I had to force myself to finish the "White Stag" as it was close to the archival date and I found myself hating it all the way through. I didn't want to drop it and add to my sadly ever growing DNF pile but I was pretty close to doing so. So much about this story was awful, especially the writing style and the strange amount of inconsistencies. I think the author should have spent a little more time on making the story more interesting and spent a little more time on improving this before publishing.

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher and netgalley. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: White Stag

Author: Kara Barbieri

Book Series: Permafrost Book 1

Rating: 2/5

Publication Date: January 8, 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 18+ (sexual assault, emotional and physical abuse, torture, mutilation, so much gore, and straight up rape)

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 368

Amazon Link

Synopsis: As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.

Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.

Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.

Review: This book was okay overall. The story is a great concept and the idea of the book is very intriguing.

However, there was a lot of “wtf” from me while reading this book. First, there was so many trigger warnings that I, who doesn’t normally get triggered, had to put down the book and go to the eye bleach subreddit. The story is good, but there are so many inconsistancies with the plot. Like, is she living with these Goblins for hundreds of years? Is she really old recanting her tale? Is she still a teen? So confused by this and so many other things in the book, like the magic system. The book just didn’t sit well with me and I also didn’t think the characters were all that interesting. I managed to finish the book, but at what costs to me and my sanity?

Verdict: It was ok, but not for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

- This world of goblins is dark and brutal, and I am so here for that. Goblin society is both like and unlike humanity, and it was a brilliant distinction. Sure, they do some really dark, questionable things, but … so do humans? There was a really interesting comparison between Soren’s world of goblins and Janneke’s world of humans. This book has aaaall the stabbiness and gore and probably needs a trigger warning for at least violence and a really nasty rape scene. I normally don’t read books with a lot of gore, so I didn’t love that aspect, but it did really highlight the brutality of the world. More than that, though, the world is just gorgeous, despite being brutal. It’s this neat balance of both. Goblins appear as beautiful creatures with glamour, but underneath, they’re hideous. And that pretty much sums up their world.

- Janneke is a fabulous character: clearly changed from the human she once was, but still determined to survive and not lose herself along the way. A wilting flower, she is not. She’s embraced the goblin way of life, of kill or be killed, but … not fully. She’s still obviously got some sort of conscience, which distinguishes her from some of the goblins, and she refuses to fully give up her humanity, because she doesn’t want to become a monster. Her arc is really powerful, partly because she’s trying to find herself, after so long, but also trying to find her place in a world she doesn’t belong in. Or … does she? There’s so much contradiction in this that it makes the drama wonderfully fun. She’s caught between two worlds and is trying to make the best of a bad situation without completely losing herself, and if that’s not a relatable struggle, I don’t know what is.

- The slow burn romance was probably my favorite thing here, and I couldn’t help but root for Soren the entire time. I mean, I guess Janneke is the main character here, but Soren? Soren is freaking adorable. He’s strong and fierce and unforgiving, but also super wise and caring. It’s a combination that just freaking works. I fell in love with him almost right away. He’s a big marshmallow wrapped in spikes and venom, and I just loved him.

- The timeline for this book just felt wonky to me. Everything coincides at just the perfect moment so that it felt way too coincidental to me. This really frustrated me, because it just made me mad at Janneke and sort of undermined the whole romantic vibes I was getting. When the book starts, Janneke has already been in the goblin world for about a hundred years, most of that time with Soren. Yet, she still hates and distrusts him. Spurns his niceties. Even though he patiently tries again and again. Okay, look, being a slave sucks. Obviously. It makes for a weird power dynamic. But can you seriously say you don’t trust this guy who’s treated you well, and not like a slave, for at least fifty years now, who’ve you’ve fought with and had each other’s backs? I think I would’ve been more on board if the timeline wasn’t as long, because that really colored how I saw these characters and made me frustrated with Janneke’s actions toward Soren.

There are certain books that a reader picks up because the story looks mildly interesting. The reader doesn't necessarily think they will be blown away, but it should be a nice, enjoyable read and then probably put on a shelf and forgotten about.



I'll be honest, that is the kind of book I thought I was picking up when I first held "White Stag." I could not have been more wrong.



This story is alive in a way I have experienced with few other books before. Janneke is a character who stands head and shoulders above others by virtue of her tenacity and will to survive. There are untold thousands of characters who valiantly endure the hardships they experience, simply holding on until they finally reach the light at the end of the tunnel. Not Janneke. This woman claws and spits and fights and kicks until her captors are as wary of her as she is of them. I admire her fiercely.



Along Janneke's journey, she struggles mightily to try and maintain her humanity while surrounded by monsters. She adamantly maintains that she is not like them, not a monster. Her journey is so difficult, with attempts on her life every time she turns around. Each step is made all the more difficult by her internal war over who she is and how she has managed to survive thus far. Has she become a monster, herself? Just to add a little extra spice, she also has to contend with her growing feelings for her owner, Soren. Because she doesn't have enough going on already!



