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smithrachaelynn's review against another edition
1.0
I just didn’t enjoy reading this at all. I thought about not finishing it a bunch of times. I finished it, but I never got into this book.
noah_the_bookshop_boy's review against another edition
3.0
Musica e magia: questo è il mondo in cui ti perderai
La trama in poche righe
Wintersong ci trasporta in un mondo incantato e oscuro mentre seguiamo le vicende di Liesel, una giovane musicista con una passione incontenibile per la musica e la sua magia. Quando sua sorella Käte viene rapita dal misterioso Re dei Goblin, Liesl si immerge in un viaggio attraverso il sottosuolo per salvarla, incontrando creature magiche e affrontando prove mistiche lungo tutto il suo percorso.
I personaggi
S.Jae-Jones ha creato personaggi complessi: l’evoluzione della protagonista Liesl è convincente, nell’arco della storia passa dall’essere una ragazza insicura a essere una donna forte e determinata. Il Re dei Goblin è inquietante e affascinante allo stesso tempo, ha un’aura enigmatica che aggiunge mistero, quel mistero che lo rende intrigante. In fondo a chi non piacerebbe trovarsi di fronte a un cattivo dai modi misteriosi e affascinanti? In questo romanzo il tema della musica riveste un ruolo fondamentale e diventa quasi un personaggio a sé stante, infatti la trama si sviluppa in gran parte attraverso la connessione di Liesl con la musica.
Lo stile
Lo stile di S. Jae-Jones è ricco e poetico, ho perso il filo del discorso più volte durante la lettura perché mi è sembrato che alcune parti della storia fossero solo delle lungaggini evitabili. L’autrice però ci sa fare e attraverso le parole cattura la magia della musica e del mondo incantato in cui scendiamo insieme ai personaggi. Si dilunga in descrizioni dettagliate che nell’insieme dipingono ambientazioni oscure creando un’atmosfera unica, ma che rischiano di far distrarre il lettore e perdere il pathos della sequenza narrativa: un po’ come se facessimo un viaggio in macchina formato solo da improvvise accelerate e brusche frenate.
Wintersong
Wintersong esplora profondamente il tema della passione, in particolare attraverso i temi della musica e dell’amore, la storia si snoda sulle note suonate da Liesl e il suo legame esclusivo con il Re dei Goblin esplorando la magia intrinseca della musica e come questa possa essere mezzo per esprimere emozioni profonde e connettersi con il soprannaturale. La musica è magia e la narrazione esplora il concetto che le note possono plasmare la realtà, creando un ponte tre il mondo umano e quello fantastico; questo legame profondo tra musica e magia innesca un’atmosfera intensa e coinvolgente che avvolge l’intera storia. La passione di Liesl per quest’arte diventa elemento catalizzatore che apre porte verso mondi nascosti. Il tema della passione artistica viene approfondito attraverso il sacrificio personale della protagonista che decide di affrontare il Re dei Goblin e il mondo del sottosuolo per salvare sua sorella. Questo ci porta inevitabilmente a una riflessione profonda sulla nostra anima e su ciò che siamo disposti a compiere o sacrificare per amore della nostra arte e per coloro che amiamo. Non mancano i colpi di scena che, orchestrati nel modo giusto, contribuiscono a mantenere alto l’interesse del lettore per il romanzo. Il modo in cui si succedono gli eventi, alimentano la suspense e ci spingono a volerci immergere sempre di più, sempre più profondamente nel mondo magico di Wintersong.
Conclusioni
Wintersong è un romanzo che affascina e incanta, un’esperienza letteraria in cui troviamo mescolati elementi fantastici, emotivi, romantici e musicali. La musica che non solo è un accompagnamento alla storia, ma elemento vitale che plasma il destino dei personaggi e dei mondi che li circondano offrendo una prospettiva unica sulla forza dell’arte e della sua capacità di trasformare guidare le vicende. Una lettura che consiglio a chi cerca una storia magica con dei personaggi originali.
La trama in poche righe
Wintersong ci trasporta in un mondo incantato e oscuro mentre seguiamo le vicende di Liesel, una giovane musicista con una passione incontenibile per la musica e la sua magia. Quando sua sorella Käte viene rapita dal misterioso Re dei Goblin, Liesl si immerge in un viaggio attraverso il sottosuolo per salvarla, incontrando creature magiche e affrontando prove mistiche lungo tutto il suo percorso.
I personaggi
S.Jae-Jones ha creato personaggi complessi: l’evoluzione della protagonista Liesl è convincente, nell’arco della storia passa dall’essere una ragazza insicura a essere una donna forte e determinata. Il Re dei Goblin è inquietante e affascinante allo stesso tempo, ha un’aura enigmatica che aggiunge mistero, quel mistero che lo rende intrigante. In fondo a chi non piacerebbe trovarsi di fronte a un cattivo dai modi misteriosi e affascinanti? In questo romanzo il tema della musica riveste un ruolo fondamentale e diventa quasi un personaggio a sé stante, infatti la trama si sviluppa in gran parte attraverso la connessione di Liesl con la musica.
