I’m confused who the target audience is for this book. The characters and the romance between the two main protagonists is juvenile. I’d put it in league with Twilight. But, the content is rather violent for a YA market. They talk about rape and mutilation (the heroine has her breast ripped off) quite often. It was also difficult for me to feel an attraction toward a goblin - a creature that has never been associated with beauty before.

Unfortunately having to give up on reading this book. Although the plot sounded interesting there are a lot of things that just fall flat with his story. The world building just wasn't there and as I tried to make sense of what and where this story was going I just found myself loosing interest with this book. Having to put this down is a real shame but I think this book needs a lot more work.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this story. I would encourage everyone else to read it and make their own minds up

This was a strangely interesting story with some unique aspects that were unexpected. I really enjoyed the new take on goblins, as you usually see them being portrayed as revolting beings. In this, they were more appealing and very like most fae descriptions. I've never read a story about goblins who were beautiful in their usual form... So that was kinda cool. I also enjoyed Janneke's relationship with both Soren and Seppo. It was nice to see that she wasn't subjugated to their culture entirely. She did have some freedom with being a thrall. Though, the slave culture put me off... The Hunt was interesting and the bulk of that kept me reading, alongside her journey to figure out what made her different.

Something that did bother me was the use of rape to elicit sympathy for the MC. I did enjoy her as a character, but felt the assault she endured could have been any other type aside from sexual and fulfilled the same purpose. In any case, there should be a content warning for readers who are sensitive to this type of material. I've a few friends who wouldn't be able to read this because of the content.

Also, very early on on the story it talks about how wolves are always fighting for dominance amongst themselves, which is verifiable untrue. Wolves do not fight for dominance within their pack, as it is a family unit and they help each other to survive. Quite often, the young will stay in the pack to help look after the next year's litter and learn how to raise pups, etc., then the adult will chase them away to start or join a new pack and help diversify the genetic pool. The scientist who stated wolves vie for dominance was studying captive wolves who do not behave the same as in the wild...and he subsequently retracted his claims after studying wolves in the wild.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publishers, Wednesday Books, for the chance to read an advanced copy of White Stag!

CW for: rape, murder, violence


When I saw that White Stag had first been published on Wattpad I was admittedly a little hesitant. I had seen success stories – such as Taran Matharu’s Summoner series – and I was wondering whether Karla Barbieri’s debut would be another one of these.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. Janneke/Janneka was a strong and uncompromising character trying to come to terms with past traumas while also afraid of becoming the thing she most feared herself. I do agree with other reviews I’ve seen that the rape was used for shock value, and to remove it would not take away from the plot at all, but as this is still an unfinished version I am a little more willing to overlook this than I would otherwise be.

Moreover, while I liked the characters of Janneke and Soren, I don’t feel that a romance between them was necessary. Yes, he saved her, and continues to save her time and time again throughout the novel – and she him, but after a hundred years spent in his company I find it hard to believe that things between them would develop so quickly.

Apart from this, I did like the premise of the plot, and the idea of the Permafrost – a world that exists parallel to ours. I think the world was well done; the author doesn’t reveal too much and we only learn as much as Janneke does, and in this way I feel it is more realistic. Perhaps in future novels we will learn more about the Permafrost.

Janneke coming to terms with the loss of her humanity and the fact that she may never return to the human world was difficult to read about, but necessary for character development.

The plot itself – the hunt for the White Stag – was a breathtaking ride through the Permafrost, where we meet monsters, a goddess, and come face to face with Janneke’s tormentor. I particularly liked the nøkken, who I found especially creepy.

While this novel might be ‘Young Adult,’ I would personally only recommend it to older teenagers and adults due to the more adult and darker themes in the novel. In the end I gave it 3.5 stars, due to the issues I have mentioned, though overall I did enjoy it and look forward to reading Barbieri’s future works and seeing how her writing style develops and what else she has in store for Janneke and Soren, especially with everything that occurred at the end of the novel!