The fact that Janneke's circumstances have piled up on her helped the story to feel more real to me, though. That's exactly what life does to us sometimes. We hit an obstacle and as we're struggling to overcome that one obstacle, more and more aspects of our lives start to pile up around us. We never get to just deal with one thing at a time, no matter how big or small it is. I appreciate that Janneke's story was non-linear in this way.



The writing style of Barbieri is one of my favorites I have ever read. Again, I didn't have very high expectations of this story when I first picked it up. I was so pleasantly surprised, and am now eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series. I highly recommend!

This book is first and foremost a capital-r Romance novel, featuring a traumatized young woman learning to love, albeit within the context of a master/slave relationship (if yer into that). The problem is, this was marketed to me as a YA fantasy novel about a girl trying to survive and thrive in a brutal Goblin underworld.

A brutal Goblin underworld... of some kind. And not really Goblin but Fae with the word swapped out. And some Norse stuff, maybe? And a good dose of what reads like mediocre Labyrinth fan fiction.

The writing, plotting, world-building, dialogue, structure, and characters are all so-so, AT BEST. I mean, most of those things were badly done here. What a shame, really, because the White Stag Hunt could have made a great premise, and even that was muddled.

I kept hoping it would get better and start to make more sense, but it didn't. I was just not into it at all, and the Romance kept getting more and more extra. I saw where it was going (it didn't have very far to go to get there!), and I quit at about 1/4 through.

And now for the elephant (well, ONE of the elephants, as I'm not going to write about the other one when it seems so many other reviewers already have):
The author goes to great pains to announce at the start that she wrote this novel as a way for her to cope with trauma in her own life. That's great for her, it really is! But putting her statement at the start pretty much guilts readers into feeling like they cannot judge the novel without judging the author's personal experience. It would be much better to put the author's note at the end, as an afterword, so that readers can judge the book on its own merits first, and will have -- by the time they reach the end -- already have made connections between the fantasy and the author's Truth. And plenty of people will reach the end, I'm sure, based on the number of people who love this book. There is an audience for this, but it's just not me.

I've tried multiple times to get into this book, but sadly, it looks like it just is not for me. I will not be finishing it.

The cover captured me initially. The white stag speaking to my Harry Potter heart. Reading the synopsis I was intrigued with the Goblin King since he seems to be cropping up in a lot of stories lately.

You are thrown right into the story. Action packed I could not wait to dive in and see how this scene came to be. That being said, the pacing of this book left me all over the place. It was easy to put down and forget about for long periods of time.

I like the idea, it was a bit more violent then it had to be in my opinion. I kept flashing to the more gentle telling of the Goblin King in Wintersong and the characters developed there.

Interesting read and would recommend to those that like a more violent book.

Super amazing writing and world building. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It certainly stands out and I cannot recommend it enough. Read it!!

I really enjoyed this one. It was unique, with layered characters and amazing world-building. The only thing I can complain about was that the second half of the book was a bit slow, but overall, it was an amazing story.

As far as debut fantasy novels go, the first book in the Permafrost series is pretty impressive. Barbieri weaves together a tale filled with lore, action, and a whole new world to become immersed in.

White Stag was an intriguing read, with a core relationship dynamic that was fun to explore and read, while I did not feel myself personally emotionally attached to the characters, I appreciated the heavy dose of angst and romance in the book.

Er. I'm going to venture forward and say this book was pretty enjoyable. Up to a point. When it came clear to me that it used rape as the major character endearment trait for the protag, I shut off. Also, I know Jareth was a sexy goblin king, but my overall image of goblins...is not David Bowie. Unfortunately. Probably have a lot more to say, but I'll leave this at that for now.

I tried to get into and enjoy this book White Stag by Kara Barbieri many times but it just didn't work. The hype for White Stag was too high for me to enjoy it, sadly. I really thought I was going to love this.

