Shadowsong

Wintersong #2

by S. Jae-Jones

The conclusion to the Wintersong duology.

Six months after the end of Wintersong, Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her.

When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, New Adult, Retellings, Fiction, Young Adult Fantasy

377 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 6, 2018

About the author

S. Jae-Jones, called JJ, is an artist, an adrenaline junkie, and the NYT bestselling author of Wintersong and the Guardians of Dawn series. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives on the wrong coast, where she can’t believe she has to deal with winter every year. When not writing, JJ can be found working toward her next black belt degree in taekwondo, being run ragged by her twin dogs, Castor & Pollux, or indulging in her favorite hobby—collecting more hobbies.

NOTE: Only here to drop hints. 👀 And maybe occasionally answer questions.

Reviews

[s · Rating 2 out of 5]

Friend: Hey what's worse than being a living, breathing disappointment?
Me: this book

not really, but it's pretty damn close

Every time I think of this book and how I spent an entire painful month reading this makes me want to dig a hole and bury myself alive in there because wow!!!! look at all those 744 hours (24 hours times 31 days) I spent in pure boring agony!!!!

Y'all know your girl here was damn hyped up for this book considering I am an actual trashcan for the first book so just fucking IMAGINE my disappointment once I was over with this book. I'm literally going to cry because I actually can't believe I hated this book, wow who would've thought?

Wintersong was slow and so was this book. Sana you bitch, you LIKED THE SLOW IN THE PREVIOUS BOOK SO WHY NOT THIS ONE? Listen, listen, the slow in the previous book was a good kind of slow with an actual, intriguing plot and beautiful romance to go along, but this? Total opposite.

Literally all I remember is the master dude dying, Sepp being an asshole, Liesel being a whiny shit, Kathe being pointless, with some revealing things going on, but nothing really happening??? and did I mention there's like 5% goblin king in this book.

but hey sana, you hoe, you SKIMMED!!! SHH, SHUT THE FUCK UP, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

BUT, WAIT. OH MY GOD

YOU KNOW WHAT MADE ME ACTUALLY BANG MY HEAD ON THE WALL AND CRY FROM THE SHEER FUCKING STUPIDITY OF IT????

OH MY FUCKING GOD, THE GOBLIN KINGS NAME.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER, GET OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT PLS

GUYS,,,
GUYS,,
WHO THE FUCK
NAMES
THEMSELF
OR THEIR CHILD'
W O L F G A N G
OH MY GOD, BITCH DON'T EVEN TALK TO ME. OH MY FUCKING GOD. BITCH. NO. GOD. WHAT. I WAITED TWO FUCKING BOOKS FOR THAT FUCKING NAME TO BE REVEALED.

GOD DAMN IT WOLFGANG IS A STEAK HOUSE, JONES, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING.

THE GOBLIN KING'S SECRET SPECIAL NAME WAS WOLFGANG OH MY GOD.

SPOILER OVER SPOILER OVER

wow honestly, bye i'm so done, i want to die and i never want to wake up when i sleep, and i just want to dig a hole and sit inside of it and never get up again, wow bye!

also,,, is TRASH a genre because i think this book needs to be shelved under it!!!!!!

-------------
*screams* YOUR GIRL GOT APPROVED FOR THE ARC OF SHADOWSONG !!!!! Netgalley kept me pending for a week, but IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT.

Also, can we take a moment to applaud S Jae-Jones for including a trigger warning for suicide in her book, I love her so much.

------
EDIT: 6/16/17: Y'all this is fucking shelved under New Adult and fuck me if this doesn't have some hot sex between gobby man and liesl i will fucking riot.

EDIT: 6/7/17: LOOK AT THAT FUCKING COVER WHAT THE FUCK IM SCREAMIJG ITS GORGEOUS WHAT THE FUCK OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK COME TO ME NOW WHAT THE FUCK I WANT THIS NOW WHAT THE FUCK NOW PLS WHAT THE FUCK

EDIT: 5/1/17: LOOK AT THAT LITTLE SNIPPET OF THE SYNOPSIS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

EDIT: 4/30/17: COVER. TO BE. REVEALED AHAHAHAHAHAHA BIOTCHES A COVER
if it's pink im jumping in a river

EDIT: 2/24/17: WE HAVE A FUCKING TITLE OMFG. SOMEBODY HOLD MEEEEEE

i am totally not freaking out

TWO THOUSAND EIGHTEEN GET YOUR BUTT TO COME FASTER I CAN'T WAIT.

someone please let me borrow your time machine.

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I can only live, either altogether with you or not at all."
-Ludwig Van Beethoven, The Immortal Beloved Letters

 Whatever your opinion may be of this book, know that this is an honest review and in no way coerced as I wasn't the biggest fan of Wintersong. Obviously it resonated with me enough, because I jumped on the chance to review an early copy of Shadowsong; looking back in hindsight I think most of my issues previously were due to the book being inappropriately marketed (at the time), therefore setting my expectations in a place they never should have been. I'm not going to rehash everything here, but if you'd like to catch up and read my thoughts on Wintersong, you can do so HERE . All that to say, my expectations were in exactly the right place for this installment; I was hungry for the author's signature prose and romantic style of storytelling and that is exactly what I got.

They say the Hunt rides abroad when there is an imbalance between the Underground and the land of the living.

I had crossed the barrier between worlds, had walked away from the Goblin King and my vows last summer. Had my leaving caused a rip in the fabric of the world, allowing the spirits and ghouls and denizens of the Underground to escape? Was I in danger from the Wild Hunt? 

It's funny, because most of the issues I keep seeing people having with this book are the very ones I had with Wintersong. People seem to be expecting the sequel to be a little sexier, to feature Liesl and the Goblin King's relationship in a little more of a, ehem, physical sense, but you won't really find that here. In fact, the Goblin King is fairly absent for this novel; we don't see or hear much from him until nearing the end of the book. This was a deal breaker for some, and I get it, but for me it wasn't. I wasn't invested in the physical part of this relationship post my reading of book one; this book, in my humble opinion, was about so much more. While you won't find as much of the technical musical jargon here, you will find that same beautiful writing and heart-wrenching emotion as previously throughout. I was 100% invested in Liesl's relationship with Joseph and this being the focus was a huge plus for me. There was a bit of intrigue and mystery sprinkled throughout which also pleased me greatly.

