Mundie Moms

Saturday, February 11, 2017

WINTERSONG By S. Jae-Jones / Blog Tour: Book Review #Wintersong


Welcome to the next stop in the WINTERSONG blog tour, hosted by St. Martin's Publishing. Today's  stop features my book review, and be sure to check out the glossary for Wintersong below *click on the image to enlarge it*.

ABOUT THE BOOK


By: S. Jae-Jones
Published by: St. Martin / Thomas Dunne Books
Released on: February 7th, 2017
Purchase from: The Publisher | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 4 Stars - I Enjoyed It
Source: e-arc to read from the publisher / purchased copy 

Dark, 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.
A seductive, richly woven story. S. Jae-Jone's WINTERSONG is a book that will sweep you into a dark, enchanting story, and leave you wanting more. Jones's writing is mesmerizing. I love the poetic, and romantic tones to her storytelling. Together, these elements compliment the setting perfectly. 

I am a sucker for a dark, romantic, and fantasy, and this book was just what I needed to break my reading slump. There are so many elements to this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of my favorites is the mystery of The Goblin King, and the history he and Liesel have. There's this romantic notion between the two, and a relationship that is complicated by the laws that govern The Goblin King's world. It's one that makes them at times friends, and then enemies, as they play a dangerous game that has all the odds stacked against Liesl. 

This story has a love-hate relationship that I enjoyed. It worked. I loved what it grew into. It's a bittersweet one that makes you wish there more to come after this book ends, and leaves you feeling a little heartbroken for each character. I really liked how music ties into this story. It reminded me of another dark, romantic story I love, The Phantom of the Opera. 

I really enjoyed the strength Liesl gains on her character journey. I also liked how she, and The Goblin King are able to see past the walls they both put up. It was interesting to see how vulnerable they both were in a few scenes together, and how each of them reacted to it. I fell in love with The Goblin King as much as Liesl does during those scenes. It was easy to feel compassion for him, and his situation. Something he's not able to control, but has to endure.

I loved this setting. It really set the mood for the story. This world is dark, mysterious, intriguing, and magical. It is as dangerous as it is enchanting. It's one I enjoyed being lost in right along side Liesl. I loved the way the real world, and the fae world are blurred. The Goblin King's world is definitely ruthless. 


The slow pacing, something that often annoys me in books, worked great for this book. I loved that there was more showing vs telling. Had it been a fast paced book, it would have lost the showing this story needs. The showing is what pulled me into this book. I get that some readers won't enjoy it, but this book definitely wouldn't have worked had it had more telling.

While I did enjoy much of this book, there were a few things I wasn't a fan of. Towards the last 1/3 of the book Liesl becomes very hot, and cold. So much so I re-read part of the part just to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a page or two. Thankfully that confusion didn't last too long, but it was enough to pull me out of the story, and wonder what the heck was going on. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the writing to the setting, and everything in between. S. Jae-Jones gave me a story I hoped for, and one I look forward to re-reading again. I know this won't be a story everyone will like, but it's one I absolutely loved spending the afternoon reading. 

WINTERSONG GUIDE / GLOSSARY



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


S. Jae-Jones (called JJ) is an artist, an adrenaline junkie, and erstwhile editrix. When not obsessing over books, she can be found jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, co-hosting the Pub(lishing) Crawl podcast, or playing dress-up. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in North Carolina.

Connect with her online: TwitterTumblrFacebookInstagram, and her blog.

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