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Stolen Songbird Read-Along
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Stolen Songbird Chapters 30-38
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Cécile finds Chris in the market, and they discuss her family. They still have not given up hope and her brother blames himself for Cécile disappearance. Her mother is offering a substantial reward for her return, and Chris suggests that she might have the means to purchase Cécile’s freedom from the trolls. She refuses because she loves Tristan and she will not leave him. Chris is horrified, and refuses to believe her when she tries to convince him that Tristan isn’t the horrible monster Chris believes him to be.
Chris takes her hand, pleading with her to reconsider as he believes Trollus is draining the life from her. Tristan comes over in a jealous rage. Their argument turns into a fistfight, and he almost kills Chris. He stops only when Cécile tells him she will never forgive him if he hurts Chris. Once the fight is over, Tristan storms off. Cécile finds him in a tavern, and he tells her that Chris is right. That she belongs outside in the sun. She pleads with him to reconsider, but he sends her away. She lingers outside, and overhears him order the tavern keeper to deliver a message to Anaïs, provoking Cécile’s residual jealousy of the other girl.
Cécile wanders around the streets until she comes to Pierre’s door. He lets her in and they talk about the fight between Tristan and Chris, and Pierre admits that it is never a fair fight between trolls and humans, because trolls have strength from another world. She asks him what he’d do if he were free of the curse, and his peaceful answer gives Cécile hope. Then Tristan arrives and tells her that she must come with him now.
Chapter 31
Cécile asks Tristan where he’s taking her, and he tells her the River Road. She argues that the guards won’t let her pass, and he cryptically responds that they’ll let Anaïs by. He takes her to the home of a half-blood where Anaïs is waiting. With the help of magic and a wig, they disguise themselves as each other, and once the transformation is complete, Tristan takes Cécile to the River Road.
Tristan doesn’t want to let her go. But he needs to know that she’s chosen to stay because she wants to be with him, not because she’s never been given the choice. Cécile tries to persuade him that he is wrong. She loves him and she wants to be with him. But Tristan tells her that she needs to go outside, to remember what she’s giving up, and then make the choice.
She crosses the invisible barrier of the curse, walking onto the beach and into the water. She thinks about what she’d be giving up if she remained with Tristan, but also what life would be like without him. She imagines a life where she moved on and married someone else like Chris, but she can’t stand the idea of it. She also reflects on her life in Trollus. She has made so many friends and she doesn’t want to leave the half-bloods she promised to help. She looks back toward the invisible entrance where Tristan is standing, and in that moment she makes her choice.
Chapter 32
Cécile steps back through the barrier. She chooses Tristan over a life in the human world. She feels Tristan’s relief, happiness, and love. They kiss and get caught up in the moment, until they are interrupted by a guard. As they make their way up the River Road, they see Anaïs, disguised as Cécile, is waiting for them at the gates to the city. At the sight of them, she disposes of the disguise, clearly angry, and suddenly Cécile is thrown from her feet. At first, she thinks Anaïs has knocked her down. But it’s an earthquake.
Tristan protects her with his magic, but when a boulder falls into the middle of the city, he leaves to go support the tree and save others. He asks Anaïs to protect Cécile and take her back to the palace. Cécile falls and cuts her knee on the way back. Once they are safely inside, Anaïs helps her stitch up her wound. Anaïs admits her feelings for Tristan, but tells Cécile that even if she’d chosen not to come back to Trollus, it would never have happened between the two of them. She explains that she can never be with anyone because she is a carrier of the blood disease that killed her sister, Pénélope. Victoria comes in then and offers to keep Cécile safe while Anaïs goes to help some trapped miners.
Victoria dozes off and Cécile takes out the grimoire to see if she can find a healing spell. Giving up, she goes to the kitchen with Victoria hoping that she can find some herbs to clean her injury. They can’t find what she’s looking for, so Cécile decides to try to use a spell to extract the information from Élise’s mind, believing there might be a chance it will work as the girl is half human. The spell works. Victoria knows that Cécile is lying about how she knew where to find the herbs. Cécile tells her friend her secret, and Victoria promises not to reveal it to anyone.
Chapter 33
The day after the earthquake, Cécile goes to the library to do more research. Although she cannot heal herself she learns more about the difference between witch magic and troll magic. Cécile puts the information together, and realizes that Anushka didn’t break the mountain. Such magic isn’t possible for a witch.
Just then, Élise comes in upset. Tips was helping another gang meet quota when the tunnel they were in collapsed. He didn’t die, but his leg was completely crushed. Since he will be of no use to the guild anymore he will likely be sent into the labyrinth. Cécile believes she can save his life with her magic, but doing so would put her own life at risk, as the trolls would learn she’s a witch. She decides to take the risk and reveals everything to Élise.
Chapter 34
Cécile arrives at Tips’s home and clears the room. She tells him that she plans on amputating the leg and healing his wound. He thinks that he will be useless without his leg, but she convinces him otherwise. Élise arrives after that with the materials needed for the spell. Once Élise has used her magic to block any noise they will make, she amputates his leg and Cécile performs the healing spell. The magic works. The injury looks like it has been healed for years, instead of being a fresh wound. Élise drops the magic barrier. As soon as she does, they hear screams from the street. Roland is out hunting half-bloods.
Cécile goes into the streets to face Roland, hoping he won’t hurt her for the sake of his brother. He twists her arm, driving her to her knees, then tells her that when he’s king, he’ll never make the mistake of bonding someone as weak as her. She tries to make him stop, telling him that Tristan will be here soon and that by hurting her he will also be hurting his brother. But he doesn’t seem to care. Anaïs arrives to stop Roland, but she is too late.
Chapter 35
When Cécile wakes up, she is back in the palace and is in extreme pain. Tristan is by her side and he blames himself for what has happened. She tells him that she needs a doctor. But there are none in Trollus, because the trolls don’t need them.
