Magical and atmospheric: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones (Book Review) #Fantasy #Wintersong #Goblins

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones book cover

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about a book I should have read long time ago. I finally gave it a try and I really liked it, so now I feel bad for not picking it sooner.
Wintersong is young adult fantasy that was published by St. Martin’s Press on February 7th 2017. It has 436 pages.
I received an eARC via Netgalley in an exchange for an honest review.

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About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / 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 and spirit and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen and helping to run her family’s inn, Liesel 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. With time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she truly is before her fate is sealed.

Dark, romantic, and powerful, Wintersong will sweep you away into a world you won’t soon forget.

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Review:

Wintersong was on my tbr for the longest time, and I honestly don’t even have any good excuse why I didn’t read it sooner.
Now when I finally picked it up, I know how much I was missing out.

This is fantasy novel that can be categorized as young adult as well as new adult, since the main character is 18 years old, and there are some steamy scenes between pages.

I kind of knew this novel would be of my interest, because it features goblins, and one of my favorite series, The Malediction Trilogy, is set in goblin’s underground. So I thought to myself, if this was half as good as Stolen Songbird it would be amazing.

I was right! Wintersong was magical and beautiful, just as I wanted it to be.

The book is written in first person, following Liesl’s POV.
I loved the writing style. The story reads as a fairy tale, which really brings the atmosphere.
However, I have to admit that because of it’s peculiar voice, it took me some time to get into the story.
Also, it took 25% for the plot to finally start to go somewhere.
One would assume that the first quarter of the story had the purpose to build the world, but in reality, this magical world is presented to us through the whole story, and I would even dare to say we get to know the world more the closer to the end.

I would call this an urban fantasy, even though the story is set in past time.

I think that the book was wrapped up really good and we got the closure, but also enough material for the next book in the series, Shadowsong, which I plan to read in December.

I really enjoyed reading Wintersong and I think readers who like to read about faeries and magical creatures would find themselves flying through it.
I recommend it to fantasy lovers who like love and steamy scenes in their stories.

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Magical middle grade: Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen #BookReview #Fantasy #MiddleGrade

Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows by J.M. Bergen book cover paprback

GIFTED / Today I am bringing you (finally) my review of a fantasy novel Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows. This book was published in February 2019 by Elandrian Press and the paperback version has 352 pages.
I want to say thank you to Kelsey Butts from Book Publicity Services for sending me a copy of this book.

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About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / Thomas thinks he’s an ordinary twelve year old, but when a strange little man with gold-flecked eyes gives him an ancient text called The Book of Sorrows, the world he knows is turned upside down. Suddenly he’s faced with a secret family legacy, powers he can hardly begin to understand, and an enemy bent on destroying everything he holds dear. The more he reads and discovers, the deeper the danger to himself and the people he loves. As the race to the final showdown unfolds, Thomas must turn to trusted friends and uncertain allies as he seeks to prevent destruction at an epic scale.

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Review:

I’ve been a bad blogger. A very, very bad blogger, I admit.
I read Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows in early May, and it took me over a month to write my review.
The thing is, this book was my next-to-review pick last month before I had a bad experience considering my blog and reviews, so I took a step back from everything and stopped blogging for a while, so I could decide whether I want to continue with it at all.

So unfortunately, this little fantasy paid the price without it’s fall.

The good thing is, I am back and Thomas Wildus is now getting the review it deserves.
Unfortunately, since it has been a while since I finished it, this review will be short and simple.

Here are my feelings in five words: I really, really liked it.
My favourite part of the story was the humour. I find Thomas Wildus and the Book of Sorrows to be funny and I can imagine it could make so many middle graders fall in love with reading if it finds it’s way to their hands.
When I better think about it, it could remind older generations why they fell in love with reading in the first place.

The main character, Thomas, was my favourite and at some points his sense of humour and the way he acted reminded me of Gio from Hard Love, who is one of my all time favourite book characters. They are very different, but still I could see the similarities.

I loved Thomas relationship with his best friend Enrique and every scene with them was a blast.

The book is written in third person and it is really easy to follow.
I’ve seen someone complaining that the dialogue was outdated, but to be honest, I didn’t notice. I guess I’m outdated too!

Anyway, I would recommend this book to every middle grader who likes fantasy, but also to adults that would like to read an urban fantasy novel that’s simple and fun.

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