Wintersong

By: S. Jae-Jones

Narrated by: Eva Kaminsky

Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

All her life, 19-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family's inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns. But when her sister Kathe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her - musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl faces an impossible choice. As she grows closer to the Goblin King, both of them must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

Set at the turn of the 19th century, when young upstart composers like Beethoven were forever altering the sound of music, S. Jae-Jones' richly imagined debut spins a spellbinding tale of music, love, sisterhood, and a young woman's search for self-actualization.

©2017 S. Jae-Jones (P)2017 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"A maze of beauty and darkness, of music and magic and glittering things, all tied together with exquisite writing. This is a world you will want to stay lost in." (Marie Lu, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

Muddled

Any additional comments?

This book is certainly different from a lot of other fantasy out there. It read like a folktale and the narration added to that sense of old-timey myth and mystery. However, the narrative is almost entirely introspection. Everything seems like a metaphor because it doesn't quite make sense. It's the kind of story that wants you to believe that deep things are being said, but is less concerned with actually saying them.

A young woman is trying to figure out her life, basically. She's insecure about her looks and talents, she's jealous of her siblings but also a bit co-dependent, something about sexuality. The problem is that while each issue comes up a lot, none of them are coherently addressed. For instance, it's a huge deal that the Goblin King won't have sex with her and she doesn't understand why, so she feels rejected. So what turns out to be the reason? Well, goblins can't feel and are feeding off her emotions or something. So if she has strong emotions (like during sex), she will be drained and die more quickly. However the king encourages her to compose passionately for days without food or sleep, so how is that less emotional than sex? She does get a nose bleed after composing, which is a sign of her impending death, but the book implies that it's from lack of food/sleep because she is too obsessed with music to do any of those things. Or because all the fruit is secretly rotten and has no nutrients. It's so unclear, and it's made even worse when suddenly she is told that she will lose her vision/hearing/taste/sense of touch, and that's how she will die.Why is using her ears for music less taxing than using her sense of touch for sex? Is it based on emotion or sensation? Well, she immediately loses her hearing when the goblin king has sex with her, so there is something about sex that makes it different from her other passions. And then she immediately gets her hearing back for no reason. It drives me crazy. What is Jae-Jones actually trying to say about sex here? I don't get it. The book teases at these questions, then half answers them, then half contradicts itself 10 pages later.

What about that thing where she was choosing her brother over her sister? That thread just gets forgotten about.

Same deal with whether she can have a life with the goblin king or not. He says that there is a version of him somewhere in the world that she should find -- like a human version? Except then they forget about that conversation and it never comes up again. Then there is the story about the first goblin queen leading her king out of the underworld on a bridge of their love, but that doesn't happen either. The end is pretty unsatisfying actually.

It's not terrible, but I didn't love it.

Rarely have I found such a perfect book...

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I have, in fact. First of all, Jim Henson's Labyrinth fans should not hesitate to get their hands on some form of this story, book or audiobook, though the audiobook is something special and worth listening to, giving the story even more magic.

What did you like best about this story?

It captured the essence of Labyrinth while also making it its own story and world. There were definite themes and moments coined to the original idea, but S. Jae-Jones wove a beautiful, sensual, moving story that every fan wished had happened between Sarah and Jareth.

Which scene was your favorite?

SPOILERS! DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT A MAJOR SCENE RUINED!

My favorite scene is after she's rescued her sister and so faced the greatest ultimatum: life or die, flee or surrender, save herself or the world. It's a daunting decision, but what's great about this scene is the creepiness factor that is a prominent part of Beauty and the Beast, Labyrinth, Hades and Persephone, that kidnapping element is eliminating. Basically she tells the Goblin King "You have no power over me", but also she chooses to go with him, to sacrifice herself to belong to him and the Underground. It's a very powerful moment, for all parties, and it changes everything.

Second is the last scene, where she chooses to leave the Underground. She loves the Goblin King, wants to be his forever, entire, but the cost is too great and so he lets her go. This is the satisfying moment we didn't get in the movie, but that's a different story. Here we get the satisfaction of her having chosen the Goblin King, but then also her choosing herself, which is bittersweet but the best thing for her and the story.