"Can our love persist otherwise than through sacrifices, than by not demanding everything?"
-Ludwig Van Beethoven, The Immortal Beloved Letters

Oh Lord. I've been sitting on this review for almost a week now because I cannot contemplate how to do Shadowsong justice. The ending is what has held me hostage; I cannot imagine how to discuss the final 50 pages of the book without spoiling it for you, so I just won't. I will say that it is full of raw emotion, balancing both supernatural and human need, desire, and want on such a fine line that I found myself holding my breath until the very last page. It was completely unexpected for me, as I'm used to reading many mysteries that I have figured out early on, but I was wholly caught off guard by how Jae-Jones chose to close out this chapter of her writing career.

The Faithful are those who have been touched by the Underground, like you and me. Those with the Sight, or those who have escaped the clutches of the old laws. They are keepers of knowledge, and a family bound by belief, not blood. 

I'm going to wrap this up, but I want to end by stating how glad I am that I went into this with an open mind. I truly believe that if I had gone into reading Wintersong free of expectations and assumptions that I would have enjoyed it just as thoroughly as I did Shadowsong. As I read I found myself wanting to copy down every single word as quotations for my review, but instead I find it easier to just shove the book at you and proclaim "Read it!" If you do decide to embark on this lovely and terrible journey, please make sure you start at the beginning with Wintersong, as these novels do need to be read in their proper order. Bravo Ms. S. Jae-Jones, and I look forward to more of your work!

*I think it's worth noting that the author took it upon herself to include a note on trigger warnings for suicide in this book. I found this completely honorable and highly respect her for doing so!

**Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here. 

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars

I wanted to like this. I really did. Wintersong had some problems, such as pacing issues and a lack of consistency in character personalities and motivations, but I ultimately ended up enjoying the relationship between the protagonist and the Goblin King.

This had not only the issues of the first book, but suffered from a lack of plot that was filled in with overly verbose descriptions to fill the pages. The relationships built in the first book were either drastically changed, almost without reason, or nonexistent. And to top it all of, what little threads of plot we got were only present towards the very end and were tied up rather quickly.

Not only did this book not need to be as long as it was, but it also felt disconnected from the first book in the series. There was some atmosphere in the descriptions I enjoyed, but this overall felt like a waste. There were some cool elements brought up and squandered, like The Wild Hunt. This whole book left me with a feeling of... what was the point?

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For love is our only immortality, and when memory is faded and gone, it is our legacies that endure.”

Someone please send help. I'm just a ball of emotions after finishing this.
I just want to cry and cry and CRY at how perfect this sequel was.

I think it's pretty cool that I started off 2017 with my favorite book of the year, Wintersong, and now I'm also finishing the year with another favorite book, Shadowsong. And they just so happen to be both books in a duology. Please don't make me choose which one I liked more because I simply can't. I would like to thank Wednesday Books for sending me a copy of this gem and making my 2017 year of reading complete.

In short, I'll list some of my favorite things about this book and then we'll get into everything I can talk about without spoiling anything.

SO HERE WE GO.

Things I loved:

-The fierce protectiveness amongst the siblings
-Character growth is about a 250/10, seriously guys, it's impressive
-Finding out the Goblin King's name (ya girl guessed it right!)
-The story being in the mortal world
-ALL THE PLOT TWISTS
-Josef and Liesl trying accept love and deal with mental illness/self harm
- THE ENDING. OH MY GOD. MY LIFE IS OVER. SO. FREAKING. GOOD


First, let's start off with the author's note in this book. The author personally offers readers a content note which I think is FANTASTIC. It basically let's readers know that this book contains characters who deal with addiction, self harm, reckless behavior, and suicidal ideation. I am behind and respect this 100%. I think this is so important for those who might find any of the above topics triggering.

Kudos to you, S. Jae Jones


Second, for people who think this will be like Wintersong, IT'S NOT. Not even close. For starters the Goblin King isn't really in this book until the very end. At first I was kind of sad about that but I think it definitely makes you appreciate him and his relationship with Liesl even more. *heart emoji eyes* It also takes place above ground for about 90% of the book and then we get to go back into the Underground. Also, this book is much darker and heavier than the first. This book is about Liesl trying to overcome herself and reconnect with Josef after he has been gone. We find out what Josef has gone through while he has been away and we also see Josef trying to cope with the BOMBSHELL that was dropped in Wintersong, that he didn't know about. (Vague much? I know, but I won't spoil anything for y'all).


Third, the writing in this book is GORGEOUS. Seriously, it's so nice it hurts. Everything about this book just HURTS. This is also a giant reason I love this duology. I'm just enamored by the writing. Hence, why both books have worked there way up to all time favorites right next to Harry Potter. That's how good I think these books are.

Seriously though, these quotes RUINED me.


“My love, I am sorry. If I could write a thousand songs, a thousand words, I would tell you in each and every one how sorry I am that I broke my promise to you. We promised that distance wouldn’t make a difference to us. We promised we would write each other letters. We promised we would share our music with each other in paper, in ink, and in blood. I broke those promises. I can only hope you will forgive me. I have so much to share, Sepp.”

“I am not a saint; I am a sinner. I wish you were dead so I could live. If you were dead, I could bury you—in my heart and in my mind. I could mourn you, then let you go.”

"Perhaps I loved the monstrous because I was a monster. Josef, the Goblin King, and me. We were grotesques in the world above, too different, too odd, too talented, too much. We were all too much."

"But I had realized I had not known how it ended because I had not resolved my own emotions- about my music, about my Goblin King, but about myself most of all."

""Reality is what you make of it, Elisabeth," he says. "The same as madness. Whether or not this is real matters not to me but matters to you. Therefore which is it? What would you rather it be?""

These are just a few of my favorites but believe me when I tell you my book is marked left and right with SO many more beautiful quotes.

All in all, this book, although much different than Wintersong, is the perfect companion to conclude this dark, magical romance of Liesl and her Goblin King, as well as Lisel and her siblings and even herself. I'm so sad this story is over and the ending wrecked my soul but it was everything I hoped it would be and more.

The only thing left I have to say to my favorite character I have ever had the pleasure of reading, the Goblin King, "be, thou, with me".