The White Stag will be released in January 2019, with the sequel, The Goblin King, due in 2020.

*I received an ecopy of this novel for review from NetGalley. All my thoughts an opinions are my own.*

DNF at 40%

I went into this novel with very high hopes. It seemed to have everything I was looking for in a fun, dangerous fantasy. Janneke sounded like a brave and exciting young woman to follow and learn more about her and the Goblin’s she is living with, after being captured in a raid some 100 years ago.

I liked the new take on Goblins, they seem more like elves or another creature, but I was fine with them being Goblins.

I liked the set-up of Janneka being forced to be Janneke by her family because her father wanted a boy so much after having so many girls. So she is forced into a more masculine role. She now wears this a shield against her feelings later on.

However, that is where my interest ended.

I think this is a very cluttered story, yet at the same time, the pacing was way off for me. We are dropped into the middle of a new fantasy world with no explanation of these people. That would have been okay if not for the fact that Janneke has already been with the Goblins for over a century!

I personally feel it was a big mistake to come into this novel at the time that we do. It was so confusing! The trauma that we experience in flashbacks with Janneke, of her rape and torture by a harsh Goblin, would have been much more impactful if we weren’t 100 years removed from it. I know she can still be struggling with it, but for that long?

Also, her and Soren’s relationship cannot have been this slow of a burn. For goodness sakes! If he had saved her, cared for her and protected her for a century, she would at least be better friends with him. It’s fine if no romance has come of it yet, but for her to hate him and be distrustful after all this time. I just didn’t buy it.

And then, the complaining! She hates herself. Self-loathing is everywhere. It just did not sit well with me. Granted, I did only give this 40%, I hope Janneke learns more about herself and that it can be a strength. But every other scene was Soren telling her to embrace who she could be and Janneke just keeps rejecting it. I had enough.

2 stars is my review.

The Quick Cut: A girl fights her inevitable change to Goblin as she continues to survive in the Permafrost.

A Real Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark fantasy written well is a tricky concept. You want that mystique that makes it chilling and envoking a creep factor, but at the same time have to balance that feeling out with still telling a compelling tale with characters the readers feel emotionally invested to. With "White Stag", it seems the author lost her way while writing in finding that balance.

Janneke is the survivor of a village on the edge of the Permafrost that was attacked by Goblins. As the sole survivor, she has since worked for Doren - a goblin of the Permafrost who claims to care only for her continued survival. The longer she lives here, the more she loses her connection to the human world and begins turning into one of them. How long can Janneke hold out or is she already one of the monsters?

From the outside, I should've loved this book. It had all the elements I adore about dark fantasy and with the core story - it even asks a deep philosophical question (which I always love). However, I ended up hating this book with a passion instead.

Why? Well, simply told: the author clearly doesn't understand her own audience, especially in relation to today's society. Rape is used in the story of this book. I have no issue with the use of rape for a story as long as it's used delicately.

However, the rape in this one is used to basically buy some emotional sympathy for a character and then really isn't addressed again (as if a person would be okay after that). It's one thing to survive in a difficult environment, but another entirely to ignore what's happened to you. It didn't read as natural to me and turned me off big as a reader.

Beyond that, it didn't work. I didn't feel an emotional connection to any of the characters in this book (good or bad). That's a sign when your audience feels nothing but apathy... Something is missing.

With a myriad of misused elements, you are better off reading a better written dark fantasy book.

oh my gosh this was so much fun - the story was so compelling from the first page as we followed Janneke and her struggle to overcome all that's thrown at her. It's got the perfect combination of everything that kept me reading and engaged throughout.

The main character's rape was not handled as it should be. I question if the author or editor sought out help from sexual assault survivors or sensitivity readers. Plainly put, the rape in this book was used for shock and to elicit emotions that could have been obtained through other means.