Tristan says all she needs is rest. But she knows she is dying, and the bonding marks on his hand prove it. He promises to go out and find a human who can help her. Anaïs comes in to watch over Cécile, and together they try to come up with a way to keep Tristan alive if Cécile succumbs to her injuries.
Tristan arrives again with Jerome and Chris in tow. They haven’t the skills to help her, but believe her grandmother does. Before Tristan can send for her grandmother, the King walks in and tells them that no one will be bringing another witch into Trollus. Tristan accuses him of having lost his mind, because without help, Cécile will die. But the King does not seem to care. Anaïs pleads with him, reminding him that if Cécile dies, Tristan is likely to as well. The King assures her that he won’t allow that to happen, which eases Cécile’s fear. He orders Tristan not to interfere with the progression of events, then departs.
Once the King leaves, Tristan, Anaïs, and Chris conspire together. When they come to a decision, Tristan tells Cécile the plan. They will smuggle her out of Trollus tonight; and Chris tells her that Tristan will come with them, that they have found a way for him to leave. When Cécile asks how that’s possible, Tristan tells her not to worry: all that matters is that he’d never choose to leave her.
Chapter 36
Tristan goes to a tavern in the Dregs to meet with the half-bloods. Using the plans for the stone tree, he blackmails them into giving him their true names. He tells them he’ll only use them in defense of Cécile. What he doesn’t tell them is that he plans to use them immediately to help free her from Trollus.
Chapter 37
Cécile spends the next hours in a drugged fog waiting for Tristan. But before he returns, the King arrives. Believing he intends to harm her, Anaïs leaves to find Tristan. He tells Cécile that he has no intention of letting her die, and that he has a witch in the city waiting to heal her once Tristan makes his move. She accuses him of manipulating Tristan, but the King argues that he’s training him. He believes that by the time Tristan kills him and takes the crown that he’ll be the man he needs to be to rule Trollus. A messenger arrives and tells the King that the half-bloods are rioting, and he orders that they be contained peaceably. He tells Cécile that Tristan believes her life worth more than those of the half-bloods, and that he is right, because she is the key to their freedom.
Just then, Tristan enters the room and a battle ensues. But just as it appears Tristan has lost, Anaïs arrives. With her help, Tristan subdues the King. But Tristan hesitates to kill his father, and the King takes advantage of the moment. The lights flicker out, and when they brighten again, Tristan is bound by the King’s magic and Anaïs has a sluag spear embedded in her chest.
Cécile tells the King she’s found a way to open Anushka’s grimoire in the hopes Anaïs will hear and know what to do. The other girl tosses her blood, which has been tainted by the steel spear, at the King, and Cecile uses it to bind the King’s magic. The dying Anaïs tells Tristan to kill his father, but he can’t do it, so she tells him to take Cécile and go, that she’ll keep the King restrained. But as they leave, the King has a satisfied smile on his face.
\
They run through the streets and into the labyrinth, but Cécile loses consciousness. She dreams of a land of endless summer, and has a conversation with a golden man who makes a bargain with her. He gives her the name of that which she most desires, with the caution that should she use it, she will be in his debt. When she wakes up, they are at the edge of the rock fall. Tristan whispers how much he loves her and at the last moment she realizes he has deceived her about his ability to leave Trollus. He pushes her through the curse’s barrier, then raises his own so she can’t come back. Chris and his father are on the other side, ready to save her life.
Chapter 38
Three days after she has arrived home, Cécile wakes up. Her grandmother asks her what happened and Cécile tells her everything. She becomes worried when she doesn’t feel Tristan, but when she checks her hand, her bonding marks are still silver. Determined to return to him, she takes a horse and starts to ride toward Trollus, but Chris stops her. He promised Tristan he would not let her go back. He gives her a letter from Tristan that tells her she must never return to Trollus, for only death awaits her there.
Although Cécile cannot go back, she refuses to give up. Instead, she vows to practice her magic, and while she does, she intends to begin her hunt. She doesn’t know where she’ll find Anushka, or what she’ll do when she does. But the one thing she knows for certain is this: the witch must die.
THE END!!!
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Chapter 30 – When I was originally writing Stolen Songbird, trolls could get drunk if they consumed enough. But it occurred to me (duh) that if they couldn’t be poisoned (by anything other than iron), then they most certainly wouldn’t be affected by alcohol. I caught most of the references to troll drunkenness, but there is one that I missed, and every time I read it, I’m like %%$**.
Chapter 31 – The horseman in this scene shows up in Warrior Witch. His name is Lord Lachance, and only you read-along people will know that he made an appearance in Stolen Songbird.
Chapter 32 –Tristan and Cécile originally did the deed at the end of this chapter. Why did I change that? Well, I actually answered that question for Perla back when Stolen Songbird first came out. This is what I said:
The first is a matter of writing technique and has nothing to do with the characters themselves. When writing a romance of the slow burn variety, a big part of what moves the reader through the pages is the anticipation of certain intimacy milestones. First touch, first kiss, first declaration of affection, first make out scene, first sex scene. As an author, I want to hold out on giving up those moments as long as I can, but not so long that it frustrates the reader and seems annoying and contrived. I want the reader to be mentally screaming KISS HER and then fist pumping the air when it happens, but I have to be careful not to push it into the territory where the reader is eye-rolling at the fact they seem incapable of getting past first base. Finding a balance can be tough, especially since different readers have different tastes.
