Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Series: Wintersong #1

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling

Release Date: February 7, 2017

Format: Kindle

Source: Overdrive library loan

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

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. But when her sister Kathe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her. The Goblin King agrees to let Kathe go - for a price. In exchange for her sister's freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King and 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 willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

It's not often that I reach for fantasy. It's just not my genre. But every now and then a synopsis jumps out at me and I set aside my contemporaries for a walk into another world. (And naturally the mention of the Goblin King gave me David Bowie vibes in all his 1980's, eye-linered, choppy-haired, singing glory as Goblin King Jareth. - See: Labyrinth) Reading that Jae-Jones initially started Wintersong as a sort of Labyrinth retelling sealed the deal.

What I got from Wintersong was a mixed bag. Some things I loved, some not so much. While I caught only minor nods to Labyrinth, there was still plenty to enjoy. On the plus side, Liesl was not the typical beautiful YA heroine (finally!). She was described (many times) as plain - the homely sister of the village beauty. Thumbs up for having a lead who was not the devastatingly pretty girl that everyone fawned over. It made it easier to relate to Liesl's feelings of desire: the desire to be the pretty one, the desire to be special, the desire to be the one who garnered all the attention. Like the attention of the Goblin King. And he is where the real story and the real draw was for me. The Goblin King was so mysterious, so complex, and so enigmatic that I was desperate to know more. I would have loved to have had a dual POV in this one - to be inside the Goblin King's head. The mere thought makes me giddy. 

Despite my fascination with the Goblin King, Wintersong wasn't without its problems. There were a lot of times where I was just plain confused - trying to determine what was really happening, what was just a dream or hallucination, what it all meant. And I don't know if that was due to the execution, the writing style, or maybe it was just me. The writing had a hazy, dreamy sort of quality that, while beautiful, too often left me scratching my head wondering what exactly was happening. In addition, the in-depth passages about musical composition were so detailed and so frequent that it became tedious. As someone with no musical training or ability, it all went right over my head and was wasted on me. 

I will say that the ending got to me. It wasn't what I wanted or expected and therefore wasn't really satisfying, but it was emotional and left me a bit heartsick. So, despite the slow pace of this one (a lot of detail without a lot happening), I have no doubt that I will pick up the next book to learn the fate of Liesl and the Goblin King. 

3.25/5 STARS

Have you read Wintersong? What did you think?