Shadowsong picks up six months after the end of Wintersong. Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her.

When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands? (via Goodreads)

I received an eARC from publisher Wednesday Books, courtesy of Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The sequel to S. Jae-Jones' Wintersong is a beautiful, discordant and strange book, and I can't decide whether I liked it or not.

Shadowsong needs content warnings for self harm, addiction, reckless behaviors, suicidal ideation, use of 'negro,' kidnapping, use of ableist words 'idiot, simple, mad', drug use, unconsenting drug use, and suicide. Please be careful with your mental health as you read.

It had a lot of good elements, and pulled in themes from the original story. I loved that Käthe got more of her own storyline. I loved that we got to learn more about François. I loved the mysterious benefactor aspect.

One thing I really love about Shadowsong is that it really makes it clear that her love for Josef and for the Goblin King are different, but equal. So often, romantic relationships are prioritized over family and friendship in a really shitty way, but Jae-Jones goes out of her way not to do that. I loved that she did state that they are both part of her heart, and that her heart just grew to accept the other people without lessening her love for the originals.

However, there was one line that really bothered me from Josef's perspective, as someone on the ace spectrum.

"But the changeling knew that his love was not the same as François's love, for the urge to touch was absent and the heat of passion was cold."

It's a throwaway line that could be omitted without any damage to the story, and would be much less harmful for readers like myself.

I didn't love the weird perspective changes. Liesl's part was told in first person, but all of the others were in a distant third person, which forced me to really take a minute and get back into the story every time. It wasn't badly written, it was just really confusing for me.

I would have loved a little bit more of a conclusion, rather than the sigh that Shadowsong ends on.

Overall, I think that I liked this book. But there were definitely some things that left me scratching my head.

This book made me feel so many things, most of all sadness because the stories of Lisel and the Goblin King and Josef and Kathe are over and my heart hurts. This book was amazing i love the interwoven story of Lisel and her devotion to not the Goblin King but the amount of love and heart wrenching torment she goes through to be loyal to Josef her brother.

Their are some triggering things in this book which may make it difficult for some to read. It a fairy tale story woven in dark threads as our main character has bi-polar disorder. The story is dark but was a delight to read as much as wintersong was

A worthy conclusion to the Wintersong duology.

Shadowsong, even more than Wintersong, truly delves into what is reality and what is not. And even if the images are not "real", it does not mean they are not important or the truth.

The world above the Underground is just as messy, confusing and brutal. Love and Grace are around and can save humanity.

Prequels are something which I always start a little critically, but this one gave exactly what was needed at the right time.

By splitting this book up equally between Aidan and Allie, the author allows the reader to gain new insights, which aren't as vital to the plot as they are to the characters. After reading this, especially Aidan gains a whole new side which rounds him into a hero to dream about. The look into both of their pasts not only makes them more understandable but makes them seem that much more normal. They both had their struggles and problems, and these come across in a very 'average teen' manner (even if the problems, especially in Aiden's case, aren't so normal).

The prequel grabs the entire way through. At first, it's hard to see how all of it will connect as Aidan and Allie lead two very different and distant lives. It's a treat to return to each viewpoint as the chapters switch back and forth between them, never having anything in common enough to make it clear how they come together. And when they do, it wraps up things nicely in every way.

I enjoyed reading this and found it a nice break after the first novel. After reading it, I'm that much more excited about jumping into book two.

I had such high hopes for Shadowsong, after loving Wintersong so much. I was so excited to start reading it. Shadowsong follows Liesl’s gripping journey to the underworld. Unfortunately, it was slow paced, and it lacked luster. I was really hoping for more of the Goblin King!
I did finish reading it, however it was a big let down after reading book 1 in the series.
I voluntarily read and reviews an ARC copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

My coworkers and I have eagerly awaited the release of Shadowsong, ever since we passed Wintersong around the breakroom and fell in love with it. I, for one, could not be more curious about how the romance plot would be resolved. It was a little disappointing then, to start so far from it, with Liesel and her siblings in Vienna. However, the writing is compelling, and I found myself engaged in the mystery of their benefactors. The book hits its stride about halfway through, and I found it difficult to put it down after that. The conclusion is heartfelt and satisfying, if a bit rushed.
Honestly, after finishing it, I think this book did something unexpected. The focus on mental illness and the way it plays out it is important. In a world where we often disregard and push mental illness to the background, reading about characters honestly struggling with it, in a time and place where there would have been little help for them, was engaging and made me think about the ways in which we often disregard mental health in fantasy literature.
I will definitely continue to recommend the duology, although with the caveat that the second book is a departure from the first. I enjoyed both books immensely, and I’m a little sad to leave this world of music and goblins behind. And I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

