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.

5 out of 5 stars

Ahhh what a glorious conclusion to the duology! This duology is one of the most beautiful books I have ever read and JJ did not disappoint. Honestly, Wintersong could have been a stand alone, but JJ really pulled her weight and created a beautiful ending.

Shadowsong picks up with a shattered Liesl, back at home, heartbroken and no one to turn to. Her brother, Joself, is ignoring all of her letters. She cannot speak to her mother or sister, and worst of all The Hunt is after her, searching for the maiden who escaped the clutches of death. However, fortune smiles upon Liesl and she receives a patronage of a mysterious count and sets off with Kathe to Vienna, to help her brother and continue her music.

I will begin with saying that Shadowsong deals with some very dark subjects, suicide and self-harm among them and if you are dealing with these thoughts – you are not alone, please reach out for help. We, all of us have demons to deal with. It is not a light topic to deal with in a book and JJ really gets into the characters’ thought process, their rationality, their drive and isolation. JJ really lets her characters speak and is not afraid to delve into the darkest corners of their mind. Liesl’s struggle to choose between her family and her love (selfless vs. selfish) resonated with me so much. As a daughter of an immigrant, family comes first, there is no individual in a family unit and if you choose yourself you are deemed selfish and despicable. This is something that I struggle with every single day and it never gets easier. And I can already hear people complaining about the purple prose of this book. But you know what, JJ like Laini Taylor can do purple prose very well and I for one, will read all the purple prose that they write.

Shadowsong also gives us the back story of Der Erlkönig. It was beautifully done, and while we, the readers, do not get Der Erlkönig as character much in this book, the backflashes of the events that led up to him being one are very well done.

I look forward to reading more books by JJ.

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. Their tension and chemistry was 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 was JJ puts out next.

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

3/5

I'm giving this 3/5 because i really enjoy the love ad relationship between Lisel and The Goblin King.
Well, I really didn't enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed Wintersong. I really really really wqanted to love this book as much as I loved wintersong but alas, I did not.

I would really have liked to see more of the Goblin King in the book because there really wasn't that much but I do understand it was more about Lisel and being able to fix what she broke when she was released from the underground.

The story follows Lisel on her journey after being released from the underground and coping and dealing with the loss of the Goblin King. She is also reunited with her brother Josef.

I really could have done without Josefs and Kathe's perspective in the story, I found his perspective rather dull and unnecessary. I would have been happy with just Lisel and the Goblin King's.

I believe the ending of the book is supposed to be shocking and heart wrenching and maybe if I were a little more invested in the story or enjoyed the story more I might have felt something but I just ended up feeling indifferent about the book and really it felt unnecessary.


I was sent a copy for review via Netgalley

I loved Wintersong and couldn't wait to read the sequel; as soon as I was approved on NetGalley I pushed it to the front of my reading queue. This was a good follow up however it wasn't as gripping as the first. At one point I completely forgot about The Hunt, which was supposedly hunting her down but never really seemed like a threat to Leisl. The novel is much darker than the first and the pacing was very slow, it only picks up in the last handful of chapters. I enjoyed this novel but I didn't love it.

I received this book from net galley for an honest review. Thank you!!

This novel was a darker novel compared to the first novel in the series. There are topics discussed that some might not be comfortable with reading so beware.....
The novel begins 6 months after Wintersong, which needs to be read before reading this novel. Liesl has returned from the underground and her father has died. Her family is struggling, The Goblin King let Liesl leave and she has not forgotten him. She struggles daily with this and can be selfish. She has thought about her brother, Josef, who is playing in Vienna. When she receives a letter from him asking to come to Vienna, Liesl hesitates, for they do not have the money, among other reasons. However, Liesl receives an offer to play in Vienna by a mysterious count and accepts, knowing it will bring her closer to her brother, but also for her own selfish reasons. She tries to forget the Goblin King, but he continues to be a "presence". The barrier between the worlds is thinning and Liesl has the power to stop it, but it involves understanding the old laws and the price that must be paid. What is Liesl willing to sacrifice?

