Okay, I'll be honest. I was initially expecting the typically hideous and insanely unintelligent trolls of fantasy stories everywhere. This twist on trolls was great. The characters are worthy of adoration, the drama was laid on like a thick, delicious icing, and the book withdrawal is practically unbearable. 
 Cecile was a strong, fierce, intelligent individual who fought to regain her freedom, but also made massive realizations about the new world she is fighting against being integrated into. The anger and fear that was present in her character when she was kidnapped and sold to the trolls was impeccably and realistically done. I was pleased that she didn't wallow in self-pity, but actually sought out ways to learn more about her captors. Tristan is yet another swoon worthy male character, who first appears to be your typical, flippant yet moody prince. He is compassionate and caring, and a bit mysterious. I absolutely adored the secondary characters, especially Marc and Anais. The development of these characters was marvelous. 
 The story itself was paced well, it did drag for a brief period in the second half, but I often found myself on the edge of my seat anyways. There was no instalove here, and the pace of their romance was excellent. THERE WASN'T EVEN A LOVE TRIANGLE AND I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW LOVELY THE ABSENCE OF ONE IS. 
 My only problem was the misogyny of the trolls. If the value of a troll is based on the amount of the magic they have, then why are the women continually considered inferior and to be fretted about constantly? Not digging it. 
 I'm looking forward to more world building, and the continuation of this story. The writing was gorgeous, and I was left with a nearly insatiable urge to gobble down the second book as soon as humanely possible. This was definitely a wonderful YA fantasy novel with a lot of promise for its sequel.