécile asks what they want from her, the troll tells her she is to be bonded to Prince Tristan and have his children. The prospect terrifies Cécile, and she tries to run only to find herself bound by magic. The King decides that they will let Tristan see Cécile before any decisions are made, and they take her through the palace to another set of chambers.

Inside the chambers are two trolls playing a board game of sorts. Cécile can see only the face of the girl, Anaïs, who is very beautiful, but who argues with the King about Cécile’s suitability before he violently dismisses her. The Prince is seated in a high-backed chair, and she can see nothing of him but his arm. He converses with the King, clearly unhappy about the prospect of being bonded to a human girl, but brushes aside his father’s suggestion that they might find another candidate, arguing that “she’ll do as well as any.” Cécile has spent the conversation wondering what sort of disfigurement he’ll be afflicted with, but when he turns, he is not at all what she expected.

Chapter 5
Tristan is – as you all know! – exceptionally attractive, but Cécile is clear that she’d never mistake him for a human. That there is something preternatural about him. He mocks her and the situation, and his only display of emotion comes after his inquiry as to how Cécile was injured. When it is made clear that it was Luc who harmed her, he grows angry, and there is a tense moment when it seems he might grow violent. But the King diffuses the situation, and Tristan departs, leaving no doubt in Cécile’s mind how unhappy he is about being bonded to her.

Cécile is taken to a treasure room, where she is set on a massive scale so that they might pay Luc her weight in gold. Once they are through, the King sends Cécile away with Marc, instructing him to have her ready for when the moon reaches its zenith. When she asks what will happen then, Marc tells her that is when she’ll be bonded to Tristan.

Here are the discussion questions! You can answer as many or as few as you want, and you can also pose questions about these chapters to me!

TO UNLOCK EXTRA CONTENT #2 (A NEW TRISTAN SCENE) I need 15 different people to answer at least one question!

1. There are A LOT of Marc fans out there, and I know some people wish that he’d been the love interest in Stolen Songbird. What about you? Tell me why you are either #TeamTristan or #TeamMarc!

2. As I discussed in my video (https://www.goodreads.com/videos/9821...) , lots of YA novels start with a bang. Do you prefer your reads start with action or do you like a bit more backstory? Why?

3. For the Opera fans… Post a link to a YouTube video of the song you think Cecile is singing at the beginning of Stolen Songbird.

4. What was your reaction to the description of Trollus when Cecile first sees it? Was it the same or different from what you expected? And would you have done anything different than Cecile did?

5. What is your favorite fantasy novel of all time, and how did you discover it?

Fun Facts!!!

Chapter 1: I met and subsequently signed with my AMAZING agent, Tamar Rydzinski, through an online pitch contest known as The Baker’s Dozen. She asked to read Stolen Songbird based on the first 250 words and a log-line, and you can read all about that here http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot...

Those willing to dig a little further can probably find my entry and the original title of Stolen Songbird, which was changed because it was too similar to the title of another series, and also because it was deemed too much of a spoiler.

Chapter 2: Forsaken Mountain was inspired by a real mountain in the Canadian Rockies. You can watch a really cool video of it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvwt-...

Spoiler for those who haven’t read Hidden Huntress… but what really caused Forsaken Mountain to collapse is also inspired by the real mountain ☺

Chapter 3: I’ve always envisioned the sluag as big slimy white slugs, but their stingers were somewhat inspired by the vampires in The Strain, which have these long tongue things that stick victims in the neck to suck out blood. The sluag, of course, use their stingers to inject venom.

Chapter 4: The inspiration for Marc’s disfigurement was from Michael Crichton’s novel Timeline. This is probably a bad summary, but in that novel, in order to time travel, your body is broken up in one time and reformed in another. The cost of time travel – or at least the cost of doing it frequently – is that misalignments form when you are put back together. Arteries that don’t match up, faces that aren’t aligned. There is a movie, if you want to see what I’m talking about.

Chapter 5: One of the golden items that Luc takes in payment is a duck statue. This is a reference to skit in Monty Python and The Holy Grail where they are trying to prove a woman is a witch. It’s pretty funny, so you should check it out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMh...