I enjoyed Wintersong and was excited to read it's sequel, Shadowsong. I would recommend reading the books in order, as the characters are key and without having read the first story, you will struggle, I think, to connect with them. That said, the sequel is much darker but just as rich and poignant. The forward speaks of the author bring bipolar and her use of this in the story. If I hadn't seen this, I might have missed the connection, but mental status and thought are key to the story. I found this intriguing and I enjoyed the rich and distinct perspective. A surprisingly quick read for how deeply the story wound itself. A good read.

After I finished Wintersong in the beginning of 2017 the long wait for Shadowsong began. I'm usually not a fan of happy endings and I celebrate whenever a story doesn't end well. Rarely lives end well in reality, I appreciate when a writer dares to mirror real live. Wintersong was one of the only titles where i actually wanted a happy end. I was furious 8 in the best way ) at the ending and could not wait for Shadowsong to put things right.
So a year of waiting has past and I have been approved to Shadowsong, to end 2017 the same way as it began: With Jea Jones writing.
And write she can! Wow how I love her style.
Sadly this was about all that I loved in Shadowsong. As brilliant as I found the first book, as bored was I in the sequel. I kept waiting on something to actual happen. It feels as if all Liesl does is sit around somewhere and peopale are TALKING. After 48 % in the book it still felt like a first chapter where you get to know whats going on so the storyline can happen. After 70% I was wondering if there would be a third book? As in, Shadowsong is just the prelude to her going back in the underworld and book three would have all the story? But no, still nothing much happing. Josephs fate was pretty clear to me from the beginning so the actual ending wasn't surprising. Also another fear came true: a rushed ending. For all the waiting I did for something to happen... what finally did happen only needed like 20 pages?
I don't know what I actually expected, but sadly shadowsong was kinda boring and did not live up my expectations.

I enjoyed the second novel much more than the first. It was darker, more cohesive and entertaining. I feel in the first one the author was struggling with balancing the emotions she wanted to portray as well as the storyline and it ended up being repetitive and the voice of the main chapter Leisle was irritating. In this book, however she finds a stronger voice for Elizabeth and the story goes ebeyond her desire for the goblin king and thus a more interesting plot emerges

5 stars for Shadowsong.

The conclusion to Wintersong blew me away. Shadowsong picks up with a shattered Leisl, who is trying to make sense of the world and her heart after escaping the Underworld. The Hunt is out for blood and her brother Josef, the other half of her soul, is not responding to her letters. With the help of a mystery benefactor, she sets out with Kathe to reunite with him. Torn between her love for her brother and The Goblin King, Leisl is forced to make the ultimate decision to set the world right.

Jae-Jones' portrayal of Leisl's struggle was so good that at times I think I felt the descent into madness with Leisl. I know a few readers are going to say that this book had too much. Too much purple prose. Too much imagery. Too confusing. In spite of that, I still love this duology. Why? Because Jae-Jones captures emotions so well.

<I> How I could make myself understand. The restlessness, the anxiety within me. The feeling of incompleteness and dissatisfaction, my frustration with my inability to execute my ideas on the page, either in words or in song. </I>

She could have simply said she was frustrated but then we would not have felt that rising panic. That bubble of fear and hopelessness Leisl felt around her inability to compose.

There were times where the plot slowed; particularly when the backstory unravels at Lake Snovin. The ending was not all that surprising. I think most could predict the next Der Erlkönig. Nevertheless, it was beautifully done.

Five stars for a beautifully composed conclusion. I look forward to reading more novels by Ms. Jae-Jones.

