Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

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. 

The whole premise of this book had me intrigued which is why I moved it up on my TBR list. Wintersong is a retelling of the Labyrinth and I’ve yet to watch this movie. I enjoyed the musical aspects throughout the book but I did find a hard time trying to connect with the characters. It may have had a lot to do with the main character, Liesl. She pulled the short straw when it came to her siblings and being inside her head as she wallowed about not being beautiful compared to her sister and her dedication to her brother was a bit stifling at times.

After Liesl ventures Underground to save her sister is when I started to lose focus. I loved the idea of the Goblin King. He was such a complex character. My heart went out to him. With that being said, I still didn’t feel invested enough in the story. I guess it was too much drama and got to be tedious at times.

Overall, it was an OK read. This book also had a Hades and Persephone feel to it too.