Lo stile
Lo stile di S. Jae-Jones è ricco e poetico, ho perso il filo del discorso più volte durante la lettura perché mi è sembrato che alcune parti della storia fossero solo delle lungaggini evitabili. L’autrice però ci sa fare e attraverso le parole cattura la magia della musica e del mondo incantato in cui scendiamo insieme ai personaggi. Si dilunga in descrizioni dettagliate che nell’insieme dipingono ambientazioni oscure creando un’atmosfera unica, ma che rischiano di far distrarre il lettore e perdere il pathos della sequenza narrativa: un po’ come se facessimo un viaggio in macchina formato solo da improvvise accelerate e brusche frenate.
Wintersong
Wintersong esplora profondamente il tema della passione, in particolare attraverso i temi della musica e dell’amore, la storia si snoda sulle note suonate da Liesl e il suo legame esclusivo con il Re dei Goblin esplorando la magia intrinseca della musica e come questa possa essere mezzo per esprimere emozioni profonde e connettersi con il soprannaturale. La musica è magia e la narrazione esplora il concetto che le note possono plasmare la realtà, creando un ponte tre il mondo umano e quello fantastico; questo legame profondo tra musica e magia innesca un’atmosfera intensa e coinvolgente che avvolge l’intera storia. La passione di Liesl per quest’arte diventa elemento catalizzatore che apre porte verso mondi nascosti. Il tema della passione artistica viene approfondito attraverso il sacrificio personale della protagonista che decide di affrontare il Re dei Goblin e il mondo del sottosuolo per salvare sua sorella. Questo ci porta inevitabilmente a una riflessione profonda sulla nostra anima e su ciò che siamo disposti a compiere o sacrificare per amore della nostra arte e per coloro che amiamo. Non mancano i colpi di scena che, orchestrati nel modo giusto, contribuiscono a mantenere alto l’interesse del lettore per il romanzo. Il modo in cui si succedono gli eventi, alimentano la suspense e ci spingono a volerci immergere sempre di più, sempre più profondamente nel mondo magico di Wintersong.
Conclusioni
Wintersong è un romanzo che affascina e incanta, un’esperienza letteraria in cui troviamo mescolati elementi fantastici, emotivi, romantici e musicali. La musica che non solo è un accompagnamento alla storia, ma elemento vitale che plasma il destino dei personaggi e dei mondi che li circondano offrendo una prospettiva unica sulla forza dell’arte e della sua capacità di trasformare guidare le vicende. Una lettura che consiglio a chi cerca una storia magica con dei personaggi originali.
lady_mel's review against another edition
5.0
Another re-telling of Beauty and The Beast.
Liesel grew up with tales of the Goblin King, and what happened to young girls who became enticed to his underground kingdom.
She found herself trapped in that kingdom herself. She has to find her younger sister, and then both of them has to escape. Only, she didn't plan on falling in love with the Goblin King.
Liesel grew up with tales of the Goblin King, and what happened to young girls who became enticed to his underground kingdom.
She found herself trapped in that kingdom herself. She has to find her younger sister, and then both of them has to escape. Only, she didn't plan on falling in love with the Goblin King.
ec_newman's review against another edition
3.0
This should not be shelved under YA, just a note. It is most definitely in the realm of NA or older, due to content and very much the age of the protagonist and the experiences she goes through.
This is a book I have a hard time knowing exactly what I think of it. In some ways, I did enjoy it. I finished it in three days which is impressive for the way my schedule has been. The world, the magic, the Goblin King, the music (very much a slight Phantom of the Opera vibe here) was all intriguing and new to me for the most part. So that was good.
But there were other things that bugged me. People talk about the beautiful prose, and i'm not sure I completely agree. There was the occasional sentence or paragraph that flowed well, but often it was figurative language that felt disjointed, or forced. Moments that needed to be drawn out were rushed, and stuff I didn't want to belabor on seemed to take forever. There was repetition of thoughts and ideas that had already been established, in the way I notice in my own drafts in the early stages where I forget if I've said that already or not. Like I get that Twig is the nice one. (I'm pretty sure it was said five times separately). The content that makes this not a YA was unnecessary to me. I got the desperation, I didn't need it detailed. Also, the prologue that reads like a fairy tale was lovely, but it gave stuff away about the protagonist's earlier years, and when she was trying to remember it, I was annoyed because I knew it already due to the prologue. Had that not been there, finding out along with her would have been more enjoyable.
So I commend the author on this story because it's definitely interesting, pieces of it fantastical and the lore was inviting. But for me, I won't continue this series. But I might pick up another by the author, in a different setting.
This is a book I have a hard time knowing exactly what I think of it. In some ways, I did enjoy it. I finished it in three days which is impressive for the way my schedule has been. The world, the magic, the Goblin King, the music (very much a slight Phantom of the Opera vibe here) was all intriguing and new to me for the most part. So that was good.