2.5 stars

Plot: My hesitations with Wintersong were that it didn't explore the goblin lore enough nor did it ever reach a proper climax, and Shadowsong did not provide any of the answers I needed. Taking place 6 months after Liesl' escape from The Underground, Shadowsong dealt with Liesl's rocky relationship with her brother and the phantom call to the Underground. Much like Wintersong, there was no real sense of urgency or intrigue in Shadowsong. This novel was 90% dialogue, but it seemed to go in circles with only the last chapter holding my attention.

Characters: Shadowsong would have been a more memorable reading experience if the characters were explored more. In the author's note, Jones remarked that Liesl had bipolar disorder similar to herself. With this information, I was excited to see more of Liesl and how she dealt with varying moods but it felt as though Liesl was kept at a distance. The writing style was very passive which made it hard to get a clear understanding of any of the characters, especially The Goblin King. The mysterious Goblin King was only present for about 25% of Shadowsong which was the most disappointing because I was expecting to learn more him and his past.

Worldbuilding: A large portion of Shadowsong took place in Vienna which was a refreshing change. I liked the glamorous feel of the city and the masked balls. It was easy to see myself in Austria, this was in due part to Jones' whimsical writing.

Short N Sweet: Shadowsong wasn't the satisfying conclusion that I was hoping for.

Beautifully written. Need a few days to process. Longer review to come.

The author made it a point to mention that the book deals with self-harm, addiction reckless behavior, and suicidal ideation. If you are not comfortable with this subject matter than this is not the book for you. This book I feel is more dark than the first one.

Be aware the Global King has a small part in this book. The story focuses more on Lisel and her relationship with her brother Josef. The book deals with mental illness. It is beautifully written. I enjoyed reading this book.

Shadowsong is a wonderful sequel to Wintersong. With S. Jae-Jones's lyrical writing, it brings music to my ears. Don't be fooled by the slow pace of this book. Savor it as long as you can. Expanding on the last installment, Wintersong delves into more soul searching via a musical career. Liesl is distraught that she doesn't hear from Josef but she heads to Vienna in search of Josef with Käthe after Josef's master has passed away.

Shadowsong is a novel focusing on building a stronger sibling relationship. The novel is more Liesl centric and doesn't have that seductive dance with the Goblin King as in Wintersong. However, readers learn more about the Goblin King's history and his true name! Also, most of the novel is set above ground compared to its predecessor.

S. Jae-Jones includes hand written letters within Shadowsong just like in Wintersong. It adds that personal touch to the novel. She has honed in on a more character driven plot line and ties the duology well with the revisiting of the Goblin King. However, I felt more drawn to Wintersong than Shadowsong only due to the fact that I love reading about the Goblin King.

This dark fantasy is definitely one to be picked up. Just as a fair warning, there are some topics about addiction, reckless behavior, self-harm and suicidal thoughts within this book that might trigger some people. Jae-Jones includes an author's note about it to warn readers. Shadowsong has a deeper focus on mental health and how it affects the characters within the book.

After having mixed feelings about Wintersong, I was both excited and hesitant to read Shadowsong. I think I was hoping for the sequel to my dream version of the movie Labyrinth (where Sarah isn't so young and shipping her with the Goblin King didn't feel creepy). And I got my romance, but I'm really conflicted about this book.

Last time around, I enjoyed the lyrical writing style but the plot took a turn for the worse and I ended up feeling pretty meh about the whole thing. With Shadowsong, it was kind of the same thing. In some ways, I enjoyed this sequel more but then again. . . the plot felt like it was spinning in circles. Liesl escaped the Underground but it's causing issues in the world above. That alone would have been enough in terms of a story for me. The conflict and how Liesl deals with it while being apart from her Goblin King. But then a secret organization and random flashbacks to introduce the Goblin King before he became that were thrown in and the story spun out of control.