Not a retelling of Labyrinth

I was worried that this would be a poorly written version of the Labyrinth. Thankfully I had nothing to worry about. While the Goblin King definitely appears to look much like David Bowie the story is interesting and well written.

I enjoyed the narrator as well though I found it a little annoying that the audio wasn't better edited. I could hear her take breaths, yawn, and even a little background noise from time to time, none of which fit the story at that point in the time.

All in all it was an enjoyable book. I am not sure if I will read the follow up because I feel as if the story was complete with no need for a follow up.
“Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry”

Nice story

Eva Kaminsky does a phenomenal job performing this novel. I really enjoyed listening to her. The novel was enjoyable and I definitely agree with the decription of it being a cross between Labyrinth and Beauty and the Beast. Very interesting different world.

Poetic and haunting

I am so heartbroken at the mixed reviews of this book. I genuinely loved it. Yes, some of the themes are complex and twisting, but if you follow the story and read between the lines, the answers are there and the plot points make absolute sense. This is not a book for people who like their action spelled out bluntly and with no nuance like a summer blockbuster movie. This is a book for people who love complexity, who understand that real emotions are complicated, and who appreciate some darkness in their romance. For someone like me who always secretly wished that Sarah had chosen Jareth, this book was my deepest fantasies made real. I was entranced and so happy that I had a 10 hour road trip to binge this book all at once.

Just a friendly recommendation... the narrator is good, but takes waaaay to long to read and the pauses feel so drawn out it's frustrating. I upped the speed just a tad (like 1.15 or something like that) and it was PERFECT. The drama was still there without the overly contrived, drawn out narration.

Mixed emotions.

I do not start a book unless I am going to finish a book. There was so much fluff in this book at times that I had to take a break or break my phone. The relationship between Liesl and needle teeth was dramatic, and extra and really cringy at times. But I mean, it was an ok overall book. If someone could have given me a live review I most likely would not have listened to it.

Excellent book! truly inspired!

amazing performance and a gripping story full of magic and mystery, rivals and romance, darkness and desire. would definitely recommend! can't wait to read the sequel!

Pretentious

This book just feels full of itself. I’m half way through and it’s interesting enough for me to finish (also, I promised my friend I would read it). It’s definitely slow moving and feels like it wants to be deeper and richer than it actually is. Like it’s trying too hard/doing too much. Not my favorite.

Could have stopped after section 2 and it would have been great

If you loved Labyrinth, you will enjoy listing to half this book. The narrator does a lovely job, and I felt I could see the Goblin King (aka David Bowie) when she described him - a credit to the writing & narration. The story played off the plot & themes of Labrynth, but put an interesting spin on them. The world building was solid, the family dynamics well fleshed out. And the Rossetti poems complemented the narrative perfectly. And then . . . The second half of the book dragged. If I heard “Elizabet entire” one more time, or “the austere young man” again, I would have to scream. The “love scenes” were unimaginative & way too long. There seemed to be hints of BDSM, but the author was never brave enough to actually go there. I ended up fast-forwarding through a lot of them. The dynamic between the Goblin King & Elizabet in the second half was reminiscent of Twilight and other books that glorify really old men who are aloof and emotionally abusive to their innocent love interests - but it’s ok because he’s beautiful & in the end he gives her his heart. I liked that the protagonist was smart & talented instead of beautiful, but again, that just feeds into the abusive dynamic. She’s SO grateful that any man desires her physically, she literally throws her life away. It was pathetic & sexist. I suggest listening to the first half & then stopping once Elizabet gets above ground the first time. Here’s the rest of the story - the get married in an underground chapel, he won’t have sex with her even after she throws herself at him over and over, he finally gives in, and suddenly she is capable of writing the best music of her life, she misses her family & is dying, but the Goblin King decides to spare her life because of how much he loves her. Oh, and somehow this doesn’t trigger eternal winter, but that’s not explained at all. The end.

Long, but good.

CRIMINEY, this book was long. it took me nearly 3 months to read. the story was fantastic, and it definitely gives Labyrinth a run for it's money. a lot of this book really struck home with me, since I am also a very plain girl with a deep love for music like the Protagonist Elizabet. there are several Chekov's guns in this book that I felt never got properly fired. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel... after I read some other books first.