Let me know if any links don't work :D

I am #TeamTristan because he's brave, but I also like Marc because he is loyal

I'm #TeamTristan and always have been from the start :) I love Marc but I already kind of felt the Cecile and Tristan vibe, so Cecile and Marc felt off to me lol

Team Tristan all the way!!! I seriously love Marc, but I love him as the amazing supporting character that he is. He is such a strong friend, super smart and brave. He is a key element to Tristan's AND Cécile's well-beign (including sanity!). Besides, Marc is Penelope's. Always. :)))

Becky wrote: "I am #TeamTristan because he's brave, but I also like Marc because he is loyal"

He IS really loyal! All of Tristan's friends are loyal - why do you think that is? Because of their friendship or because they believe in his cause?

Abby wrote: "I'm #TeamTristan and always have been from the start :) I love Marc but I already kind of felt the Cecile and Tristan vibe, so Cecile and Marc felt off to me lol"

Did you find her chemistry with Marc was definitely friendship, or was it because she had more chemistry with Tristan?

2. I feel like I like YA books to start with a bang cause I love action and it draws me in immediately, and then when 3-4 chapters in the backstory starts :)

4. I think I would've reacted the same way Cecile did, I mean who wouldn't? Lol

5. I have so many favorites it's really hard to choose, honestly Stolen Songbird, The Winner's Curse, Half-Blood, Vampire Academy, and so many more. It's like if you had to choose your favorite child haha But I have to say, Poison Study by Maria V Snyder really got me started into the fantasy genre and introduced me to so many amazing books, so that would have to be my favorite :)

Danielle wrote: "Becky wrote: "I am #TeamTristan because he's brave, but I also like Marc because he is loyal"

He IS really loyal! All of Tristan's friends are loyal - why do you think that is? Because of their fr..."
I think both, I really admire their frienship, of all of them <3<3

Melissa wrote: "Team Tristan all the way!!! I seriously love Marc, but I love him as the amazing supporting character that he is. He is such a strong friend, super smart and brave. He is a key element to Tristan's..."

I'm not sure why, but I love tragic romance (think Romeo and Juliet), so I love Marc's relationship with Penelope. Have you read the love letter he wrote to her? http://danielleljensen.com/2015/01/05...

Becky wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Becky wrote: "I am #TeamTristan because he's brave, but I also like Marc because he is loyal"

He IS really loyal! All of Tristan's friends are loyal - why do you think that is? Be..."

That makes me happy. Good friendships are as important to novels as romances :)

Abby wrote: "2. I feel like I like YA books to start with a bang cause I love action and it draws me in immediately, and then when 3-4 chapters in the backstory starts :)

4. I think I would've reacted the sam..."

I wanted to make Cecile's reaction as realistic as possible :)
I've heard great things about Poison Study - it's totally on my to-read list:)

Danielle wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Team Tristan all the way!!! I seriously love Marc, but I love him as the amazing supporting character that he is. He is such a strong friend, super smart and brave. He is a key elem..."

I DIIIIIID. A long time ago but I just read it again and FEELS. Omg so many feels.

Danielle wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Team Tristan all the way!!! I seriously love Marc, but I love him as the amazing supporting character that he is. He is such a strong friend, super smart and brave. He is a key elem..."

OH AND I KNOW. You do love being tragic. Have mercy of us in WW.

Melissa wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Team Tristan all the way!!! I seriously love Marc, but I love him as the amazing supporting character that he is. He is such a strong friend, super smart and brave...."

Mercy? Not sure I know what that means... :D

#1 I am #TeamTristan! I felt that throughout the book Tristan needed to know love and Cecile was able to provide that for him. Even though I felt he was a little cold at first I fell in love with him because of his feelings for others and his loyalness to those around him.
#2 I think it depends on the type of book that is being written. I like books to have a bang, but then go into a back story right away. Like a flashback.
#3 I have no idea. Sorry.
#4 I loved the imagery that described Trollus. I was expecting it to be more dreary, but was happily rewarded with crystal gardens and beautiful architecture. I think I would have tried to be a little more calm in the situation that Cecile was placed in, but it's understandable how anyone would react. I would probably go into shock! (Not that I would be sad to marry Tristan wink* )
#5 My favorite fantasy novel of all time is Entwined by Heather Dixon. I discovered it at Barnes and Nobel. The imagery is spectacular and the characters and amazing. I also like a rendition of a story such as the Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Makenna wrote: "#1 I am #TeamTristan! I felt that throughout the book Tristan needed to know love and Cecile was able to provide that for him. Even though I felt he was a little cold at first I fell in love with h..."

