This book got a little too dark and gory and I was most certainly not expecting that. I couldn't even bring myself to finish it.

Five very solid Jessica couldn’t put it down stars!!! I thought this book would be one that would resonate with me but I never imagined that I would take to it like this. I’ve been on the hunt for a solid goblin story forever and man this one delivered. With Norse Gods for benefactors and their own magic system they don’t truly understand for this quest we see three people embarking on this adventure that is coated in blood and death and with only one outcome that could ever be allowed. We see the conflicting sides racing against time and the mention of prophecies that we don’t know enough about and can’t trust in. It’s really something else. All the stars I can’t wait for book two.

It was good. A super fascinating book where it felt different than a lot of the stories out there right now. Worth the read. Creative and imaginative fantasy.

White Stag was a beautifully dark tale of goblins, power, and identity. Janneke had been a part of the goblin world for a hundred years and struggled with her identity as human. When humans end up in the Permafrost for too long, they are unable to return to their world as their peers would see them as tainted, but if she chose to remain in the goblin world, she would become more and more like them.

Other reviewers have mentioned some similarities with Fae stories, but with goblins, and I think there’s some truth to that. With the Fae, though, their world is often beautiful along with the Fae themselves. Some stories have the Fae as desirable, others cold and cruel and calculating, but I think the overall feel is that it’s hard to resist the beauty, no matter how ugly underneath it all is. With the goblins in this story, however, the ugliness was front and center. They were violent, with the coppery stench of blood and raw meat often mentioned. I think the entire feel of the world was different and I think that’s what drew me to it so much.

The book is dark and violent, with the main character having suffered at the hands of another goblin, kin to her protector, Soren. She was broken and scarred, but quite dark and violent herself. A few people DNFed the book due to the nature of her past and the assault, physically, mentally, and sexually, that she suffered. If you can get over that or those things don’t typically bother you, the book is definitely worth reading through to the end.

There were some twists with the plot and Janneke’s past, as well as a bit of romance. I enjoyed the themes and blend of mythology and recommend to fans of faery tales, fantasy, mythology, and goblin lore in general.

This book was incredible and had me hooked from page one. It was everything i had hoped for and more. I would highly recoment it.

​I haven’t read any YA goblin fantasy books, and I think White Stag was a pretty good place to start. I’m not really knowledgeable on goblin mythology, but I like how Barbieri articulated the differences between human and goblin society, and the pull Janneke felt between her found home in the Permafrost and her human self.

During the hunt, Janneke knew that if Soren was killed, she would be bound to Lydian again, the goblin who had tortured her, but she also knew that if she wanted to stay with Soren, she would have to give up her humanity and let go of her past. I loved her growth and every part of her journey. That being said, I think her story would be more impactful if we knew more of what her life would like before she came to the Permafrost. I know Janneke longed to keep her humanity, and I know she was abused and tortured, but we can't feel the loss like she does if we don't know what she misses.

I loved the darker psychological aspects to this story, having to do with humanity and monstrosity, and how we regard ourselves and the choices we make. The whole book was intriguing and I was interested through to the end. Part of Janneke's struggle is her romance, although sometimes I wished it wasn't included. The romance felt contrived at times, and I didn’t love the whole “I own you, but I’ve been nice” aspect. Janneke had a certain amount of agency, but we were always reminded that she was indentured to Soren, which doesn't lead me to think that she had freedom. We also see their relationship beginning at a hundred years, so they are already in love, and we don't see how they came to like and love each other, or why. A lot of their relationship seemed to be previously established.

Some of my favorite scenes were the action scenes. The concept of killing the stag to be king leads to a fierce and ruthless hunt where Janneke must use her best fighting skills. She is human, but she keeps fighting even when she's a lesser fighter than her goblin opponents. Her origin does not hold her back, and I admired that about her.

​For anyone seeking a dark fantasy romance, White Stag is for you. 4/5 stars.

There were too many errors in not only diction but continuity in this novel. The editing needed to have been minded better.

This cover grabbed me and the story sounded so interesting! But, sadly this one just was not what I thought it was going to be. The writing was a little stilted. The book was great to start with action and suspense but then it slowly died off and became boring and the characters just weren't at the level that I was hoping for. I think at least for this reader that if the characters would have been more developed and more world building this one would have been a lot better.