But there were other things that bugged me. People talk about the beautiful prose, and i'm not sure I completely agree. There was the occasional sentence or paragraph that flowed well, but often it was figurative language that felt disjointed, or forced. Moments that needed to be drawn out were rushed, and stuff I didn't want to belabor on seemed to take forever. There was repetition of thoughts and ideas that had already been established, in the way I notice in my own drafts in the early stages where I forget if I've said that already or not. Like I get that Twig is the nice one. (I'm pretty sure it was said five times separately). The content that makes this not a YA was unnecessary to me. I got the desperation, I didn't need it detailed. Also, the prologue that reads like a fairy tale was lovely, but it gave stuff away about the protagonist's earlier years, and when she was trying to remember it, I was annoyed because I knew it already due to the prologue. Had that not been there, finding out along with her would have been more enjoyable.
So I commend the author on this story because it's definitely interesting, pieces of it fantastical and the lore was inviting. But for me, I won't continue this series. But I might pick up another by the author, in a different setting.
annatherbook's review against another edition
2.0
“That one,” the merchant said, pointing to Käthe, whose head lolled against my shoulder, “burns like kindling. All flash, and no real heat. But you,” he said. “You smolder, mistress. There is a fire burning within you, but it is a slow burn. It shimmers with heat, waiting only for a breath to fan it to life. Most curious.” A slow grin spread over his mouth. “Most curious, indeed.”
I'm not sure what I think about this book. I'm disappointed and not a little bit confused but I didn't hate it. In fact I enjoyed some of it. I'm confused because I had a problem understanding what happened in some parts of the book. Maybe it's a language thing but big parts simply did not make sense to me. I get that in some folklore tales parts might be weird, eerie or obscure but then you know that its suppose to be that. You're not supposed to be confused about it. I found myself rereading som pages because I thought that I had missed something or that I misinterpreted something but usually rereading the page gave me no answers.
Some parts I really liked and some parts I did not enjoy at all. A lot of mixed feelings about this.
I love settings and stories about folklore but this lacked the feeling that folklore tales usually have. Maybe I'm a critic because I was raised on Swedish folklores about goblins, elves, Skogsfrun, changelings and so on. This book had a lot of promise but I just didn't get it.
What I liked
* I liked the Goblin King, Der Erlkönig. I liked the legend about him and the mystery surrounding him. I would have wanted more of the legend about the mysterious King of the Goblins.
* I liked the German setting. The woods, the Goblin Grove, the inn and the Underground! I would have wanted more of the eerie woods but it was still good!
* A lot of beautiful writing that remind me of legends and myths.
“There is music in your soul. A wild and untamed sort of music that speaks to me. It defies all the rules and laws you humans set upon it. It grows from inside you, and I have a wish to set that music free.”
What I didn't like
* I did not like Liesl as a character. She was being portrayed as the selfless older sister looking out for her siblings (Sepp more than Käthe) but I just found her to be extremely selfish and I had a hard time connecting with her. She constantly referred to herself as ugly, unlovely, unwanted and untalented. It got on my nerves. Especially since she had a lot of musical talent and kept putting herself down. It got really annoying.
* A lot of the characters had too many names!
Our main character Elisabeth was also called Liesl, Katharina the little sister nickname is Käthe and her brother Josef is also called Sepp and Sepperl. The Golin King is also called Der Erlkönig, Lord of Mischief and Liesl had different ways of referring to him as well. It was very confusing in the beginning.
* The way Liesl look at her sister was sometimes disturbing. I think Käthe was over sexualised and mostly in a negative way. And I got the feeling that Liesl resented her sister for being beautiful. I didn't like that being beautiful was what defined Käthes personality. Because she was beautiful she was also reckless, silly and stupid. There were a few small moments that she was given space to be something else but it was not enough.
She fluttered and flirted outrageously, carefully oblivious to the stares she drew like moths to the flame. Both men and women traced the lines of her body, the curve of her cheek, the pout of her lip. Looking at Käthe, it was difficult to forget just how sinful our bodies were, just how prone we were to wickedness
* I don't really know what the story wanted to accomplish. After reading it I felt: What was the point of this?
ryleeallison427's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out if 5 I enjoyed it the writing style the flow I just wish it didnt end the way it did. I love the basis but I think it had so much more potential. I loved it for that and I would reread it again but it isnt my favorite. I also wish we could have gotten to know the Goblin King more as I always found him fascinating I love him and his character so much and he deserves so much more.
charspages's review against another edition
2.0
I don't know how to feel.
I wanted to like [b:Wintersong|2476362|sophrologie une révolution en psychologie, pédagogie, médecine?|Henri Boon|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|2483559]. I wanted to love it so fiercely I'd weep with joy and disbelief at the ending, I'd talk about the characters nonstop as though they're real life friends, I'd have to lie down for an hour and a half in order to process what just happened.
But I just didn't.