It's odd because I enjoyed some of the character development. I have a soft spot for the Goblin King but there wasn't enough of him in this book. And the rest of the story focused on developing the characters while the plot provided filler. In short, Shadowsong was a fairly boring read. If the Goblin King had been more of a presence in this book, I think I would have enjoyed it more. His and Liesl's relationship, the tension, the back-and-forth, that's what hooked me in Wintersong. I'm a sucker for romance and when all else fails in a book, I can get behind it if I ship the characters.

With the two of them separated for the vast majority of Shdaowsong, I was left with beautiful, but ultimately dull writing. I wasn't engaged. And part of that might have been due to the formatting of the eARC I had which made for disjointed reading but I tried to ignore that as much as possible. I just wasn't invested. I'd read a chapter or two, put my Kindle down, pick it up later on, and so forth.

And yet. . . something caught my eye. I finished the book, after all. The ending wraps up everything nicely and I don't feel cheated or shorted on a conclusion. Liesl and the Goblin King's stories end. Everything with her family closes in a way that flows with the story. I appreciated the lack of a cliffhanger. I feel like so many stories want to leave something open in case they want to return to the world but as a reader, I can set this one down and that's that. No spin-offs or companions (I hope).

If you enjoyed Wintersong for the writing, you'll find the same lyrical style in Shadowsong though the story gets denser at times especially with the introspection of the characters. But if you're looking for the conflicting romance, you may find this sequel disappointing. I think Shadowsong will appeal to certain readers but I can't say I was overly impressed with this sequel or duology in general.

Thank you, Macmillan, for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"For your music was the first and only thing in this world that kept me human, the first and last thing I give back to you." —Josef

This year, it seems that I'm becoming familiar with the disappointment that comes with unmet expectations. I loved Wintersong because of its lush, musical content, so I was super excited to get my hands on Shadowsong. I am sorry to say that this is my second 2-star read of 2018.

Objectively speaking, I think that many people will cherish or resonate with this book, especially those who struggle with grief, loss, or depression. The author disclosed that like herself, Liesl suffers from bipolar disorder. S. Jae-Jones didn't say anything about Josef, but he overtly struggles with depression and self-harm. "Shadowsong" is the perfect title for this #OwnVoices novel; it is as dark as a shadow and as lyrical as a song. I was saddened by the character arcs, but at the same time, I was amazed by the eloquent writing. It was actually my first time to read such an introspective and melancholic piece of YA literature. And for that alone, I can't say that I completely disliked it.

Nonetheless, it must be noted that Shadowsong made me yawn so many times. It felt like I was rereading Anna-Marie McLemore's Wild Beauty, which was my own literary lullaby. A lot of chapters were dedicated to developing the characters, but the pacing was utterly monotonous. It didn't help that I was negatively affected by Liesl and Josef's constant squabbles. Jealousy, guilt, and resentment were forcing them apart, and reconciliation seemed almost impossible. Combined with the hopelessness evoked by their respective internal monologues, the stress I felt tempted me to give up on the book.

Ultimately, I decided to give Shadowsong 2 stars because it overwhelmed me with a sense of alienation. I wanted to cheer for the characters as they endeavored to defeat their inner demons, yet I just couldn't connect with them. Although I've read a fair number of mental health novels, it was still hard for me to comprehend the catalyst(s) behind most of their decisions and actions. Does mental illness give fictional characters the right to be jerks to their family? I would've liked this book more if Josef hadn't been so mean to Liesl.

Looking at the bright side, Shadowsong nicely tied up loose ends. Also, it was great that my fondness for the mysterious Goblin King didn't waver even though he was barely in the story. In a way, this book was less about romantic love and more about brotherly/sisterly love.

With all that said, the fact remains that Shadowsong was not my cup of tea. Unlike the first book, it was slow-paced and downright stressful. Oh well, at least I was able to find closure after the heartbreaking ending of Wintersong.

I was incredibly worried that Shadowsong would not live up to Wintersong, being that the latter has become one of my favorite books of all time. I was rewarded with a sequel (that isn't exactly a sequel, because it could stand alone) that lived up to my expectations. This book was darker in every way, and I ate it up!

“Take care of her,” he whispered to the man beside him. “She deserves to be loved”

This was an a amazing book about love, loss, family, music, and little bit of magic.

This is Liesl and her companions story about after she returns from the underground, trying to grow both her and her brothers musical careers. To save the barrier between worlds she must return to the underground and face what awaits.

