Line #42 Creator/DanielleLJensen


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/photo_4_9.jpg]]
2
3	Danielle L. Jensen is a Canadian author of [[Main/YoungAdultLiterature young adult]] fantasy. She is specifically the USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy''.
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5	Danielle graduated college in 2003 from the University of Calgary with a bachelor’s degree in finance and in 2010, went back to school to complete an English literature degree at Mount Royal University and to pursue publication.
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7	!!Her work includes:
8	[[index]]
9	* ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy''
10	** ''Stolen Songbird'' (2014)
11	** ''Hidden Huntress'' (2015)
12	** ''Warrior Witch'' (2016)
13	** ''The Broken Ones'' (prequel, 2017)
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15	* ''Literature/TheBridgeKingdomArchives''
16	** ''The Bridge Kingdom'' (2018 as Audible Originals audiobook, 2019 in book form)
17	** ''Traitor Queen'' (2019 as Audible Originals audiobook and in book form)
18	** ''The Inadequate Heir'' (2021 as Audible Originals, 2022 in book form).
19	** ''The Endless War'' (2023 as Audible Originals and in book form)
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21	* ''Literature/DarkShores''
22	** ''Dark Shores'' (2019)
23	** ''Dark Skies'' (2020)
24	** ''Tarnished Empire'' (prequel, 2021)
25	** ''Gilded Serpent'' (2021)
26	** ''Scorched Earth'' (to be released in 2025)
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28	* ''Saga of the Unfated''
29	** ''A Fate Inked in Blood'' (2024)
30
31	[[/index]]
32	!!Common tropes in her work include:
33	* AbusiveParents: King Silas Veliant of Maridrina in ''The Bridge Kingdom'', who treats his daughters as bargaining chips and tools; Duke d'Angouleme in ''Malediction Trilogy'', who is a {{Sadist}} and also treats his daughters as tools to achieve his goals.
34	* AltarDiplomacy: Lara and Aren from ''The Bridge Kingdom'' get married as a part of peace treaty. In ''Dark Shores'' [[CorruptPolitician Cassius]] agrees [[ArrangedMarriage to marry Lydia]] to gain political favor from her foster father, senator Valerius.
35	* ChekhovsGun:
36	** In ''Literature/MaledictionTrilogy'': At the beginning of ''Hidden Huntress'' Cecile's friend Chris buys a a small charm that is supposed to protect the wearer from magic, which Cecile dismisses as rubbish. By the end, it turns out the charm worked -- because it was made from witches' bane, rowan. And in ''Warrior Witch'', Martin the librarian steals a bottle of magical Elixir de la Lune to bind himself with the girl he loves, which later on turns out to be highly important not only for couples in love.
37	** In ''Literature/TheBridgeKingdomArchives'' a letter to king Silas that Aren begins to write soon after his marriage to Lara (and never finishes) turns out to be very important near the end.
38	** In ''Literature/DarkShores'': Small ornaments that Teriana wears in her braids turn out to be very important [[spoiler: after she's kidnapped.]]
39	** In ''[[Literature/DarkShores Dark Skies]]'' High Lord Torrington is the only one who drinks wine during the council meeting although he quickly puts his goblet away and makes a face. A few chapters later [[spoiler: he turns out to be infected with blight]].
40	* TheChessmaster: King Silas of Maridrina; troll king Thibault in ''Malediction Trilogy''. Both have plots in place that would take years to come to fruition.
41	* DamselOutOfDistress: Cecile from ''Malediction Trilogy'', Lara from ''The Bridge Kingdom'' and Teriana from ''Dark Shores'' are not helpless and can easily take care of themselves, often to the surprise of those around.
42	* {{Deuteragonist}}: All Jensen's series have the female character (Cecile, Lara, Teriana, Lydia) as TheProtagonist, with male character (Tristan, Aren, Marcus, Killian) as Deuteragonist. Women get proportionally more time as PoV but their partners (husbands) are equally important for the plot.
43	* FantasyCounterpartCulture:
44	** Isle de la Lumiere, where ''Malediction Trilogy'' is set, seems to be an equivalent of 17th century France, as shown by the names of characters, fashion, entertainment and weapons.
45	** Maridrina is loosely based on Arabic caliphates, with their [[RoyalHarem harems]], general disregard for women and treating them as property of their fathers and later husbands. Geographically, most of the land is barren desert, which can only be crossed by caravans with camels and the kingdom is constantly fighting with its neighbour Valcotta over a thin strip of fertile land on the coast.
