I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Published by Macmillan on February 7, 2017
Source: Netgalley
Genres: Dark Fantasy, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy, General, Historical, Romance, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 448
“Wintersong is a maze of beauty and darkness, of music and magic and glittering things, all tied together with exquisite writing. This is a world you will want to stay lost in.” —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling authorDark, romantic, and unforgettable, Wintersong is an enchanting coming-of-age story for fans of Labyrinth and Beauty and the Beast.
The last night of the year. Now the days of winter begin and the Goblin King rides abroad, searching for his bride...
All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They’ve enraptured her mind, her spirit, and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen and helping to run her family’s inn, Liesl can’t help but feel that her musical dreams and childhood fantasies are slipping away.
But when her own sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl has no choice but to journey to the Underground to save her. Drawn to the strange, captivating world she finds—and the mysterious man who rules it—she soon faces an impossible decision. And with time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she truly is before her fate is sealed.
Rich with music and magic, S. Jae-Jones's Wintersong will sweep you away into a world you won’t soon forget.
"This was Labyrinth by way of Angela Carter. Deliciously romantic, with a nuanced Goblin King and a strong heroine, this story was rife with fairy tales, music, and enchantment." —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen
Note: Kristin reads and reviews both Christian and secular fiction on A Simply Enchanted Life. Out of respect for my readers, I am including a content review. This content review will help you decide whether this book is suitable for you.
Christian or Secular: Secular
ASEL Rating: moderately suggestive romance scenes, moderately detailed violence, etc.
Content to be aware of: Sexual situations, mild violence
Suggested Age: Can I say no one? Fine..18+
Oh, my stars and garters. This main character is so infuriating I kept hoping the goblin king would kill her. If I had the magic ability to kill book characters I’d be sitting in fictional jail right now.
Rarely ever am I so “nasty” in a review but this book had the most frustrating, the whiniest MC I’ve ever encountered. If you thought Katniss could be whiny you’ve not read Wintersong. Liesl makes Katniss look positively charming.
Also, I keep saying that I’m not a prude but I guess I am. Cause, reading about a teenager getting her freak on is NOT my thing.
If the sex scenes themselves weren’t annoying enough, Liesl’s constant pressuring for sex was. NO MEANS NO. Had this been a male character pressuring a female for sex, I have a feeling a lot of people would have been angry. Imagine a male character grabbing a woman by her private parts and demanding to not be denied. Liesl was a wannabe rapist who had absolutely no respect at all for her husband. It is not okay to pout, demand or guilt your partner into sleeping with you. PERIOD.
And can we talk about the whole, “she bled so she’s a virgin,” thing? Puh-lease. Had this author done any amount of reading at all she’d know that not all girls bleed the first time.Even if she did, it’s so overdone in books. Just stop, no one wants to read this one more time in a romance novel. We’re over it.
Plus, the goblin king kept calling her “dear” and “my dear.” This grated on my nerves. I kept reading it in a Rumple (Once upon a Time) voice. Actually, I think I started imagining him looking like Rumple.
Anyway, I always try to say something nice about a book when I review it. So, I mean…the cover is nice. The book was so bad I mourn those hours I’ll never get back. But, the cover is pretty at least.
Great review. I’m sorry you didn’t like the book though. This book sounds interesting enough, but I”m surprised about the sex and how whiny the MC is haha. I’ve never read this book, but I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.
It was the fact the sex was so abusive is what bothered me. He repeatedly asked her to stop or NO and she continued. Then destroyed a room because he wouldn’t continue.
Grabbing at his crotch and trying to force him, stating that his moans of pain and pleasure all sounded the same—it was just so rapey to me. :(
Yeah, and I think you’re right about if it was the other way around it would be a big problem. I’ve heard so many good things about this book too so it surprises me that so many people seem to look past that I guess.
There are a few of us on Amazon and Goodreads who called it out. I try not to read reviews before I write mine when I dislike a book. So, after this went live, I decided to see if anyone felt the same. There were a few!
Also, you know, I have read books with sexual content (The Sword of Truth series comes to mind) and it didnt weird me out. I really don’t think I am a prude. The character in this book is practically the age of my daughter though so it is just weird for me.
Yeah I totally understand. It’s nice to see honesty though :)
I loved the book .. great review ❤
That’s okay! We all have different tastes! Glad you loved it! ?