I received an arc of this book for an honest review. I think it was its own musical number. It started off a little slow and soft, continued to grow and ended with a bang. At the end i was gasping, smiling and in tears. I was hoping for more Liesl/goblin king romance and to see their relationship further but I loved the connection between Liesl and her brother, it is a relationship that should be seen in more books.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with a copy to review. It was a pleasure to read and give my review.

This book is very, very different from Wintersong; it's much darker and more melancholy in tone, and if you do choose to read it, do please heed the warnings that the author helpfully provides in the intro. Wintersong ended on a satisfying, if not very happy, note, and the story seemed to be tied up with a bow, but the bow was the kind where if you poke it a little bit it all falls apart and as it turns out, everything is a mess.

Shadowsong is the characters dealing with that mess.

It isn't clean, and it isn't nice, and it isn't pretty, but as the author also indicates in the intro, dealing with mental illness rarely is. Even the parts of the story that aren't directly about mental illness (<spoiler>Liesl has bipolar disorder, and Josef suffers from depression and self-injurious/suicidal impulses</spoiler>) are, in fact, about mental illness; about shifting views of the self and the world and one's relationship to one's responsibilities versus the tending of one's own health. But it's also about identity and love and sacrifice and a lot of other huge, massive ideas.

What this book is less about is actually music, which is why I didn't like it quite as well as the first volume. But I have to acknowledge that it was, quite deeply and painfully, about music; about creative impulses and about the wedding of one's identity to one's worth as an artist and what happens when something takes that away, whether it's one's own mind or one's body or a parent or other circumstances beyond one's control.

(And that's probably why I didn't like it quite as well as Wintersong, because I know about that particular emotional divorce a little better than I ever wished I did. But I digress.)

That's not to say that the book is without flaw; its underpinnings of myth maybe hold together a little less well, and Käthe suffers a little from less detail and care than she had in the first volume. Another couple of characters are left hanging, and I wish they hadn't been. But the more I consider it, the more there was to the book, and the more I want to read it again, even though I know it'll hurt.

It's a good kind of hurt, though.

(I think.)

It should come as no surprise to anyone who has listened to the podcast that Wintersong was one of my absolute favorite books of 2017.

It should be even less surprising that Labyrinth was incredibly formative for my fictional tastes in my youth. I mean, hot evil David Bowie simultaneously trying to seduce and/or murder our impressionable young heroine? Obviously, you can sign me the fuck up.

Now, how S. Jae-Jones and Macmillan managed to legally get away with a retelling of movie decidedly not in public domain is beyond me, but I am certainly not complaining. Jones’ VERY loose retelling was an absolute triumph. It was lush and dark, busting with both pathos and raw emotion. Not to mention, it was mind-blowingly erotic for a young adult novel. (To be clear, that is most definitely a compliment)

After the stunning and emotional gut-punch that was Wintersong, I waited for Shadowsong with a mix of excitement and trepidation. As much as I wanted more from these characters and the world created by S. Jae-Jones, I really did feel like Wintersong had a perfectly bittersweet ending benefiting the nuanced story being told.

After reading Shadowsong, I’m still not entirely convinced it was a necessary sequel but, god, am I happy it exists. It seems like Jae-Jones deliberately made every possible choice to ensure this would be a hard book to both write and read. It’s a book written for the broken and the searching–for people falling apart and people pulling themselves back together.

This book was a risk, a huge one. The sweeping, haunting romance of the first? Put on the back-burner. Instead, Shadowsong luxuriates in a character study and meditation on mental illness. Jae-Jones pushes her characters past the point of comfort. She forces them–and us–to confront the darkest, most difficult corners of their souls.

I would have appreciated a bit more plot and a MUCH heavier dose of romance, so I don’t think I will evangelize Shadowsong the way I do its predecessor. But at the same time, I can’t help to applaud the author for the gamble she’s taken.

This raging, silent scream of a book was nothing at all what I expected, and for that alone I’m grateful. I want YA that challenges expectations, that challenges its characters, and more than anything else, I want YA that challenges its readers.

So, despite the flaws I may find in this book, I still can’t wait to see what else S. Jae-Jones has up her sleeve.

It's tedious and boring and I would like to leave my impression of this story with how Wintersong ended. I'm only giving it an extra .5 star because I know that I like the characters from the first book and the writing is very pretty. Overall a 1.5 star read.

