This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 I've been on a bit of a fantasy bender lately. I've read some good books, some alright books and some real standouts. Stolen Songbird definitely falls into the latter category. I sat down one evening while dinner was in the oven to read it. Next thing I knew it was 3 AM and I was finished. It's been a long time since I've been that obsessed with a novel. 
 But once you read it you'll understand why. 
 I have to admit that when I first read the synopsis of Stolen Songbird I was sceptical. Trolls aren't usually a huge draw for me but these aren't your ordinary trolls. They're not little green, wart covered monsters who live under a bridge. Instead they're much more human-like - except they possess some pretty powerful magic and they have been cursed to remain under the mountain. I loved this take on a character I had previously only associated with a Don Bluth movie from my childhood. Jensen has taken an underused and often forgotten character and breathed new life into it. 
 As I mentioned the trolls live in a very human-like society and it is every bit as complicated as you would expect. Their politics in particular. Tristan (Cecile's prince) belongs to the current ruling family of Trollus. But others are not always happy with the way things are run. Especially those trolls with less magic who are treated like servants or slaves. Though Cecile is an outsider she soon finds herself in the middle of a very dangerous, potentially fatal, political tug of war. I really enjoyed the way Jensen used the politics of Trollus to touch upon more universal themes like equality, freedom and standing up for what you believe in. 
 There are a lot of great characters in Stolen Songbird and they all have great character arcs. When I started reading this book I was like Cecile - I knew nothing about the people under the mountain. And like her I formed a lot of first impressions but so many of the characters ended up surprising me - sometimes more than once. But my favourite two by far were Cecile and Tristan. They're so similar in that they are both incredibly stubborn. Which equals a lot of fighting as they get to know each other. But through all that fighting is this surprising and fantastic slow burn romance. I went from not liking them together at all to biting my nails wondering what was going to happen to them. 
 Stolen Songbird is one of those books that reminds me why I love fantasy. It was layered with great characters and an exciting magical system, which meant that anything could happen. I may have stayed up way too late reading this book but it was completely worth it.