[megs_bookrack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark and lyrical, Shadowsong, brings to a conclusion the story of Liesl and her Goblin King begun in Wintersong.



This second book in the duology picks up a few months after the conclusion of Wintersong.

This is a tough book to describe and I definitely don't feel it is for everyone. I enjoy Jae-Jones writing style, but can definitely see how others may find it off-putting.



She has a way of weaving together an eerie tale where you struggle to piece together reality versus unreality.



Liesl is not a likable character, but I still found myself caring about her. I wanted to shake her out of her funk multiple times, but I know, with depression and other mental health issues, it is not that easy.

She really struggles in this one, more so than the first, with her decisions, her past, her family relations.



She is moody, brooding and honestly, kind of a dark cloud over the whole story, but in a way that contributes to the overall storyline, in my opinion.

I did really enjoy the atmosphere of this book. In Wintersong, we were pretty sedentary in our action; you were either at the Inn owned by Liesl's family, or in the Underground. Here, our characters travel from home to find their brother Josef, who resides in Vienna.



The city life is quite a change for Liesl and being far from the Goblin Grove certainly doesn't enhance her mood any.

After a swift turn of events at a masked ball, Liesl and Josef, are swept away to Snovin Hall. Their relationship has been under extreme duress and they do begin to form a reconnection whilst at Snovin.



Snovin Hall, where the gothic vibes were aplenty and some of the scenes written while our characters were there gave me absolute chills.



Joseph playing in the mirrored ballroom still gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it!

However, this being said, aspects like this in the story did get a little confusing. There is a fine line between being intriguing and being confusing and this one swayed into the confusion zone more than once.



The overall feel of the book was dark and creepy enough for me to enjoy it and keep me invested. The last 15 or 20 pages were excellent. I enjoyed the ending and felt that S. Jae-Jones wrapped up a complicated story quite fluidly.

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for providing me with a copy of this book for review. It is greatly appreciated!

TRIGGER WARNING: Suicidal thoughts/ideation.

[Eliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for a review. This does not affect my rating in any way.

I guess I should say I'm at least thankful I didn't "dnf" this, since I was tempted to. And yet, I'm still disappointed. Quite. I mean, I didn't enjoy Wintersong too much either. I had given it 2.75 stars a few months back. But, still. I had expected more. A lot more.

Sometimes the second book in a series will surprise you, and that's what I was hoping for with this one, which is why I was thrilled to have received a copy of it. Only to be disappointed worse than before.

Honestly, I don't know what to say. I always have such trouble reviewing books I didn't like at all. Instead, I have a tendency to just want to say, "I didn't like it," and move on. But, I also like giving some reasoning behind my low ratings. However, sometimes there isn't a concrete reason. Sometimes, you just didn't like the book. And this happens to be one of those times.

With Shadowsong, I had a hard time connecting with the writing, which is a huge reason behind my low rating. But writing style preferences vary for everyone. One of ya'll might love it and connect with it. I, on the other hand, could not. This was also an issue I had with Wintersong, that only got worse with this novel - which is a shame.

Another aspect that got worse with this novel was the plot. Again, I didn't feel like there was much going on! Either that, or I didn't care. I'm not sure. It could be a bit of both. But the fact that I couldn't imagine anything from the writing didn't help.

Overall, I don't want to give too much away since the book isn't out yet, and won't be until next month. However, I really don't want to stir any of you away! I feel like I didn't enjoy this novel because I had trouble connecting with Jae-Jones's writing. Some of you might love this, so please read it. Especially, if you loved Wintersong.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this arc.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

1/18

So I came home to find Shadowsong waiting for me in the mailbox and ya girl damn near died. Thank you to the amazing people at Wednesday Books for sending me this, I am so incredibly grateful. I was dying after reading Wintersong and the wait was torture. But you guys it was worth it.

Shadowsong was everything I wanted in the sequel and more. I feel like I might start crying just thinking about it. The story, the pace, the character development, the love of my life goblin king (finding out about his history made me fall in love with him even more) - everything absolutely everything was amazing. I promise to write a more coherent review but if I had to describe it in one word its this: perfect

2/17

SHE SAID SEQUEL LAWD LET IT BE A SEQUEL BECAUSE THAT ENDING HAS ME SHOOK TO THE CORE





I just need more liesl and gobs that's all man why cant I have good things in life

[High Lady of The Night Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the ending this duology so desperately needed.

I’m not yet sure whether my questions or answered or if my question were even valid in the first place. At some point, during the course of these books it stopped being about the facts, the plot, and the world but about the people, the emotions, and the story. The emotions surrounding this book are so susceptible and of such wild variety it can only be described as either chaos or complete silence.

Yes, these books were not perfect and they were not my favorites but they have something to say that could not have been said if it was perfect. That sounds kind of crazy, believe me I know, but it is the truth, or at least it was the truth I found. We all know that no two people never read the same book, in the case of this book I think that difference in perspectives is very clear, for every person, in their own way, chooses to focus on different aspects of this book that each have their own truth to reveal.

I mentioned in my review of Wintersong that Leisel is constantly thinking about how her brother and sister are better than her, and is constantly filled with either jealousy or self-loathing. In a way, it is true that she has the right to feel that way but her constant dwelling over her prospects does her no good. In this book she's definitely acknowledged her emotions which she didn’t quite seem to understand in the previous book. She may not have made peace with them or given them up but that acknowledgement in itself feels like a leap forward in her personality towards self-acceptance.

The first half of the book is pretty slow when you look at it in with the plot in mind. But emotionally, without the first half of the book Liesel would not have made it through the second half. We see Joseph and Kathe in a timeline set six months after the events of Wintersong. Joseph’s life which had taken a seemingly successful turn in the first book is not the life he wants but is now stuck in without a way out. He has withdrawn into himself and is slowly fading away much to François’s despair.

The entire book is brimming with raw emotion and I enjoyed seeing where this story was taking me. The characters are not perfect, not even close to it, but they feel real. Their relationships may not be ideal but they reveal truths about the each of the character’s personalities we would have not seen otherwise. I fell in love with what this book had to say and overall, I am glad to have read this series and experience all it has shown me. I rate this book 4 stars. For anyone who is planning to read this book, I would suggest going into the book knowing it has a very slow paced beginning and you have to focus more on what the character's emotional state is rather than the basis of the plot.