Go Into This One Knowing: Rape, Violence, and Murder

White Stag promised me everything that usually makes me love a fantasy. Goblins, darkness, horrible and beautiful mythical beings and a protagonist who lives on the threshold of morality. The book satisfies all of its promises in the first chapter itself. In fact, I would certify White Stag as one of the best openings I’ve ever read. Whether the rest of the book kept up to the amazing opening is the mystery of the gripping tale.

Janneke has been with goblins for a century. After her family was burned to the ground, and she was taken by the malicious Lydian as captive, she learns how to survive in the gorgeous yet brutal world of the goblins, and finds her humanity slipping out of her on the way. As the dynamics with her current master Soren shifts and confuses her, Janneke is embroiled in a battle within herself which will ultimately determine whether there is any human left in her, or whether her association has morphed her into a monster after all.

Before anything, let me say that White Stag is absolutely not for everyone. When I call this book dark, I mean it. Janneke had been constantly raped by Lydian in the past, and even though the book doesn’t go into details nor does anything happen during the timeline of the plot, there’s constant mentions, hints and the trauma has caused much impact in Janneke’s personality. There’s also graphic violence with hints of torture and mutilation, so keep that in mind before you proceed.

Like I mentioned before, White Stag has a fantastic opening. It opens right into action, the tone is set and you get a feel of what kind of a character Janneke is going to be. As the story goes on, the pacing falters in places, but the book definitely manages to build up on the solid base. There’s so much suspense and mystery in the first half of the book, and the writing keeps you hooked. The constant action and violence is another plus point to the engagement of the story.

The world of the goblins is mysterious, seductive and brutal, beautiful and ugly at the same time. White Stag doesn’t take on the whimsicality of Wintersong or the tangle of deception seen in The Cruel Prince, rather paints a world of fear, power and immense darkness. It does suffer from its share of info dumping, but I rarely find YA fantasies that don’t do that these days anyway.

Janneke is not an easy protagonist to like. She is full of anger and rage, and more than anything she is someone who has lost her sense of herself. A character who is currently questioning their existence and morality isn’t always fun, but their journey can sometimes be relatable to the point which it might make you uncomfortable. Janneke’s life hasn’t been easy, and her experiences have hardened her into someone who has a wall around her all the time. It gets frustrating at times, and she might even come off as self loathing, but Barbieri makes her ultimately justifiable and understandable.

I didn’t know what to think about the romance. The setup of it made me a bit uncomfortable, as Soren is technically Janneke’s “master.” It even made me wonder whether Janneke just sees Soren as the better evil in the world she lived in at first. But Barbieri’s dynamics in the relationship was careful, and she made sure to portray Soren as being deeply affectionate of Janneke from the beginning, even when he didn’t show it in outward actions all the time.

White Stag is a great recommendation to anyone who likes their fantasies dark and loves goblins and their delicious evilness. Once again, let me remind you that it’s not an easy read, and caution is prescribed along with the recommendation. The book is a brilliant start to a fantasy series with great potential, and I am excited to see more of Barbieri’s writing.

I really liked this story, I think in a book world full of fae and beautiful creatures we need stories like White Stag. It's strange and mystifying. I'm looking forward to the next one.

One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

Ii have only one word to describe this book: AMAZING!
Well written with a superb story, fast paced... A litle dark story, a strong thrall girl that manages to overcome a series of adversities and obstacles to become the most powerful being that exists in Permafrost: the human incarnation of the White Stag.
"What happens when the serpent stops eating his tail?"
I want to know Ms. Barbieri's answer to that question! I can't wait for the second book!

This was a brutal and gripping read. I don't think it's for everyone. There is a lot of triggering images and if a reader has suffered they may not deal well with it. But there is a warning from the author and if the reader can stomach it, it's very rewarding. I liked Janneke and her change over the course of the book. She worked through all of her problems. Not necessarily getting over them but attempting to process them all. It was elevated but not a Disney ending. I really enjoyed it.

The only thing I didn't like was the use of words like "cooties," "creepy" and other modern sounding words. It wasn't all that frequent but enough to stand out.

This was a well enough written, interesting love story between a goblin and a human that ultimately fell short for me in the end—but more on that later. True, there's a bit of the Stockholm Syndrome in it, a bit of the captive loving her captor, but there are enough twists to make the ending surprising, if not completely satisfying for me.
The frozen world is an interesting setting, although the world building could use some help in being clear and explaining some aspects of the story. The goblins are unique creatures that are both deadly and strangely likable—depending upon who they are. So they feel rather human in some ways, but like extra-deadly humans. I don't usually prefer to read stories about non-human main characters, but this worked all right for me, probably because the goblins didn't come off like goblins.

