"White Stag" offers a fresh take on goblins and changelings, infused with a quest-like atmosphere reminiscent of "Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo and the sophistication of Sarah J. Maas's "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series. It follows a young human woman's journey of self-discovery and empowerment, revealing her equal prowess among magical beings.

This was an awesome sci-fi/fantasy young adult read. I thought the world building was spectacular and I definitely will be continuing on with this series.

Loved watching the plot unravel and where the pieces fell in the bigger picture as the idea for this book seemed fascinating. Unfortunately, I did not like the writing style, felt like some of the conversations and characters were uninteresting and there was not enough world building in the plot and therefore was not as immersive.

Note: I receive an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Any book that references Der Erlkönig from the offset is a book that I am going to love. It's a rule. I didn't make the rule, I just follow it as one generally should with oddly specific rules probably made up by fairies.

Speaking of fairies, WHITE STAG is the latest in a YA fantasy (and adult fantasy, for that matter) tradition that I just cannot get enough of: scary fairies! Most recognizable in the works of authors like Holly Black and Melissa Marr, the scary fairies trend has seen a spate of new authors in recent years (S. Jae-Jones, Melissa Albert, Margaret Rogerson, etc.) and I honestly couldn't be happier to see so many books connecting with the creepy side of the fair folk. White Stage definitely didn't let me down in that arena either!

Janneke has spend decades in the service of her goblin master, Soren. A service, reluctantly (if not out right unwillingly) rendered, that has a terrible cost. Janneke has proven to the Permafrost -the brutal but beautiful home of the goblins - that she is goblin material, and slowly her humanity is being stripped from her. To make things more complicated, the Goblin King has just bit the dust, and an ancient ritual hunt to determine the new king is about to drag her and her master into unspeakable danger.

(Someone get this girl a shock blanket, please. Because that's a lot to handle all at once.)

What appealed to me the most about White Stag, aside form Barbieri's beautiful, Scandinavian-influenced world building, was the complexity of her many characters. They were very... well they weren't technically human, but when I say they were human what I mean to say is that they had fascinating depth. Janneke is torn on so many levels - ever since she was a child she's had to deal with a complex identity even she struggled to understand, tasked as she was with playing the boy and being her father's heir. Loving the hunting and the freedom, but sometimes just wanting to do the things the girls go to do, rather than existing as an uncomfortable outlier in her community. Now, to face that fact that, after the crushing loss of her family in a goblin raid and her own torture and rape at the hands of an insane, sadistic goblin lord, she is losing the last of her humanity, and thus her last connection to her old life. She is becoming what she despises. Watching her try to navigate that reality was so painful, but still so captivating.

Honestly, don't miss this book. There are definitely some content warnings for remembered sexual violence, and a fair amount of gore, but if you like dark fantasy it's nothing you won't have encountered before. And everything, from the books scarred heroine, to the violet-eyed, white haired goblin master Soren (tell me he wasn't inspired by Drizzt, I am so happy), to the wild, sweeping world of the Permafrost makes for excellent reading. At it's heart White Stag is a book about, not so much what it means to be "human", as what it means to have humanity. To be and find goodness and light in the darkness.

Plus that tiny cliffhanger epilogue really made me want to read the sequel!!

Thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. I am torn how to review White Stag. There are so many plot rip offs from a few bestsellers that made me question the author’s own imagination. Ignoring those similarities this was a decent book, but it was difficult to do so because they were so blatant. I noticed this book is #1 in a series, but if the next book continues in this vane I do not wish to read it. Those books that “inspired “ this author use this plot twists so much better.

I wasn't quite connecting with this one and I had to DNF with the possibility of picking up in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Took a long minute for me to get into. Like, why all of a sudden after ONE HUNDRED YEARS, did things start to happen? Especially since Janneke was only held captive by Lydian for 4 months and has been with Soren for 99 years 8 months! Seemed odd. But by the end I was invested and I'm for the second book.

I received this for free through netgalley. I honestly got really bored and couldn't keep going. I read the reviews from other readers before I decided to DNF, and I realized it was just going to get worse. Rape was a big focal point and I'm just not at a point where I want to read about that right now.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. Just wasn’t for me as my reading tastes have changed over the years.

This book caught hold with its world-building. The first few chapters reminded me greatly of The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black but with a darker twist that explored some different areas that could be considered content warnings for more gentle readers. Definitely would be a good one to pick up if you enjoy political intrigue, magic, and world-building.

This book has a highly interesting fantasy hierarchy. There is a ton of nordic/viking legend, a dash of Lord of the Rings and a WHOLE bunch of angst, body diasmorpia and trauma. It is brutal. That said it's also a bloody good read.

Janneke was stolen from her village over a hundred years ago and brought to the mystical Permafrost. After enduring hardships and trauma at the hands of a mad goblin she was 'gifted' to Soren. The goblins in this realm are really interesting. Lovely as elves, but the loveliness is a thin skin over the brutal beast within. Also the concept that goblins CANNOT create without causing grievous bodily injury to themselves. Thus the raids on human villages for thralls to do all the domestic creative things needed to run a kingdom.

There's a ton of really interesting world building here. My advice, find a copy and read it. It's worth it.

I actually checked this out from my library, inhaled it and then immediately requested the sequel, Goblin King.
I WILL be buying my own copies of this story for my own.