"Shadowsong" is the YA/NA fantasy continuation of "Wintersong" but with a darker overall tone. This book takes place 6 months after Wintersong ended and follows primarily Leisl and Josef (about 98% of the book with only a few glances at the Goblin King/der Erlkonig). Leisl's family is struggling to run the Inn since her father's death. They cannot afford food or other goods, and no one is willing to extend the line of credit for a widow and her daughters very far. To make things worse, Constanze (Leisls grandmother) is losing touch with reality and calling Leisl and Kathe by her sisters' names and pouring salt everywhere, seemingly to protect them from The Hunt (composed of goblins and The Goblin King). Leisl has lost touch with her music, unable to compose, and unable to finish her Wedding Night Sonata.

Josef is fading away, a husk of his former self. His master works Francois and him hard to perform music well and has prevented them from playing Der Erlkonig, Leisl's composition. The only time when he feels like himself is when he plays it, as it seems to thin the veil between worlds. After one fateful night when they perform it anyway, their master ends up dead and Francois and Josef find themselves destitute. They end up staying at a brothel, where laudanum (opium) is freely partaken. Francois is unable to protect Josef and fears he is taking laudanum, so he sends a letter to Leisl to come and get Josef in order to save him.

Leisl finds hope when she receives a missive from the Count and Countess Prochazka, offering money and a trip for her and her family to where her brother is located. She and Kathe travel to them but find Josef distant and aloof, a shadow of his former self. There are also mysteries shrouding the Prochazkas, and nothing is what it seems. Meanwhile, The Hunt rages on, and Leisl has to decide whether/how to save herself and Josef.

I won't say much more than this about the plot to avoid spoilers. As other reviewers have remarked (as well as the author herself in an apt foreward with content warnings for mental illness), this book is very different than Wintersong in style and overall feel. This is not to say it isn't worth reading, because it certainly is. This book is much darker than the first, but still maintains a lyrical quality that ebbs and flows with the characters' passions for music. This book is masterfully written. Leisl, Kathe, and Josef have all evolved quite a bit in this book, and they no longer feel like the same characters to whom we were introduced in the first book. The Goblin King has a very minor role in this book, as it focuses on Leisl and her evolution/growth as well as her mental illness. While this was set to be the second/final book in a duology, I feel there is still room for another book, as not all the plotlines could be closed within this one.

Jae-Jones maintains the ethereal feel to her writing in this beautifully composed sequel. Although the content and overall tone is much darker, it is an absolute pleasure to read and is a book that I think will stick with me for some time. There is quite a bit of heavy symbolism with many layers of potential meanings, and it gives you a lot to think about. I highly recommend it (but also with the consideration of the author's foreward, of course).

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

I was unable to finish this book because the download kept on glitching and freezing, but what I read of it was interesting.

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This is the next book after wintersong, which i have not read yet, I would recommend doing so before tackeling this book. This book, however was phenomenal. I adored the characters and the twist and turns this book took me on. If you like heart-wrenching stories of romance and tragedy then this is the book for you! This was my first book by this author,  I absolutely enjoyed every second of it.  It was fast paced and just alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 4 star rating!

I apologize if my feelings are SPOILERS, but this duology was definitely not for me. I came for the Goblin King, because he was the best thing about Wintersong. I came for an installment of myth and magic, mischievous Elfkin and a dissolved barrier between the Underworld and our own. I came for folklore, and fairy music and a certain wild abandon... Labyrinth meets Amadeus, if you will.

I have no idea what I was imagining.

This...this was definitely not that.

I got Francois as "the black boy".

No.

Just.

No.

I got "O Goblin Queen" mountain of a mess Liesl, (who is honestly the worse combination of dull meets manic.) The Wyld Hunt who hunted boringly. I've already forgotten the lore I was supposed to retain. What I wish I could forget was the awkward moment or two of discomfort when an otherwise "boring" Liesl perks up to "lusty" Liesl after exchanging a couple of sentences with the worst version of her "austere young man." His creepy, gnarly monster self shoots her a couple insinuating remarks and this causes her to dribble? No. Girl. No. Just stop. Take a breath. You're not thinking clearly.

No lights. No action. Just a melancholic mish mash of everything that did NOT interest me in the first book.