Reason two has to do with the characters and the plot. The series of events that occur after our two lovebirds confess their feelings in the labyrinth actually happen pretty quickly. I don’t have my notes with me, but I’m pretty sure the rest of the book takes place over the space of only three days. Which is a pretty short amount of time to go from an almost first kiss (darn Sluag interruptions!) to having sex, especially given that neither of them is overly experienced in that department. That said, there are two moments when it could have been expected to occur. The first was on the lake. You will recall that Cécile was pretty keen on the idea, but Tristan put on the brakes. The reason he gives her is the consequences of having a child, but the bigger reason is that he’s still not convinced that Cécile really wants to stay with him in Trollus, because she’s never been given the choice. He gets that certainty the following day when he sneaks her out of the city, and that results in the second moment when they potentially could have consummated their relationship. And I thought about. I wrote the scene with them doing it and then again being interrupted, which is ultimately the choice I went with. Why, you ask? See reason 1. I wanted readers to go into Hidden Huntress not just with the anticipation of how and when the two would get back together, but also how and when they’d finally reach that intimacy milestone.
Chapter 33 – The real reason for the mountain breaking is the same as the suspected reason for the rockslide that inspired Forsaken Mountain. Also, Forsaken Mountain was originally called Broken Mountain. I’ll let you come to your own conclusions on why that got changed.
Chapter 34 – Roland doesn’t actually dislike his brother. You will get more details on that in Warrior Witch.
Chapter 35 – Originally, the injury necessitating Cécile’s escape from Trollus was the one she got when she was running for cover from the earthquake. It turned septic. But that didn’t fit the timeframe (I wanted the pace very quick at this point), thus I created the events of chapter 34.
Chapter 36 – Gah, this chapter. It’s not Tristan’s finest moment, because what he’s giving freedom in exchange for their freedom. With the stone tree, they won’t *need* the magic of full-bloods to keep them safe, but by giving him their names, they are giving up their free will.
Chapter 37 – This used to be the last chapter of the novel, but we decided that was TOO much of a cliffhanger, so I added a chapter that showed Cécile had survived.
Chapter 38 – When I write letters in novels, I almost always include only the first part. I don’t know why… Also, the last line of this chapter is one of my favorite in the book.
Okay since I can't answer the other questions since I have not read the book which is on my tbr, I will just answer the first question :(Cliffhangers is something I hate and love at the same time. Now you must be thinking what is there to like about it? Let me tell you why
Sometimes you come across a story that can be either a stand a lone or part of a series which is truly captivating and as a reader you are really immersed in that story and then comes the ending, BAM! What ya know? The author ends it there! At the moment we all have been waiting for and its just ended? Like what? No! You can't do this! But I love this and hate this at the same time. Love it because I know it will keep me and other readers interested and with so many questions unaswered, like what happened? Is she going to die? Will the curse ever be broken? What about the hero? No what! She can't die! etc. Reactions like that at that point is really annoying but at the same time it builds excitement because all then you can think of whilst you sleep, eat and do your everyday routine is the book. You breath the book in its essence. Whilst I love that feeling, when your going through the motions all you want to do is have that book. You become like a book zombie waiting for that and start to get impatient. I tend to just talk about the book non stop, anaylse everything until the point someone tells me to shut up.
The waiting part is what I hate the most, all you can think of is how will the author start the next book, will it continue the story from where it left off or will some time go by. But when I get the next book in my hand is the moment I am truly happy. So even though my reasoning is odd I still like it and hate it at the same time. Also, I forgot to mention that in standalones when there is a cliffhanger and I feel like the story is incomplete, I hate that. The story had so much more potential to be extended and there are certain gray areas which have not come to light, I can't say that is my favourite part.
1.- Cliffhangers tend to kill me if I'm really involved in the book... so I usually wail and pout and scream and give the side eye to the book & author... and if possible I commiserate with friends that have read the book to talk theories, discuss the ending, complain about the unfairness and get some sort of support while we wait for the nex book! Sometimes I even postpone reading a book if I hear it has a cliffhanger till I can get the next book in my hands, so the wait won't be added to my emotional distress!2.- I'm really not sure what I would have done... Never seeing my friends or family would be too much to give up BUT leaving someone behind that you feel so much for wouldn't be easy either... And not really being able to feel safe in either situation and maybe endangering her family by escaping? I cannot really say what I'd do!
3.- I was really unhappy with Tristan's choice... he was acting like a troll through and through, compelling and not asking or treating the half bloods like the allies that they should be. If he really wanted to change things and be different from his father, he ought to have given the half bloods a chance to fight for themselves and help him in that way.
4.- I'm not entirely sure why we tend to forgive male character's mistakes more easily than the female ones... I am now actively looking to spot myself doing that and then stop and wonder why would that be. Sometimes it is because we see things of outselves on the characters we don't like on ourselves, so we end up punishing the characters for it...
5.- I'm not sure I'd consider Roland a villain per se, not a threat like the sluag either, just something more in between. A real villain usually has more cunning than just being cruel and powerful and destructive. At least with what we've seen so far of him.
6.- I despise the King. He might have some fatherly intentions about making Tristan into a strong king that will lead the trolls out from under the mountain and that will be strong and cunning to survive the intrigue and to defeat Angouleme... but I think he's being a troll through and through and unless Tristan starts thinking in a different, he won't really defeat his father...
I will answer the first question, even though it's actually a hard one, and the second one! I can't choose1. How do you feel about cliffhanger endings?
It's actually a hard question. I both hate and love them. If I have the next book, then I absolutely love them. If I don't, well, then it's a bit of both. I still love it, because it keeps my attention, and I'll tend to remember the book better. But I also hate them, because, well I can't read on and have to wait and I'm so impatient!
2. If you were Cécile, would you have made the choice to stay in Trollus with Tristan if it meant NEVER seeing your friends or family ever again?
I don't think so. I do understand, to some extend, why she did it, but I would just miss my family and friends too much. I don't know if I could leave them, and never see them again. I guess it depends on how much love is involved. But I don't think I could justify leaving so many people behind, people I love, for one person. But it's a difficult question.