46	** As the author herself claims, the Celendrial Empire in ''Dark Shores'' is based on the Ancient Rome, with their legions, conquests, political system (from the republican period), fashion and role of women.
47	** ''Saga of the Unfated'' is set in Skalandia and Nordelandia, which are very similar to Wiking-period Scandinavia, the main difference is that Norse gods are real and interfere in people's lives.
48	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Whether it's humans and trolls in ''Malediction Trilogy'', Maridrina and Ithicana in ''Bridge Kingdom Archives'' or Celendor and the Maarin in ''Dark Shores'', the male and female protagonists (conveniently, coming from the opposing side of the conflict) soon come to realise that they are not so different, that both sides of the conflict have their points and that neither is fully good or completely evil.
49	* GenderIsNoObject:
50	** Troll society in ''Malediction Trilogy'' works this way. What matters is a troll's level of magical power and the family they come from, gender is irrelevant.
51	** In the kingdom of Ithicana in ''The Bridge Kingdom'' everyone needs to fight to protect the country, so women fight alongside men.
52	** Zigzagged in ''Saga of the Unfated'', as women in Skalandia and Nordelandia can be warriors, seers or even jarls... but most of them are still expected to marry, bear children and obey their husbands.
53	** {{Subverted}} in the Celendrial Empire in ''Dark Shores'', where women are treated as the property of their men (fathers, brothers, husbands). Played straight on the Dark Shores, where women are equal to men and some of them are military (the best general in Gamdeshian army is its Sultan's daughter) and political (empress Ereni) leaders. Zigzagged in Mudamora, where, especially in the South, women are not really expected to be soldiers and [[LadyOfWar Dareena Falorn]] was not chosen as a Queen mostly because of her gender--which has not stopped her from becoming High Lady (leader) of her House.
54	* MalignedMixedMarriage: Tristan and Cecile in ''Malediction Trilogy'' - he's a troll, she's a human and trolls look down on and despise humans. Aren and Lara in ''The Bridge Kingdom'', since their home countries have been at war for as long as anyone can remember and Ithicanians treat Lara with distrust.
55	* MarriageBeforeRomance: Tristan and Cecile, because of a [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight a prophecy]]; Aren and Lara for political reasons. Both couples meet on the day of their wedding.
56	* OffingTheOffspring: What king Silas of Maridrina has planned for eleven of his daughters. And how [[spoiler: Anushka the witch has managed to stay alive for hundreds of years]] in ''Malediction Trilogy''. Also, princess Malahi from ''Dark Skies'' is afraid her father wants to kill her to bury their DarkSecret forever.
57	* PerfectlyArrangedMarriage:
58	** Cecile and Tristan, partly thanks to troll love potion that all couples drink on their wedding day.
59	** Aren and Lara also gradually become this, following a long period of distrust after their politically-motivated marriage.
60	** {{Subverted}} with Lydia and Lucius Cassius--the marriage is strictly political and ends before it really begins.
61	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething:
62	** Royal twins Aren and Ahnna of Ithicana both fight to protect their homeland from raiders and often get wounded in the process.
63	** Royal family of Trollus in ''Malediction Trilogy'' is tasked with maintaining the magical "tree", without which Trollus would be destroyed.
64	** On Dark Shores most political leaders (who may or may not be royals) are also military leaders: Gamdeshi army is led by its Sultan's daughter, empress Ereni of Arinoquia is a warrior and Teriana's mother Tesya is a trumvir and a captain of a merchant vessel.
65	* ScarsAreForever:
66	** All trolls in ''Malediction Trilogy'' can heal any wound, unless it was caused by [[ColdIron iron]]. Tristan has a network of scars covering his back from the time he was flogged with iron-tipped whips. And Cecile, who is human, has a long and nasty scar along her ribs from the time she was beaten up by Tristan's brother Roland.
67	** Lara bears many scars from her training - as well as from lashing she received from her teachers. Aren does not react very well to seeing the latter. And Ithicanian warrior Taryn has scars on her ribs from being bitten by a shark.
68	** At one point in ''Dark Shores'', the legionnaires and Teriana tell stories about their various scars. Marcus has one on his face, where an arrow almost hit him.

Context Creator / DanielleLJensen