The reader is meant to feel "bad" or "sorry" for the main character while being bashed over the head again and again with the fact that she was assaulted. Nothing comes from this. It's a poor plot device that doesn't play out.

I wish more emphasis would have been spent on worldbuilding and plot, and less on shock or the insensitivity towards trauma. I will not be recommending this book. In fact, I will warn people, especially sexual assault survivors and those triggered by such to stay away.

I loved this dark fantasy tale! Janneke is a daughter raised to be a son - while her sisters are taught the "skills of a woman', she's taught how to hunt and fight. She goes through horrible situations and hardships, and ultimately has to make an incredibly difficult choice. This was a wild ride and I was really excited to see that it's the first in a series!

Original fully formed world incorporating many myth and creation stories as well as adding unique elements that make this a really exciting read. This rolls along smartly and grabs you and drags you into the story. I am grateful to #netgalley for the chance to read #whitestag in an ARC. Will look for the next book by this author.

I absolutely loved this! I was a bit unsure because Janneke's love interest is, yeah, a goblin. Janneke's growing into what she was meant to be is a trial in itself but throw in an evil, ex-owner goblin and you have a lot of action. Have to mention Seppo. Yes, throughout the book I read him in Korg's voice from Infinity War. When you read it tell me if you think so too. Love his snarkiness. Can't wait for the next one. One for the keeper shelf.

I’ve been hitting a serious slump lately and finding it so hard for anything to hold my attention so when I picked up Kara Barbieri’s book (WAY out of order from when I was planning to read it) I honestly didn’t have huge expectations. I mean, nothing’s been working for me so far so why would this? Just another fantasy book, right?

This book HAD me from the first chapter! The first night I flew through at least 100 pages like it was nothing and had to force myself to put it down. I just loved the story so much and thought it was so different from anything else I’ve read.

I was a little put off at first by the whole goblin idea, I mean that’s kind of an unusual choice of character, but I actually didn’t mind it. We get more of a Garreth from Labyrinth than a tiny, gross Princess and the Goblin type of character and that really worked for me. I know, I know “goblins can’t be pretty” but let’s be honest with ourselves here; if vampires can sparkle then there’s no reason why we can’t have beautiful goblins. Just enjoy the Bowie-ness.

I do feel like the character and relationship development of both Soren and Janneke (Janneka? This name thing seriously drove me nuts and confused me to the very end of the book) was a little lacking in some areas and rushed in others. I won’t go into detail on those because I don’t want to spoil anything but sometimes less over a longer period of time is more and there is such a thing as way too much! I also think that we were lacking a lot of Lydian. Don’t get me wrong, I get that he is an ass of a character and I didn’t necessarily want to see more of him but I was left with so many questions that need to be answered. Seriously….what’s the deal with the snake? Please tell me this is being addressed in the next book!

There was a lot of focus on abuse as well and I’m not sure it was necessary. I feel like, although Janneke was the heroine in this book, she was portrayed way too often as the victim. I’m sure the point was to show how traumatizing events can stick with you and can ultimately be overcome, but the situation was constantly brought up and not just by Janneke but by everyone. This ended up being such a huge focal point when coming to terms with herself, her relationship with Soren and their hunt for the stag that I felt it took away from any possible revelation or growth her character was desperately trying to achieve. The constant state of victimization was important for her as a character, but very overplayed over the course of this book.

The world building in White Stag was practically non-existent but I didn’t mind. With such an assortment of Norse creatures and the Permafrost bordering a human village, I think that creating too much of a world would have really taken away from the book and slowed the pace too much. I would, however, had enjoyed a little more of an idea about how huge the Permafrost really is. I don’t think I really realized at first just how vast a place we were going to be travelling through so I guess maybe a little more world building would have helped after all. I just wouldn’t go too crazy.

I absolutely did NOT see that ending coming. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but that was not it and I’m very much on the fence on whether I am happy about that or not. It’s not that the ending was bad, just… unexpected and a little on the strange side. Again, I have questions.

