Fantasy is probably my favorite book genre , so this was right up my alley. A story about a young girl who is taken from her home by a goblin, Lydian. He is very cruel to Janneke. Eventually, he gives her to his nephew, Soren. The story revolves around these three major characters as well as some minor but important other characters. A story filled with a lot of action and adventure, and a bit of romance. My first goblin story and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to future books by this author!

Although 'White Stag' is very well-written, it is too dark of a fantasy for my taste. Monsters and goblins can be fun, as seen in the 1986 movie, Labyrinth. "White Stag' is clearly not 'Labyrinth'. A certain amount of mental abuse was to be expected, going into this book, for a young lady kidnapped by goblins so long ago. However, there was far too much needless physical and sexual abuse to be enjoyable at all.

When first reading the reviews for this book I saw a review that mentioned rape and was pretty apprehensive about reading this.

First off: There is rape, it doesn't happen during the book but it is implied and there are physical and emotional after effects that the MC goes through. From my understanding the author is a victim herself so it being included in the story makes sense to me.
I will say though that I think it is rather harsh about it, not in the way it is portrayed but in the bluntness of the MC and how she explains how it happens. So it might be a trigger for some people.

Aside from that, I really loved this book. The world was expansive, the characters were interesting and I really loved the story. There's quite a lot to this though with so many types of monsters, I think this would have been better as a trilogy instead of a duology so there could have been more expansion on the world and the frost.

The MC is resilient and hard headed and relatable and endearing and being in her mind was interesting.

I will say that the, and this is a spoiler, but Soren seemed far removed from a goblin. In he beginning we see a little bit of their differences in nature with human versus goblin traits but we didn't see too much of it as it continues on in the story. I would have liked more expansion on him and why he is the way he is.

Wow, did I have issues with this book! First of all trigger warnings for: rape, abuse, torture, violence and self-harm.
We're looking at a mix between "The Beauty and the Beast" and "The Cruel King" by Holly Black with Goblins.
I read up to 65% of the book and hoped it would get better (or looking if it got any worse) and I had to let it go.

I had so many questions throughout the story and many things didn't add up:

-What exactly are the court rules in the goblin kingdom?
- How does changing from a human into a goblin work exactly?
- How are the human world and goblin world connected. I mean I love maps, but if you don't have one for your world, providing a bit more info would have been nice.
- If Goblins live like thousands of years, why are they not smarter or more evolved than what they are?
- Janneke uses her iron nail to self-harm in the beginning and it is explained that Soren would feel it through their "bond" if she's hurting herself, but she cannot kill herself?
- What is the reason for this story? Is it a love story? Because it is super creepy and Soren is the main creep in the story. He watched Janneke being born and grow up and now has a thing for her. Ugh! Gross!
- I tried to find out Janneke's motivation, what I get is this (quotes from the book): she only wants to survive because of "the fire raging in her" and "Maybe I didn't know exactly why I wanted to live or what my place in this world would be..."

Sorry but that doesn't cut it for me. Your whole village was burned, raped and chopped to pieces, you were raped, tortured, abused (one of your breasts was cut off for heaven's sake!!) and lived as a slave for about 100 years and cannot escape the goblin world and this is the only thing that makes you want to live?! A fire raging in you?!

And let's be hones, isn't this a bit overkill? It's like as if the author was thinking: "How can I make the most horrible things happen to my main character?" Let's combine every horrible thing that I can think of and slap it on my main character.
But it's so unbelievable that I cannot even like, pity or root for Janneke.
The only thing we get from Soren are creepy comments. No depth whatsoever to the characters or the world building.
I just cannot recommend this book to anyone.

Wish I could say I enjoyed this one I had high hopes for it. This book is lacking in so many areas. No World building at all, No back story none! I spent more time trying to understand the story and fill in the blanks that I couldn’t get into the book!

17 year old Janneke is taken captive after her village is burned to the ground by goblins. She spends many torturous years with a cruel goblin before being gifted to his nephew as a slave. After a showdown between the two aforementioned goblins, an opening for a new Goblin King emerges, setting the different factions against each other in a hunt for power and, for some, simply survival.

I really loved that the author was inspired by and included many elements of Nordic mythology into the story. It helped to more clearly visualize the overall setting and many of the “creatures” that pop up along the way. Goblins playing the starring role as a species that is monstrously beautiful was an interesting change of pace from the usual faerie-centric books that are so popular in this genre.