Well i'm not a big fan of cliffhanger endings but that doesn't mean i don't read them,i make sure when there's one the serie is finished so it won't bother me but will make me want to read the next book directly after another.
I think i will choose my familly first and friend if i had the choice, even if i will have some regret.
To say the truth i didn't like what he did at all, he choose the wrong way to get what he want and probably will regret it,if it was me i will always see the safest and acceptable before doing anything .
I'm still not sure about the king and his intention.
I think i will choose my familly first and friend if i had the choice, even if i will have some regret.
To say the truth i didn't like what he did at all, he choose the wrong way to get what he want and probably will regret it,if it was me i will always see the safest and acceptable before doing anything .
I'm still not sure about the king and his intention.
1. I have mixed feelings about cliffhangers. I used to HATE them, to the point where I would just refuse to read the book until the sequel was released (I may or may not read the endings first). Now they don't really bother me too much. They DO get me excited for the next book, so I completely understand why authors write them. The only time they really annoy me now is when the author doesn't know for sure if they're going to have sequels or not, which I understand is out of the author's control, but there's a way to wrap up storylines in a way that satisfies the reader while still leaving room for potential sequels. So! Basically, I'm okay with cliffhangers, for the most part.2. That's one of those questions that you don't REALLY know the answer to unless you're put in that situation, I think. I'm not particularly close with my family, so I probably wouldn't be too broken up about that, but I know I would definitely miss my friends. I agree with Pili a lot! I have no idea what I'd actually do!
4. Oooh, I definitely think that has a lot to do with interalized misogyny; we are always much more willing to forgive a male character for doing the same things that a female character does, which makes me sad. It's just expected that we will be more forgiving of male characters (and men in general), while female characters (and women) get a lot of flack for doing the same things. The male character gets labeled as brave and strong, while the female character is reckless and flighty. :/ I see it so much in the media I consume.
1 - I have to say I am very torn about cliff hanger endings. I read a series that had some serious cliff hanger endings (the air awaken series) but as much as I hated not knowing I also loved the thrill of not knowing and I couldn't wait for the next book to come out! I think it really depends on when the next book is scheduled to come out if there is no release date in site I'm not a big fan but if it's a couple months out I can wait...the waiting almost makes the next book that much more exciting!2 - I'm very close with my family so I'm not sure I could give up everything like Cecile did. I think though if I was in the same situation I would do the same thing Cecile did. A love like that doesn't come along very often plus the chance to help people and explore this amazing place...well I don't think I could pass on any of that despite not seeing my family again. I would still hold out hope that fate would allow me to see my family again. And it worked out (kind of) for Cecile!
Fingers crossed for the signed copy of Warrior Witch!!! I would love to have it!!!
Danielle wrote: "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 #11 I need 20 different people ..."
4. I Love this question because it speaks to how women tend to A: see each other as competition and therefore hold each other to higher standards (standards we often do not impose on ourselves). And B: Women tend to give guys they are attracted to or have emotional attachments to a pass for A LOT of transgressions that we would find unforgivable in friends, family, or strangers.
But I also feel that Cecile's mistakes are more obvious, she isn't playing a super complicated political mind-game with more than one supervillain. And Tristan is always keeping things close to the vest and always has a card up his sleeve. His mistakes aren't always very obvious. Maybe, but I like my first answer better.
5. I LOVE Roland as a villain! He is sooo complicated, is he aware of his evilness, does he think of himself as the true hero? I like that in the chapter notes you wrote that Roland doesn't hate Tristan. That is so fascinating. Is his insanity the reason he is so evil, or is it more due to Angloume (please forgive my spelling!).
6. Basing this solely on Stolen Songbird: I feel like the King actually loves Tristan, and he is certainly much smarter than Tristan as he has decades worth of experience on Tristan. I love that Tristan is actually more powerful than the King, and I feel like the King secretly aware of this. The King would never want Roland on the throne, and all of this has been a crucible to make Tristan ready to assume the throne- as soon as the King is ready to give it up (meaning he dies). But I feel that in that moment when Tristan was dying, the King showed his true colors.
1. I.... have a love/hate relationship with cliffies. Most of the times I love them despite breaking my heart into a million pieces. But when an ending is forced into a cliffy, I feel like going into a rage. Books can still keep a reader going into the sequel without a cliff-hanger ending. ;)2. I don't think I would. It pains my heart to say it but I probably would have taken that horse ride and get away from Trollus. But... I think I would search for clues on how to help Trollus, and my love, from the outside. Cécile already knew about Anushka, so I would start with that quest and maybe the trolls would help in my plight. Even King Thibault... MAYBE.
3 & 4. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. These are one of Tristan's selfish moments, his love for Cécile finally clouds his wisdom, something he feared right from the start. He is the kind of Troll/person who doesn't really trust his people, who thinks EVERYONE is a monster. He even sees himself as a monster. Thant's why it didn't even cross his mind that the half-bloods would be willing to just help him get Cécile out of Trollus. Foolish mistake on his part.
4. I don't think I've gotten truly mad with Cécile to the point of forgiving Tristan quicker than her. Both have flaws and both pay dearly for their mistakes.I love Tristan so much but I still like to yell at him every once in a while.
5. In Stolen Songbird, I am completely terrified of him. Eviiiiiil is an understatement. But my perception changes throughout the series. There's more to him than just an evil mad character.
6. King Thibault just freaked me out. A powerful troll like him surely has lots of moves under his sleeves. That smirk in the ending is not what I'd wish to see when thinking I'd "won" the fight.
