I can’t fault this book for NOT being about Jareth and Sarah from Jim Henson’s “The Labyrinth” but I can’t pretend that it is any longer either.

Y’all, I can see why some folks love this series. Lots of beautiful writing happening here. Unfortunately, it is lost on me. Please see my review of the first book for a further explanation. Turns out that I feel much the same about this sequel.

I wanted to love it but it’s not for me.

Abandoned at 36%.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fun but it didn't necessarily blow me away as the first one. It was much more of the sibling bonding. Full RTC soonish

If Wintersong spoke to my musicians soul (and it did), Shadowsong spoke to the deepest parts of who I am. This book was different from Wintersong in many ways, and yet still followed the beautiful prose writing style that S. Jae Jones does so well.

Readers longing for more romantic moments with the Goblin King will likely be surprised to find that he is not the central focus of this book. Shadowsong follows Liesl and Joseph as they traverse the new lives they find themselves presented with now that Liesl has come back from the Underground. We learn so much more about the origins of the Underground, the Wild Hunt, the Goblin Kings past and the Queens who have come before Liesl. Through all of this background, readers are immersed into more fantasy than the first book, along with more mystery and tension.

Shadowsong speaks to the hearts of the lonely, isolated and lost. We learn the depths of melancholy that live beneath the music created by Liesl, as she questions her identity outside of her father, her brother, her lover. This book will take you thorough a beautifully worded journey inside the mind of someone who's never fully embraced who they are, always struggling to find themselves, caging parts of themselves inside the hearts of those they hold dear. In so many ways, Liesl and Joseph's story resonates with the heart of my past experiences battling mental health issues. Where Wintersong showed us a longing to find someone to value and love Liesl, finding her beautiful and worthy, Shadowsong shows us what can happen when we run from who we are, denying ourselves our identity.

I loved this book, and I think that the context the author provides will speak to readers and help them to see this story in a new light then they originally saw Wintersong. Still filled with the magic of music, the raw and painful emotions of love and loss, family secrets and magical worlds, this book will have readers enveloped in it's story from the first page.

*To be posted 1/30/2018*

The sequel to Wintersong was on Netgalley so I needed to request it right away!



Title: Shadowsong

Author: S. Jae-Jones

Series: Wintersong

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Pub date: February 6th, 2018



Summary

This book picks up where Wintersong left off: Leisel has returned to this realm and she is trying her best to further her musical career. Throughout it all, she gets wrapped up in an interesting tale where she finds out more about the Goblin King and things she never imagined to be possible. All this while Josef is struggling to find out who--and what--he is and how it plays into his musical talents.

Likes

I liked this book just as much as I liked Wintersong. I enjoy the story of Leisel and the Goblin King, how their romance works and how much she cares about her family, most of all her brother. I thought it was entertaining and I think it definitely progressed more than its predecessor. There was a lot more expansion about the King in this book and I felt more connected to their love story than in the first book for sure. I also think she grew much more as a person and proved that she was more than what people expected her to be but also followed her heart at the same time. It was also neat that the setting changed to Vienna and she was able to meet new characters there who advanced the story even more.

Dislikes

This book definitely was very hard and slow to get into. It was probably about 1/3 of the way before I became enveloped in the story.  I did find once I got to that point, it was an easy read and I read the rest in an entire sitting! I think that this story is incredibly magical in a different way and that's something that sets this book apart.

Recommendation

I would suggest this to fans of the first in the series as well as someone who is interested in a different type of love story and magical elements.


Happy reading! ~ Taylor

This is book two of the duology and picks up a few months after Wintersong ends. It is stunning and devastating and I am so glad to have read it. These books are beautiful and I say with no shame that the end of this book made me weep tears of joy and sorrow and regret. There are so many emotions that sweep through you as you read these. Shadowsong is painful and the text is so rich you can hear the music in the words. It was such an intense read and I devoured these books. Absolutely worth reading, and I look forward to anything else this author publishes in the future.

Amazing continuation! I fell in love with Wintersong so I was so very excited for this book! If the first book was about Liesl and the Goblin King, this book was about our heroine and her personality, her loves ones and mainly about the power of love.
Elisabeth cheated the old laws and now there is a price to pay. She must protect her brother and she must save the Goblin King from the shadows that threaten to destroy him. But what can she do? How can she defy powers beyond her mortal world?
Led down a road of lies and deceit, she has to realize what is true and what is not.
The writing was exquisite. The author painted such a dark yet magical world that the reader cannot help but fall in love with.
Overall, I expected a lot more grit considering that author's note. I wanted more scenes with the Goblin King and more development between him and Liesl. On the other hand I loved the scenes between her and Josef. His character really shone in this book.
I had high expectations for this book. Some were met, some others were not but I cannot deny that I love this world and the characters. I cannot wait to read more from this author. I recommend this one.