The relationship between the main female protagonist, Janneke, and her mysterious captor, Soren, was rather confusing. They seemed to very quickly have a total about-face in feelings towards each other which was not set up enough for the union to be that emotionally satisfying. I didn’t get enough of a sense of who each of these characters truly were to be super invested. More of the story could have been relegated to building those emotional stepping stones (I’m hoping there’s additional background coming in a subsequent installment) instead of the constant action scenes: which brings me to my very next point…

There was a lot of fighting in this book. Like, a LOT. By my count, Janneke should have bled to death about six times. Every time we turned around, there was someone/something waiting to physically attack us. The drama of it all became a bit repetitive, which lowered the tension considerably.

I did love all of the nods to Nordic folklore, and I thought the setting and the creatures were delightful. Also, some of the side characters (especially the halfling Seppo) were a treat. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of the relationship between the two main characters and I could really have done with about 68% less dramatic fight scenes. Overall, I would probably recommend this story to someone with a love of Norse mythology who is looking for a fairly quick dark fantasy novel. As for me, I’m on the fence about returning for the sequel.

I am partial to a good goblin story. There is a lot of fae and vampire stories, so I am quite glad goblins seem to be having their moment, too. This book mixes the German myth of the Erlking (Goblin King) and some North myths too into this fantasy story. The creatures we are presented to in this first installment are so, so interesting! There is also a classic adventure feel to this book when it comes to the way the plot goes, with a few mini-plots in the middle where the heroes must complete dangerous tasks to be granted favors. With such rich background, I had hoped for a more atmospheric read, and the world building done in a more patient way, showing us what to expect of the creatures, of the goblins themselves, of the dangers of the forest. I was a bit frustrated that White Stag basically throws the characters into places and situations and that it all the world building we get.

A short note on the goblins, though: why can’t they lie? I accept that the author made them tall and beautiful for the sake of storytelling, but goblins are supposed to be mischievous creatures, greedy, malicious. So it was strange to see them turned into basically sexy human with powers… like other creatures in YA do when there will be romance with a human later on. *sigh*

It’s a trend in YA to begin the story in the middle of some action scene with high stakes, but that comes with the price of flashbacks throughout the story to fill in the blanks. Instead of easing into the story and warming to the characters, we are told to like them. This also applies to the romance of the book, which is all but explicitly implied already in the beginning of the story and made me wrinkle my nose – this smells like Stockholm syndrome again. And in a YA book, that is very dangerous. I can “accept” that for an adult book, like A Court of Thorns and Roses and Wintersong, but in young adult, I wish the author had been more careful.

Which leads us to: there is a sex scene. It’s not explicit, and it’s quite romantic, but… it felt so strange. Not because of how the scene was described, but the fact that it existed at all. Among the horrors that Janneke had to endure with her first master, brutal rape was the one that stuck to her mind the most. And while it has been 100 years, she talked about it in a way that felt very fresh. I’m not saying it isn’t possible that she would want and enjoy sex with a goblin after one tortured her that way, but for me, the reader, it felt too fresh. I would have preferred that happening in book 2 or 3, so that we had more time to watch her grow more at ease with her feelings and desires.

I really enjoyed the story, although I wished all the things above where different. It’s an interesting young adult book where the main character look and behaves (more or less) like a 17-year-old, but she’s actually over 100 years old when the book starts. Also some things didn’t feel like they belong in YA – there is torture, rape is mentioned very often, PTSD, there’s kidnapping, murder, slavery… the way those things are dealt with is too early to judge – there are a couple more books coming out for this series. While I am curious to see how the open points of this first installment are going to be answered on the next books, I am not sure I’m captivated enough by the story to continue reading.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review - all opinions are my own.

Janneke, as the seventh daughter in her family, is raised as a male heir would be, learning to hunt, provide, and protect the family. Growing up close to the Permafrost where goblins and other magical creatures live, Janneke and her family live in constant hate and fear of the monsters. When her village is pillaged and destroyed, the only one left alive is Janneke and she is carried off to become a (thrall) slave to a sadistic but incredibly powerful goblin.

After enduring unimaginable abuse (including repeated rape - which is referred to but not described in detail), Janneke is dumped at the feet of her captor's nephew and left to die. The nephew, Soren, nurses Janneke back to health and takes her in, making her his companion (as in following him around and providing company and advice, not as an "escort" service), Janneke struggles with survivor's guilt, what it means to be a family member and a friend, and ultimately to determine what love itself is and her chosen path in life.

I enjoyed the aspects of Norse mythology. I enjoyed the strength of Janneke's character (especially as she grew throughout the novel), and I enjoyed the plot twists that I hadn't seen coming. However, there were also predictable parts and what I though was an unnecessary repetition and rehashing of the abuse Janneke suffered. It felt like every time the author got stuck, she fell back on Janneke having a small panic attack to remind us how much she had overcome. So, this one gets 4 stars instead of 5. Still, if you are a fan of Norse mythology, YA paranormal fantasy, or strong female protagonists, give this one a try! Definitely recommended.