“For love is our only immortality, and when memory is faded and gone, it is our legacies that endure.”
A fitting concluding sentence to this tumultuous series, don’t you think?

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I was really excited for this book and I think that ruined this book for me. I was so hyped and I just feel a lil let down. The conclusion was everything I wanted and the last 50 pages were perfect. However, the first 300 pages were slow, boring and honestly nothing I enjoyed happened. If the last 50 pages were the entire book (obviously an expanded version of it) then I would’ve given it a 5/5. I had such high expectations for this book. I knew what I wanted and I really didn’t get it. I found that most of this book was useless plot lines that weren’t important at all. The Goblin King was my favourite character and yet he was hardly even in this book. I wanted more of their romance and more of their story and I just feel like it was skipped over entirely. I’m really sad about this one guys but I’m also satisfied with the ending.

[Mischenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the end of Wintersong, I was craving for a continuation of the story and hoped there would be another book. Then came Shadowsong, and now I’ve finally read it, and it gave me the closure I needed after the first book. With that said, it certainly wasn’t as enchanting for me.

The story opens with Liesl and her family struggling to make ends meet. She misses her brother Josef and wonders if he’s still alive. All she can do is write him letters, which get no response. With papa dead, they have bills they can’t afford. Liesl holds on to what she can: love, music, and memories. When a mysterious plague comes and the world is crumbling beneath her, Liesl must return to the Underground and discover the laws that cannot be broken.

The writing was absolutely beautiful and lyrical just as I expected. The descriptions made it atmospheric and pulled me in, making me want to stay in this world. I loved the time period, the mix of retellings, learning more about the Goblin King, and the music references.

“Your music is a bridge. Play it, and we shall always be together. Play it, and I shall always remember. You. Life. What it means to love. For your music was the first and only thing in this world that kept me human, the first and last thing I give back to you.”

Liesl feels this strong connection with the Goblin King throughout the story, but it didn’t develop and somewhat fell flat honestly. Unfortunately, the build seemed to take forever, and then it was short-lived. Also, the story slowed down way too much causing me to lose patience at times, and that’s because for large parts of the story there simply wasn’t anything going on. Even with the beautiful, lyrical writing, it began to feel drawn-out. Liesl also has a strained relationship with her brother due to mental illness, but this was a little confusing without much explanation. In the end, it’s truly the descriptive writing and world that kept my interest and made me want to continue to the end of this story.

I chose to read the physical book along with parts of the audio. The narrator is excellent. While this book was very different for me than the first, it was still an enjoyable read. The closure was nice with a satisfying end.

3***

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice ending to a nice story, but nothing more.
As much as the first book, this one is more vibes than anything else. Characters basic if not annoying, plot isn't plotting enough - the ending is quite obvious from the beginning. But beautiful descriptive language and diving into MC's desperate madness make a good atmospheric gothic retelling of old legends.

[Ishmeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS WAS BEAUTIFUL AND I NEED A MOMENT TO GATHER MY EMOTIONS BECAUSE I AM NOT PREPARED FOR THE REALISATION TO HIT THAT THIS STORY IS OVER -

RTC

[Stacee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I’m not really sure how to feel about this one, but I think if I reread it again when it’s a physical copy, my rating will change. The formatting of my e-arc is jumbled and full sentences are displaced and the chapter headings didn’t make sense. It made it difficult to follow along at times.

First off, the thing I loved most about Wintersong was Liesl and the Goblin King together. The tension and their chemistry were fantastic. All of that is missing from this story because they are separated the entire time. Okay, that’s not entirely true, but the scenes of him coming to her were for brief seconds and very odd to me. Oh, and there’s no kissing.

Plot wise, this book is all about the relationship between Liesl and Josef. I enjoyed getting more of their dynamic, especially once things started unraveling. It does move a bit slow and while the writing is lovely, it did get dense in some parts. I liked that there were full explanations to everything and the last 3 or so chapters {I’m guessing. See above about the headings.} were absolute perfection.

Overall, it was captivating and satisfying, yet it is still missing something to make me rabid for it. I will try this one again when I get a finished copy and I can’t wait to see what JJ puts out next.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**

[Beatrice in Bookland · Rating 2 out of 5]

”Once there was a little girl who played her music for a little boy in the woods. She was an innkeeper’s daughter and he was the Lord of Mischief, but neither were wholly what they seemed, for nothing is as simple as a fairy tale.”

1) Wintersong ★★★★

So disappointing, SO DISAPPOINTING

The book started off well, the atmosphere was as good as Wintersong’s and I felt in tune with both Liesl and the story. But then I kept reading and reading and reading and n o t h i n g happened.
Like, this is an almost 400 pages long book but it could have easily been 200 pages long, maybe even less.
And the ending was so damn convenient. I know some of my favorite books have convenient endings, too (like A court of wings and ruin or City of heavenly fire) but in those cases the authors managed to make me feel so invested in the characters and the story that I couldn’t care less about an intricate plot device. In Shadowsong, I couldn’t care less about the whole book so the convenient ending was yet another aspect that I didn’t like.

Another thing that annoyed me to no end is that from reading the blurb you expect Shadowsong to be about The goblin king and his past. Well, the goblin king shows up in 50, maximum 70 pages so ....
And I felt so disconnected and bored that I didn’t even like the small snippets about his past (and I don’t like his name 🤷🏻‍♀️).

I did appreciate the author’s trigger warning at the beginning of the book, even tho she tells us that Liesl is bipolar and I don’t remember her being so in Wintersong.

All in all, this is by far the biggest disappointment of 2018 so far.

[✶Rachelle✶ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

***I received an ARC in return for my honest review**

Yeah I devoured this basically haha. I LOVED IT! So great =) Thanks again to Wednesday Books for sending me a copy!

There are some mature themes in the book, and the author put a note in the front talking about it. I really appreciated her being open and vulnerable. It allowed me to connect with the characters on an even deeper level knowing how personal it was to the author.

These are my initial thoughts. More to come once I've processed it more.

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JUST GOT MY FIRST PHYSICAL ARC AND I AM SO EXCITED!! Thank you to Wednesday Books for sending me this gorgeous book ❤️❤️❤️

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3,5

Review to come.

[Miranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wintersong is one of my favorite books of all time, so to say I was excited to read Shadowsong is a bit of an understatement. That is why it hurts my heart to say that this book was a disappointment. There were things that I did enjoy in this story, but overall, it was a letdown.

In the beginning of the book, the author included a trigger warning for things like suicidal thoughts, addiction, self-harm, and bipolar disorder. These issues are very important topics that should be discussed more frequently. I was proud of the author for including these tough topics in her novel and being so open and brave about it. It was clear that the author intertwined her own experiences into these topics, which made the topics feel so real and raw. This book wasn't about sunshines and rainbows, which was oddly refreshing.

Liesl went through a lot in the first book of this series, and we got to see her deal with the after-effects in this book. Liesl was clearly in a dark place throughout this story and as much as it hurt my heart, I felt like that was a very important element of the story.

I liked the darker and more melancholy turn this book took, but the plot was very slow moving and at times it didn't even feel like there was a plot? Most of the time I felt like the characters were just doing mundane tasks and were talking in circles. There were interesting elements presented, but I felt like those ideas never developed to their full potential. The end of the book seemed to have the most plot development, which was exciting, but I couldn't help but feel like the resolution was rushed.

My biggest issue with this book was the lack of one of my favorite characters, the Goblin King. The Goblin King was such an intriguing and mysterious character. I was really hoping to learn more about him and see him develop more. However, he was BARELY in the book. It was disappointing to feel like his character was just written out of this series. He had a few moments in this book and they were so short! Anytime he would appear, I would get so excited, but he would disappear five seconds later.



Due to the lack of the Goblin King in the book, his relationship with Liesl hardly had any development. I was anticipating some more delicious and agonizingly slow burning moments between the Goblin King and Liesl in this book, but I got nothing. Their relationship in the first book was so enchanting and mesmerizing, but it felt so dull in comparison in this novel. It felt like they didn't even have a relationship in this book. I didn't need romance to be the focus of this book, but after building up their relationship, it was a let down to not have it be very prominent in this story.

Overall, Shadowsong just was not what I was expecting or hoping for. The author's writing was just as beautiful and enchanting as ever in this novel and I appreciated the darker topics that were presented in this novel. However, there were just too many things that happened that I didn't like, which made this a less enjoyable read.

2 / 5 Fangs

*This ebook was given to me in exchange for an honest review. *

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
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[el · Rating 4 out of 5]

[spoiler free] 4.5s
This is its own little universe; pull back the curtain, step inside and disappear from reality for a little while.

"What are monsters but mortals corrupted?"

There is such an atmosphere to this. Her writing is magical, it's melodic; each word, each sentence threaded into the next seamlessly.
Liesl talks so much of telling a story within her music and this book feels like that inverted, like a melody is playing within its pages; flowing and graceful and gorgeous.
It's not a very plot-driven tale, it's not the events that stand out to me from this, it's the mood, the feeling; Liesl's inner monologue and her growth throughout. I felt her character really learned to blossom in this. That's the novel's strong point, what causes it to stand out to me.

"I ran my fingers over the letters etched into stone. I thought of the day we buried Papa, of his limestone gravemarker standing next to the little wooden crosses of his brothers and sisters - my aunts and uncles, most of whom had died before they had even drawn breath. In time, those crosses would wither and rot away, leaving nothing but their names in the village register behind. And even then, ink faded and paper dissolved to dust. All that remained of a person once they were gone was a legacy, which would linger only as long as you were loved or hated. Immortality was memory."

I immensely enjoyed becoming immersed in this.
I love how it's about a romance but it's also so much more than a romance. How it features a central relationship of Liesl's being with her brother – a girl having a loving, imperfect and complicated relationship with a boy that's platonic. This is YA? What? Amazing.
And how it explores madness and sanity. What are they really, apart from merely a deviation of what's considered "normal"?

This could have ended so shit as well. The resolution of Liesl and the Goblin King's relationship could have easily fallen flat, especially the [minor spoiler I guess?] discovery of his name. Which, by the way, I was dreading because there was a such a build up I couldn't think of an outcome that wasn't anticlimactic. I so often find endings lacklustre, especially those of the YA variety, yet this wasn't? It was tied up in a perfect little bow, the I-can’t-get-this-dumb-smile-off-my-face kind.

If you haven't read this duology yet, I would Very Much recommend it.



15/05/18 •
Love it when you finish a book and only then find the pronunciation glossary at the very end and realise you’ve been saying EVERYTHING wrong.
I’m going to have to reread these just to be able to say it right (and I mean also because they’re so gorgeous)


11/06/17 •
(omg i just realised this comes out the day before my birthday too ajdjdks)

ok but this sounds veRY PROMISING.
I'm getting all excitED ahdjsjsfjshsk

[Faye* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is even harder to review than its predecessor. It is dark and eerie, unsettling and confusing, but also very, very slow.



Before picking this book up, I heard that a) it was by far not as good as Wintersong; and b) that big parts would take place not in the Underground but in our real world. I was disappointed but I still wanted to give Shadowsong a fair chance. So, while I did buy this book immediately when it came out (which is very rare for me), I gave it another 2-3 months before finally deciding that, yes, now was the right mood for it, and plunging into the story.



Was I still disappointed that we didn’t get to see the Goblin King very much? Yes, a little bit. But I hardly noticed because S. Jae-Jones' writing gripped me right from her author’s note. Honestly, I cannot tell you what it is and how S. Jae-Jones does it but something about her prose just pulls me in completely.



A huge part, I’m certain, is the setting. The story and superstitions are set in Bavaria, Austria, Bohemia. Vienna. Reading about places I know made this feel so real.
Hell, I still feel like Liesl sometimes and I live here.

„The uncomfortable proximity of so many anonymous strangers was beginning to get the better of me and I flinched and twitched at the slightest touch like a skittish thing. The last time I had attended a ball, I had been surrounded by goblins and changelings, but these black-and-white-clad guests were no less frightening. In many ways Vienna was a place far stranger and more dangerous than the Underground.”

