It’s been so long since I read White Stag, but I remember enjoying it overall. As such, I was very much looking forward to this sequel.

Unfortunately, I found myself thoroughly disappointed.

Both the story and characters fell flat in this installment. With no emotional connection, no sense of urgency, and way too questions being asked with very few being answered.

I don’t think there was anything inherently wrong with the writing, but it failed to establish or decide on a specific tone. This, I believe, is what caused the disconnect for me. Everything the characters were encountering should’ve been serious, dire blah blah but it never felt that way to me. It all felt more like a series of unfortunate inconveniences that I knew would all be overcome in a number of pages, and as expected they basically all were.

I might have to bow out of this series. Because I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t have enough time to keep giving out chances, not when there are so many books and series out there to check out.

Goblin King was a great sequel to White Stag. I wasn’t sure how it would be since Janneke and Soren were already a couple, having sorted themselves out in book 1, but so much had changed and they both had new responsibilities, so it ended up still being full of romance and tension as well as adventure. So many sequels tend to get it wrong with relationships or introduce new love interests and I am pleased that Goblin King did not disappoint in that area.

Most of the characters in White Stag were brutal, ruthless, and violent. The overall feeling was that of hopelessness, battle, and betraying one another to get ahead. I loved that Goblin King transitioned into being about friendships and quests and strength in numbers, as well as utilizing the talents of different kinds of people to defeat enemies. It felt like the permafrost world was realizing that they needed to end certain cycles to begin new ones, that the old ways weren’t necessarily the best ways, while still holding on to the lust for battle and strength. I loved the change, but I loved that it was the same ruthless characters, still bloodied and fierce.

I loved the characters so much and I loved Soren and Janneke’s relationship throughout the whole book and how they both struggled, connected, and learned how to cope with their new reality.

Because the first book and second book do have different tones despite being set in the same world with many overlapping characters, I have to say, I would love to have seen a novella bridging the gap a little, maybe from Seppo’s POV.

With the way dark and violent Fae books are hyped these days, I’m surprised this series isn’t more popular, since Goblins and Fae kind of have similar vibes. I definitely recommend this book!

I read White Stag around this time in 2018 and it leaped to my Top 10 of the year. For a debut author and a book that I picked up so late in the year, THAT is some high praise. I have been dying for Goblin King ever since. When I saw the opportunity to grab an advanced copy...I jumped, squealed and hunkered down preparing to devour it in one sitting. I'd say I'm disappointed but I don't think that's a strong enough reaction.

I don't even feel like this is a sequel. The characters are the same, the underlying conflict is still there but everything feels different and...wrong. Where the first book pulls the reader in with a dark atmosphere and engaging characters, Goblin King does a complete 180 and I found myself reading every other YA fantasy on the market. The disconnect emotionally to the characters was probably the hardest for me. I loved Janneke, Soren and Seppo in the first book but I felt nothing towards them in this installment. I couldn't even stand Janneke and Soren for the majority of the book. The addition of new characters took away even more and I still don't even understand how they came about. Just...poof...fresh blood. I don't get it.

While Goblin King still touches on some tough topics like PTSD, abuse, mental issues and more I feel like those issues are more simply touched upon and mentioned where in White Stag you could FEEL it. The emotional investment was there and the reader could feel that connection.

I honestly looked forward to learning more about Lydian than anything else this book had to offer and if you ask me any questions about this book, those bits are probably the only ones I have any real memory of.

Obviously, Goblin King missed the mark for me. Where White Stag was a book I didn't expect to like and ended up loving, Goblin King went to the full other end of the spectrum.

Is this a series I would continue? Probably. I found the first book so powerful and captivating that I still want to see where this goes, no matter what my feelings on this book are. My high expectations have been considerably lowered, however.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me to read this book and provide my own honest opinion.

I enjoyed White Stag, though it definitely had its faults, and was looking forward to continuing the story. The problem now is that I wish the story had ended there. Goblin King is.... boring. Seriously boring. There's no emotional connection to characters. The stakes may be high but they certainly don't feel so. The story DRAGS on and on with nothing but Feyre - I mean Janneke - stewing over her emotional trauma and letting it dictate her relationships.

I found similarities to A Court of Thorns and Roses series in White Stag, but here they were overwhelming and unending. Janneke morphed into Feyre, Soren became Rhys, Lydian became Tamlin, Seppo became Cassian... It's frankly ridiculous. I may as well just reread ACOTAR - at least it was more polished. Here I'm practically having to read between the words that are written just to understand it.

If you loved ACOTAR, it might be worth picking this up. Otherwise I can't recommend it.

