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acuriousreader's Reviews (573)
“Life,” he said softly, “is more than flesh. Your body is a candle, your soul the flame. The longer I burn the candle...” He did not finish.
“A candle unused is nothing but wax and wick,” I said.“I would rather light the flame, knowing it will go out than sit forever in darkness.”
Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.
“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.”
I was immediately pulled into Wintersong. The author's way of writing is dark and beautiful and instantly grabs your attention. Her attention to detail allows you to see everything as it should be in your mind.
The Goblin King is a ugly, beautiful, wicked, kind man. I know, it's confusing, but bare with me. The first look at The Goblin King/The Lord of Mischief is when him and the MC Liesl are young and playing. To her he looks like a child but seems much older, they play games with halfhearted bets. He tells her never to forget him, and that he wants her as his bride, to which she agrees... if she remembers him.
Fast forward to when they are older. Her brother Josef is her pride and joy, she would do anything to see him happy and succeeding, even keep herself in the shadows. Liesl is an extraordinary composer, but her brother is the Violinist... and it's a mans world. No one would take her seriously if she had tried to pursue her music, so she is happy, somewhat, to live through her brother and letting her music be played through him.
Her sister Kathe is the complete opposite of her. she is pretty, and seductive, and gets everything she wants, including the man Liesl has had a crush on for years. Hans seems to have taken no notice to Liesl at all and it comes as a surprise to her when he proposes to Kathe.
“You are a man with music in his soul. You are capricious, contrary, contradictory. You delight in childish games, and delight even more in winning. For a man of such intense piety, you are surprisingly petty. You are a gentleman, a virtuoso, a scholar, and a martyr, and of those masks, I like the martyr least of all. You are austere, you are pompous, you are pretentious, you are foolish.”
Usually I have a hard time liking female leads in books. half the time they are whiney and useless. or make completely idiotic choses for no reason at all, of course until the end when they somehow always manage to defeat or conquer the problem, seemly by them selves, and are praised for strength.... But Liesl, for me, was different. In the beginning there was a moment where I thought she would fall into the typical female lead category, but she surprised me and actually kept a logical head most of the time.
The same can't be said for her sister... an dill leave it at that.
The Goblin King is a twisted, dark, complexity of a character that throughout the entire read you have a love/hate relationship with. One moment he is the sweetest thing, and you get some back tory and history and you think you understand him, and then he does a 180 and you are right back to where you started. Which is fine, I love me a dark, cruel, misunderstood, brooding character.
The thing that bothered me with this book, and I hope is resolved in the sequel is the lack of answers. Everything is left open. What is the Goblin Kings name? Who was the first bride? What does her Grandmother have to do with it all? and loads more.
Despite that nothing really was answered and that, in all honesty, there wasn't a real climax, I really enjoyed this book. Something about it grabs you in and holds you and you are left wanting more and more and more, despite its flaws.
“The kiss is sweeter than sin and fiercer than temptation. I am not gentle, I am not kind; I am rough and wild and savage.”
I would rate Wintersong 4/5 Stars and definitely recommend it to anyone that loves dark fairytale type reads.
I received a eBook Arc copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this novel with high hopes, and maybe I shouldn't have. Can I start off by saying it's described as a story that deal with grief, but where was the grief? Except maybe in the last couple pages...
The book follows Hudson, a 17/18 year old who has decided to homeschool him self for his senior year because... well lets be honest, he was jealous that his best friend had a girlfriend. he strikes up an agreement with his mother that he will pay rent and attend 2 classes at the school on top of his homeschool courses. He opts to take an art class as his one in school class, which is beneficial to him. He is an aspiring Graphic Novelist... that also has 2 "businesses" on the side. I use businesses lightly. he is a 17/18 year old that walks dogs and gives the elderly a helping hand.
The other class he takes is a beginner Yoga class. why? oh because he has a goal of loosing his virginity before the end of senior year. And according to his mind....any female will do.
To be honest Hudson is sort of a dick. He essentially thinks he will sleep with any girl but has to go after the "abnormal" ones cause he isn't a jock.... but whatever that's just my opinion.
