The all-encompassing idea of this novel is an interesting one. We have a main character who is slowly turning into one of the monsters that have been her captors for 100 years. Her new master, Soren, is complicated, as he treats her like a companion rather than a slave. Yet, all of her thoughts and feelings about goblin-kind are tainted by Lydian. The Hunt is compelling in that it is the literal search for power, chasing after the stag that within holds all the power for the future Goblin King to use. All of the goblins choose sides, trying to get on the winning team of the most powerful goblin.

The problem lies in the execution. The pacing feels off. We jump from one fight scene to another with very little downtime for character building (more on that in the next section) or exposition. This leads to confusion regarding fundamental choices the characters make. Many of the more compelling ideas are squandered because of poor explanation or world building. Nothing is given it’s time to shine as the plot moves so quickly yet haphazardly. It doesn’t flow, and I often found myself wondering why characters were making the choices they did or why they needed to be where they were.

Listen, I get that fantasy creatures can grow and change with the times. Nothing is final in the realm of make-believe. However, having read the genre for as long as I have, goblins are not beautiful. They are monstrous, often squat creatures. Just picture the ones in Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. We have one instance in popular culture where a goblin did not look this way, The Labyrinth. David Bowie’s Goblin King is iconic, but just picture the little creatures surrounding him. Those are the typical goblins we think of. In fact, while he ruled the goblins, it was not explicitly stated that he was a goblin himself.
So imagine my surprise that all of these goblins are achingly beautiful. It isn’t described until much later in the novel that the goblins in these books actually have two forms: a strikingly beautiful one and another hideous form usually seen when fighting. That’s fine. Create the world you want, but if you want to change a creature that has been around for hundreds of years, you better describe it at the start. To me, they were just more vicious fey, and it all felt cliche.
I like that our main character, Jenneke, sees herself as slowly turning into a monster. She has had a rough time among the goblins, and I appreciate that we have a character going through stages of emotion for PTSD (trigger warning: rape and abuse). And since I can’t touch on these subjects personally, I will not criticize how those parts were written other than to say that it often felt inconsistent.
These goblins are vicious, right? But the Permafrost has extended her life while keeping her young, so she has had a long time to interact with them, and from the outset, her master Soren doesn’t seem so bad. If anything, he seems a little too perfect for a goblin. And there are gaps in his story as well. There was no real growth for either character, more of an acceptance of fate, which does not make for an interesting arc. The romance was predictable and a bit flat. We didn’t get to see the 100 years of interaction, only this sudden, strange relationship.
Lydian is our bad guy, and to be honest, he is not a fleshed out villain. He’s bad because he raped and tortured our MC. Bad things to be sure, but these subjects come up over and over again to the point they lose meaning. Also, it turns out he’s a little crazy. Why? It’s not really explained.

Props to the fact that Barbieri had a successful Wattpad novel published at age 22. However, there are definitely parts that show the lack of experience (or perhaps lack of an editor). Many questions are left unsolved, or maybe just not properly developed. The lack of world building is what makes this book subpar. Here are just a few areas that were not explained nor explored, barring anything that could be a spoiler:
What exactly is the Permafrost? How does it extend life and heal wounds?
What is the power of the Goblins? Why do they rule?
Why are the Norse Gods in this world? Particularly when there is a different origin story given much later in the book?
The fight scenes were fun and relatively well done. But the dialogue and exposition were a struggle. For instance, about a quarter into the book, Janneke and Soren have a conversation about how she is slowly turning into a goblin. She denies it and vows to herself to escape back to the human world where she feels she belongs, despite whatever relationship she has with Soren. Just a couple scenes later, she encounters humans who have come into the Permafrost. Thinking to warn them of danger, she approaches alone. Within a few sentences, these men suddenly tell her a story of a lone girl who escaped a burning village 100 years ago, but how she could no longer be fully human anymore and wouldn’t be welcome in the human lands. It felt like a very unnatural progression of the conversation. It was wrapping everything Janneke needed to hear in a nice neat package. There were many scenes like this one, where we were being told rather than shown.

Overall, the story was interesting. It had its moments of brilliance, like the fighting and realistic recovery for PTSD. However, the lack of world building and stilted dialogue that told rather than showed really pulled the novel down. Beautiful goblins who are no different than the fey everywhere in YA these days and a predictable yet unsatisfying love story brought it down even more. If this novel had been given more time with development, it could have been really something. I liked it enough, but I probably wouldn’t have finished it if I hadn’t promised a review on NetGalley.

