Wintersong – S. Jae-Jones
*Warning – may contain spoilers*
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Publisher: Titan Books
First published: 2017
Edition: First edition paperback
Pages: 508
Blurb: All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the
beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They’ve enraptured her spirit and inspired
her musical compositions. Now eighteen, Liesl can’t help but feel that her
musical dreams and childhood fantasies are slipping away.
But when her sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl must 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.
With time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she
truly is before her fate is sealed.
History of my copy: Wintersong was the featured book of the 6th
Illumicrate box, from February 2017. See my unboxing post here. It came with a
letter from S. Jae-Jones, a bookmark and a signed bookplate.
Wintersong isn’t the sort of book I would pick up for
myself to read, despite my love of music and its obvious connections to that.
However, I absolutely adored it, and that is one of my favourite things about
book boxes – being introduced to books that I wouldn’t normally read.
Plot: Wintersong follows Liesl,
the eldest of 3 siblings, who is overlooked by everyone. Her sister is
kidnapped by the Goblin King to become his bride in a retelling of Labyrinth.
Liesl’s job is to save her, without getting lost in the Underworld herself.
However, that is easier said than done. After all, the Goblin King is still
looking for his Queen…
Setting: As you can gather, a large part
of the book is set in the Underground home of the Goblin King. I’ve never read
a book where the setting, which should be so desolate, was so simply
enchanting. Despite the savagery that comes with the goblins, the whole book is
so beautifully described that you can’t help but fall a little bit in love with
it all.
Characters: I related to Liesl so much
she is my favourite. She had so many issues that are delved deep into
throughout the story. She’s a composer but is told to ‘grow up’ and ‘focus on
other things’ whilst being lost against her beautiful sister and brilliant
musical brother. Whilst I tend to get a little fed up of the ‘selfless heroine
who is constantly in the shadows but is actually super lovely and talented’, I
couldn’t help but adore Liesl.
I also loved the character of the Goblin
King. Sorry not sorry but I’m an absolute sucker for a bad guy that is just
lost underneath it all. I like villains that aren’t true villains, enemies that
you can learn to love, and the Goblin King is one of them. This book is just as
much about them finding each other as it is about them finding themselves.
To read or not to
read: Read. Read. Read. I absolutely adored this book!