Since I’ve gone way over what I thought I was going to say in this review, I’m just going to try and wrap this up here. I thought that White Stag was an enjoyable and captivating read. This is definitely a dark fantasy series that I will be reading in full and I can not wait for the next installment. As a young debut author, Barbieri has impressed and I will be excited to see what she comes out with next.

Also…more Seppo. That needs to happen!

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this complimentary copy to read and provide my honest opinion.

I found the world building in this book had a lot of flaws. There were a lot of strange "rules" and a lot of convenient exceptions to those rules when it suited the story. It felt like the rules were being made up, and altered, as the story went along. However I did enjoy the interactions of the characters themselves. Seppo and the wolves, Rekke, Janneke and Soren. The story stands well on it's own. There definitely is some hint at the sequel at the end but there is enough of a story here, with enough of an ending (for this adventure anyway) that I feel quite satisfied ending here. I don't think I'll continue on with this series.

SPOILER ALERT

We learn early in the story that goblins can't lie. Then later in the book after Soren lies, we find out that they can lie they just have some kind of built in biological lie detector. Then even later in the book we find out after Janneke lies and is believed , that these built in biological lie detectors only work on other goblins.
The whole premise for goblins having human thralls was because goblins apparently can not do anything that goes against their predator nature. They can't tend the land, they can't grow things or create things that aren't directly related to destruction. But near the end of the book we find out that Soren's mother was attacked while tending her garden.
Janneke was apparently goblin enough to be burned by iron, but not goblin enough to be affected by the running water which wasn't given much explanation. Something about taking their power?

There were more. A lot of annoying little inconsistencies which really brought down my rating.

I loved this really different take on goblins. I am a sucker for tales of goblins in general, but these were in some ways not like the goblins I’ve encountered in other fantasy worlds. But then again, in some ways they were.

The goblins of the Permafrost appear to be wealthier than most of the goblins in other fantasy worlds, despite the killing cold of the Permafrost. They are also much better looking than your average goblin – at least when they want to be. They are said to possess an ‘inhuman beauty’ – sharp and cold, but flawless – until they begin to reveal their inner nature. Then they suddenly look like the monsters they are.

Janneke is a human, kidnapped a hundred years ago from her village by a vicious goblin, Lydian, who seriously abused her for a time and then gave her to his nephew, Soren, as a thrall. Although she is aware that
Soren values her highly and treats her well for a thrall, Janneke fears and distrusts all goblins. She doesn’t want to have good thoughts about any goblin. When Soren reveals that he is planning on bonding her to him and thus turning her into a goblin herself, she is especially repelled, despite the advantages that would accrue to her as a result of this change.

As the book opens, Janneke and Soren are at the palace of the goblin ruler, the Erlking where Soren has come as part of a requirement that all goblins have to come and re-swear their allegiance to the Erl-king every hundred years. The situation is tense because all the goblins sense that the Erl-king is near the end of his days and they are anxious to replace him. In fact, while Soren and Lydian are fighting over Janneke right there in the throne room, the Erl-king falls over dead, and the white stag who represents his power jumps up and runs away.

The method of choosing a new Erlking involves a hunt for the fleeing stag. The goblin who kills it becomes the new Erlking. Soren and all the other goblins prepare to set out on the hunt for the stag. But there is more to this hunt than running off after a deer. The goblins, revealing their goblin nature, are fully prepared to hunt down each other to prevent as many other goblins as possible from competing with them for the honor of killing the stag. This is normal behavior for them, and they all go to the hunt expecting that the other goblins will be out to kill them as well as the stag.

Soren takes Janneke, a trained hunter since she lived with the humans, with him on the hunt. Together and separately they have many adventures along the way, some of which are the expected assaults from other goblins, and some of which don’t at first glance appear to have anything directly to do with the hunt for the stag.