Oh my goodness! Cliffhangers drive me nuts! Especially when I know I won't find out what happens for another year! Of course it's just my luck that I'm attracted to series in progress! Left Behind, Harry Potter, Twilight, Throne of Glass and now The Malediction Trilogy! :)
#1 I really like cliffhangers, but only if I don't have to wait long for the next book.#2 I think I would have stayed. I know it would be hard, but I think my love for him would win over and also the responsibility of Trollus.
#3 I think it was wrong but I don't know how he would have gain their "trust".
#4 I don't know, I think they both make mistakes, but I think they as long as they realized their mistakes that's ok.
#5 I think he is a treat puppet.
#6 I hate the King! He is so mean and controlling of Tristan. I feel the only reason why he still keeps him around is because Roland is crazy and can't hold anything against him, like he can Tristan.
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. I love and hate cliffhanger ending. I hate because the ending is killing me but its also the one that makes me want to read the next books. If there's no cliffhanger I don't think I want to read the sequel. It feel like I read stand alone book. 2. I think I can't stay even I love Tristan, family and freedom is more important to me than love. Maybe If I love the boy so much I trying hard to free him.
3. people makes mistake and its hard decision for Tristan too, I'm unhappy with it but it makes him learn how to be a wise/good king in the future. I think I will make the same mistake as him or worse if put in that kind situation.
4. yes, honestly I think sometimes I hate female characters more than a male characters when they do the same mistake. I don't know why I did it. maybe because sometimes I did the stupid things they do and it makes me hate them more. I should say sorry for female characters because of this lol
I think when it comes to male characters I only wants to see what I want to see in the characters, and because it fictional I think its fine to do so, its not right I know but the good thing is I don't do it in real life lol
a boy once told me that at his hometown when a boy cheats his girlfriend will blame and kick the other woman even that boy who's doing it in the first place. and I said to him if a boy cheat on me I'll kick him and left him because his trash and other girl can have him. And when the cheat really happened I did what I said to that boy. I was very proud of myself lmao
5. I think Roland is just a puppet
6. I think the King is smarter than Tristan and only love himself and the crown lol
1. I both love and hate cliffhangers. Ultimately it depends on the book. A book can have a cliffhanger, but if it takes away from that "I feel satisfied with the ending", then the author made a mistake including it. For example, I loved the cliffhanger at the end of The Orphan Queen. It made me excited for book #2, but didn't take away from the ending. I felt like most of the loose ends had been taken care of. However, I hated the cliffhanger at the end of Reign of Shadows. It made me confused and I wasn't sure if that was the actual end of the novel (I had an arc).I'm more forgiving of cliffhangers in sequels, unless it's the last book, because I'm more engaged with the book world. The author needs to wrap things up, but if they can give me that "I'm curious about what happened after" feeling, that's a bonus. If I feel like the book ended in the middle, rather than the end that's a thumbs down for me.
So how about you? Any favourite cliffhangers to share?
5. I also forgot to add!I don't think Roland is a villain or on the same level of a slaug. He's more like the tool a villain would use, but a bit smarter than a creature so he knows more than he lets off.
Basically, it's easier to outwit a sluag, but it's even easier for a villain to manipulate Roland.
I have a love/hate relationship with cliff hangers. I love them because they keep me excited about the next book and I hate them because of the obvious unresolved issue at hand that plagues me until the next book comes out. Ha! For the most part though, I love thinking about the characters and wondering what they will do. My least favorite part of reading a series is finishing. I hate leaving the characters sp cliff hangers keep them ever present in my mind even while reading other books.
As a second note...I'm not sure Roland is a villain. I don't feel like I know enough about him to decide if he's calculating our just crazy or both. I think he's a tool for the greater villains to use against Cecile and Tristan, but maybe not on his own.
Cliffhangers are SO frustrating, but I love them. When books are wrapped up really nicely at the end, I often feel like I don't even need to read the next book. Like with the last Throne of Glass book, Queen of Shadows, the ending was just so... calm. And almost happy. And it feels like a real ending, so for a while I wasn't sure if I even wanted to read the next book. There's no suspense and there's a lot less anticipation for the next book if there's not a cliffhanger.
I think Roland is too young to be a proper villian- he's definitely dangerous, violent and mad, but he's a child and been brought up by a monster. So not yet but maybe in the future.I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. They do make the book more exciting but also kill the reader especially if there's a long wait for the next book.
1. I love epic cliffhangers, as long as the wait for the next book isn't more than a year away. The feeling of getting to that last page and desperately wanting that next book is all consuming. Not only because I want to know what happens next, but also because I have fallen in love with the characters and the world. 2. I want to say that I would chose love over everything else. But with a relationship that new, I would probably want to see my family and friends again. And then find a way to get back to the one I have fallen for.
3. Oh Tristan. I wasn't happy with his decision, yet his heart was in the right place. We all have things to learn in life, and this was a big lesson for Tristan. For him to see the consequences of his actions, and to learn the true feelings of the trolls and their willingness to help Cecile without being forced. I think he grew and learned a lot from what he forced to take place.
4. I'm usually pretty forgiving to the majority of characters I love. But the few times, in other books, where I may seem a little bit more forgiving to the male than the female is when I see myself in the female character. It is so much harder to watch someone do something that you could possibly do, while realizing what they are doing is wrong.
5. Roland scared the living daylights out of me in Stolen Songbird. But after reading Hidden Huntress, my opinion on him started to change.
1. I love and hate them at the same time. I love cliffhanger endings because they make me want to read the next book that much more. I hate them though because if the next book is not out yet or will take a long time to come out it drives me crazy to not know what happens next. Like now waiting for Warrior Witch to come out is driving me bananas.2. YES. If you love someone you stay with them. She was already planning on leaving them and would not have seen them very regularly if at all again once she went to Trianon. One difference though once the king was gone and Tristan was king he could gift her with the ability to see them again sometimes, either by bringing them to Trollus to visit after swearing them to magical oaths since he also had to protect his people or by allowing her to visit.
