Wintersong Book Review

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Rating: 3.5/5

Goodreads Summary:

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

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.

Thoughts and Opinions:

          I didn't really know much going into this book, I just saw it and got it because I've seen a lot about it online. Then I started reading and goblins were the last thing I expected. The book kinda have this Spiderwick Chronicles feel to it with the goblin characters (it's probably just a me thing since I liked the Spiderwick Chronicles and any goblin related things just makes me think of the movie), Hades mythology (in a way) and The Book Thief (the character's name is Leisl and it's also set in Germany) vibe to it. And if you happen to like one of them, then you probably will like this book too. I was a bit surprised when I first started reading because it mentioned goblins and I had no idea what I signed up for, but I liked it. I liked the concept of it especially the music theme. Personally, I'm not good at music or know the keys and all the fun stuff, but I love listening to music so it was also cool because it felt like I learned something about it.
         I liked the romance between Liesl and Der Erlkonig (Goblin King). The chemistry between them was just too much. There were times when I just wanted them to stop thinking and start getting together, and boy, when they finally did it was soooo good. I loved it. There were also aspects in the book like the other minor characters who were interesting. I think I fell in love with the Goblin King though because he was a gentle man and Liesl didn't get annoying like some main characters usually become in some books.
         What I didn't like though, is that it kind of dragged on a bit half way through the book, and it kind of reminded me of Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. It almost had the same idea, but not. Overall though, I enjoyed it and I would probably read the next book cause I'm curious about what's going to happen between Liesl and Der Erlkonig.