The Broken Ones by Danielle L. Jensen

This book really challenged me to change my perceptions of Trolls. Two images come to mind when I think of trolls: the little dolls that were popular when my mother was young and again when I was young,

and then this guy ------>

Neither one of these trolls would be my idea of something beautiful. However, from the beginning of the story, the author asked me to think of trolls as beautiful creatures. She described them as

The story is technically a prequel, but is suggested by the author as the third book to read in the series. The order is as follows: 1. Stolen Songbird, 2. Hidden Huntress, 3. The Broken Ones, and 4. Warrior Witch. To see more of her reasoning, visit her comment on Goodreads. I read it as a stand alone before seeing the suggested reading order.

The setting is Trollus, a cursed land that the inhabitants cannot leave. They rely on the magic of the King to protect them from an avalanche of stone. Even so, the King is somewhat of a tyrant. He sends half-bloods and humans to the labyrinth, a certain death, for not meeting quotas in the mines. Only those with magic are worthy. Years in partial imprisonment has led to inbreeding and an affliction of iron poisoning. Bonding to an iron poisoned Troll can lead to death for both bonded partners. Amongst all of these concerns, emerges the prince, Tristan, who opposes his fathers position on those who are not full-blooded Trolls. He enlists the help of his friends to begin and sustain a resistance movement.

Two of his friends are the voice of this novel. Marc and Penelope alternate perspectives. More than anything this is the story of Marc.

This was a clean read but does contain basic information regarding premarital sex, pregnancy, miscarriages, death, physical and mental abuse, and insubordination. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, was surprised by the unique elements, and plan on reading the other stories in this series. This would be a great story for anyone who loves fantasy and are willing to give trolls a chance.

The Hypnotic City by Andrea Berthot

The Hypnotic City is the second in the Gold and Glasslight Chronicles. I read this book as a stand alone. It does not completely reveal the previous story, but I definitely know the basics after reading the Hypnotic City.

The book is set in the theater world of New York City in the early 1900s. Philomena and her friend Jennie are escaping London after an extended quarantine had been lifted from the city. Philomena is the daughter of an earl, but she has only ever felt like a bird in a gilded cage. She steals some of the family wealth and sets out to America to be her own person and seek success on the stage.

While in America, she encounters all of the problems that face a young unknown actress: theives, false friends, disinterested producers, exploitative employers and the need to find a way to survive. Philomena and Jennie find a balance about the time that Jennie falls in love, gets married and leaves to help her husband in his new business. Philomena finds herself on her own in a job that feels like a dead end. One of her co-workers arranges for Philomena to get an important audition only to have the stage manager make fun of her and the producer to dismiss her without even listening to her audition. All of the stress leads Philomena to do something rash while performing at her job. However, that moment is the beginning of big things for Philomena, not least of which attracts a monster. Read The Hypnotic City to see if Philomena is able to make it big and escape the monster that pursues her.