Not only the places; names and certain phrases are also familiar and kept in German, and while I would have bet everything that I would hate that, I didn’t. I didn’t even hate the Goblin King’s name because while I hate that name in real life – and yes, this is a common German name – it is just so fitting. The reference to a lone wolf with his mismatched eyes, the hint to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It just makes sense.

I cannot tell you that this is a good book.



I’m not sure it is. But it was a good book for me, now. I think it is very well written and to me, it was a satisfactory sequel and ending. I do understand, however, if you feel that it is too slow, too uneventful, too confusing.
For my part, I loved being back in S. Jae-Jones’ world because it is also my world. Somehow, her writing holds a certain magic that transports me to another world completely while at the same time speaking to some part deep within me.



The only thing missing for me was the music. While part 1 had so much music, I felt its absence in the second instalment. I hadn’t expected to miss this part and while I know this was done on purpose, I still missed it.

I’m very glad I finally read this. I loved it and I can see myself rereading this duology over and over again. I hope I do.

[enqi ☾⋆˚*̣̩✩ · Rating 2 out of 5]

🎧✩˖°🌷✨ PRE-REVIEW ♡ | I loved Wintersong and had such high expectations for this but instead I got yet another new favorite series ruined by the sequel 😭😭😭

🐋🐚☾⋆⁺₊ PRE-READ ♡ | It's such a mood to read this over the Christmas period ❄️🩵 please don't disappoint me

[Thea Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed in this book, it truly lacked every element that made the first book so fantastic. This sequel seemed to be just about Liesl dealing with her madness, there was barely a glimpse of the wonderful underground world of the Goblin King, that that made book one special for me. Liesl and her austere young man had a wonderful and intense relationship in that book that was augmented by the quirky surroundings, the fabulous mythology and whimsical characters of the Goblin world in book one but here their absence left the book feeling quite and monotonous for me.

Don't get me wrong, It was totally readable and the story ends well enough to be worthwhile to read but the feels I gained in Wintersong were totally absent in Shadowsong, meaning for me it was literally the shadow of the first book and left me gutted and so very disappointed.

This book should have been a glorious finale but without the greatness brought by the previously lushly written Underground this book felt like it wasn't even related to the first most of time and that made me awfully sad......

[Amy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark and maddening conclusion to the Wintersong duology. This book is very different from the previous one. Leisl is on a journey of finding who she is and dealing with the loss of her love. She promised to go on in life but has to figure out how to do that. Her brother sends word for her to come to Vienna where he is pursuing his musical career but this letter is unlike him. Yet she and her family do leave to join him and nothing is what they expected.

This story deals heavily with mental illness and the many cycles it can have. The author herself states her experience with this and why she wrote this book so darkly. I ached for Leisl as she tries to solve her own mysteries and convince herself she really experienced the events of Wintersong and that she isn't crazy. When reading both Shadowsong and Wintersong I felt like they belonged to the new adult genre more than the young adult one because of the content.

If you deal with depression I would go into this book understanding that most of it is very sad. If you are like me, the mood of a book can flow into the day. I'm not saying not to read this book, the conclusion was beautiful- just to be careful.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for a fair and honest review.

[h o l l i s · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is our only immortality, and when memory is faded and gone, it is our legacies that endure.

I'm sitting here ten minutes after finishing SHADOWSONG and I'm still wiping away the occasional tear. This book, for all that it's a sequel (and an end) to it's predecessor, feels almost nothing like WINTERSONG -- and for this reader that worked perfectly.

"Life is not the body, but the soul."

Where book one of this duology was lyrical and flowery, this second book feels more grounded in reality, in the mundane every day life that comes after the adventure. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the style from book one, or even the events, I did. But I felt the story was lost and often confusing (which I think can be attributed to the mystery of some of the tale). Whereas in book two the writing is still wonderful but feels almost more magical because Jae-Jones' own prose and skill can be seen without the purple overshadowing it.

"Until they call my name and call me home, I shall not reply."
"What is your name?"
"I have no name."
"Then how can anyone call you home?"
"No one has given me a home.

As for the plot, well, I don't want to go into much for fear of spoilers -- please enjoy as I vague it up in this place -- but I found this so satisfying on so many levels. So much is revealed that answers questions I had after from book one, bits of the whole coming into the fore chapter by chapter, and done in a completely unexpected way that it took until near the end for the picture to be clear. But not in a frustrating way. It was magic to watch it unfold. Additionally we have an ending that you had to know was coming (I sure did) but was still done so so well. See aforementioned tears.

"You didn't tell me living would be one decision after another, some easy, some difficult. You didn't tell me living wasn't a battle, but a war. You didn't tell me that living was a choice, and that every day I choose to continue was another victory, another triumph."

I'm so happy I reread WINTERSONG prior to this book coming out because while I didn't end up loving it more for the reread, it made me appreciate the difference between these books all the more. The journey, the self-discovery, the regrets, and the mistakes, are very real, very raw. It's not an easy read, it's not a perfect read, but it is so worth experiencing.

4.25 "you cannot have a new beginning without an ending" stars


** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

[Janani(ஜனனி)⁷ · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is the point of having this sequel?

Error 404.

It's utterly ridiculous. I mean everything was just thrown, so that the sequel could be worshipped like the first one? BOO, it doesn't end well.

And my Goblin King was left somewhere deep between the pages where I couldn't find him until the last two to three pages? WHAT IS THIS FUCKERY? Give me my Goblin King.

Disappointed is the understatement of the year.

Bye.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhh, not my thing. Full thoughts posted on my blog 02/12.


***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Shadowsong by S. Jae-Jones
Book Two of the Wintersong series
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: February 6, 2018
Rating: 2 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Six months after the end of Wintersong, Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her.

When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands?

What I Liked:

Shadowsong wasn't what I expected. Where Wintersong was focused on Liesl and the Goblin King's connection and relationship, Shadowsong was focused on Liesl and her relationship with her brother Josef. I thought this book would focus more on the Goblin King, from what I'd heard last year. Instead, the Goblin King was barely mentioned in this book. I was disappointed in that regard, and disappointed in the lack of music and whimsy in this book. It was a dark book, which I respect and admire, but it was nothing like Wintersong and nothing like my expectations following the announcement of this sequel.