In fact, I didn't even like it that much. On the contrary, I feel more like I did when I found out who Gossip Girl was: vacant, listening in because I've nothing better to do, slightly bored. I wanted a book that would devastate me like Zayn leaving One Direction devastated 16-year-old me, but I got a snoozefest and an endless array of bland characters instead. I am so thorougly underwhelmed, I don't even care strongly enough to be upset about finding such disappointment in a book I'd genuinely anticipated.
PLOT: 2 / 5
This story had so much potential. I mean, I love Goethe's ballad Der Erlkönig fiercely. I will forever be grateful for the fact that I can read that masterpiece of poetry in all its German glory. It's creepy, and slightly unsettling, and overall marvelous.
Which is everything [b:Wintersong|24763621|Wintersong (Wintersong, #1)|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479206906s/24763621.jpg|44394042] tried - and failed - to be. Like Golden Oreos, it was built on a promising idea, but the overall execution was a let-down.
I loved the whole Goblin aspect: Young Adult fantasy revolving around creepy and ugly creatures of the forest instead of your standard werewolf/vampire party? Sign me up. I'm a huge fan of anything that's a little out of the ordinary, just past the border of your comfort zone.
What [b:Wintersong|24763621|Wintersong (Wintersong, #1)|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479206906s/24763621.jpg|44394042] did was beat me with a broom so I would stay inside my comfort zone, where it could properly underwhelm me.
The goblins that I held such high hopes for turned out to be quite boring and not all that creepy, save for that one moment where they all speak as one messed-up goblin entity. Other than that, they were pretty nondescript.
I mean, if you're going to write about magical creatures of the forest that feel nothing but disdain for humans, I want to feel it in my bones. I want to keep checking over my shoulder every time I go outside in fear of being mauled by a goblin. I want to sleep with one eye open; I want to feel the trees watching me when I pass the forest.
So much for what I wanted.
Sadly, the world is, as John Green put it, not a wish-granting factory. What I got was ultimately a carbon copy of [a:Sarah J. Maas|3433047|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1269281353p2/3433047.jpg]'s equally interchangeable and boring servant creatures that tend to a bland, whiny heroine. Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it.
There were some parts of this book that gave me the creeps. Such as the scene at the market, when Käthe buys the peach from the goblin vendors, or when the little changeling tried to convince Elisabeth to take him to the world above. They were well-written, with just enough confusion strewn in to make me question everything I ever thought I knew. Sadly, those two or three silver linings weren't nearly enough to balance out the endless stretches of boredom in between.
This book stretches on for all infinity, and because there is no justice in the world, the mildly interesting plot kind of just dwindles away after the first half and leaves you with a messy, exceptionally boring collection of Liesl-and-the-Goblin-King-have-cringy-sex-scenes. Yawn.
I liked the part where Liesl went into the Underworld to retrieve Käthe. I liked the riddles and the festivities. I liked how Liesl herself ended up trapped underground, how nothing was what it seemed.
I did not like how the entire second half of this had no plot whatsoever. The most exciting thing was Liesl using her wedding dress to write a song even though she could have easily wished for paper, which was exciting only because I couldn't quite believe how dumb Liesl was being.
What's more is that all of the plot points from the first half - the ones that were promising so much potential, the ones that could have been fashioned into shocking twists that would have made me hang on for dear life - were predictable and, as such, no longer surprising. Which kind of subtracts the whole point of a plot twist.
I did not like this messy, boring, and random story line that was thrown at my feet like poor bait.
CHARACTERS: 2.5 / 5
HOO BOY, do I have a lot to say about these characters. Y'all know by now that I could care less about a boring plot if the characters make me want to get married right there and then. (Point proven: The Raven Cycle doesn't have the most exciting plot in the world, but I would willingly die for any of its characters.)
Sadly, Wintersong's characters could not outbalance the utterly boring plot, which tips the rating scale further towards two stars.
The protagonist, LIESL, also known as ELISABETH VOGLER, has approximately two character traits: whining about her boring life and being jealous of literally everyone around her. Combine that with her favorite hobbies - giving the Goblin King shit for not wanting to sleep with her and drowning in self-pity - and you'll have the most frustrating character on earth. I was meant to feel empathy for Liesl, to want her to have a better life. I did not.
Aside from being jealous of her sister and writing one song for five hundred pages, Liesl also loves shitting on other girls for being prettier or sexier or generally more fun than her. This includes her sister, whom Liesl seems to despise. Why she would go to the Underworld to rescue Käthe is beyond me.
My least favorite part has to be when Liesl throws an absolute tantrum because the Goblin King refuses to sleep with her when she's drunk and whines over the course of four pages about not being desirable. Someone end my suffering and tell this chick that her worth doesn't depend on whether or not she's having sex.
KÄTHE held a fun connotation for me, because my aunt has a pug who is also called Käthe. Dog-Käthe and Human-Käthe have a lot in common, actually: they are both easily excitable, rush into everything headfirst, and need attention constantly.
The difference is that Dog-Käthe is lovable and adorable. Human-Käthe is not.