Great answers, Makenna! I also think it was important for Tristan to know love, because I think events would have turned out quite differently without Cécile's influence.

I actually use a couple flashback scenes in Warrior Witch - moments from Tristan's past :)

Do you often discover books browsing shelves, or do you usually hear about them from friends or online?

1. I'm #TeamTristan because he's the hero of the story and all the reasons why he's the hero. If it had been Marc and Penelope's story, then I would be #TeamMarc. I love the guy that the heroine loves, because usually we're in her POV :)

Louisa wrote: "1. I'm #TeamTristan because he's the hero of the story and all the reasons why he's the hero. If it had been Marc and Penelope's story, then I would be #TeamMarc. I love the guy that the heroine lo..."

I like your answer, Louisa! But what do you do when you encounter a love-triangle? ;-)

Danielle wrote: "Makenna wrote: "#1 I am #TeamTristan! I felt that throughout the book Tristan needed to know love and Cecile was able to provide that for him. Even though I felt he was a little cold at first I fel..."
I try to visit the library or the book store as often as I can and find lots of new material there. Though, the use of electronic books has increased by reading material remarkably. That's how I found YOUR BOOK! My mothers' friend recommended it to me and I was hooked. It was actually one of the first I had read and I was so pleased with the experience. A lot of my interest it found in the book covers and titles.

I love Marc but never really saw him as a real love interest for Cecile. Team Tristan here all the way!

I'm definitely a Marc fan, but #TeamTristan all the way! I think Marc is almost a protective older brother type character than love interest for Cecile. Also, he has his own story which is beautiful and heartbreaking... I don't think he would've been ready to love Cecile... ever. Haha.

Team Tristan!! Their strength and attitude complimented each other! I like his sarcasism to her bluntness! Marc, from their first meeting, was more brotherly and protective. In my opinion his too mature for Cecile, better suited for friendship.


I finished rereading the discription of Trollus this morning and again was lost in awe!! I love the description of glass shrubs, trees, and roses! I can hear the roar of the waterfall!!

1. I’m definitely #TeamTristan. I do love Marc and I think he’s an amazing supporting character (one of my favorites!) but I never saw him as a love interest, not even a potential one. To be honest I don’t really know why, but for me it was Tristan from the start.

2. Action is great, but without some kind of backstory and world building I sometimes have a hard time getting into the book. With that said, I don’t like when the backstory and world building is thrown upon you in the beginning either and it feels like the information is just piling up without moving the story forward. I’d say starting with a bang and then a mixture of action/backstory/world building is the best. But of course it differs from book to book, like everything else. When it’s done well, I think almost everything can work.

3. I have close to zero knowledge of opera so I think I’ll have to skip this one.

4. I was already so immersed in the story by that time so I don’t remember really having any expectations. Maybe something a bit drearier and less beautiful, but I really love the setting as it is. It’s so vividly described and it was one of the things that really stood out to me while reading. Trollus is a place you don’t forget and the setting fits the story so well.

I think Cecile’s reactions feel very realistic, and that was one of the things I really liked with Stolen Songbird. I always say that I’d probably be the first to die if I was to be thrown into a fantasy book, so I guess I never would’ve gotten past that first sluag, but if I did, I’d like to imagine myself being the calm one, the one who makes smart decision and so on, but that’s probably just wishful thinking. I’d more likely be crazy terrified, panicking and crying.

5. It’s so hard to pick a favorite, when there are so many amazing books to choose from. But if I really have to choose an all-time favorite, it has to be Harry Potter. I think it’ll always be Harry Potter, regardless of how many other amazing fantasy books I read during my lifetime. It feels like such a predictable and boring answer but I have go with boring and predictable with this one, otherwise I’d be lying. ^^

I don’t remember how I discovered Harry Potter, but for the moment book blogs, booktube and Goodreads are my favorite sources to finding new books.