And yes, for the record, fans of Wintersong will most likely go "mad" for this installment. For the rest of us, I found this lacking a certain magical world richness. It needed characters with power and personality, other than tart favorites Twig and Bramble. This story definitely needed a protagonist to root for. One who, I thought, would have possessed the emotional fortitude, creativity and the courage to go after the man she loves...or at least compose some powerful, otherworldly, symphonic masterpiece out of it.

I have no idea why I expected what I expected. So I apologize again. Most likely because I'm Canadian!

That being said, I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my very honest opinion!

If you liked Wintersong (and yes, you need to read that before reading Shadowsong, then you'll enjoy this return to this fantasy world filled with music. It's richly textured and a tad less focused on the romance this time around. There's a lot more Josef, about the same amount of music and less of the Goblin King, but it's very similar to Wintersong.

It's sort of a romantic and non-romantic love triangle as Liesl is trying to figure out what happened to her beloved brother all the while second-guessing her decision to leave the Underground while missing the Goblin King.

There are some bits of magic and folklore that aren't really resolved which adds a bit of confusion to the big ending, but it's emotionally satisfying and leaves rooms for some novellas/novels to continue the story.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.

Shadowsong picks up six months after Wintersong. Liesl is back in the world of the living working in the inn alongside her mother and sister Kathe, Josef is still away with his mentor Master Antonius and his beloved Francois, their father is newly dead, their grandmother Constanze is growing madder by the day, and people in the village are dying off - found dead in their beds without a clear cause of death aside from blue on their lips and frosty slashes on their throats.

Liesl is adrift, mourning the end of her relationship with The Goblin King and she's unable to compose anything let alone finish The Wedding Night Sonata. When the family receives a troubling letter from Josef and another correspondence from a mysterious new benefactor Liesl and Kathe leave Bavaria for Vienna to start their lives over and be reunited with Josef. But Josef is changed, he's no longer the child Liesl grew up doting on but a cold, withdrawn young man full of resentment.

Tensions are high as they settle into life in Vienna and soon questions begin to arise about their mysterious benefactor. Why did the Count bring them all to Vienna? What does he really want with them? Are the things people say about the Count, wild stories about sacrifices and opium laden parties, true?

Liesl, Josef, Kathe, and Francois are about to learn that their unseen patron has a very specific need for Liesl - one that has nothing to do with music and everything to do with the Underground world she left behind.

Shadowsong is beautifully written, lyrical prose that drew me back into the world I fell so in love with in Wintersong. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting of the sequel, it was so much more. Where Wintersong was about Liesl discovering who she is and coming to terms with it (and of course our introduction to the sexy Goblin King), Shadowsong is about the bonds between siblings and the rifts that can tear us about, about love and loss, depression and despair. It felt rich with myth and legends, like the stories passed down from generation to generation to explain mundane things like winter and the changing of the seasons in mythical ways, like I was back in school studying mythology.

Maybe because I love someone who suffers from depression, but this book spoke to me in a way that almost moved me to tears in its realistic beauty. I thought the feelings of Liesl, Josef, The Goblin King, and the people who loved them were well plotted. I felt like I could understand and relate to all of the characters at one point or another.

I loved that this book was written in multiple POVs, in the perspectives of not just Liesl but Josef, The Goblin King, and even occasionally Kathe and Francois and that there were also passages where we could peek into The Goblin King's past. It made for a richer reading experience, at least for me. I also greatly appreciate the glossary at the end of the book. It was the one thing that I had wished I'd had with Wintersong because although I can understand a little French, my German is very limited.

Overall, I really loved this book. It was better than I could have hoped for and the ending was perfect. I wouldn't have wanted it to be any other way.

I thought the writing in this book was absolutely gorgeous! The story line was even really good, and the brother/sister bond was great. My main complaint was lack of the Goblin King. He was my absolute favorite character in the last book, and I was expecting him to play a large role here. But still a great sequel, and I liked the ending!