Her entire personality revolves around making dumb comments and caring for glittery jewels, like a magpie with the attention span of a goldfish. That might make for a fun dialogue here and there, but mostly it just made me roll my eyes into the next dimension. Who cares whether or not Käthe returns from the Underworld?
What I am most annoyed about, however, is that while Liesl might be boring and annoying, the Goblin King is straight up garbage.
THE GOBLIN KING had so much potential - or so I was led to believe. I personally love a good anti-hero twelve times as much as I love your average good guy. The problem is that the Goblin King's entire potential was wasted on playing the violin and telling Elisabeth he wants "her, entire" instead of, you know, ruling the Underworld, as kings do. What a tragically underdeveloped character.
The few parts of his personality that actually were developed all pointed strongly towards him being an Abusive Fuck rather than a tragically cool anti-hero. I mean, what kind of man kidnaps somebody's sister, then holds her captive because she stopped playing cards with him? If everyone to whose message I've never replied held such vengeful ambitions, I'd be dead by now.
The other goblin characters did nothing for me, either. They blended into one single creature I vaguely recall as creepy at times, but mostly just overly annoying. Cerridwen and - pardon, Twig and Thistle, of course - were pretty much Feyre's fae servants' twins and equal parts annoying and bland. I don't care if they want to eat Liesl. By all means, let them.
The only characters I cared for in the slightest were JOSEF and FRANÇOIS, who each deserve a star of their own. Wherever they are, I hope they're happy and cozy and making music and being gay. Bless.
WORLD BUILDING: 3 / 5
You've got to give it to [a:S. Jae-Jones|13414088|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1507328860p2/13414088.jpg]: her world building is intricat, interesting, and well executed. [b:Wintersong|24763621|Wintersong (Wintersong, #1)|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479206906s/24763621.jpg|44394042] is set in historical Bavaria, a fact I was over the moon about because few books are set in Germany. Her depictions of Liesl's litte hometown felt real and vivid enough.
I also adored the Underground and how infinitely confusing it was. It tricked me as many times as it tricked Liesl; I could never figure it out completely and I loved it. What I loved even more was the vague sense of unsettledness it coaxed from the pit of my stomach with every page.
My problem was that I just didn't feel as invested in this world as I would have liked to be. It lost its grip on me as quickly as it developed it.
DIVERSITY: 3 / 5
I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity that S. Jae-Jones included in her work without making it seem try-hard or over the top.
Of course, the book wasn't as diverse as others, but considering it was set in historical Bavaria that felt rather accurate. And for what it was worth, I think Jae-Jones made a decent effort.
In Wintersong, there are two gay characters: Liesl's brother Josef and his mentor's other apprentice François. François also so happens to be black. They're not a huge part of the story, but whenever they are, their love for one another is clearly stated and examined as much as Käthe's infatuation with being liked and Liesl's and the Goblin King's relationship is.
WRITING STYLE: 3.5 / 5
S. Jae-Jones strong forte is definitely her writing style. She uses enchanting and hauntingly beautiful descriptions that read more like music or poetry than an average YA-novel. I am impressed.
"He had lived in my mind for so long; now I wanted to hold more than just the idea of him."
Ultimately, there were still some things about her style that I found off-putting and distracting: for example the random tense switches. For no discernible reason, the narrative slips from past tense to present tense whenever Liesl and the Goblin King begin getting it on. I am mildly annoyed.
Or the fact that Jae-Jones has a problem with recycling her descriptions. I mean, I actually counted the times the words "tall, elegant stranger" were used in reference to the Goblin King (twenty-two times, if you're interested.) We get it. He's tall. He's handsome. We're not impressed.
Another thing I, who couldn't be further from being a musical prodigy, felt annoyed by was the avalanche of musical terms. Adagio this, bagatelle that. I really can't be bothered.
The factor that bothered me most, however, was the German that was used in between. Extra points for being so consistently wrong.
As a native speaker, I understand that German might not be the easiest language in the world. We have a lot of nonsensical rules that are difficult to grasp. Sometimes I'm not even sure we have rules at all. German feels less like a language and more like it's dancing naked on the table, flipping you off cheerfully as everything you thought you knew crashes and burns around you.
What I don't understand is why S. Jae-Jones didn't think of asking a native speaker to read over her lines. I mean, unless they speak vastly different German in Bavaria - which I don't think is the case - and have even less regards for grammatical structures than we Northerners do, I'm pretty sure that no one bothered to point out to the author that her usage of the German language was incorrect almost 80 % of the time.
Like this sentence, which is repeated throughout the book:
"Für meine Lieben, ein Lied im stil die Bagatelle, auch Der Erlkönig."
Let's look past the fact that her capitalization is completely off: (Stil is a noun and must therefore be capitalized) the meaning of this sentence is beyond me. Yes, it's the title of a piece of music composed by Liesl for her family. Yes, I can guess it's written as a bagatelle and that its title is Der Erlkönig. But this entire sentence is so grammatically incorrect I can't even think of a way to rephrase it, and I passed thirteen years of German class with nothing but straight As.