I have so many thoughts and emotions regarding this. The first is sadness due to this story coming to an end. The second is passion because this entire story encompasses many of my passions, from folklore to literature to music. I wish that this ARC did not have so many grammatical errors as it made it hard to read at times. Nonetheless, this was an amazing book and storyline that I will recommend to anyone.

Shadowsong is a very different beast from Wintersong. I don't think that's a bad thing, but it is something to be aware of going in. One of my favorite things about Wintersong was the atmosphere of the Underground - the magic, the mystery, and of course THE GOBLIN KING. I mean, Mein Herr was probably my absolute favorite character in the whole book.

<i> "I didn't want to look at the monsters in my mind. Think of that spectral touch upon my hair, my cheek, my lips. That sigh across my skin. That murmur, that whisper of my name across that veil." </i>

In Shadowsong, we get a very disappointing amount of The Goblin King with Leisel. Yes, there are memories, flashbacks, and the occasional stolen moment together, but man I longed for more of their romance, their tension, and their tragedy. Luckily, we DO get a surprisingly large amount of the Goblin King's backstory, and those sections were probably my favorite parts of Shadowsong.

<i> "When at last they were able to break down the door, the townspeople found not a shop but a tomb. The wheelwright's shop was filled to the brim with dirt and loam and leaves and twigs -- and the strange sight of scarlet poppies scattered like drops of blood amidst the decay and decrepitude. But the strangest sight of all, surrounded by the fractured figurines of bears who walked like men and wolves with men's faces, was a little boy with hair the color of snow and eyes of two different hues. A wolf boy." </i>

Because Leisel and The Goblin King are separated for most of the book, the story instead centers around Leisel's transition back into the world above. It follows her as she struggles to reacclimate to mortal life, without the powerful muse of The Underground flowing through her. We get a lot more of Josef, and delve deeply into their relationship.

I would say that the first half or so of this book was a bit too dense for my tastes - it's slow-moving and there is a ton of description. But as the book goes on the mysteries begin to unravel and things certainly speed up. The last few chapters especially were exquisite and provided a most satisfying conclusion to the duology.

There is a lot of exploration into what it means to be sane, and we get an inside look at Leisel's mercurial nature, more so than we did in Wintersong even.

<i> "I trailed regrets and reproach in my wake, my moods as mercurial as quicksilver. I strained even Francois's infinite patience - pleasant and productive one moment, sullen and snarling the next. I knew I was insufferable, yet my irritability was a force both beyond and beside me. Even I found my own whining exhausting at times. I vacillated between rage and despondency, furious I couldn't force happiness on myself." </i>

It's an interesting look at bi-polar mood swings and depression, and I think it's handled with the appropriate care for such a delicate subject. Leisel definitely reads as authentic, to say the least.

All in all, I enjoyed the mystery with the Count and Countess, though I was a trifle disappointed when the Countess' storyline didn't play out quite as drastically as I had imagined it would (rather it seemed like they were just abruptly forgotten about once they no longer served the larger plot). I really had hoped for something a tad bloodier at the end of their story arc.

Still, the ending made up for any of my grievances and then some - it is stunning and masterful and I am very pleased. That alone bumped this up to 4.5 stars.

Shadowsong is an amazing sequel to this duology. Which can be compared to the amazing take if Labryinth and the Goblin King. It had wonderful character development, I loved how the relationships transpired. And above all it was a satisfying ending to this series. I would highly recommend this series to anyone.

While the atmosphere of Wintersong is mysterious and romantic, I found Shadowsong to be full of longing with a darker and serious, haunting atmosphere.

Jae-Jones' writing is beautiful but sometimes the events feel ethereal and like I can't quite capture what is happening. I suppose that is due to the nature of the Underground, but it left me confused a bit too many times. That said, I enjoyed the direction of the plot and evolution of the characters.

I wishwishwish Jae-Jones would have dwelled more on the ending--there were necessary scenes I will add in my imagination. Maybe a novella or an online epilogue?

I will happily read whatever Jae-Jones is working on next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2204679749?book_show_action=false

Shadowsong filled the hole in my heart that was left by Wintersong to the point of overflowing contentment. But not before taking readers through a rigorous emotional trial; in which the reward leaves you breathless. S. Jae-Jones truly outdoes herself with the hauntingly beautiful sequel to Wintersong. Be sure to leave room on your shelves for this one.