I liked it, but it had issues. Just like our main character.

She was raised as a boy even though she didn’t identify as one. But she grew up in a loving and happy home. And then a monster destroyed it all. It’s all very messed up.

Nearly a century later, she finds herself straddling an uncomfortable line between her human and monster worlds.

It was an engaging read. The goblins were an interesting twist from the typical fantasy story. But some of this world seemed nonsensical and overly complicated. I think it was too short a book to cover all the world building and relationship building. And at the same time, it devoted time to superfluous scenes.

The main character suffers a lot of trauma. I think the author does a good job of handling a difficult topic. You truly get a sense of a survivor. Our heroine clearly elicits respect.

So I found it unnecessary how the author repeatedly took the extra steps to have other characters spell out how amazing she was. All of it was already implied with various nuances. It doesn’t need to be force fed to us in odd dialogue.

I feel like I’m complaining a lot, but I honestly like it. So thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This novel is a decently-written Young Adult fantasy. Familiar creatures — mostly from Norse mythology — inhabit a believable magical world. They fight for power among themselves, destroy human villages, and kidnap humans to make their creative servants. Goblins are the primary movers and shakers of the “fae” realm (the Permafrost), but plenty of other Norse creatures also show up. The heroine, Janneke, is a human slave taken captive at age 17 when she survived the destruction of her village, and she has lived unaging for 100 years. Her initial captor and first master, Lydian, was an insane and powerful prophet who tortured and raped her until she was able to injure him. Soren, Lydian’s hated nephew, is now her master and treats her with unusually high regard.

The story is full of ancient beings using modern patterns of speech. In fact, aside from subtle differences in the level of sarcasm or insanity, Soren (after the first few chapters), Lydian, Elvira, Helka, Rekke, and Seppo all spoke with essentially the same written voice that wasn’t notably different from Janneke’s in sentence structure or phrasing. I would have appreciated more differentiated manners of talking.

Janneke has a LOT of flashbacks. Some are essential exposition of the past. Some are remembering in no explicit detail torture and rape. She is a survivor, and the things that happened to her are relevant to the story, but readers who are survivors should be aware before reading.

I enjoyed seeing Janneke learn to accept herself, to choose to be more than the sum of her past, and to choose to grow and to see past surfaces and labels.

This book was interesting in spite of some immaturity in the writing and plot, making it a decent young adult novel. It felt on par with the quality of Percy Jackson or Hunger Games, though not as polished as many other awarded novels in the genre, and it was better than the majority of self-published or Wattpad material. I hope the rest of the series gets published.

3.5 out of 5 (rounded up to four for interest in a sequel)

I found myself struggling with this book. Janneke is a human girl surviving in a twisted land of mythical creatures that values power above all else. There is a stark contrast between the older generation and the likes of Lydian and the younger generation that includes Soren and how they go about showing that power. It doesn't help that the story itself just starts, the stag has risen, the king is dead and the hunt is on.

Janneke's time with Lydian was very short, just eight months, but it dictates the entire story. Janneke was tortured both physically and mentally. Eight months may seem like a moment over a hundred years but a moment is all it takes to stay with a person forever. What we don't see is the other side, what happens in her time with Soren it is only ever described in passing it would have been really nice to see more of him interacting with others. It would have been easier to connect with him as a character if we saw him outside of just his interactions with Janneke. This whole story is very central to Janneke overcoming her personal traumas and does little to expand on the world itself. Even interactions with other creatures are all central to Janneke reliving and overcoming her traumas. The hunt seems so important but characters just take days doing random nothing tasks. The world as a whole is fascinating but its background noise that never feels like it fully belongs to the story.

Perhaps I'm in a minority on this, but I really wished Lydian has been explored more, sounds like thats possible in the next book. Soren seems to reference that something traumatized his uncle, creating a monster who seems to be going mad with what knowledge he was given. This madness combined with his dark nature sometimes comes off as terrifying (particular when he keeps asking the same question over and over again) other times left me wondering why anyone would be terrified of him or even bother following him.

Overall, I did like the book. It wasn't a fav but it left enough dangling at the end to make me interested in a sequel. Hopefully the author can expand on the world that she has created.

I don't usually like books like this with goblins but I thought I take a stab at this one. This is an interesting story line, but I really had a hard time getting into the book. Conversations between the characters just felt unnatural and weird.

I really enjoyed this book! It kept me intrigued and engrossed all the way to the end- my only problem with it was the actual ending- it didn't make sense for the MC to be turned into the stag. Logistics aside (how is a human going to deal with having huge antlers all of a sudden?), if the MC loves with the new king, she'll see him be killed by the next king- doesn't that make her prone to dislike/ hate the next king which would make her not want to help him? Is she not able to procreate/ have the king's heir? The ending left me very confused. But I loved everything else.