I fell in love with this adventure. The characters build so beautifully they grew on me more with every chapter. Soren and Janneke’s relationship was so in depth and real that I felt the emotions through the words. The permafrost was interesting and different from the colorful worlds that are common in this genre, I loved it. There is always such an appreciation I have when an author writes in a way that I’m unable to stop reading and time has no relevance I was totally transported, I felt like I was on the hunt right along side them. There are some things that were on the more mature side of the young adult genre such as rape, self harm and being enslaved that may not make it suitable for everyone. That being said I think it illustrates why Janneke is who she is and made me love her resilience.. there are several times I felt heartbroken but I enjoyed the intensity and I was intrigued by the idea of what or who defines a monster. I truly didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.

An interesting, fairly quick read that I think will appeal to most readers. Ultimately, I only marked this book as a three-star read because I don't have many thoughts about it. It was enjoyable, but only that. I liked the characters somewhat, but didn't quite connect with the premise and the writing style, and struggled to feel much about it in general. However, I feel Ms. Barbieri shows great promise with her novels and I'm looking forward to seeing where she goes with her writing.

Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

This book was one of the first ones I had added on my reading lists when I had begun browsing Wattpad. I remember loving the setting and the characters! And imagine my surprise when I realized that not only had I been sent an ARC but also that the story was familiar to me!

Janneke lives in Permafrost, a world parallel to the human one, home to mythical creatures, inspired by the Norse mythology and goblins. As a former prisoner of a sadistic goblin, Janneke has lived for the rest of one hundred years, serving her former captor's nephew, Soren.

Who is nothing like his uncle, Lydian.

When the former Erlking dies and the Hunt for the glorious White Stag begins, both Janneke and Soren will have to shift through backstabbing alliances, discover hidden secrets and also their own feelings. While the story is told from the first POV, the worldbuilding is stunning and Janneke's backstory is heartbreaking. Torn between survival and loyalty, trust and love she faces every possible danger while at the same time she also has Soren to help her. And she helps him.

I loved how the dynamics worked and while there is a trigger warning for torture and mention to rape, it is not brutally highlighted. The mythology of Permafrost, the Stag, and the unstoppable action kept me engrossed and I loved every turning page! And the romance! It was so slow burning!

I seriously can't wait for the sequel!

This was a very good book. It reminds me of the video game Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. It has everything you need to keep you interested in the story. I think my YA son would love this book.

The perfect blend of hunger games and game of thrones.
Just wow. I loved this book so much. The writing was somewhat immature. But the plot and the way ir was carried were marvelous.
Recommended to fantasy lovers.

It sounded like my perfect recipe for a YA fantasy: Norse mythology-inspired, wintery setting, a goblin king. I had such high hopes for this one but sadly it just was not my cup of tea. It reads precisely like fan fiction for The Cruel Princewith toned-down characters with very little chemistry and some Norse mythology sprinkled in to appeal to the folklore crowd. Just replace ‘goblin’ with ‘fae’ and the story feels redundant.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing my this book in exchange for an honest review*
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I couldn’t do it. The synopsis drew me in because I love a good animorphs story but after a few chaothers, I had to stop.
I’ll never understand why authors use sexual assault or r*pe as a plot device to show that the main character has become hardened and is now ready to fulfill their destiny. I stopped immediately following the mention of this assault. I was unable to finish what seemed to have been, potentially, a good story.

Oh, I love this kind of book. The Goblin world is one that I haven't delved in and love to read more about. This story was a wonderful ride of emotion and war. There were so many intense moments where you could feel the emotions tensing. The characters were wonderful and really melded together well. The one thing that I would have liked to change was how quick Soren and Janneke fell in love. It could of had a little more tension, but other than that, I blasted through this book and couldn't put it down.

This review was written by Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina http://www.exballerina.com it will go live on 1-1-19

One of the few stories I have read this year, this whole year, that actually met expectations.

Our main character, whom I love almost the most of all the main characters I know, manages to not fall into the trap of romantic Stockholm Syndrome that many other captive, female MC’s do when part of a story such as this. She is also not a flat character, and the supporting characters around her, for the most part, are not flat either.

After a string of reads that are full of political innuendo, preachy plot points, and horribly hypocritical stereotypes, it was nice to sit and just read a story. Aside from a few F-bombs, about three, which I don’t think fit in the age group for this genre, I did not find this wholly inappropriate for the 14 or so and up age group for which it is marketed.

I will definitely either advocate for its purchase at the local library or just buy it myself and donate it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion and review.