While I am very happy with the way Shadowsong ended, it took a lot to get there. A lot of stress and heartache, and more pacing. After we were left with our hearts on the floor, by the ending of Wintersong, I needed this book to put me back together. While Wintersong was about love, Shadowsong was about healing. Healing of families. Healing of hearts and healing of minds.

I didn't know what I was getting myself into, when I first started. But soon I realized that this book was going to be nothing like the first. In fact, when I read the author's note, I knew this was going to be totally different than the first book.

We rarely saw the Goblin King, but I understand why. It wasn't really about him. It was about Liesl's and her brother, Josef's journey. They both are broken and troubled and trying to discover the pieces they need to put themselves back together. My heart was breaking for both of them. In the first book was find out why Josef is struggling. He is different but he doesn't know it. Liesl needs to help him, while also helping herself.

This book was harder to read than the first. It was making me manic. The twists and turns of Liesl's world had me reeling right along with her. The world is falling a part and she's the only one who can stop, but she doesn't know that. And when she does, she has to make sacrifices that don't only affect her, but her loved ones as well.

Again, I am happy with the ending, but I feel there could've been just a little bit more. There's a few open ended stories that need to be written. *hint hint*

*I Received This as an ARC from NetGalley in Exchange for an Honest Review*

This was on my Anticipated List for 2018. I was not disappointed. It was Mystical and Intriguing as well a fantastic sequel. I would definitely recommend reading this!

As I’ve said so many times before on this blog, I love the “Beauty and the Beast” trope. So I was all about Wintersong I was also super excited to read Shadowsong because the question of what you do aftery ou experience something fantastic is also really interesting. Which may be why I like Susan from the Chronicles of Narnia. But I digress.

I enjoyed Shadowsong, but it’s a very different beast than Wintersong. Wintersong walks very standard beats and has a satisfying ending. Shadowsong calls that ending into question. The world opens up and it turns out there’s a lot more going on than just Liesl’s experience of the goblin kingdom.

I liked the opening up of the world, but I also feel like it wasn’t fleshed out enough. It turns out there are all these groups in the human world who are involved in the goblin world. We don’t really find out how, though, just that they have a long history. I want to know more!

What I did enjoy was the expansion into more characters. We occasionally see what’s happening to Käthe, François, Josef, or even the goblin king, even if Liesl isn’t around. I loved this, especially the bits in the human world. I want a book about Käthe. I couldn’t get enough of her. She serves as a good foil for Liesl, but we need more of her! She does a lot more in this book and has a lot more of her own internal motivations, though we don’t see a lot of them because of her limited page time.

I also found myself rather interested in François, but oh my was his relationship with Josef a let-down. Josef was a bit of a let-down for me overall. I didn’t really understand his motivations, and he mainly just moped about.

Complaints aside, I thought this book was really interesting and a good counterpoint to Wintersong. I also couldn’t put it down. I love the world. If you enjoyed Wintersong, I definitely recommend Shadowsong, and looking back at Wintersong now, they do go well together. They’re two different books, but they’re both very good.

It's over! I'm both happy and disappointed by this. After the way Wintersong ended, I knew I needed its sequel immediately. I only wanted this story to end one way.

So this picks up a few months after the end of book one. Things are somewhat back to normal for Elisabeth/Liesl. Except something is missing. And then there's Josef. The brother who had finally gotten all their father wanted. Both are suffering, miserable. And it seems neither are safe. The old laws need to be paid. Until then, innocents suffer.

Shadowsong is crazy straight out of the gate. I was ready to jump right back into this world. And I was afraid of what would happen. How it would all end. This part of the tale focuses mainly on the mental health of both Elisabeth and Josef. How they're changed. Changing. After a death on the family, things seem to be further spiraling. But then, by some stroke of luck, a benefactor contacts Liesel, and seems to save them all. The catch? A move to Vienna.

There is a lot to take in again. New aspects of the story. New pieces to the puzzle of the Goblin King and the Underground. It's a puzzle, a mystery to sort. And at the end of the tunnel is hope. Hope that somehow, someway, Elisabeth can find a way to save everyone, but especially her austere young man.

Fans of the Goblin King will be sad to know he's not present much this time around. His presence IS limited, but for the direction the story needed to go, it makes sense. It's still captivating. And really, this is more emotional than Wintersong. Liesel has to make tough choices; harder than those the first time around. Her pain is palpable.

The writing is once again outstanding. So beautiful. I think it's part of why I have been so caught up in the story. It's easy to get lost in pretty words, even when the story itself is dark.

A great (fingers crossed) ending to this story. I don't think I could've asked for anything more! Unless, maybe she wants to write something for Kathe and Francois.