I loved the beginning of this story! They way the goblins were portrayed and the whole Permafrost where they rule was unique, but also felt accurate. The characters were complex and you can feel that there is a lot of plotting going on and the desperation of the characters to either rule, to destroy, or to be set free. I also liked how Soren was portrayed initially - being this old, powerful being without much heart, except for his feelings for Janneke. I also really liked Janneke and her painful past who has been trying to survive among the Goblins for a very long time. I would say I was completely engrossed all the way to the beginning of the hunt. Then things changed for me...
It's like Soren's personality changed. He began coming across not as he was in the beginning, but as more of a regular teenage boy instead of the ancient goblin lord. He's super powerful in the beginning and then it's like he doesn't have the same power. And then there's swearing out of the blue which felt weird given the setting and context. I liked the pull and tug of Soren's and Janneke's relationship, but then it turns into all about how much they want each other... and the story starts to drag. It felt like it needed some additional editing to take out some things and make the characters and story more consistent. It just didn't make sense to me that you have these all powerful beings who somehow aren't all that powerful and who are on an even playing field with some who don't wield any power... like Janneke. And the characters didn't feel realiable or consistent with who they were supposed to be or who they're presented in the beginning. Well, except Janneke stays pretty true except when she starts acting all angsty and throwing fits. There's even this other goblin who has lived for a long time among these older, cold, violent goblins, but doesn't act like it. Plus you have days that pass where the characters are just healing and resting, which didn't make sense to me during the hunt. It just didn't work for me, unfortunately.
In the end, was it what I wished for? I was disappointed in the flip of this story, with the first part being well written and having interesting characters and plot, but then changing to a romance that pretty much consumed the story and actions and dialogue that didn't make sense to me for these characters. It needed more consistency. Maybe because it started as a serial? Having said that, I think some readers won't have my issues, such as those who love similar books that are heavy on the romance.

I couldn't get into this book. I tried and tried but something was off for me so I sadly did not finish it.

So many goblin books. When did this become a thing? Ew. This one actually started out interesting. But by part 4 out of 11 I got tired of the MC’s hate/love relationship with her master. I love power, oh wait, I don’t want to become a goblin. My owner is hot and nice. But I hate him so much cause he’s just toying with me. I’m over a hundred years old but I still act like a melodramatic teenage girl.

2.5 Stars

WHITE STAG is a gritty story, full of danger and romance, of a girl who lives in the two worlds of humans and goblins. This motley crew of characters face death and the loss of their world as they go hunting after the white stag. Recommended to those who enjoy fantasy stories set in the world of fairies, goblins, and the underworld, and fans of WINTERSONG by S. Jae-Jones.

I loved the beginning of this story! They way the goblins were portrayed and the whole Permafrost where they rule was unique, but also felt accurate. The characters were complex and you can feel that there is a lot of plotting going on and the desperation of the characters to either rule, to destroy, or to be set free. I also liked how Soren was portrayed initially - being this old, powerful being without much heart, except for his feelings for Janneke. I also really liked Janneke and her painful past who has been trying to survive among the Goblins for a very long time. I would say I was completely engrossed all the way to the beginning of the hunt. Then things changed for me...

It's like Soren's personality changed. He began coming across not as he was in the beginning, but as more of a regular teenage boy instead of the ancient goblin lord. He's super powerful in the beginning and then it's like he doesn't have the same power. And then there's swearing out of the blue which felt weird given the setting and context. I liked the pull and tug of Soren's and Janneke's relationship, but then it turns into all about how much they want each other... and the story starts to drag. It felt like it needed some additional editing to take out some things and make the characters and story more consistent. It just didn't make sense to me that you have these all powerful beings who somehow aren't all that powerful and who are on an even playing field with some who don't wield any power... like Janneke. And the characters didn't feel realiable or consistent with who they were supposed to be or who they're presented in the beginning. Well, except Janneke stays pretty true except when she starts acting all angsty and throwing fits. There's even this other goblin who has lived for a long time among these older, cold, violent goblins, but doesn't act like it. Plus you have days that pass where the characters are just healing and resting, which didn't make sense to me during the hunt. It just didn't work for me, unfortunately.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I was disappointed in the flip of this story, with the first part being well written and having interesting characters and plot, but then changing to a romance that pretty much consumed the story and actions and dialogue that didn't make sense to me for these characters. It needed more consistency. Maybe because it started as a serial? Having said that, I think some readers won't have my issues, such as those who love similar books that are heavy on the romance.

Content: Swearing (including the f-word multiple times), references to rape, some descriptive violence (including some gory parts), innuendo, descriptive making out, one love scene.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

I really wanted to like this novel, and I really tried to get into it. But it was just a little too dark and too strange for me. I usually love this genre, but the characters didn't really catch my attention and the main character really bugged me. I loved the setting of the novel and found myself really picturing the permafrost perfectly, but it still fell flat for me. Thank you NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 2.5/5

"White Stag" is a promising start to a series. I enjoyed the characters and plot, but the real star here is the world-building. It's beautiful and made me want to know everything about it. Kudos to the author for both imagining and being able to translate into words something so lush and complex. A word of warning: this is not for the younger ya group or those with triggers such as rape. Please proceed with caution if this is you. Otherwise, I highly recommend it.

White Stag is a gripping fantasy tale of Janneke’s time in the goblin world. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions for the most part, however the trigger warnings in the beginning is the book should absolutely be taken seriously as there are very graphic details in the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and think it’s a great read, but it’s definitely an adult book.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review