Kendra’s Comments (group member since Feb 04, 2016)

Kendra’s comments from the Danielle L. Jensen's Reader Group group.

2. Seeing what happened to Anushka made me understand her intentions. I suspected that there must've been a reason on why she was so vengeful, though I never figured out exactly what it was. Still, I think she was blinded by her hurt and never considered how much she was hurting innocent people/trolls. I mean, some trolls like the king deserve to be trapped in a mountain, but others don't.

3. I think Tristan believed it was necessary to kill Anushka, since she caused so much chaos. And he understood Cecile's feelings about her mother.

4. Cecile probably wanted to kill Anushka, and didn't do it just to fulfill her promise. Like Tristan, she most likely thought it was necessary. Also, she was hurt that Anushka turned out to be Genevieve all along. That anger drove her actions, although her promise to the King probably killed a lot of hesitation.

4. It was probably the quickest way for Cecile to escape by others sacrificing themselves, though it was really sad to see her friends die just like that. And it's not as if she did anything wrong, since she didn't force Pierre and Elise to save her. It was probably the best decision at the time, considering Cecile had to get out of there quick.

5. I think that it was probably Tristan's inner troll instincts that made him want to kill Anushka. Because, what living thing wants to be trapped anywhere? Most likely, Tristan wasn't thinking of the dangers of freeing the trolls in that one moment. His mind wasn't yet used to the fact that he was out of the mountain, so it made him want to "free" himself under the illusion that he was still trapped. So no, I don't think he actually wants to release all the trolls.

1.) Romance in a book is nice, and I wouldn't mind if it wasn't the main focus. In fact, I sometimes prefer if it's on the side, because the romantic problems seem to bother me a lot more than the normal ones. If it's on the side, there's usually less stressing over it. I especially like the light romances, the ones that are mostly happy.

4.) It's understandable why Cecile didn't tell Tristan; I probably wouldn't either. She knew that he was hunting Anushka, and a part of her was afraid that Tristan would dislike her for being descended from her. The practical side of her mind said he wouldn't hate her just for that, but in romance, the insecurity tends to win over logic.

1.) I've never actually stopped reading a series just because a character died. Even if it was my favorite character. I'll probably get a little angry at the author for doing that, but I'll keep reading because I always need to know how a story ends. And then, by the time I get to the end, I'll usually forgive the author for killing off my favorite character. Afterwards, I can judge the book without taking that death into account.

2.) I understand why Cecile performed those dark spells; she was desperate to find Anushka and keep Tristan safe. But I'm still not all that happy about the dark magic itself. The chicken-killing spell really made me cringe; she was murdering an innocent, trusting chicken for its blood!

But in the long run, it was probably right for her to do it because she needed to find Anushka as quickly as possible. And it wasn't as if she was having any fun doing those spells, so her humanity is still safe.

1.) Authors can read reviews if they really want to, but sometimes they can drastically affect his/her confidence. The five-star praising reviews will bring it up, and the one-star overly-critical ones can bring it down. If an author is the type of person that doesn't let other peoples' opinions deter them, then there's no problem in reading the reviews. They may even help them improve their writing. But if the author cares about what others think, perhaps it would be best to stay away from reviews.

2.) It makes sense that Fred hates the trolls. They kidnapped his dear sister, bonded her to one, and added a bunch of complicated problems to her life. However, when I was reading about his fierce anger, it unsettled me because it was very much possible that he would go do something to them that would hurt Cecile, even though he would never intentionally hurt her. The problem was that he didn't understand Cecile's love for a troll. Fred was just too narrow-minded.

1.) I usually don't bother rereading prior books in a series, because even if I can't remember some parts of it, it always comes back to me as I start the next book. It's as if the memories are stored away and can be recalled by the familiar settings.

3.) I was rather unnerved that Roland was the one to first meet Cecile and Chris. Because, what's a more freaky omen than a reintroduction from a mentally unstable, probably-evil child? I was thinking that maybe Roland has a bigger role in the story than it appears.

5.) Since I try to keep an open mind when reading books, because it helps with figuring out mysteries, I thought that it might have been possible that Genevieve was speaking the truth. But it still didn't make all of my suspicions disappear, especially when she was asking questions when Cecile was nearly asleep. Because if Genevieve was asking out of plain curiosity, then she probably would've done it when Cecile was fully conscious.

1.) As a bookworm, I'm surprisingly okay with cliffhangers. If I encounter a giant cliffhanger at the end of a good book, I will be disappointed, and it will be on my mind a lot. But I usually distract myself by immersing myself in another book and try waiting (somewhat) patiently for the next one to come out so I can find out what happens.