3. IT WAS A MISTAKE!!! He was being stupid. The half-bloods loved Cecile, and her going up against Roland for them would have won her all their love and support if she hadn’t had it already. He didn’t need to blackmail them. He’s so set in his ways that he couldn’t see that by just telling them “Look, Cecile is severely injured and my father has ordered that no one help her, to let her die instead. I can’t let her die, I love her. Will you help me save her?” That was all it would have taken and they would have done as they did and more. If I had been in his shoes I would have asked for their names yes because those could be used later to free them and make sure they cause no harm to the humans or his comrades but I would have left the decision up to them. If he had he would have had not only their names, but more importantly their loyalty and a king needs loyal followers at his back when things are though.
4. Tristan’s cute, but I think the reason we forgive his mistakes more is because we can see he overthinks everything to the point where he can’t really tell what’s wrong with his plans. Cecile though never really things anything through, his exact opposite in many ways to be sure, but her mistakes make things harder in the story and harder for Tristan. Still I don’t really forgive either of their mistakes, ESPECIALLY NOT Tristan not killing his father when he had the chance. All those live lost, all the people he hurt and still his people suffer at the hands of a tyrant, although it was necessary for the second book to come out right though.
5. Threat, but a very dangerous one. He’s not really an important pawn, actually, I’m pretty sure his only use is as a threat to all Tristan is and loves to force his hand. Hell, I think the king is planning to be rid of him as soon as he can, he knows it would be the end of his people if that boy matured to his full power, and not just the half-bloods.
6. From only this story, he wants two things, freedom and his true heir to be all he is and more than him, but on his terms. He doesn’t really care for Tristan, only what he can gain through him such as molding him after himself to make sure he can in some way continue to rule after he’s already gone. Yes I do think he’s smarter than Tristan but only in that he makes better and more far-reaching plans. Tristan overthinks his plans so much that he has no wiggle room to adapt to situations whereas the kings plans are ever evolving. It’s not so much that he’s smarter, only a better planner. I hate the king. I do wonder who he used to be before he was poisoned and how he changed into the monster that he is now especially given Lessa’s existence and the events surrounding it, but who he is now, is pretty much worthless merely a villain in need of vanquishing.
Mod
Cliffhangers is something I hate and love at the same time..."
Hi Aneesa,
I also hate standalone novels with unresolved endings. I was talking about this the other day with an author friend, and I was complaining about how much I dislike books like The Giver for that reason. I need resolution!
Mod
Hi Pili,
I'm also guilty of waiting to start a series until at least the second book is out if I hear it has a cliffhanger ending. I also do this sometimes for more complex fantasy novels, because I tend to forget the details of what happens. Especially in the adult fantasy market, where authors often have many years between releases.
Mod
1. How do you feel about cliffhanger endings?
It's actually a hard question. I both hate..."
Hi Sabrina,
I'm really close with my family, so... I probably wouldn't have made the same choice as Cécile, either. That said, I think in the back of her mind she's confident it won't be forever. She truly believes that Tristan will triumph over his father – always the optimist :)
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Hi Suzume!
That is definitely the benefit of waiting to start a series until after it is finished!
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Hi Brittani,
I'm inclined to agree with your opinion about it being internalized misogyny, which is troublesome. I see over and over again (and not just with my books) readers accusing female protagonists of being special snowflakes, but then hating on them when they do make mistakes, whereas I RARELY see the same criticism directed at male characters. Now I'm not saying that it isn't okay to dislike the trope of "The Special", but I think it is important for readers to be mindful that it isn't just "The Special GIRL" that they have a problem with.
Mod
Hi Kelsea!
One of the (many) great things about Elise is that she writes INSANELY fast, so you don't have to wait too long to find out what happens next :D
Mod
TO UNLOCK EXTRA CONTENT #11 I need 20 ..."
Hi Perla,
I also like your first answer better :) One of the reasons I brought this topic up was that I so very rarely see criticism of Tristan's errors (with the exception of those related to the romance plot line), and I wanted to highlight that he does make them.
I love Tristan to death, but I do consider his bad decisions/mistakes worse, because they are so calculated. In the instance of him blackmailing the half-bloods, he knew with certainty that many of them would be injured or killed, but he wanted to keep control of the situation. Certainly people get hurt as a result of the choices Cécile makes, but they are almost always unintended consequences. For me, intentions are really important.
Mod
WHATTTTT?! You wouldn't have stayed with your one true love? Who are you, and what have you done with Melissa?
JOKING, of course :)
Yes, Tristan's inability to trust is the root of many of his mistakes, but I feel he makes long strides in the series to improve that particular character flaw :)
Hahahahah I don't know, it's just too hard since I am also such a wimp. Despite's Trollus beauty and my one true love living there, it IS a dangerous place and I don't think I would survive more than a few weeks. u.u
1. I typically hate cliffhanger endings unless I know that the next book is already out or about to come out. If I know that a book ends in a cliffhanger (and I will because someone will say something on the reviews), I won't read it. But I didn't feel that Stolen Songbird really ended on a cliffhanger. I may have been a bit devastated if it really had ended on chapter 37 though.2. I'm going to quietly say yes, because I really love their relationship. If she had and things played out differently, I'd hope that she'd have found a way to maintain contact with her family.
5. This is hard to answer without thinking about Hidden Huntress, but when I read it I was pretty sure the King had hidden motives and could care less about Tristan. I cringed a little bit when Tristan didn't kill him when he had the chance.
I hope you do a read-along with extra content for Hidden Huntress! :)
Mod
I can tell you with great confidence that Warrior Witch does NOT have a cliffhanger ending :) You will finally have some resolution.
Mod
#2 I think I would have stayed. I know it would be hard, but I think my love for him would win over and also..."