No question, I'm #TeamTristan- but before I met him, for those few moments I was verrrry much #TeamMarc. Now being #TeamTristan does not allow you to kill off Marc- please don't do that.

Perla wrote: "No question, I'm #TeamTristan- but before I met him, for those few moments I was verrrry much #TeamMarc. Now being #TeamTristan does not allow you to kill off Marc- please don't do that."
YEAH!

I am totally #TeamTristan but I really love Marc's character! I feel like he could have been a good love interest but I like him more as the hurt character trying to overcome a serious loss/love...really relatable to everyone!! And now he's even more impressive that Tristan's "order" is broken! I can't wait to see him again in Warrior Witch!

Oooh, so many videos!

#1.- As much as I like Marc and I hope he'll find his happily ever after too, I felt like the hate to love relationship between Tristan and Cecile added so much to the story! And their banter and insults was so absolutely entertaining too! So #TeamTristan all the way!!

#2.- I don't mind starting right into the action, on a scene that grabs me from the start, but I need backstory soon enough or I find myself trying to grasp where I am and what and why is happening and I like knowing why's too much to be too happy with a book that's all plot & action and very lil world building.

It's hard to choose. I'm team Tristan because he is caring & I like Marc too and love the bromance Between these two. I want to see Marc find the new love interest because it pains me seeing him looks so lonely in the books

2. I like to read starting right into the action, the back story can comes later. It bores me if I read the book from the backstory first because it feel slow, I need adrenaline to keep me going lol

#1.- I am full-out #TeamTristan but I do remember the first time I read Stolen Songbird, when Marc and Cecile met, I did think about shipping them... but NOPE! Tristan + Cecile <3

#2.- Bring on the action then while the character recovers, bring out the back story- Actually... I don't know. *shrug* It think it depends on the intro!

#4.- I LOVED the description of Trollus! It's... definitely not what I was expecting. (I was totally expecting fat, hairy trolls stomping around while using bones as toothpicks...) Honestly, like Cecile, I would really just be speechless. And in shock :)

#5.- Favorite fantasy novel... Hmm. Give me a moment... I don't think I have a favorite favorite but I do love the His Fair Assassin books and anything by Sarah J. Maas!

Desi wrote: "It's hard to choose. I'm team Tristan because he is caring & I like Marc too and love the bromance Between these two. I want to see Marc find the new love interest because it pains me seeing him lo..."

Same!

Pili wrote: "Oooh, so many videos!

#1.- As much as I like Marc and I hope he'll find his happily ever after too, I felt like the hate to love relationship between Tristan and Cecile added so much to the story!..."

I agree! I was very entertained with their "at first" love/hate romance. I've been searching for more love/hate books... *sigh* All I've been reading lately are contemporaries (but they're not so bad)!

Janelle wrote: "Team Tristan!! Their strength and attitude complimented each other! I like his sarcasism to her bluntness! Marc, from their first meeting, was more brotherly and protective. In my opinion his too m..."

I agree!

Makenna wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Makenna wrote: "#1 I am #TeamTristan! I felt that throughout the book Tristan needed to know love and Cecile was able to provide that for him. Even though I felt he was a little co..."

I always love hearing about how people discovered my books!

Patricia wrote: "I love Marc but never really saw him as a real love interest for Cecile. Team Tristan here all the way!"

I knew you would say that, Patricia ;-)

Nicole wrote: "I'm definitely a Marc fan, but #TeamTristan all the way! I think Marc is almost a protective older brother type character than love interest for Cecile. Also, he has his own story which is beautifu..."

Marc IS a couple years older than them, so it does make sense. And Cecile and Penelope are nothing alike... Penelope was really shy and quiet.

Janelle wrote: "Team Tristan!! Their strength and attitude complimented each other! I like his sarcasism to her bluntness! Marc, from their first meeting, was more brotherly and protective. In my opinion his too m..."

