Title: Wintersong
Author: S. Jae-James
Series: N/A
Pages: 448
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Release Date: February 7th 2017
*I received a copy of this book through NetGalley, which does not influence my review*
“All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.
But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.
Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.”
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones has a gorgeous setting that begs to be explored, but its characters failed to draw me in. Liesl has grown up in a family that doesn’t quite appreciate her. Much of her life revolves around taking care of her younger brother, Josef, and helping him grow into a talented musician. Though Liesl once had her own dreams, she chose to bury them deep in order to help her brother succeed. Her relationship with her sister Käthe is much more rocky. Liesl’s practicality is juxtaposed with Käthe’s easy nature. Liesl is haunted by memories of an otherworldly childhood companion, memories that she is convinced are just a figment of her imagination. When Käthe is taken, Liesl can no longer deny these memories and must enter the Underground and claim her sister before she is lost forever.
Liesl is supposed to be a sympathetic character and for the most part, I did sympathize with her. She had loads of musical talent herself, but was forced to play second fiddle to her brother. Käthe was always looked at as the pretty one, while Liesl has come to accept that she is plain. Unfortunately, Liesl spent far too much time bemoaning these things. She continually put herself down and at every turn, denied her own talent because in her mind it would detract from her brother. What bothered me more was Liesl’s insistence on describing herself as plain. She seemed far too wrapped up in this fact and after a while, I tired of her putting such importance on how she looked. Liesl’s character does shine when it comes to music. A talented composer, Liesl has had little time to devote to her art and it was only when she was embracing this side of her, that I really felt moved by her character.
Liesl’s relationship with the Goblin King is confusing. Der Erlkönig is many things, beautiful and dangerous, one moment he is callous and the next surprisingly shy. Unfortunately, this made me feel like I was reading about two different characters that I was never able to reconcile. These contrasting traits made it even more difficult to feel anything when it came to the romance. Liesl and the Goblin King’s exchanges were at first filled with tension and it kept me reading, but quickly became tedious, especially when the protagonist didn’t quite understand her feelings and never really seemed to question them. We are told these two were friends when they were children, but are given little to no backstory regarding this. I would have liked a couple of flashbacks, just to put their relationship into perspective.
I did appreciate that Liesl finally came into her own and Jae-Jones had such beautiful descriptions when it came to the Goblin King’s world, but in the end I was left wanting more.
Rating: 2/5
★★
Aw no I’ve been hearing good things about this one! It’s too bad it wasn’t quite satisfying, it seemed like it had such potential. Lovely review though! ❤
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I know! I really wanted to like this one and the cover is awfully breathtaking, but it just did not do it for me. Thank you!
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oh no, I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this one as much as some other people. I’ve been really excited for it but I’m starting to see more and more mixed reviews which makes me nervous to read it. Great review!
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I’ve only seen a couple of negative reviews in regard to this one, but I have a feeling more will creep up once its released. That might be too cynical. Thank you!
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I’m so glad I didn’t request to join the review tour for Wintersong. I was tempted. This world sounds quite enchanting but I also need a strong and robust character to drawn me in, and Liesl seems like she hasn’t quite broken out of her shell. Great review, Alicia!
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I love my character-driven novels and this one just didn’t meet my expectation. Thanks, Lonna!
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I sympathized with Liesl a lot too, she clearly got the short end of the stick. I agree that the relationship was confusing. They were so hot and cold and I questioned Liesl’s motives.
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So much hot and cold moments between the two that I really didn’t feel like I got to know either of them.
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The synopsis sounds great.
I like characters that draw me in too; I liked them to be developed and fleshed out well. Too bad Wintersong lacked strong characters that we can connect to.
Good review!
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That pretty much sums up my experience. I wanted more from the characters in this one. Thanks!
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I have heard similarly meh ish reviews
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Yeah, I saw a lot of praise for this one, but I have a feeling that after its release, there will be more “meh” reviews.
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I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this one more. I have to agree, I think the book was a lacking a bit of a backstory, especially with the two girls. While I thought this was beautifully written and enjoyable, I kind of felt like there could have been more, too. Great review!
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I do agree, that Jae-Jones has some beautiful writing in this one, but I felt next to nothing for the characters which made it hard to enjoy it. Thank you!
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That’s too bad that this didn’t turn out to be a great read for you… I’m interested but it’s not that high up my tbr.
Lauren @ Always Me
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I’d recommend checking it out from the library if you decide to pick it up.
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The main character sounds like Anne Shirley from Green Gables with her obsession with being plain. I got tired of Anne saying how plain she was, especially since she was so strong and hot-headed. There was a good personality there to help me get around toe appearance obsession. A self-sacrificing rug is never an interesting character, though.
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Oh Anne, she’s so vain, but I sort of love her anyways. The protagonist in this one just came across not knowing what she wanted or why she wanted it and was just all over the place.
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