I loved Wintersong when I first read it and I adored this one as well. There are so few books these days that handle the subject of mental health, let alone YA books that broach the subject. I'm a special education teacher, and very few of my students understand that there is nothing wrong with them and that a mental illness is no worse than a physical ailment.

However, one of my biggest book pet peeves is when the problem could be solved by a conversation, and sadly if the characters in this one spoke to one another it would have been a lot shorter.

I guess I should say I'm at least thankful I didn't "dnf" this, since I was tempted to. And yet, I'm still disappointed. Quite. I mean, I didn't enjoy Wintersong too much either. I had given it 2.75 stars a few months back. But, still. I had expected more. A lot more.

Sometimes the second book in a series will surprise you, and that's what I was hoping for with this one, which is why I was thrilled to have received a copy of it. Only to be disappointed worse than before.

Honestly, I don't know what to say. I always have such trouble reviewing books I didn't like at all. Instead, I have a tendency to just want to say, "I didn't like it," and move on. But, I also like giving some reasoning behind my low ratings. However, sometimes there isn't a concrete reason. Sometimes, you just didn't like the book. And this happens to be one of those times.

With Shadowsong, I had a hard time connecting with the writing, which is a huge reason behind my low rating. But writing style preferences vary for everyone. One of ya'll might love it and connect with it. I, on the other hand, could not. This was also an issue I had with Wintersong, that only got worse with this novel - which is a shame.

Another aspect that got worse with this novel was the plot. Again, I didn't feel like there was much going on! Either that, or I didn't care. I'm not sure. It could be a bit of both. But the fact that I couldn't imagine anything from the writing didn't help.

Overall, I don't want to give too much away since the book isn't out yet, and won't be until next month. However, I really don't want to stir any of you away! I feel like I didn't enjoy this novel because I had trouble connecting with Jae-Jones's writing. Some of you might love this, so please read it. Especially if you loved Wintersong.

5 out of 5 stars

Ahhh what a glorious conclusion to the duology! This duology is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read and JJ did not disappoint. Honestly, Wintersong could have been a stand alone, but JJ really pulled her weight and created a beautiful ending.

Shadowsong picks up with a shattered Liesl, back at home, heartbroken and no one to turn to. Her brother, Joself, is ignoring all of her letters. She cannot speak to her mother or sister, and worst of all The Hunt is after her, searching for the maiden who escaped the clutches of death. However, fortune smiles upon Liesl and she receives a patronage of a mysterious count and sets off with Kathe to Vienna, to help her brother and continue her music.

I will begin with saying that Shadowsong deals with some very dark subjects, suicide and self-harm among them and if you are dealing with these thoughts – you are not alone, please reach out for help. We, all of us have demons to deal with. It is not a light topic to deal with in a book and JJ really gets into the characters’ thought process, their rationality, their drive and isolation. JJ really lets her characters speak and is not afraid to delve into the darkest corners of their mind. Liesl’s struggle to choose between her family and her love (selfless vs. selfish) resonated with me so much. As a daughter of an immigrant, family comes first, there is no individual in a family unit and if you choose yourself you are deemed selfish and despicable. This is something that I struggle with every single day and it never gets easier. And I can already hear people complaining about the purple prose of this book. But you know what, JJ like Laini Taylor can do purple prose very well and I for one, will read all the purple prose that they write.

Shadowsong also gives us the back story of Der Erlkönig. It was beautifully done, and while we, the readers, do not get Der Erlkönig as character much in this book, the backflashes of the events that led up to him being one are very well done.

I look forward to reading more books by JJ.

3.5 stars

I’m not really sure how to feel about this one, but I think if I reread it again when it’s a physical copy, my rating will change. The formatting of my e-arc is jumbled and full sentences are displaced and the chapter headings didn’t make sense. It made it difficult to follow along at times.

First off, the thing I loved most about Wintersong was Liesl and the Goblin King together. Their tension and chemistry was fantastic. All of that is missing from this story because they are separated the entire time. Okay, that’s not entirely true, but the scenes of him coming to her were for brief seconds and very odd to me. Oh, and there’s no kissing.

Plot wise, this book is all about the relationship between Liesl and Josef. I enjoyed getting more of their dynamic, especially once things started unraveling. It does move a bit slow and while the writing is lovely, it did get dense in some parts. I liked that there were full explanations to everything and the last 3 or so chapters {I’m guessing. See above about the headings.} were absolute perfection.

Overall, it was captivating and satisfying, yet it is still missing something to make me rabid for it. I will try this one again when I get a finished copy and I can’t wait to see was JJ puts out next.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**