Title: Goblin King
Author: Kara Barbieri
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Against all odds, Janneke has survived the Hunt for the Stag--but all good things come with a cost. Lydian might be dead, but he took the Stag with him. Janneke now holds the mantle, while Soren, now her equal in every way, has become the new Erlking. Janneke's powers as the new Stag bring along haunting visions of a world thrown into chaos and the ghost of Lydian taunts her with the riddles he spoke of when he was alive.
When Janneke discovers the truth of Lydian and his madness, she's forced to see her tormentor in a different light for the first time. The world they know is dying and Lydian may hold the key to saving it.

Torn between her feelings and her duty as the Stag, Janneke must bring her tormentor back to life if she has hopes of keeping her world alive. But the journey is long and hard and this time she won't have Soren for company.

Lydian might be able to stop the worlds from crumbling, but reviving him may cost Janneke the life with Soren she's tried to hard to build. After all, there can only be one King....

I loved the first book in the Permafrost series, White Stag, and Goblin King was just as good. Sometimes the second book in a series isn’t, so I was very pleased that did not hold true here. I find the setting and mythology compelling and vivid, and the characters, while brutal, are well-developed and believable.

Janneke has so many issues she’s dealing with it stresses me out! It’s a shame she had to learn the hard way not to keep secrets from people she cares about…I love even the secondary characters in this series! They’ve distinct and unique enough to keep my attention, even if I prefer reading about Janneke and Soren. Highly recommended!

Kara Barbieri likes adding mythology to her stories. Goblin King is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 9/4.)

GOBLIN KING is a much faster-paced and action-packed YA fantasy sequel. Janneke has taken the mantle of the stag, though she has not yet mastered its powers, and Soren is the Erlkonig. She is hiding something from him though - she is hallucinating and hearing her tormentor/his uncle after his death. What she is soon to learn is that his ramblings that sounded so strange and impossible may have been a portent of things to come.

They set off on a quest with danger around every corner, and every step bringing new challenges. The alternative is the end of the world, and they must persevere. Although I thought this would be the end of the series, this book ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, setting the stage for another sequel.

This book is just as dark and gritty as the first. However, this one is more filled with action and less of the character deep-dives that really made me love the first. Regardless, I found it highly readable and moved through the book quickly. I enjoyed particularly the scenes where we go deeper into the psychology of different characters, though I found them to be shorter than I would have anticipated. On the flip side, this does make the book move faster, so this would have more appeal for some readers.

This sequel does a great job of recapping the first book, so it is easy to pick up after some time. I would definitely recommend reading it, as it is fantastic. There is some complexity and very dark elements to the story as Janneke is wrangling with the feeling that she needs her former torturer to achieve her goal of stopping Ragnarok (the end of the world).

Overall, I found this to be a faster-paced sequel to an intriguing YA dark fantasy series. Would recommend for fans who want to continue Janneke's story, through this does focus more on the action vs character insights.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I read the first book when it came out and I just loved it so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Goblin King. I am so glad I read it because I did love this book as well. Very well written story.

I do highly recommend it.

As I did not read the first book in this series (I must have just requested the Goblin King without reading that the book was a sequel) it was hard for me to get into it.
I was feeling lost at times as I had probably missed some interactions and information from the first book.

I did not finish this book. I might pick it up when I get a chance to read the first book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books.

I definitely did not like this book as much as the first one, which is odd because it was a fairly quick read.

It almost seems like this is a sequel to something other than White Stag?

I didn't feel the weary age of Janneke and Soren came off as a petulant child and the goblins were acting like a squad?

By itself, it's a good book it just pales in comparison to White Stag.

I really enjoyed White Stag and so I had high hopes for the second book. Unfortunately, the second chapter of the story just didn't interest me as much. I feel the writing quality went severely down in this one, even right from the start. A lot of characters I were hoping to be fleshed out in the sequel remained pretty shallow, which I think was a real missed opportunity.

i really enjoyed reading this book, I had enjoyed White Stag so I was excited to read this book. It had what I was looking for in a sequel and I really enjoyed it,

Great continuation of a really good story. The characters and setting are perfect. You will not be disappointed.

It was just okay. I felt the characters were a bit whiny and that kept pulling me out of the story. I do love the world busing though.

#Review Four Stars: Book Two picks up with Soren at Erlking and Janneke the Stag. At first, Jenneke is so lost because she doesn’t understand her powers and thinks she might be going crazy. Then she finds out (from their enemy Lydian) her and Soren might bring about the end of the world so of course, they need to save him from death. So they gather their crew (I love a good crew story) and they are off on an adventure to fight evil and a whole menagerie of monsters (I really enjoyed the adventure even if it was a bit creepy). Overall I enjoyed it. Waiting on the third book and hopefully a happy ending :).