3.) Let's just say that I'm not exactly a big fan of Tristan's choice. I do somewhat understand his intentions; he probably has a hard time trusting people, especially since half-bloods particularly hate troll royalty. But, in my opinion, that is not a valid reason for blackmailing them. Because if he manages to convince them that he's on their side and that he won't harm them, won't the half-bloods willingly follow him?

4.) Since Tristan is the hero of the series, readers want him to be the flawless guy whom they can daydream about and compare to imperfect real-life guys. Now, this shouldn't be fully possible, since he clearly makes some unwise mistakes in the book. But us readers, as humans, unconsciously overlook these mistakes and continue to picture him as a perfect character. Meanwhile, Cecile is the female main character whom we don't have the need to think of as flawless. Therefore, we do notice her mistakes, and consequently end up getting angry at her several times in the book.

That is my theory, anyways.

1.) From what I've noticed from reading books with prologues, they're usually there for a reason. An important one, at that. Sometimes you can find hidden answers in the prologue, and other times, they represent something significant in the book/series. Many times, especially in fantasy, they leave you with something to ponder about. I always read prologues for those reasons; they make the book more exciting and intriguing.

2.) I think Marc was right in bonding Penelope, because you can never live life properly if you're always too afraid. It's probably a good thing that he was afraid, but they ended up sharing something really special. That bond between them was worth the pain Marc went through after her death. Even though he turned out not being strong enough to endure his loss, he probably would've been troubled for the rest of his life even if he hadn't bonded her. He would've spent eternity wondering if he made the right choice.

So, I believe Tristan did make the right choice in making Marc live, because he was trying to fight for him. His depression defeated Marc, but Tristan wasn't going to let him die. Luckily, it did turn out that Marc recovered enough to live his life normally. It's thanks to Tristan that Marc is still alive.

1.) I prefer when the film is almost exactly like the book, because otherwise, it kind of feels like the film is spreading lies about the original story. And even though that's not the intention, I do not have a good tolerance for that.

2.) Well, in Beauty and the Beast, the main character is "captured" for the purpose of breaking a curse on her captor (which she doesn't know about). While she's not exactly held against her will, she's only staying with the beast to fulfill her end of a bargain. In Stolen Songbird, Cecile actually gets kidnapped, and she's informed of her purpose. She's also trapped in a large kingdom. Those facts are pretty much the only differences between the two stories. And, the curses are both placed by females with magic. I think the key event that makes people connect with Beauty and the Beast is the girl getting kidnapped, then falling in love with her captor to break a curse.

1.) I have 5 shelves on my bookshelf. I put most of the book series on the middle one, so I deem this shelf as most important. If there's no room on that shelf for a new series or another book, then I move that series to the second shelf. The second shelf also consists of short stories and fairy tales. The fourth shelf has standalone books, and also the books that I don't really look at anymore. The last shelf has all the nonfiction and reference books, and the first shelf has random items like photos and art paper.

I do get rid of books, but all of the following must apply to a to-get-rid-of book:
-It takes up space
-I have no memories attached to it, or any sort of attachment at all
-I know that I'll never read it ever again

Even though I have many books, I keep most of them just for the sake of having them. I usually never completely reread a book from the beginning, but if there are certain scenes that I really like in a book, then I'll reread those scenes.

2.) I disliked Anais when I was first introduced to her, because she was just a tad too close to Tristan. She also seemed like a person who would do anything to be with him. But now that I know she's helping Tristan against his father, and that she's no threat to Cecile, I have better feelings towards her. I suppose I wouldn't mind knowing more about her.

3.) If I were in Cecile's situation, I think I would be too stubborn to fully embrace all the opportunities. It would feel as though I'm giving in to my captors. Although, I might explore a little bit and dream of unrealistic escapades.

4.) So far, my favorite part of the book is when Cecile and Tristan first meet. I just seem to really enjoy first meetings and revelations, probably because it's always interesting to read about the characters' reactions. The witty banter made it even better :)

#2: It honestly doesn't matter to me how a book starts, as long as it hooks me in. All my favorite books start differently. But if it begins with action, I wouldn't want it to be too fast and confusing, because that's just not a good start. I also don't like it when the backstory as a beginning drags on, and on, and on...that gets boring to read.

#5: I have so many favorite fantasy books and series, it's so hard to choose! But if I really had to pick--it would be very close--then it'd probably be The School for Good and Evil (SGE) series. And if I had to choose just one book out of that trilogy, then it would be the third and last one, The Last Ever After. I tend to love the last books in series the most. As for how I discovered it, I accidentally mistook the first book for a different series, and started reading it. About halfway through, I realized that this book probably wasn't part of that other series, since SGE is much darker and longer. After finishing (or rather, skimming) it, I put it away and didn't give much thought about it. A few days later, I decided to actually read it, and found that I really liked it and decided to continue the series. As the story progressed, I came to love it, and it eventually became one of my favorite series.