That makes me so happy! Sometimes I wish it was a real place that I could visit. Minus the sluag ;-)

Frida wrote: "1. I’m definitely #TeamTristan. I do love Marc and I think he’s an amazing supporting character (one of my favorites!) but I never saw him as a love interest, not even a potential one. To be honest..."

Hi Frida,

Harry Potter is a solid choice for a favourite book/series! I think you and I are of the same opinion on how to start the beginning of a book. I know, personally, that immediate action doesn't always pull me in if I have no investment in the characters. That said, giant info dumps at the beginning of novels can be really boring. And in the case of fantasy novels, if I get all the info in the beginning, I often forget most of it. I need to be slowly fed the information in order for it to stick with me :)

Perla wrote: "No question, I'm #TeamTristan- but before I met him, for those few moments I was verrrry much #TeamMarc. Now being #TeamTristan does not allow you to kill off Marc- please don't do that."


Hi Perla!! There is plenty of Marc in Warrior Witch :)

Kelsea wrote: "I am totally #TeamTristan but I really love Marc's character! I feel like he could have been a good love interest but I like him more as the hurt character trying to overcome a serious loss/love......"

Hi Kelsea! YES! One of my favourite things about Marc is that he's still such a good guy despite so many things going wrong for him. I'm pretty sure Tristan would be lost without him.

Pili wrote: "Oooh, so many videos!

#1.- As much as I like Marc and I hope he'll find his happily ever after too, I felt like the hate to love relationship between Tristan and Cecile added so much to the story!..."

Hi Pili!
I'm working on my YouTube skills. Maybe after another 100 or so I'll sound like a professional!

I tend to be quite critical of novels that skimp on world-building. With YA, it is certainly a tough balance between creating a well-developed fantasy world and maintaining the pacing, and some authors do it better than others.

Desi wrote: "2. I like to read starting right into the action, the back story can comes later. It bores me if I read the book from the backstory first because it feel slow, I need adrenaline to keep me going lol"

This totally doesn't surprise me :D

Desi wrote: "It's hard to choose. I'm team Tristan because he is caring & I like Marc too and love the bromance Between these two. I want to see Marc find the new love interest because it pains me seeing him lo..."

I love the friendship between Marc and Tristan, especially since it is so different from the friendship between Tristan and Chris. I personally adore novels with great bromances. Perhaps you should suggest some for me to check out ;-)

Lauren wrote: "#1.- I am full-out #TeamTristan but I do remember the first time I read Stolen Songbird, when Marc and Cecile met, I did think about shipping them... but NOPE! Tristan + Cecile <3

#2.- Bring on th..."

Hi Lauren! Sarah is a rockstar!! I love her books, too.

I don't know why, but I like hearing that people were surprised by Trollus/the trolls. It pleases me :D

Danielle wrote: "Abby wrote: "I'm #TeamTristan and always have been from the start :) I love Marc but I already kind of felt the Cecile and Tristan vibe, so Cecile and Marc felt off to me lol"

Did you find her che..."

I feel like she had more chemistry with Tristan. I feel like she didn't have that spark with Marc that she had with Tristan. :)

Abby wrote: "Danielle wrote: "Abby wrote: "I'm #TeamTristan and always have been from the start :) I love Marc but I already kind of felt the Cecile and Tristan vibe, so Cecile and Marc felt off to me lol"

Did..."

That spark is VERY important!

Team Tristan of course! I think it was good for the story and important for Cecile (especially since she was so scared when she first got there and had no friends) that she had someone who she could rely on and confide in that WASN'T a love interest. Marc was a light in the dark, and he seemed to be pushing for Tristan to fall in love! He wanted Tristan to have that in his life and he knew Cecile could give that to him. Sure, Marc is adorable and we all just wanna give him a big, warm hug, but the platonic relationship between him and Cecile was important for her assimilation in to this society she was thrown in to, at least that's what I think :)

And of course favorite fantasy book is Stolen Songbird! This story is so amazing and I remember going to b&n and seeing it on the shelves, super surprised because I didn't think it was out yet (and of course I bought it on the spot!)

FIFTEEN! NEW SCENE NEW SCENE!