#Coverlove Five Stars: Lovely

Thank you St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an eArc for an honest review. #GoblinKing #NetGalley

Just like White Stag, this book was a bit entertaining but very disappointing. I was riveted, eyes glued to the page, and I moved through quickly--all signs of a book fulfilling reader-needs of mine in some fashion. However, in terms of disappointment, this book was so different compared to White Stag; I would almost argue that it feels like Barbieri backtracked on characterizations in the first book, throwing them out the window, and went a different route entirely. You could have colored me confused when the goblins lacked the same viciousness and desire for violence as in the first book. I was also disappointed in how all the new characters were introduced. While, yes, we did get to know them a bit more throughout the book, they weren't introduced and established well, which made their inclusion shaky for me. And just like with White Stag, I take issue with anachronistic phrases/words being used in a world they wouldn't exist, and Goblin King was no different sadly.

I don't know if I'll give the remainder of the series a go. That's two strike outs and there are too many book out there waiting for me to open them, so I'll probably not even check out the next one.

I just felt that this sequel fell a bit flat for me. It took me the longest time to get back into the story and it was a bit slow paced in my opinion. The jump into the adventure part of this book felt flimsy and notuch happened. At times I felt like Siren was a sulky teenager and the plot of having Lydia prancing around with not much fight or push back was a bit weird.
Of course it ended in a cliff hanger, so let's see how the next one goes.

As in the first book, Janneke does not feel like she is 117 years old, she feels like a 17 years old teenager who lacks a certain maturity and wisdom. She has a sense of duty and she is willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, but it still felt like she was a regular teenager most of the time and not someone who has lived for over 100 years. It gets better near the end though, she gets more philosophical and more attuned to her new powers and new responsibilities as the Stag.

Janneke changed a lot since the beginning of White Stag (probably because she accepted the fact that she belonged to the Permafrost). She went from hating every goblin and not believing they could feel anything positive to having a boyfriend (they even say ‘’I love you’’ to each other) and a best friend (but she would never say it out loud). By the way, where did Diaval came from? I am not sure if I missed something in the first book or if she just popped into existence in this book… The same can be said for Rose. I know this book takes place 1 year after the ending of White Stag, but all these new characters were thrown at us without any explanation, and it was a little confusion at first.

As in the first book, this book is mainly about traveling to fulfill a quest, but this time they need to kill something bigger and harder to find than the Stag. Honestly, I found this book long to get into, and then some parts were just about traveling and Janneke’s inner thoughts and worries because she is not yet able to use the Stag’s powers. It is not a bad book, but it is an ordinary fantasy traveling group story. I honestly don't feel that much happened in this book, even though it's almost 400 pages.

I missed the ruthlessness that was present in the first book. The fact that goblins were vicious and violent and had no real relationships. In this book Janneke, Soren and Seppo are all a big happy family with best friends and boyfriends and we’ve lost a part of the dark atmosphere that made White Stag different from all the other goblin/fae books I’ve read lately. The characters are in love and understanding and all friendly and I understand why they changed, but it is so drastically different from the ruthless and selfish goblins in White Stag, it was weird at times…

*This doesn't contain any real plot spoilers, but fair warning in case you prefer to go into a book completely blind.*


I was very excited to pick up Goblin King after White Stag was such a surprise hit for me. Any small things I had to criticize about it fell flat in comparison to the interesting take on mythology, the ruthlessness of the world and the goblins inhabiting it and the unconventional and intriguing main character that was chosen to tell this tale. I enjoyed that Janneke wasn't yet another copypaste bland no personality heroine and that she came with a lot of imperfections and struggles. I enjoyed the adventures, even though at times it felt like the stakes weren't really as high as they should be, but the pacing was good and it helped move the story forward, so it worked out for me.

Unfortunately, Goblin didn't iron out any of the small issues I already had with its predecessor, but added onto them. It had most of all a very big tonal problem in my opinion.
The "being told it's high stakes but feeling it's low stakes" - thing is still present and at this point, because it doesn't change much, it's starting to take away from my enjoyment of the story while reading. It's not at all impactful if I just learn about how big and bad a mythological creature in this universe supposedly is if I only learn this information the moment said creature appears on the page.