Side note: Dear S. Jae-Jones, it's called Guglhupf, which is a delicious type of cake (a bundt cake.) I don't know who told you it's called GuglhOpf, but it's really not.
I am exhausted.
OVERALL RATING: 2.5 / 3
Look, I didn't hate this book. There were a lot of parts I enjoyed. This isn't the worst book I've read this year, either. But I just didn't find myself interested - or emotionally invested - in the story or its characters. The last few chapters were a struggle to push through. I read this entire thing through a haze of polite disinterest, like when you're on the train watching a fly repeatedly hit the window, searching for a way out. It's entertaining for about twenty seconds, but then you start feeling half-bored and half-pitiful due to the fact that this poor fly is doing that all to itself. Everything I disliked here, Wintersong did to itself.
In short, I simply did not care about this book, even though it had a promising premise and a solid start.
I wanted to like [b:Wintersong|2476362|sophrologie une révolution en psychologie, pédagogie, médecine?|Henri Boon|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|2483559]. I wanted to love it so fiercely I'd weep with joy and disbelief at the ending, I'd talk about the characters nonstop as though they're real life friends, I'd have to lie down for an hour and a half in order to process what just happened.
But I just didn't.
In fact, I didn't even like it that much. On the contrary, I feel more like I did when I found out who Gossip Girl was: vacant, listening in because I've nothing better to do, slightly bored. I wanted a book that would devastate me like Zayn leaving One Direction devastated 16-year-old me, but I got a snoozefest and an endless array of bland characters instead. I am so thorougly underwhelmed, I don't even care strongly enough to be upset about finding such disappointment in a book I'd genuinely anticipated.
PLOT: 2 / 5
This story had so much potential. I mean, I love Goethe's ballad Der Erlkönig fiercely. I will forever be grateful for the fact that I can read that masterpiece of poetry in all its German glory. It's creepy, and slightly unsettling, and overall marvelous.
Which is everything [b:Wintersong|24763621|Wintersong (Wintersong, #1)|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479206906s/24763621.jpg|44394042] tried - and failed - to be. Like Golden Oreos, it was built on a promising idea, but the overall execution was a let-down.
I loved the whole Goblin aspect: Young Adult fantasy revolving around creepy and ugly creatures of the forest instead of your standard werewolf/vampire party? Sign me up. I'm a huge fan of anything that's a little out of the ordinary, just past the border of your comfort zone.
What [b:Wintersong|24763621|Wintersong (Wintersong, #1)|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479206906s/24763621.jpg|44394042] did was beat me with a broom so I would stay inside my comfort zone, where it could properly underwhelm me.
The goblins that I held such high hopes for turned out to be quite boring and not all that creepy, save for that one moment where they all speak as one messed-up goblin entity. Other than that, they were pretty nondescript.
I mean, if you're going to write about magical creatures of the forest that feel nothing but disdain for humans, I want to feel it in my bones. I want to keep checking over my shoulder every time I go outside in fear of being mauled by a goblin. I want to sleep with one eye open; I want to feel the trees watching me when I pass the forest.
So much for what I wanted.
Sadly, the world is, as John Green put it, not a wish-granting factory. What I got was ultimately a carbon copy of [a:Sarah J. Maas|3433047|Sarah J. Maas|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1269281353p2/3433047.jpg]'s equally interchangeable and boring servant creatures that tend to a bland, whiny heroine. Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it.
There were some parts of this book that gave me the creeps. Such as the scene at the market, when Käthe buys the peach from the goblin vendors, or when the little changeling tried to convince Elisabeth to take him to the world above. They were well-written, with just enough confusion strewn in to make me question everything I ever thought I knew. Sadly, those two or three silver linings weren't nearly enough to balance out the endless stretches of boredom in between.
This book stretches on for all infinity, and because there is no justice in the world, the mildly interesting plot kind of just dwindles away after the first half and leaves you with a messy, exceptionally boring collection of Liesl-and-the-Goblin-King-have-cringy-sex-scenes. Yawn.
I liked the part where Liesl went into the Underworld to retrieve Käthe. I liked the riddles and the festivities. I liked how Liesl herself ended up trapped underground, how nothing was what it seemed.
I did not like how the entire second half of this had no plot whatsoever. The most exciting thing was Liesl using her wedding dress to write a song even though she could have easily wished for paper, which was exciting only because I couldn't quite believe how dumb Liesl was being.
What's more is that all of the plot points from the first half - the ones that were promising so much potential, the ones that could have been fashioned into shocking twists that would have made me hang on for dear life - were predictable and, as such, no longer surprising. Which kind of subtracts the whole point of a plot twist.
I did not like this messy, boring, and random story line that was thrown at my feet like poor bait.
HOO BOY, do I have a lot to say about these characters. Y'all know by now that I could care less about a boring plot if the characters make me want to get married right there and then. (Point proven: The Raven Cycle doesn't have the most exciting plot in the world, but I would willingly die for any of its characters.)