Finally! Someone who loves cliffhangers :D
Mod
Hi Lillian,
I think that's a pretty good theory on why readers over look the mistakes of the hero/love interest.
I also am not a big fan of Tristan blackmailing the half-bloods, which is funny, because I'm the one who made him do it! Such a perfect example of an author making a character do rotten things for the sake of developing a plot :)
Mod
Hi Desi!
Well I'm sorry you had to deal with a cheating boy, but I'm glad to hear you got rid of him and put the blame where it was deserved!
The King is a pretty complex guy! Revealing more of his backstory in Warrior Witch was one of my favourite parts :)
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Hi Adriyanna,
The ending of ACOTAR really has me eager to read the next instalment. I'd say it's the novel I'm most looking forward to this year.
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Hi Lindsay,
Yessss! When a series I love ends, I feel so sad :(
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Roland is a very interesting character, because he *IS* insane, which makes him very unpredictable.
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But the next book is called EMPIRE OF STORMS, so you KNOW it's going to be crazy exciting, right?!
Cliffhangers always make me frustrated but not necessarily in a bad way! If it's reasonable, I'm still sad but excited at the same time. If the author just cuts off like mid scene randomly, we might have a problem lolomg I have never felt this way at all! I hope not, at least! I have always tried to judge every character's mistakes and actions fairly in a book. I try to look at their character so far and decide if what they just did makes sense for them and if they learn from their mistakes. I try really hard to not judge Tristan and Cecile unfairly, so I'm not sure what it could be. Maybe they think because he's a prince, he has more responsibility and harder decisions? ughhhhh i hope not
Just checking: the chapter summaries haven't been posted yet, right? I sometimes have a hard time finding messages on Goodreads groups.On to the questions!
1. I hate and love cliffhangers. They are very frustrating, but if they're good they really make me interested in the next book/chapter/episode.
2. That's probably the hardest question to answer. As I recently moved to another country with my husband, without knowing anyone else there, I know how having only the one you love with you can be amazing and awful at times. It's amazing because your relationship gets a lot stronger since you can only rely on each other, but it's awful because, well, you can only rely on each other, and sometimes you need other people to help you get through tough times in a relationship. But with time you make new friends, you adjust to the new reality and things get easier, although you still have some moments when you miss everyone else so much it's unbearable. Of course I won't be apart from my family and friends forever, but I can only see them once a year and that's pretty hard too. So if I was Cécile I think I would likely choose to be with Tristan, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't suffer a lot.
3. I think Tristan should have trusted the half-bloods, but I understand that having lived among people who were always playing games and being Cécile's life at stake he would use whatever means he could to be sure.
4. Maybe exactly because they are more calculated? People tend to worship reason over emotion more than they should. So maybe although Tristan's mistakes often lead to worse consequences than Cécile's, because Cécile acts on impulse and he coldly calculates everything people think he's more in control. To me, calculated mistakes can be much worse, I mean, you planned them to happen!
5. I think Roland is becoming a villain. For now he only has the brutal power, but if he develops a "mastermind" able to create devious plans he will probably become the worst villain the series could have. I'm curious to see what will become of him in Warrior Witch!
6. I think the king wants Tristan to set them free and help him rule. I think he does care about his son, but also desperately wants him to be on his side so he can use him for his purposes. I'm not sure if the king is smarter - I think he might have an advantage because he's played this game for longer than Tristan. But Tristan is very smart, and I think the king is happy about that as long as Tristan plays the game as he would like him to. It might be odd, but I don't hate the king. I don't agree with how he acts, but I think he's such an important character in the story that I don't really hate him.
Aaah Cliffhanger endings..... I have mixed feelings about them. If they're not TOO crazy, like literally someone is hanging off a cliff, or plummeting off one lol. And it depends on if the writer got me to care enough. If I don't care enough, I could just drop the series. But if I really care, and it's not a life/death cliffhanger then I'm fine with it. It matters how I feeeeel :P I know that's not much of an answer. I don't know what I would do if I was in Cécile's shoes. I guess I would go with the thought that I would go back somehow. Sneak in and help. I dunno.
I thought Tristan was a bit cruel but desperate. How could he trust all these half bloods with so much at stake? So I understand why. It's just one of those no win type things.
I think people are more tough on Cécile because we're more in her head. We want to live through her, so I guess if she does something someone doesn't agree with, it may make people twitchy? Haha
Oh Roland. He just seems like an insane menace right now. Like a rapid animal that isn't in control. But we don't really see much of him. At this point it doesn't seem like he's a player in the game. Maybe like a trap card or a pawn.
Mod
Hahah, I've seen books end mid sentence. Now THAT is annoying!
Mod
On to the questions!
1. I hate and love cliffhangers. They ..."
Hi Nicole,
I still have to post the summaries. My agent's intern drafts them for me, but I haven't had a chance to proofread them yet. My to-do list is too long !
Moving to another country with your husband is a really good comparison, especially if it will be a very long time before you have a chance to visit home. I think the big difference is that you can still communicate with them as often as you like through all our glorious modern technology, so you aren't completely cut off from them.
It's true that Roland has the capacity to become quite the villain, as he IS intelligent. In a way, he's a perfect villain, because the fact that he's an eight-year-old boy makes everyone more reluctant to do him any harm, even if he deserves it. I don't know about you, but in horror movies/books, I always find the child-monsters the absolute worst for this very reason.
I LOVE the King. Trying to puzzle out his plots was one of my favorite parts of writing this series. He's just so darn complex compared to any other character.