When, after battling a couple of snake-like dragons known as lindworms, Soren and Janneke learn from one of Lydian’s former servants that his plan is to kill the stag permanently so that he can be Erlking forever, they realize that their battle has just gotten even more serious.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Rating ~3.5

"We are all monsters in some way."

This book was a very pleasant surprise. I'll be honest I was rather charmed from the start because some of the elements are quite reminiscent to a few of my favorites series. That said, the book is certainly a solid read on its own.

White Stag by Kara Barbieri is one of the best books I have read this year. I was a little apprehensive due to the mixed reviews I read on Goodreads but I am so glad I read it. It was incredible. The world building was amazing, the characters were complex and interesting and I seriously could not put it down.
The story is about a young girl named Janneke who was the sole survivor of her village being attacked by goblins. She was taken captive by the sadistic goblin Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren. As Soren's thrall (the state of being in someone's power or having great power over someone), she cannot leave the Permafrost, the world where they live. She has been there for nearly 100 years. Soren is much kinder than his uncle and has very un-goblin like traits such as sarcasm that he is trying to learn from Janneke and a sense of humor, sometimes.
Their relationship takes a dramatic turn when he invites her to accompany him on The Hunt. The Hunt is a contest of who can capture and kill a magic white stag which will make that person king of the goblin world. She becomes even more conflicted when he tells her that having survived there for so long she will eventually become goblin.
Overall I was absolutely enchanted with this story. Within the first few pages I was already hooked. There is some flashbacks to her time with Lydian that are quite graphic but I feel it helps develop Janneke's character and shows us her state of mind and how it works after living so long among these creatures.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic book. I cannot wait for the next book in the series!

*Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

White Stag is about a human girl named Janneke who was raised in a village near the border between human and goblin lands. She is taken by a sadistic goblin named Lydian who tortures her for reasons she does not understand. Finally she comes under the care of his nephew, Soren, who teaches her to hunt and embrace her exceptional instincts. But the more she learns from Soren, the more she loses touch with her past, and the hunt for the white stag brings Janneke to a difficult decision.

I really enjoyed this book! I was drawn in by the writing and the fantasy world from the first few pages. The fantasy elements of the goblins and their magic are fascinating. There are some great action scenes, and Janneke is such a strong lead character. I liked the different characters and creatures, and the romance. I did see the ending coming, but that doesn't really bother me. How the characters got to that ending had many unexpected twists and turns. I loved that the ending was satisfying but also open to possibility, and I would return to these characters and this world if the series continues.

I recommend this book for fans of YA fantasy with strong female characters. I do need to mention that it is a little violent, and there is a trigger warning for rape. The rape is not described explicitly, but it is pretty central to the storyline, so it is alluded to frequently. I can see how that might be tough for some readers, so keep that in mind before picking it up.

This is a story about a young woman who is taken after her village is burned down and who is tortured and raped and lives as a slave for over a century until she is forced to be a part of a magical Goblin ritual where the killer of the white stag becomes the next Erlking. She struggles with her own humanity, understanding that she loses it bit by bit the longer she remains a part of the hunt. But she has no choice but to stay in --else her torturer will take over the Permafrost and hoard all of the power for himself and she will never be allowed to leave.

We need more villain-origin stories where the humans fight against becoming a monster. We especially need more stories about women fighting to keep their humanity in the face of torture and assault and learning to grow despite it. Women who are allowed to be strong and beautiful in their strength and not in spite of it.

That being said, I think this book has so much potential that it did not quite live up to; could greatly be improved with a few more rounds of editing like some sequences that did not flow and some leaps of logic that did not make sense.

What I liked:

-I’m so glad that we are getting stories about these morally ambiguous characters in fantasy settings where things are not as easy as right or wrong. I love that. Give me all of the morally-gray characters doing morally-gray stuff to stay alive and save the people they care about. I love it. Especially when they’re conflicted about it.