I was provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. . I loved Wintersong and couldn't wait to read the sequel; as soon as I was approved on NetGalley I picked it up right away. I’m not really sure if my concerns with the overall novel began with the ARC. The formatting of my 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. This was a tolerable follow up, however it wasn't nearly as mesmerizing as the first the novel. I found the pacing was very slow, it only picks up in the last handful of chapters, which for me made it very difficult to stay interested.

Shadowsong picks up six months after the ending of Wintersong. The story follows Lisel on her journey after being released from the underground and coping and dealing with the loss of the Goblin King. She is also reunited with her brother Josef. At one point I completely forgot about The Hunt, which was supposedly hunting Leisl down, and supposedly a constant risk, but never really seemed like a threat. I would really have liked to see more of the Goblin King in the book because there really wasn't that much, but I do understand it was more about Lisel and being able to fix what she broke when she was released from the underground.

Overall, Shadowsong nicely tied up loose ends. Yet unlike the first book, it was slow-paced and downright hectic. At least I was able to find closure after the heartbreaking ending of Wintersong. Sadly disappointed in this conclusion to the duology.

I want to like this series. I really did. I read Wintersong and made it through page after page of Liesl waxing poetic about chords and piano's and composition, but it all fell flat. I went into Shadowsong thinking it might be better, and it The world building wasn't complete and made me constantly wonder where this world is. Is is this universe rural Germany in Mozart's time or a different, but not too far, universe where these goblin rules exist. Liesl was whiny and after complaining every page about how important it was to save her family she let herself be distracted again and again. The pacing of this book was even slower than the last and seemed without purpose other than no one knew what was happening.

while I still didn’t love this series as much as others have, this book was an improvement on the first, and I found myself enjoying more of it as I went along. As a whole, I can also see why this duology is as popular as it is, even if it wasn’t my cup of tea.

Set six months after the events of the first book, Liesl is trying to set her mind and action on her and her brother’s music. But this is easier said than done and she can never quite shake the memory of her time spent below with the enigmatic Goblin King. Shocking no reader ever, events occur that once again lead Liesl down into the Underground and back into the presence of the Goblin King. Now the stakes are even higher, and Liesl must once again try to puzzle out the truth of her mysterious beau.

First off, I have to give props to the designer of the cover art for both this book and “Wintersong.” Both of these covers are gorgeous, and these are exactly the types of covers that would stop me short in a bookstore and get me to pick up a book. So well done on that front!

As I said, I did end up enjoying this book more than the first and I think this largely has to do with my connecting to the darker tone and topic that was introduced in this book. I still have an ongoing issue with the writing style which I find to be overly dramatic and taking itself too seriously, but at least here, in this book, that style of writing seems to better fit with the tale that is being told. The events and themes are dark and dramatic, so a verging-on-melodramatic tone doesn’t grate up against the story that is being told, but instead can work to support it.

I also appreciated the shift in focus that this book takes, away from Liesl’s relationship with the Golblin King and towards her relationship with her brother. I love a romance as much as the next person (perhaps more, if I’m honest), but these two’s romance wasn’t something I loved the first go around, so for me, a shift to a sibling relationship, something that I often adore in my books, was a welcome surprise. I especially liked the complications in their relationship, the fact that while they could not particularly like each other at times, they were still willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary on the other’s behalf it if was necessary.

However, I still felt that the story moved too slowly, dragging at point. And this was made worse by the lengthy time spent in Liesl’s head as she pined over the Goblin King. But the world building was excellent, and, again, I felt that the author was better able to leverage her strengths in this area this time around to balance out portions of the story that didn’t connect with me as much. There were some nice subtle touches with reoccurring elements throughout the book that did help bring the story to another level.

In the end, I have mixed feelings about this book. For me, it is definitely an improvement on the first story, dealing more fully with some tough subjects, creating a more consistent storyline, and shifting the focus off the romance and onto a sibling relationship. However, some of the issues I had with the writing style are still there, but I know that this is a very preferential opinion and that others enjoy this type of writing more than I do. There’s also the fact that because the story is a departure from the first, I’m not sure how it will be received? Will others who didn’t enjoy the first also find themselves liking this one more because of the changes (will they even read it if they didn’t enjoy the first)? Or will readers who loved the first one be turned off by the shifts in this story? I’m not sure!