White stag

Thanks to the publisher for a copy to read and give my honest opinion!

This is a rare gem of a book! Some of my favorite types of genre exist in only small amounts of books that I could count on one hand and this is that genre. Since the first time I had read a goblin book I have been hooked and that is why I chose to read this copy. The author stays true to form as she releases us in this goblin world and the story building is so amazing it transforms us. White stag was an amazing read, and if you love to fall into fantasy....this is definitely a page turner.

What did I like? Janneka was an amazing main character, although she was human her story doesn't really start until mid book when we understand how she became. The other two characters Lydian and Soren are two male goblins that hold the dark and the light sides of what being a goblin entails. One has hurt Janneka horribly and the other has saved her. Her own destiny lies with herself and it's her choices that really make the book wonderful.

Would I buy this book? Absolutely, I really love this genre and when it comes out I would definitely buy a copy. I hope there is more to this story. This genre doesn't get enough credit and not many authors will write it.

Thoughts for the author? I would beta read anything this author wrote, that's how much I loved this story. Great imagery, world building, and strong characters. Five huge stars!

This is one of those books that upfront I was not really a fan of and was really unsure of but by the end I was pretty happy with how it ended. It's also one of those books that I have a hard time figuring out how to review it. I gave the book the benefit of the doubt with these, because this is a debut so improvement can always be made on your writing.

A few things early on in the book made me pretty unsure about it. The plot of the story is about a girl that was taken as a teen when her village was burned down and she lives it what is called the Permafrost with Goblins. Due to the magic of this place, she has been living as a 17-year old girl for over a century. That made me a little eh about it, because what is the point on her being that young? It also made me question if this book is really YA, or is it marketed as YA just because the age of the character? It's something I have been questioning a lot in YA books lately, so I don't think this is something specific to this book.

The other thing that bothered me was the Goblins themselves. It seems to be explained MUCH later in the book that they use glamour and their true forms are the grotesque Goblins we are thinking of, but up front they are written as really beautiful. I almost felt like I could replace the word "Goblin" in this novel with "Elves." I'm going to call them "David Bowie Goblins" because to me it seems like the author was really just writing them as the Goblin King in The Labyrinth. Also there is a She-Goblin named Elvira in this book, and I'm sorry but I can't read that name and not think of The Mistress of the Dark!

These were kind of nit-picky things, because I found the plot of the hunt for the White Stag to determine the next Goblin King to be really interesting. There is a lot of action here and it somewhat takes on a Quest Narrative with Janneke having to go through trials to get to the end. There was a lot of cool magical creatures as the book progressed, so that did start to hold my attention more.

I did find Janneke's background really interesting, and at times I thought I might have liked a story about her early life a little better. I also was interested in how far things have progressed since her village burned down. It seems like she was around during an early Nordic time period, but when she meets men in this book it seems like no time has passed. I was interested to see if the human world is in the modern time yet, but it's never explained.

I liked the end of this book, and was pretty happy with it, but I am unsure if I will want to continue with this series. I think if you liked Sky in The Deep by Adrienne Young you will like this book.

*I received a review egalley via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

This was ok. It started off just throwing you in and i was confused. The characters were good for the most part although they seemed a little wooden at times. The story which started out confusing did get better but it was just ok to me. I would definitely read this author but this one just didn't do it for me.

3,5 stars
White Stag left me feeling a little mixed overal. There were certainly a lot of elements that I enjoyed but there were others that were a bit too much for me overall. Even so I think it is a solid read overall.

The book introduces us to Janneke, a survivor from a town slaughter by a goblin who then gets taken as his property. He abuses and tortures her before tossing her to a family member. In his care she heals and stays alive for almost a 100 years. When the Goblin King dies the Great Hunt begins and her master takes her along with him. It is then when revelations are made towards her true being.

This book focuses on Goblins. These goblins are pretty. I don't think I'm wrong in assuming that most would find Goblins not exactly pretty but in this book they are. However they use illusions and glamor. Their true self is not so pretty. So I wasn't quite so disturbed by this. Also these goblins are based on those from the Norse mythology and as such this takes place in the Permafrost and come across a few Gods (mentioned or seen). I liked this.

However when it comes to world building I have a few notes. I think the world building could have been a lot stronger. The Norse Gods just get casually thrown in without little explanation, the white stag also got little explanation seeing as how important it was. The goblin king just toppled over and that was it. The whole Permafrost and Goblin society also didn't quite come alive for me. It just needed more shaping in places. And for a human I think Janneke was allowed to too easily kill other goblins...