There are aspects of this book that will stick with me in one way or another. The main character was not the typical "beautiful but underrated female protagonist." Nor was she another one who didn't recognize her skills or potential. She was a deeply scarred—mentally and physically—protagonist who knew her abilities and had clear goals. In fact, it was those abilities and goals which propelled her through the story. It was expertly done in that regard.

What ultimately fell flat for me was the divide between plot and character arc. I think the two were a bit too separate (the plot felt very external, like a quest showcasing the setting, while the character arc was very internal and manifested in the main character falling in love with another character in order to accept her place in the world). The external was not driven by the internal; it was too far apart. Likewise, the romance ended up bothering me in the sense that I would have found her overall decision (no spoilers) more reasonable had the romantic relationship not existed at all.

Despite its strengths, I don't think it's going to be a book that really sticks with me, and I would not read the second. There are aspects that felt fresh and a little different, but too many aspects reminded me heavily of other fantasy books and overall there wasn't enough coherence between the internal and external motivations that the story fell apart for me.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for my honest review.*

First, I need to start with the fact that please be aware of all of the triggers in this if you are looking to jump in. This is a FANTASTIC AND EPIC read and I still recommend it 100%, but it does have some hefty triggers.

Okay, now that we got that out of the way, we need to talk about how much I loved this read. Janneke and Soren are two of my absolute new favorites. They were such an odd duo and still absolutely fantastic. I loved the dynamic between them and the story that develops as you read.

The world was so uniquely crafted and such a twist on the Goblin King stories I have read before that I was completely captivated by it. Even with how dark it was, it was compelling and left me excited for the next read.

Something I do need to throw into the world. I will say, this novel definitely felt like the author grew into her writing more as she was writing this and the characters grew with her? I know that sounds odd, but it made the start of the novel a bit of a work through for me. With the novel being as dark as it was, it also took em a bit to get through the first through chapters as a result. Once it got going though at around 40% I absolutely couldn’t put it down. I became invested in Janneke and even in Soren and I couldn’t stop reading.

So if you start this novel, and it isn’t jiving for you at the start, give it a few more chapters. You may become just as addicted as I did.

Barbieri draws you into her world of fantasy and keeps you there with well-developed characters and questions you want to see answered.

White Stag…

This book is an enchanting, intriguing, page-turning fantasy. The storyline had me captivated from the beginning till the end.
Kara does a great job drawing in her readers by the descriptiveness of the story. I felt that I was actually a part of that world. Along for the wild and fun journey.
You can never tell where the storyline is going, the unpredictability. The pages just kept on turning and turning. The outcome left me shocked at times, in awe and wanting to read more.

You read a story about goblins and the way that they are described you think to yourself; how can that be attractive or hot. Goblins are not attractive or hot. They are ugly little things.
Guess what, Kara does such a good job bring this fantasy world alive, for most of the story I forgot that Sorin was goblin and I just thought of him as the super-hot, sexy, warrior fighter being.

Janneke knew from a small age that she was destined for something greater. She couldn’t figure out what that could be. The journey that she went through made me cringe, scream, cry and rejoice. Not many would have survived but she was destined. Janneke’s backstory was delivered at important points it helped to correlate why she did, felt and thought things.

Overrall, it’s a MUST ,MUST, MUST read. If you are a fan of fantasy stories you don’t want to miss out on this one. Once you start reading you are going to be so submerged in this story. Love it. I can’t wait for the second book.

*a copy of this book was provided by St. Martin's Press

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

This is an adult fantasy story full of fire. Yes, in fact I accept that this is a story that has been built from the beginning. Janneke's story, which has been a goblin for centuries in Permafrost, is a major concern. I can't tell a lot, but I can feel the essence of this story.
Life is built very well and each character lives up and down with trials. The conflict is truly stunning but not excessive. That means I can still accept it as a living fantasy story.
Then the picture of the character is very typical which makes the story impossible to leave behind. I can't say much, but other readers must also read one story from Kara Barbieri. Thanks.

I had some high hopes for this, it seemed like it would be great. Sadly I I was unable to fully finish the book. The story was not as exciting as the synopsis tries to make it, the characters were okay but nothing you could truly get into. I know this was originally on Wattpad and I didn't want to knock it for that, but it could have used more work prior to publication.