-I also really liked that Janneke was scarred and physically injured and yet she was still considered beautiful. But most importantly, that her scars weren’t magicked away at any of the moments where the rest of her injuries were. It’s questionable how realistic their movements + injuries were but it was nice that her scars weren’t beautified. [Also, from the description it appears that Soren may have albinism? He is described as extraordinarily pale with white-blond hair and lilac colored eyes. So potentially? A little questionable because characters with albinism are often seen as villains but less questionable because he was also a good guy kinda??]

What I didn’t like:

-I am like 94% sure that Janneke’s feelings for Soren were somewhat sprung from Stockholm Syndrome. She is traumatized from Lydian’s torture and she is given away as a slave. She has served as Soren’s slave for a century, regardless of how much he cared for her or how many “honors” he gave her, she was still his slave. He could have freed her. He could have told her the whole truth of everything he knew. I hate the thing where people are like, “I didn’t tell you I loved you because I didn’t want it to influence your decision” but then actually they hide things from you that were important to making a decision. Most of her “feelings” for Soren in the beginning are about how he treats her so much better than Lydian and how he has protected her. And how Goblins don’t have “feelings” like humans. We do get to see a sort of redemption at the end but still, I really did not like that aspect.



*Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange of an honest review*

Date Published: January 8, 2019

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Date Read: October 27, 2018

White Stag is a dark, brutal and magical fantasy novel. Our protagonist Janneke is the only survivor after her (human) village gets attacked by goblins and is taken prisoner of an especially sadistic goblin. The goblins only respect the powerful and feel a satisfaction in killing the weak. Hence, Janneke has to adapt to this new life quickly to stay alive. The Permafrost, where the goblins live, is an icy and deadly wasteland most humans never dare to enter. The magic of the Permafrost has blessed Janneke with longevity. Despite still being mortal, she has lived in the Permafrost for 100 Years and still looks 17 when the story starts. For these past 100 years Janneke has managed to survive between goblin kind, which is far from normal. Goblins take humans as thrall, but most don’t survive very long in this deadly society.

I really enjoyed Janneke as a protagonist. She was imperfect, broken, scarred, and sacred, but so strong. She always kept going, even when the odds didn’t look good for her, and it broke my heart that she blamed herself for what happened to her family, her village.

The Hunt is the most important event for every goblin. The one who hunts and kills the White Stag will become the next Erlking, the most powerful of all goblins. The Hunt is brutal. Every power-hungry goblin wants to kill the stag themselves; the ones who aren’t powerful enough align themselves with the one they think is most likely to win. Janneke is aligned with Soren, one of the younger goblins who she has to admit she sees a friend. During the hunt Janneke is bound to make hard decisions, and while she finds herself becoming less human with every creature she kills, she also struggles heavily with the ghosts of her past. She keeps thinking of her family and she wonders why she survived while they didn’t. She feels guilty for surviving and becoming less human over the years. She doesn’t want to die; she wants to survive, but doing so makes her feel like a traitor. Janneke’s story is about finding yourself, growth, and that you shouldn’t dwell in the past for too long, but instead live in the present, but that doesn’t mean you have to completely forget about your past.

The adventure of the hunt stretches through the majority of the book, and we get to explore more of the Permafrost and its folk. The book is inspired by Norse mythology, and so it’s no surprise that we get to see Nøkken, Svartalves, and several other creatures found in this mythology. It was a very atmospheric journey. I liked the descriptions of the frozen landscape that is the permafrost. I could particularly feel the frosty air.

The writing style was very good and I liked the flow of it. The entire book was very fast paced and action packed, though I found some of the action scenes a little confusing. I would have liked to know a few more details about the world building as well. We find out why the Stag is so important at the end of the book, but I would have liked to know it at the beginning. I spent a lot of time wondering why exactly the Stag is so important, what makes it so special etc., so some information before the hunt starts would have been helpful. I also kept wondering what time period the story was set in. Every story needs to be inspired by a specific time period, that helps it seem more real in my opinion.