Plot wise I also have a few points though I can't quite go into these without spoilers. Lets just say that some things in Janneke's history were too far-fetched for me and felt tossed in. The ending also didn't work for me at all alongside the romance.

Having said that though, I did enjoy reading most of this book. There is a certain grittiness to the story and our main character, Janneke. She is a fighter, she won't go down, no matter what happens to her. As a rape and abuse survivor this is something that does come back to her throughout the book. Even though it was almost a 100 years ago, still seeing her abuser, her rapist, triggers things in her. That was realistic. But she also kicked his ass which I appreciated too. Which is why, seeing the synopsis of book 2 upsets me. Don't read it until you've read this book because the synopsis has spoilers but once you do you will know what I mean.

As far as the characers go I really enjoyed Janneke's character as mentioned above. Soren I liked as a person but his position in Janneke's life makes me a little uncomfortable. Even so I do think he truly cares for her. Rekke was the sweetest, and the banter between Janneke and Septo was great. There was certainly humor in this book and I truly enjoyed that.

* I received this ARC from Netgalley galley in exchange for my honest review *

I have to say that I didn’t care much for this book. It was alright, the beginning was good then it kind of slowed down for me. I had an extremely hard time staying invested in the story. ( it might’ve just been me and not the book). I wasn’t a major fan of the writing style either.

This definitely exceeded my expectations. However, this wasn't the easiest read. Yes, I enjoyed myself and the story, but the was a lot of triggering content here. Which is fine- it matches the world the characters are in, but I did have to pause and take a break a few times. The middle did start to drag despite there never being a scene without action and world-building was minimal, yet the lack of setting didn't bother me much. I did have mixed feelings on rape being used as a central plot point. I’m still unclear if this is a a story of a rape survivor surviving and healing or an untactful plot device. Even still, it didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth. I’m still unclear if this is a a story of a rape survivor surviving and healing or an untactful plot device. Even still, it didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth.Which in turn, made the villain non-complex, leading me to… not really care about him? He’s a big bad for the sake of being bad- we eventually get some back story, but it didn’t add any depth to him… and rape shouldn’t be something to lean on when presenting said villain. But what this story did right for me was getting me to care about these characters and as far as characters go, I liked them. I did end up guessing a few things plot twist wise, but the ending felt oddly conclusive, despite the epilogue and the the way things ended in general, but I genuinely enjoyed this read.

Janneke is the youngest in a family that consists of all girls. As her sisters got married and had children, Janneke was raised to be the male heir. She was taught to track, hunt, and fight. Then one day, the goblins razed her village. The sole survivor, Janneke is taken prisoner by Lydian. After suffering brutal rapes that disfigured her body, Janneke is brought to Lydian’s nephew barely alive. Soren is nothing like Lydian. She is allowed liberties that none of the other thralls are allowed. That includes becoming Soren’s right-hand woman in combat. Soren and Janneke are at Court when the current Goblin King dies. Soon begins The Hunt, where the nobility of Permafrost competes to be the first person to capture the White Stag. During The Hunt, Janneke must come to terms of her family’s death over 100 years ago. When she gets wind of a plan that threatens Permafrost, Janneke must do the impossible. She must stand up to her demons and banish them to save the world that she calls home. Can Janneke do it?

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I had read a few books that were based on Der Erlkonig by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. The books before this were romances and were well written in their own way. What excited me about this book was that it wasn’t a romance. Instead, the main character was a captive in the goblin’s world. That fascinated me and was the main reason I decided to accept the invite from the publisher. I was curious.

I am glad that I did accept the review to invite this book because I was blown away. The author chose to have the goblins be humanlike instead of what people’s preconceived versions of they look like. They actually reminded me of Elves in a way. But they were able to morph into these frightening beings when angered. It was creepy to see how Lydian and Soren looked like when enraged.

I also liked that the author had this book take place in the Arctic. The other books that I have read had the books taken place in Bavaria. Which is OK but having the book set in made more sense to me. I also liked that she took a combination of Swedish, Norse and German mythology and melded them into the story. It made for an interesting read.

I thought Janneke’s storyline was heartbreaking. She suffered so much trauma that I wondered how she coped at times. She suffered insane survivor’s guilt that manifested in nightmares. My heart broke for her because up to the middle of the book, she was existing. I didn’t blame Soren for what he did to her either. If I were in his position, I would have done the same thing. I also liked that the author had Janneke deal with her issues. I cried during that scene but it needed to be done.