Sadly, Wintersong's characters could not outbalance the utterly boring plot, which tips the rating scale further towards two stars.
The protagonist, LIESL, also known as ELISABETH VOGLER, has approximately two character traits: whining about her boring life and being jealous of literally everyone around her. Combine that with her favorite hobbies - giving the Goblin King shit for not wanting to sleep with her and drowning in self-pity - and you'll have the most frustrating character on earth. I was meant to feel empathy for Liesl, to want her to have a better life. I did not.
Aside from being jealous of her sister and writing one song for five hundred pages, Liesl also loves shitting on other girls for being prettier or sexier or generally more fun than her. This includes her sister, whom Liesl seems to despise. Why she would go to the Underworld to rescue Käthe is beyond me.
My least favorite part has to be when Liesl throws an absolute tantrum because the Goblin King refuses to sleep with her when she's drunk and whines over the course of four pages about not being desirable. Someone end my suffering and tell this chick that her worth doesn't depend on whether or not she's having sex.
KÄTHE held a fun connotation for me, because my aunt has a pug who is also called Käthe. Dog-Käthe and Human-Käthe have a lot in common, actually: they are both easily excitable, rush into everything headfirst, and need attention constantly.
The difference is that Dog-Käthe is lovable and adorable. Human-Käthe is not.
Her entire personality revolves around making dumb comments and caring for glittery jewels, like a magpie with the attention span of a goldfish. That might make for a fun dialogue here and there, but mostly it just made me roll my eyes into the next dimension. Who cares whether or not Käthe returns from the Underworld?
What I am most annoyed about, however, is that while Liesl might be boring and annoying, the Goblin King is straight up garbage.
THE GOBLIN KING had so much potential - or so I was led to believe. I personally love a good anti-hero twelve times as much as I love your average good guy. The problem is that the Goblin King's entire potential was wasted on playing the violin and telling Elisabeth he wants "her, entire" instead of, you know, ruling the Underworld, as kings do. What a tragically underdeveloped character.
The few parts of his personality that actually were developed all pointed strongly towards him being an Abusive Fuck rather than a tragically cool anti-hero. I mean, what kind of man kidnaps somebody's sister, then holds her captive because she stopped playing cards with him? If everyone to whose message I've never replied held such vengeful ambitions, I'd be dead by now.
The other goblin characters did nothing for me, either. They blended into one single creature I vaguely recall as creepy at times, but mostly just overly annoying. Cerridwen and - pardon, Twig and Thistle, of course - were pretty much Feyre's fae servants' twins and equal parts annoying and bland. I don't care if they want to eat Liesl. By all means, let them.
The only characters I cared for in the slightest were JOSEF and FRANÇOIS, who each deserve a star of their own. Wherever they are, I hope they're happy and cozy and making music and being gay. Bless.
WORLD BUILDING: 3 / 5
You've got to give it to [a:S. Jae-Jones|13414088|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1507328860p2/13414088.jpg]: her world building is intricat, interesting, and well executed. [b:Wintersong|24763621|Wintersong (Wintersong, #1)|S. Jae-Jones|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479206906s/24763621.jpg|44394042] is set in historical Bavaria, a fact I was over the moon about because few books are set in Germany. Her depictions of Liesl's litte hometown felt real and vivid enough.
I also adored the Underground and how infinitely confusing it was. It tricked me as many times as it tricked Liesl; I could never figure it out completely and I loved it. What I loved even more was the vague sense of unsettledness it coaxed from the pit of my stomach with every page.
My problem was that I just didn't feel as invested in this world as I would have liked to be. It lost its grip on me as quickly as it developed it.
DIVERSITY: 3 / 5
I was pleasantly surprised to see the diversity that S. Jae-Jones included in her work without making it seem try-hard or over the top.
Of course, the book wasn't as diverse as others, but considering it was set in historical Bavaria that felt rather accurate. And for what it was worth, I think Jae-Jones made a decent effort.
In Wintersong, there are two gay characters: Liesl's brother Josef and his mentor's other apprentice François. François also so happens to be black. They're not a huge part of the story, but whenever they are, their love for one another is clearly stated and examined as much as Käthe's infatuation with being liked and Liesl's and the Goblin King's relationship is.
WRITING STYLE: 3.5 / 5
S. Jae-Jones strong forte is definitely her writing style. She uses enchanting and hauntingly beautiful descriptions that read more like music or poetry than an average YA-novel. I am impressed.
"He had lived in my mind for so long; now I wanted to hold more than just the idea of him."
Ultimately, there were still some things about her style that I found off-putting and distracting: for example the random tense switches. For no discernible reason, the narrative slips from past tense to present tense whenever Liesl and the Goblin King begin getting it on. I am mildly annoyed.
Or the fact that Jae-Jones has a problem with recycling her descriptions. I mean, I actually counted the times the words "tall, elegant stranger" were used in reference to the Goblin King (twenty-two times, if you're interested.) We get it. He's tall. He's handsome. We're not impressed.