This book takes place six months after Liesl leaves the Underground, and the Goblin King. She has been writing to her brother, desperate to hear how he is doing in Vienna, with his prestigious music instructor. One day he writes back, stating that the instructor is dead, and for her to come to Vienna. With the help of a mysterious benefactor, Liesl is able to travel to Vienna with her sister Kathe. They find Josef, but Josef is no longer who he wants was. He is distant and disinterested. And there is something strange about Liesl's benefactors. All the while, the Great Hunt is roaming the earth, and the barrier between worlds is thinning. Liesl must travel back to the Underground and make a final stand as the Goblin Queen, in order to save her world, or theirs.

The author's note talks about Liesl's bipolar disorder (or "madness", as bipolar disorder was not understand during this time period). Possibly the best/most well-written aspect of this book is the darkness and madness that Liesl struggles with. Liesl is constantly wrestling with herself - is she mad? Or is she lost in her sanity? She feels her loneliness acutely, just as she feels guilt and shame over her brother's distance from her. I may not have enjoyed this book or reading about this darkness in Liesl, but I have to admit that all of it was well-written.

The same can be said about Josef's "madness". This book is written mostly from Liesl's first-person POV, but with certain parts of a chapter written from Josef's third-person POV. There was another portion of certain chapters featuring a tale of old, which comes together at the end of the book. The story is significant though not immediately at first. This is also the case with Josef's state of mind.

I also liked the ending - it is an excellent ending and makes perfect sense to me. Any other ending would have been ruination to the series. I love how it wasn't all up to Liesl, and that other characters had important choices that made all the difference.

I didn't really care for this book, but there were aspects of the book that were very well-written and deserving of recognition. But for the most part, this book didn't work for me.

What I Did Not Like:

The first thing I will start with: this book is incredibly boring. I kid you not, I fell asleep around the 25% mark and woke up an hour later, and decided that I was done with the book. I ended up picking it up the next day and finishing it, but not without doing a little skimming here and there (which is something I hate doing and rarely do). I had such a hard time reading this book. It felt like nothing was happening, and even when things were happening, I just didn't care. There was a lot of self-introspection going on, and I wasn't all that interested.

Part of it definitely had to do with the writing. To me, the author's descriptiveness was excess and really hurt the story. There were paragraphs upon paragraphs describing this or that, in flowery writing and in my head I was thinking, get to the point! THOSE were the passages that I ended up skimming, as I mentioned above. I didn't need those fluffy descriptions. It was too much, and added to the rising boredom.

The story itself felt like it had no direction. What was the point? Find Josef... okay? Once she found Josef, I couldn't understand where the story was supposed to go. How was finding Josef significant to saving the world? The "saving the world" bit seemed so forced and cliche, especially when that exact phrase dropped in the story.

The other part was the lack of the Goblin King. I thought this sequel was pitched as readers getting to see more of the Goblin King and his journey above ground, or something like that? And yet... the Goblin King is present in literally the LAST SCENE of the book? I'm confused, fam. I feel deceived. And in any case, pitch or no pitch, the Goblin King wasn't in this book. HOW can you go from Wintersong, where the Goblin King was infused into every word of every page, to Shadowsong, where the Goblin King is an afterthought to everything?

Not that I was against Liesl trying to reach her brother and blah blah blah. It was interesting to see Liesl and Josef's relationship break down and come apart - they had a lot to work through. But for a series that is built on and around the Goblin King, how disappointing is it to find barely a trace of the "austere young man" - or even the wolf with no heart - within the pages of this installment.

So there is nothing about Liesl and the Goblin King's relationship - none of the burning, passionate, frantic romance, none of the thick, cloying emotions. In fact, there is barely any of the sweeping, living music that filled Wintersong. Yes, there is mention of music here and there, especially when Liesl catches up with Josef in Vienna - but just barely. All of the things that made Wintersong so intriguing - the Goblin King, the ruthless romance, the masterful music - was not present in Shadowsong.

In essence, I found Shadowsong to be a pale whisper following the crescendo that was Wintersong.

Would I Recommend It:

I can't say I recommend Shadowsong, or Wintersong. Shadowsong is a disappointing follow-up to Wintersong - it almost felt unnecessary, and wrong. Like the author went the wrong way when pushing the series in one direction or the other. I didn't really like Wintersong, but I liked Shadowsong even less. It paled in comparison to Wintersong, and I didn't even find Wintersong that great.

Rating:

2 stars. It's a shame I didn't enjoy this book (nor its predecessor) because the covers of the books are just so gorgeous. I'm tempted to buy them anyway just to have them on my shelf but I didn't enjoy the books enough to spend money on them. (Note: I received a review copy, for free, courtesy of the publisher. Nothing illegal/pirating involved here, in case anyone was thrown by my statement about money.)

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For love is our only immortality, and when memory is faded and gone, it is our legacies that endure."

Shadowsong is the finale book of S. Jae-Jones' Wintersong duology . This is a dark fantasy story inspired by Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market poem (which S. Jae-Jones inspired me to read and I love it!) and also the movie Labyrinth. The author does put a trigger warning at the start of the book - there are some dark topics involved, so read with caution.

I like how the story was concluded (for the most part), and I'm sad to say goodbye to this world and it's chracters. This installment is written in a much slower pace than book one and not much happens until the last 20-30%. Just like in Wintersong , S. Jae-Jones has a poetic feel to her writing; she describes things in vivid detail and she sets the mood very well. I enjoyed the fact that the author headed each chapter with a quote like in the first, but instead of using quotes from Christina Rossetti, she used quotes from Ludwig Van Beethoven. Also, the covers of both books are gorgeous and I love that there is meaning behind Shadowsong's design. Unfortunately, there's almost no plot (or action) as we follow the MC while she tries to figure her life out in the human world. It's a bit heavier and darker than Wintersong , and a much more personal story for the MC. So, while I enjoyed revisiting this world, I didn't find it as captivating as the first; it didn't really add very much to the story. I feel like the author could've taken some key parts to this book and included it the first and made it a longer stand alone.

The author mainly focuses on Elizabeth - her growth, her stresses, her longing for the underworld, her family relationships and discovering who she is. Her brother Sepperl (Josef) also plays a huge part in this, but unfortunately, Josef and Liesl spend almost the entire book growing apart, which was frustrating because I really love the connection they have. Kâthe and François sort of get put on a back burner, they're mostly just involved in the beginning but they don't have much to do with the rest. Also, we barley get to see the Goblin King or the underworld until the very end, because the majority of the book follows Elizabeth in the "world above" as she tries to forget all about her beloved husband and her passion for composing, and tries to run away from her problems by traveling to Vienna.