I DID however liked the relationship between him and Fritzy, his basketball loving surprise friend. She was straight with him and didn't put up with his bull shit drama involving his other new friend Alana. Can we talk about Alana for a moment? She literally had nothing in common with her Boyfriend Bryce, who continuously did not include her in things because she wasn't what the social norm dictates for a jock to be with. She had no interest in supporting her boyfriend at his football games and his passion for the sport, yet got mad and upset when he didn't include her in other things with his teammates/friends.... what? And lets not even talk about how much of a horrible friend she actually is. she cared NOTHING for Hudson. she used him to make herself feel better about her relationship, he legitimately fell in love wither her and did everything he could to make sure she was happy, despite what was happening with him, and once he told her he loved her she completely dismissed his feelings....I mean, until she used him for rebound sex and then never talked to him again after....
*sigh*
Moving on.
The relationship between Hudson and Len Pirkle was adorable. Each taking on a roll that was missing from each others lives. Pirkle becoming the father figure Hudson had to grow up without since his own dads passing at the young age of 10. And Hudson being the grandson/son Pirkle never had, the family member Pirkle never opened up too.
The ending? The big climax? was so left field and had nothing to do with anything that I just sat there scratching my head wondering how we even got there. If the Author wanted to give the reader that big "What the fuck?!" moment, she succeeded.....but not in a good way. I was genuinely confused what Stella had to do with anything. it just sort of happened. (and no, giving a name tells nothing or even hints at anything, so you aren't spoiled)
I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis and was severely let down.
I went into this novel with high hopes, and maybe I shouldn't have. Can I start off by saying it's described as a story that deal with grief, but where was the grief? Except maybe in the last couple pages...
The book follows Hudson, a 17/18 year old who has decided to homeschool him self for his senior year because... well lets be honest, he was jealous that his best friend had a girlfriend. he strikes up an agreement with his mother that he will pay rent and attend 2 classes at the school on top of his homeschool courses. He opts to take an art class as his one in school class, which is beneficial to him. He is an aspiring Graphic Novelist... that also has 2 "businesses" on the side. I use businesses lightly. he is a 17/18 year old that walks dogs and gives the elderly a helping hand.
The other class he takes is a beginner Yoga class. why? oh because he has a goal of loosing his virginity before the end of senior year. And according to his mind....any female will do.
To be honest Hudson is sort of a dick. He essentially thinks he will sleep with any girl but has to go after the "abnormal" ones cause he isn't a jock.... but whatever that's just my opinion.
I DID however liked the relationship between him and Fritzy, his basketball loving surprise friend. She was straight with him and didn't put up with his bull shit drama involving his other new friend Alana. Can we talk about Alana for a moment? She literally had nothing in common with her Boyfriend Bryce, who continuously did not include her in things because she wasn't what the social norm dictates for a jock to be with. She had no interest in supporting her boyfriend at his football games and his passion for the sport, yet got mad and upset when he didn't include her in other things with his teammates/friends.... what? And lets not even talk about how much of a horrible friend she actually is. she cared NOTHING for Hudson. she used him to make herself feel better about her relationship, he legitimately fell in love wither her and did everything he could to make sure she was happy, despite what was happening with him, and once he told her he loved her she completely dismissed his feelings....I mean, until she used him for rebound sex and then never talked to him again after....
*sigh*
Moving on.
The relationship between Hudson and Len Pirkle was adorable. Each taking on a roll that was missing from each others lives. Pirkle becoming the father figure Hudson had to grow up without since his own dads passing at the young age of 10. And Hudson being the grandson/son Pirkle never had, the family member Pirkle never opened up too.
The ending? The big climax? was so left field and had nothing to do with anything that I just sat there scratching my head wondering how we even got there. If the Author wanted to give the reader that big "What the fuck?!" moment, she succeeded.....but not in a good way. I was genuinely confused what Stella had to do with anything. it just sort of happened. (and no, giving a name tells nothing or even hints at anything, so you aren't spoiled)
I was drawn in by the cover and the synopsis and was severely let down.