Another thing I, who couldn't be further from being a musical prodigy, felt annoyed by was the avalanche of musical terms. Adagio this, bagatelle that. I really can't be bothered.
The factor that bothered me most, however, was the German that was used in between. Extra points for being so consistently wrong.
As a native speaker, I understand that German might not be the easiest language in the world. We have a lot of nonsensical rules that are difficult to grasp. Sometimes I'm not even sure we have rules at all. German feels less like a language and more like it's dancing naked on the table, flipping you off cheerfully as everything you thought you knew crashes and burns around you.
What I don't understand is why S. Jae-Jones didn't think of asking a native speaker to read over her lines. I mean, unless they speak vastly different German in Bavaria - which I don't think is the case - and have even less regards for grammatical structures than we Northerners do, I'm pretty sure that no one bothered to point out to the author that her usage of the German language was incorrect almost 80 % of the time.
Like this sentence, which is repeated throughout the book:
"Für meine Lieben, ein Lied im stil die Bagatelle, auch Der Erlkönig."
Let's look past the fact that her capitalization is completely off: (Stil is a noun and must therefore be capitalized) the meaning of this sentence is beyond me. Yes, it's the title of a piece of music composed by Liesl for her family. Yes, I can guess it's written as a bagatelle and that its title is Der Erlkönig. But this entire sentence is so grammatically incorrect I can't even think of a way to rephrase it, and I passed thirteen years of German class with nothing but straight As.
Side note: Dear S. Jae-Jones, it's called Guglhupf, which is a delicious type of cake (a bundt cake.) I don't know who told you it's called GuglhOpf, but it's really not.
I am exhausted.
OVERALL RATING: 2.5 / 3
Look, I didn't hate this book. There were a lot of parts I enjoyed. This isn't the worst book I've read this year, either. But I just didn't find myself interested - or emotionally invested - in the story or its characters. The last few chapters were a struggle to push through. I read this entire thing through a haze of polite disinterest, like when you're on the train watching a fly repeatedly hit the window, searching for a way out. It's entertaining for about twenty seconds, but then you start feeling half-bored and half-pitiful due to the fact that this poor fly is doing that all to itself. Everything I disliked here, Wintersong did to itself.
In short, I simply did not care about this book, even though it had a promising premise and a solid start.
lenaoknihach's review against another edition
4.0
Jedná se o převyprávění pohádky o Králi duchů. Já se přiznám, že originální příběh neznám, ale tenhle retelling se mi moc líbil a hned vám povím proč.
Autorka píše tak úžasným stylem, že jsem do něj už od začátku totálně zamilovala. Je to tak poeticky a pohádkově napsané a já si užívala každé slovo, každou větu, odstavec i stranu. Na druhou stranu zase chápu, že právě ten styl psaní může být problémem pro ostatní čtenáře.
Strašně moc se mi líbila postava Krále duchů. Myslím si, že jeho všechny podoby i tajemnost autorka vystihla dokonale. Ostatní postavy ale nezaostávaly. I s nimi si Jae-Jonesová dokázala vyhrát a každá byla jedinečná.
Plný počet hvězdiček jsem nedala, protože mohla být kniha trochu kratší. Někdy to přeci jenom bylo příliš natahované, i přes ten boží styl psaní.
Autorka píše tak úžasným stylem, že jsem do něj už od začátku totálně zamilovala. Je to tak poeticky a pohádkově napsané a já si užívala každé slovo, každou větu, odstavec i stranu. Na druhou stranu zase chápu, že právě ten styl psaní může být problémem pro ostatní čtenáře.
Strašně moc se mi líbila postava Krále duchů. Myslím si, že jeho všechny podoby i tajemnost autorka vystihla dokonale. Ostatní postavy ale nezaostávaly. I s nimi si Jae-Jonesová dokázala vyhrát a každá byla jedinečná.
Plný počet hvězdiček jsem nedala, protože mohla být kniha trochu kratší. Někdy to přeci jenom bylo příliš natahované, i přes ten boží styl psaní.
kendallgardt's review against another edition
3.0
Dark and a little eerie. I want to give it 4 stars but it was a little hard to follow if you don’t know German or anything about how music is composed. There is a reference in the back which is helpful though. The romance is good but also unsettling.
allyreadsromance's review against another edition
5.0
Can I just say there are currently a lot of tears. The big fat rolling down my cheeks kind. Yet, I am full of hope for book 2. So please do not break my heart further Shadowsong! I would appreciate if you put the pieces back together!
I love and adore this book and story!!! It is so unique, gorgeously written, full of passion, magic, and faith! Just beautiful! I will admit I’ve never seen the labyrinth or read any goblin king based books (that I can remember) so to me it’s a pretty original story!
I love and adore this book and story!!! It is so unique, gorgeously written, full of passion, magic, and faith! Just beautiful! I will admit I’ve never seen the labyrinth or read any goblin king based books (that I can remember) so to me it’s a pretty original story!