Darkly stunning. A true look into what makes a monster. Perfect for fans of Holly Black's The Folk of Air series and S. Jae-Jones Wintersong.

** I was given this book through Goodreads and the Publisher for an honest review!**

This book, what can I say about this book 🤔 It took me a long ass time to read. I started it before the holidays, and then life got busy. I mean sometimes you have to take breaks, but for me picking this book back up was a struggle. I truly don’t like DNF’ing a book. I always push and finish.. but I’d lie if I didn’t say this was a struggle. It’s one of those books that you set down and can’t really get yourself to pick it back up. But alas I pushed through, since a friend raves about it, and it did get better... about 200 pages in, sadly!

First off the pacing... it’s sooo slow! Holy sheets is it slow. 🙈 I didn’t like that we didn’t even get a back story as to why she’s in the Goblin “Permafrost” world. We get little flashback memories of her former human life, but HELLO!!! I’m sure I’m part of a majority of people who like to know what happened to her family, in full! 5 chapters in and I was still wondering why. That’s a little frustrating to me. I like stories to build and not having to guess wtf is gong on.

Secondly, there’s rape involved and not in a great way. It’s like it was added to up some sort of emotions. And you’ve already got a super pissed off main character that came off juvenile to me. I get it, she’s stuck in that age forever, but damn get over it. She’s like a bitchy drama queen that needs a rude awkwening. I expect that from goblins, especially how crazy Lydian is 😬. He’s like a whole new level of insanity. I think the character Soren saved this book for me. He was beautifully written.. and oh my!

But I will say after all that, for it being a young debut author, she does spin a tale and made it as imaginative as she could. I loved the idea that she wrote a story off Der Erlköning and made her own twists off the old tale. This book reminded me of ACOTAR and The Cruel Prince; the setting and humans stuck in a magical foreign world (ACOTAR), but with the terrible writing and feels (The Cruel Prince).

I give this a 3.9-4.3 🌟 out of 5... The writing lowers it, but the imagination and the story as a whole brings it up!

<p>This book tackled several difficult subjects (rape, abuse, survivor's guilt, and surviving) without being derogatory, demeaning, or belittling. I think the author did a great job channeling her personal journey into a fantasy story that readers who have suffered will likely connect with on a personal level. For those with triggers, there is a content warning on the audiobook right at the beginning where the author speaks a bit about her personal trauma.</p>

<p>I also appreciated that this was a complete story with hints toward a larger picture. I'm not sure that I will be pursuing more of this story (at least not right now), but it does look like book two released last year. There is a very slow-burn romance element that blossoms as the main character examines her beliefs and fears about herself and what surviving means. The pacing is a bit slow at first and there is a bit of repetitious thought patterns, but overall, I think the author built a strong story.</p>

<p>The narrator for the audiobook did a great job giving voice to the characters and placing emphasis where needed to further the story. I will definitely be looking for more books read by Kimberly Woods.</p>

While I quite enjoyed Wintersong by S. Jae Jones – atmospheric and gobliny - White Stag is just not quite for me. This is a harsh and brutal story of Janneke, a girl made immortal in service, or rather enslavement, to the goblins of the Permafrost after they murdered her family and destroyed her village. She’s lived for about 100 years in the Permafrost, first under the cruel, physically and sexually abusive Lydian, then under his slightly kinder nephew Soren. There is a lot of time spent ruminating on power and what makes someone monstrous in between a lot of battles, fights, and action surrounding the magical Stag Hunt that decides the next goblin king. There’s Norse mythology mixed in, too, but the bond between Janneke and Soren is truly the focus here. This one just never landed quite right for me, feeling a little unpolished, but I can certainly see those who love a dark fantasy YA romance enjoying this first in a series.

So much potential here but I just couldn't get into this book. Cool story idea but it just didn't come to life for me.

Janneke finds herself in a world where things are turning more monster than human. Following Janneke through the adventure of goblin life was entertaining. I enjoyed that not only did this story have an adventure but it also had a love story sprinkled in. I enjoyed it well enough, but not sure that I will continue on with the series. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC. 3.5 stars.

Let me say that I was drawn to this book because of the cover at first, but then I started reading it and I kept reading due to the author's exquisite writing and wonderful world-building and sense of place. It was very atmospheric, and I delighted in the descriptions of everything.

White Stag is the first in a series by new author Kara Barbieri. Janneka--or, as she has been called, Janneke--has for a century been a thrall or servant to a powerful goblin lord. They have a fairly laid-back relationship considering the dynamics; but when the Erlking (the ruler of the Permafrost) dies, Soren, Janneka's master, becomes one of the top contenders for his throne, Suddenly, Soren not only expects but wants more than what has become their routine relationship. Janneka quickly comes to learn that there is more to her than just a victim of the goblins--she is a power of her own, and her past can't hold her back.

White Stag will thrill younger readers than I because of Janneka's identity struggle and the over-the-top emotional banter between Janneka and Soren, the writing style definitely falls within the "young adult" trend..

Action-packed story, interesting main and supporting characters. Ultimately, though, I felt like I was dropped in to the middle of a story/world without much explanation or background, and although we got a little bit via flashbacks throughout the story, it never fully developed. Barbieri is a good writer and the story has potential though.