Furthermore, the Permafrost is harsh and cold and grim and seemingly pretty far removed from our current society. Why is it then, that it feels like I'm still listening to a 17-year-old teenager from any random city in the States and her found family - loving group of friends, instead of a 100+-year-old trauma-hardened supernatural being and her band of warriors, advisors and her king?
This story touches on so many heavy topics - mental and physical abuse, rape, torture, eating disorders and various other mental health aspects as well as the recovery and the relapsing that are tied to them, and I have no problem with using a little humor to brighten up this otherwise rather grimdark atmosphere, but it felt too childish at times (monster cock jokes where no monster cock jokes needed to be (clarification: in reference to an actual rooster-like being but come on :'))), calling each other limp noodles and so on. Do you even have noodles in your world? It's just an example of course, but things like this REALLY took me out of the story and made it so much less immersive than it otherwise could have been) and thus stood in such stark contrast to the rest of the story, that it simply didn't work for me. Like I said, tonal problem.

I didn't enjoy the writing as much in this one either and felt like I was being told every single development with the characters, rather than being shown it. I've been thinking this in book one sometimes too, but maybe not as much. Here it becomes especially apparent between Janneke and Soren and the ups and downs in their relationship, but also between the side characters. It's not necessary to spell out what someone means with a certain action every time and neither is it necessary to elaborate on every thought that Janneke has. Since we're stuck inside her head anyways, I'd prefer to be allowed to interpret some of her ideas and feelings on my own. Same goes for Soren's thoughts and actions which also get explained to us in great detail by Janneke nearly every time.
I'm starting to think simply adding multiple POVs would have been beneficial. Both to make following different people's standpoints more organic and because, as the story progresses, Janneke becomes more and more unlikeable and I could honestly use some fresh air, so to speak. Her constant psychology lectures on Soren and on his mistakes and faults as if she's figured it all out are all the more grating to read when she has the exact same problems and possibly makes even bigger mistakes and questionable choices in their relationship. Especially when it comes to eye to eye communication and forgiveness. I like imperfect main characters, but Janneke's level of hypocrisy is a little too much for me at times.

Ocassionally it felt like I was reading the author's own personal thoughts on certain topics, rather than the characters' and that too took me out of the story because it wasn't just woven in like I'd expect it to, it read more like "story - cut to a paragraph of personal notes - story".
And just to clarify, I'm not bothered by an author trying to send a personal message about a topic that might be close to their heart, obviously. I'm just bothered by the _way_ it was inserted here, because it caused a disruption in the flow of the book.

Also, side note: Where did Diaval come from all of a sudden? Her introduction could have been made a little more impactful imho. As it stands, I want to care about her and Janneke's relationship, but I have a hard time finding reasons to emotionally invest because I still feel like I have no idea who she even is.

After all that, I have to say that I did like the general plot very much still and I plan to continue reading the series. But Goblin King wasn't my favorite in the Permafrost saga so far.

Favorite moments: Hel's trials (especially the third. That one really hurt), more backstory on Lydian


Thank you for this e-ARC to Wednesday Books and Netgalley.

I received this as an eARC for a honest review.
Thanks to St. Martins Press.

SPOILER WARNING - DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK.

The goblin king picks up about 6 months after we left off from the first book. Soren is the Erlking and Janneke is by his side as the first human Stag. But everything has not been wonderful. We find out in the first chapter that Jannke is struggling with not only her abilities but is also suffering from some form of post traumatic stress. Or so it would seem. Voices being heard in her head of her dead foe plague her and of a more frightening vision the Nordic version of the end of the world.

The first 5-7 chapters of this book felt strong and very similar to the first book for me, which I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed the chemistry and fight in these characters in the first book. That being said I feel that the second half of this book unfortunately lacked the same connection. It was as if I was seeing the same characters but through a filter as they went through another journey. This one to stop the beginning of the end of the world. Traveling through the different realms so easily felt off and even though the character went through hardships, the felt forced.

I am really hoping that this series is suffering from the second book syndrome as like I have said before I really enjoyed the first and the characters. keeping my fingers crossed that the 3rd installment from Kara pulls my interest and rating back up.

This was a solid 2.5 Stars -

Thanks for reading

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, it had been a fair amount of time since I read White Stag. I brushed up on it, but forgot how emotionally dark it was. Bearing that in mind, this was much darker, and, if this pandemic is giving you a bit of a struggle with mental health, consider this your warning.
This is a good, gritty, dark story; don’t get me wrong. The book was well written, and paced well, but it is much darker. There is healing for her as well, but there’s a lot of pain too, so while she’s still trying to help save the world, she’s trying to save herself and her sanity. For me, the mental health part in the beginning had me putting this down for a while just until I read some happier things, and dealt with my own balance.
If you liked the first book, and want to see more of the Goblins, and the start of Ragnarok, this is worth the read, but just be warned- book three will be a bit, and there’s a heck of a cliffhanger.