Mod
1. I have mixed feelings with cliffhangers. It depends. I love cliffhangers because it makes me anticipate for the next book. Because there are these occasions when I get bored in the middle of the series, and having a good cliffhanger would make me want to read the next one and not break the hype. There are also cliffhangers I hate for actually REALLY putting me on edge. I mean, I love it too, because it means it's really good and I can expect more on the next books. What I hate about it is the feeling of not being able to take my mind off of it. lol. The struggle. The torture... you know. :p2. This is a tough question. Cecile has a great relationship with her family and friends, and exchanging her previous life for Tristan is harder that it may seem... But, oh well if it's me... Trollus is something else, and also, I found new friends. Sooner or later, I'll also decide to be independent. As long as I have news about my family, I think I'll be fine. lol. I'll just think of it as really building a new family with the man I love. So I'll choose to stay in Trollus.
3. Tristan was caught up in the moment. He was too desperate that he forgot to think thoroughly about the consequences of his decision. He also has trust issues. lol
4. Let's be honest here.... Because Tristan is pretty-faced-bastard. lol. Kidding aside, I agree with Ellie here. I get to blend my emotion with Cecile's that with Tristan. So when Cecile decides something I think was stupid, it has more impact to me.
5. Before reading Warrior Witch, I thought of him as a threat. I know how strong Angouleme's hold to Roland. He's just a kid after all.
6. In Stolen Songbird, the king wants to test Tristan on so many ways. He's scary but I think he still cares for Tristan. But having seen so many kings/emperors (and the likes) as villains on YA high fantasy novels, I also thought of him the same as those royal villains --- cunning, cruel etc. Haha
Better late than never :p
Nicole wrote: "Just checking: the chapter summaries haven't been posted yet, right? I sometimes have a hard time finding messages on Goodreads groups.On to the questions!
1. I hate and love cliffhangers. They ..."
Hi Nicole,
I'm Penny, Danielle's publicist. You're the winner of this week's signed copy of Warrior Witch. Please send me an email with your address to penny.reeve@angryrobotbooks.com and I'll arrange to get you a copy sent over.
Thanks,
P
1. I personally think of them as a necessary evil of sorts. While they do leave a niggling sense of anxiety in the pit of my stomach and prompt me to invent a million different alternate endings to the cliffhanger (only to have the actual ending blow all my theories out of the water), these endings also give me a world of hope (and dread...but that's not important!) about the book and make me wait for the next installment with an open and eagerly awaiting heart (*cough* warrior witch *cough*)2. If I were Cecile, would it mean that her family and friend's would be mine too? Or are we talking ME personally? If its the former, then considering the amount of love I (being cecile) had for tristan, of course I'd stay. It's better to live with absence than with a broken heart (especially given her situation). If it's the latter we're talking about, then it would depend. While tristan seems like a great guy and all, I wouldn't be inclined to stay with him just based off of what I've read about him in this one book. Maybe if I really were there, living with him, I could change my mind. But it would take me a lot to let go of my family and friends. However, after reading the second book as well, I know that he's worth it and yes I would stay! (That's my final answer :) )
3. His decision doesn't really sit well with me because he is supposed to be the leader of these half-bloods and future king. His forcing of their will makes him a tyrant almost equivalent to his father. Yet, I do understand his decision to do this as well. He was desperate. He was untrusting. And above all, he was madly in love (which in both the fictional and non-fictional realms makes people do stupid things). Obviously, it was a mistake, because he should've asked the half-bloods before deciding to force them into an action they may have been happy to perform of their free will (which is what I would've done, by the way). Also, if he had thought about the entire situation with a clear head, he may have been able to find an alternative course of action to the one he took because lets face it, Tristan is a pretty darn smart guy (for the most part).
4. I personally fall victim to this on a regular basis *sigh*, but the reason I do it is because Tristan's need to plan everything out and his trust no-one attitude may protect him from people like Angouleme, but it really does make him someone who we always anticipate of making a mistake. The fact that Tristan is calculated makes me as a reader waiting for him to make his 'big mistake', so when it actually happens, I'm already expecting it, and I internally go "Great Tristan, you finally did it. Now do something and fix your mess!". With Cecile, I expect her to be a moral compass of sorts. Tristan is the battle machine while Cecile is its' heart (I don't even know if that analogy makes sense). When Cecile does something wrong, to me it's like my role model messing up in front of me, and that's disappointing. We expect Cecile to do the right thing since she's the one with a softer hear than tristan and his opposite, so if he's expected to do wrong, she's expected to balance that out!
5. *WARNING: I give this feedback AFTER reading the second book, so I don't know if that's cheating...* Roland is kind of a gray area to me. He's been used by power hungry trolls and I can't help but think what would've happened if he were brought up in his own home and got to have a real bond with Tristan (which I think is something he's always craved). He's not a villain to me, but rather a wild card. One should be wary around him, but I don't think he has personal and evil intentions towards anyone. He just acts the way he's been pushed to act. (I have this theory that he may even prove to be a key component in Tristan and Cecile's victory).
6. I probably shouldn't answer this cause all the facts have mushed together for me at this point *shamefully blushes*
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1. How do you feel about cliffhanger endings?
2. If you were Cécile, would you have made the choice to stay in Trollus with Tristan if it meant NEVER seeing your friends or family ever again?
3. Instead of just asking for their help, Tristan blackmails the half-bloods into giving him their true names so that he can force them to assist in freeing Cécile from Trollus. Many of them are killed as a result. How did you feel about his decision? Was it a mistake? What would you have done in his situation?
4. I’ve noticed that readers tend to be more forgiving of Tristan’s mistakes than Cécile’s, despite the fact his are more calculated. Why do you think that is?
5. Tell me your thoughts on Roland. Do you consider him a villain, or is he just a threat like the sluag? Why?
6. Just based on what you’ve learned in Stolen Songbird (No insight from Hidden Huntress or Warrior Witch), what do you think the King wants from Tristan? Do you think he cares about him? Do you think the King is smarter than Tristan? How do you feel about the King in general?