I didn’t like Lydian for 90% of the book. He was insane and evil. What he did to Janneke was awful. But, when Soren explained what happened to Lydian when he was younger, I felt pity for him. It didn’t excuse what he did to both Soren and Janneke but it explained a lot.

The plotline with the hunt for the White Stag was well written. I didn’t get why Janneke had such a connection to it at first. But the more I got into the book, the more the connection was explained. I was still surprised by what happened at the end of the book. I was not expecting that.

The end of White Stag was interesting. So many questions were answered. The author did a great job at ending some plotlines but leaving others open. There was a definite lead in for book 2 and I can’t wait to read it!!!

I gave White Stag a 5-star review. This is one of the best takes on the Erlkonig poem that I have read to date. I connected with each character. The plotlines were beautifully written. I couldn’t find anything to nitpick about either. A fantastic book!!

I would give White Stag an Adult rating. There is sex (not graphic). There is language. There is extreme violence. There are triggers. They would be rape and survivor’s guilt. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book. There is a graphic rape scene. There is are also several graphic battles.

I would reread White Stag. I would also recommend this book to family and friends. I would include a warning about the triggers.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review White Stag.

All opinion stated in this review of White Stag are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

I don't know of very many books about ladies surviving among goblins.

This reminded me somewhat of Merry Gentry by L. K. Hamilton (albit less sex). A good thing in my opinion! It could do with some smoothing out on what European culture's creatures and gods are being used and why, goblins being users and abusers of slaves, calling them thralls. Janneke is such a thrall, only ...not. She has suffered abuse and the loss of her entire family and village, only to find a master, Soren, who is kinder than his rapist uncle Lydian was.

The Wild Hunt of goblins starts when their Erlking dies, a person we don't know much of anything of, despite the importance of the white stag that becomes the focus of the plot, because the Erlking's power is tied to the border of life and death of the white stag of the Permafrost. A cycle of power goblins live and die for.

Erlking means elf king and try as I might, I couldn't forget that it's a title for the king of fairies. There's not really any other type of fairy/elf that goblins claim domain over, despite that we meet swartelves, lindworms, nokkens on Jeanneke's Wild Hunt.

What somewhat threw me off is Janneke's mentioning Hel, because we in fact do meet the giant goddess Skadi, implying that the white stag would be Elkthyrnir, or perhaps one of the four harts Dainn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Durathror from Norse mythology.

I was sad that Janneke has no goblin or human lady friendships, in fact no ties outside Soren, save briefly Rekke and Seppo. Especially no human ties, as explained away by them being jealous/resentful because she's not as much of a slave/thrall and seems to get special status, even within Soren's household. Humans, by the way, are kept by goblins as thrall because they can create, use iron, and goblins can not.

I do find myself intrigued with where this is going with the hints of the world serpent and how the power balance between Soren and Janneke has changed.

I was super excited to read this one. I’d only ever read one book before that had goblins in it. Thoughin that book they were more cruel and menacing. That one was just okay and this one is about the same for me. It wasn’t as enjoyable as I hoped it would have been.

There is very little character and world growth. Something that is very important to me as I like to feel a part of the story. I had hope for this one but it didn’t deliver.

Jenneke is a human who’s been living amongst the goblins in the Permafrost since they raided her village a hundred years ago. When a fight between two powerful goblins leads to the death of the Erlking, a hunt ensues: the goblin who fells the escaped white stag (the embodiment of the goblin king’s power) will become the next Erlking.
Jenneke accompanies her master Soren on the hunt. Though he is one of the most powerful of goblins, Soren has treated Jenneke as more of a friend than subservient. But Soren’s biggest rival is his uncle Lydian, an appallingly brutal sort who has inflicted tortures on Jenneke that continue to haunt her. Jenneke is torn between her hate for the goblins for the destruction they caused her family and the kindness she feels toward Soren, who has done nothing other than protect her. To make matters worse, Jenneke discovers she may be transitioning into one of the monsters she hates most—a goblin. But can she accept becoming that which she hates most, and must she give up her last shred of humanity to do so?
White Stag (Permafrost #1) is an epic, fantastical journey ensues, ripe with battles and creatures. But the one thing I found was that, while the concept is rich, the world-building was not. I wanted more details, more to anchor me into the world and make me feel as if I was right there alongside the characters. Some of the dialogue also felt a bit stilted and lacked a natural rhythm.
Kara Barbieri has a brilliant concept, but sadly I was hoping to love this book more than I actually did.

*I received an ARC courtesy of Wednesday Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*