I was happy to have finally learned the Goblin King's name, but honestly it was sort of a let down. Wolfgang. Just 'Wolfgang' I thought it was cool that we also got to learn a bit of his background through dreams and visions. The Wedding Night sonota was completed but you don't read about it in the detail it was described in book one, it's just sort of told to you as an afterthought at the end. I enjoyed the idea of the "Old Laws" sending the hunt after Elizabeth for breaking the rules, but they never actually get to her - she finds them. I also liked the idea of the Count and Countess -and while I feel they did add something more to the story and had a purpose, even they fell flat. They both have done terrible things to save their own skin, but they weren't exactly villains. Neither were they heros, so I don't really know how to feel about them honestly. While music is still a huge factor in this installment, it too sort of gets put on the back burner. You read about the characters playing music, but again, not in the detail it was written in book one.

Overall, this book mostly focuses on the MC's and their backgrounds and current situations. I was expecting something a little different, something a little more from Shadowsong, but I am glad to have an ending to this story and answers to some of the mysteries of Wintersong . I wish there were more scenes with the Goblin King, Kâthe, François, the underworld and secondary characters and less focus on Elizabeth's and Josef's back and forth emotional turmoil. I would have also liked to see more action from the Hunt and the Procházka's ( the Count and Countess) and more romance between Liesl and the Goblin King and Sepperl and François because it was almost non existent. This book is beautifully written and full of emotion, but it did fall flat for me. Having said that, I did still enjoy the read and I think this story will stay with me for a long time. I will be keeping a look out for S. Jea-Jones' future works, for sure.



**** I received an eBook copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.****

[tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf at page 25

i read the first book a long while back and all i remember is that i was really confused and bored which was basically what i felt in the beginning of this book.

[Alaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars right now - so let's go with 3.5 then.

Shadowsong had a ton of twists, turns, and interesting scenes in this book. However, it also had a ton of boring shit in it. The beginning started off so freaking slow and then it sort of picked up about half way through... THEN it really picked up within the last 100 pages or so.

Shadowsong picks up right when Wintersong sort of left off. She get's a letter from her brother asking her to come to Vienna to bring him home. She leaves for Vienna a little while after getting the letter since her and the family have to work. Constanze also made me laugh so much, especially after the whole salt debacle. Yes, she's mad but I love her still.

Leisl was an okay character in this book. She wasn't my favorite but I also didn't really hate her either. Josef was a different story. It seemed like he had a stick shoved up into his ass because he was so freaking annoying. I get that he was mad at his sister for making the wrong decision.. but hot damn, he needed a swift kick in the balls from time to time. It's probably just me though but I just didn't end up liking him again until the end of the book.

Then there's the Goblin King and the other creepy shit happening in this book. The mirror shit was definitely messing with my mind. It also doesn't help that my contacts are DRY AF right now and I'd rather be in bed curled up with my many books that at work typing this review because I can't actually do my work. Yay for computers not working!!

Overall, I liked the book but I also feel a little bit disappointed. Again, it could just be but I felt a little underwhelmed by everything. It still kept me engaged and turning the page.. but I also wanted to take a nap or walk instead too. If you've read the first book than I definitely recommend this book.. but read it at your own pace.

[Bitchin' Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rated this 4 out of 5 stars, but it is more a 3.75 stars that I rounded up, since I loved Wintersong so much and S. Jae-Jones is a wonderful, interesting, kind woman. Not to mention, Goodreads still doesn't have half stars, so here I am doing what I can to work with that shortcoming.

For those who follow my reviews, you probably know already that I wrote an epic of a review for Wintersong proclaiming my praise of its brilliance, of S. Jae-Jones' brilliance, because I LOVE THAT BOOK. I love it so much and could not sit back and not tell exactly in what ways it blew my mind.

I was able to snag an ARC copy of Shadowsong at Yallfest, and I even received a second ARC copy directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. One copy is being sent to my best friend who has similar tastes in books, so there will be another who reviews this book too.

First thing, I'm not sure what to think of this book. I flip back and forth constantly. There were moments I loved, moments I disliked, moments that were just as good as the first, and moments that had me wondering if this book was written by the same author. But that is something to think on--Jae-Jones even warns of this in the beginning author's note, because her duology replicates what happens when a bipolar individual experiences the high manic states (Wintersong) and the low depressive states (well, this book). Just know that this book is very different from Wintersong. Don't go into it expecting the same, because from their core out they are so greatly different.

I want you to also know that I did enjoy reading this book. I did, and I plan on purchasing a published copy as well, because 1) that cover gets my goat going, 2) I love S. Jae-Jones and her writing, 3) it isn't that I disliked it but really loved what Wintersong had going for it. Shadowsong just had a different flavor, one that I hadn't been expecting, even after Jae-Jones' note at the beginning. But then again, who is ever prepared for how mental illness affects a person, or a work, or that which turns into brilliance? Yes, I compare Shadowsong to its predecessor, but I have to keep in mind that these are books linked in story but present a view into different parts of how a specific mental illness manifests. Unto itself, Shadowsong is its own form of brilliance, carrying on similar themes and traditions I fell in love with in Wintersong--even before that, since I have always had a fascination of the works and time period Jae-Jones emulated.

Just like in Wintersong, the writing is dark and lovely. Jae-Jones has a way with words I hope to one day harness. For someone who is still fairly new to the published YA world, she is a powerhouse and I am looking forward to what she brings in the future. This duology has found a place in my heart and I will be insta-buying any future books from Jae-Jones.

But please, remember I am total trash for Jae-Jones and the dark, gothic, romantic writings she channeled into her own story, and I want you to read the book and gauge it for yourself. And once you have immersed yourself and come out the other side, let's chat!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful ending to a lyrical, dark and twisted story. While not a lot of action in the book and mainly just follows the thoughts of the main character it still envelopes you and sucks you in. The author did an amazing job of exposing real, raw and often times dark emotions in a strangely beautiful and endearing way. Incredible but sadly short tale