I'll be leaving 4 star reviews on Amazon, B&N and left a review already on Goodreads. I also plan to post about this book on my blog/ bookstagram

I had a hard time keeping interested in this book. I felt there was plot holes and the characters were difficult to connect with. It had potential but just didn’t quite make the mark of a great book.

I enjoyed this story well enough, but felt it was full of cliche characters and used violence as the only means to move the story along. Violence in the present and the violent abuse the main character suffered in her past were constantly used to further the plot.

In all, each scene by itself was well-written, however the pacing was strange as they all felt disconnected. There were no breaks between each action scene to offer slower paced character development, and there was absolutely no world-building. I don't need a Tolkien or Martin style, but I need something more than a frozen world where crazed goblins (just fae by another name) wear fawn pelts and enjoy killing babies everywhere.

Three stars because if I back away and look at the story from afar, I do like the plot idea, the system of power this species lives by, and especially how the story ended.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing!

I have to say, this is actually the first book I have read involving goblins and I don't know that I am a fan. First let me say that the author, Kara Barbieri, is a great writer and I did really enjoy her writing. However, this book's plot is almost identical to the plot in A Court of Thorns and Roses. Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite authors so the plot line jumped right out.

A girl is taken from her home in the "mortal" world and brought over across the border into the Permafrost that is the goblin's world. Humans are looked down upon and basically become servants to things that goblins cannot. Our pain character Janneke has been raised to be the heir to her family, so she has basically been raised as a male, learning to fight and hunt. She also suffers severe trauma from the first goblin she served and she eventually falls in love with the goblin she is currently serving. So in all honesty, it felt pretty close to ACOTAR but like goblins. Like I said, this is the only goblin based fantasy that I have read and the goblins are described as human-like, which seemed odd to me. In all the books I read about Fae, they are beautiful and human like, but the idea of goblins being beautiful just seems a bit odd to me. Also, the female goblins are referred to as she-goblins (Again, this is the first book I ave read about goblins so I don't know if this is a thing or just the author) I found to be a bit annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing and look forward to reading more from her in the future, if she writes outside of this series. I do know that she first wrote on WattPad so I imagine that there are quite a few fans of hers already who will greatly enjoy this book. It just felt like ACOTAR with goblins to me, so just wasn't really my jam. If you haven't read ACOTAR or are a fan of goblins, I would certainly give this one a try!

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC of this book.

I enjoy this book and looking forward to reading the second book in the series. The reason why I have given it 4 stars because I would have like to have more of an introduction in the beginning about the Goblin world that Janneke was taken too. But overall the book kept my attention and I was genuinely surprised on the ending of the book which was not the way I thought it would end.

Also enjoy the relationship between Janneke and Soren. The development and the history between them was written well.

I liked this book a lot but I feel it was missing something and I could have liked it a whole lot more.
In a way it felt like a lot of background info was missing, there was not build up to the story, it just kinda throws you in and slowly reveals the main characters past as the adventure unravels. It kind of felt like a second book in the series and it was giving little hints and reminders to its readers but strangely it was the first novel in the series.
I also just got done ready A Court Of Thorns And Roses before reading this ARC and it felt eerily similar in certain aspects like that may have been the inspiration behind White Stag. Either way there were still a lot of good things about this book to keep me interested. Not a huge fan of them using rape for shock value or to make us readers sympathize with the character and reinforce how much we should hate the villian but It didn't go into any gritty details on that luckily because all the other violence was provided in full gritty detail, which i did like.
This book was raw, brutal but heartfelt. Overall a pretty great start to the series which I'm sure the author will grow and this will bloom into something awesome.
3.5/5 rating from me!

ehhhh im torn with this review... TW here.. it felt like the MC's rape was brutally shoved in the readers face over and over again... i wanted to like this book but i just couldnt get past how brutally this part was thrown in constantly over and over again.

4.5 out of 5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley for providing an ARC.
The cover is stunning, isn't it? I have to admit that this obsession with deer, moose, stags, all things with antlers probably began when I was a child and watching the Robin of Sherwood series on PBS, later fueled by my discovery of the wendigo folk legend, and possibly by the mildly psychotic lure of things that I am terrified of (moose. Why moose? Because I used to have a recurring dream as a child that moose was climbing up the outside of my house to my window and trying to get in to kill me.)
There's also the scenes from Snow White and the Huntsman which was a beautiful movie to begin with, but the stag was just downright stunning, and we are full circle to the cover. I don't believe I have ever spent so much time on a cover before in my life, and I probably never will again.
So we come to the book. Permafrost. The name sounded just little hokey to me, but by the time I was done reading the book, I have to say I am impressed with Permafrost and would love to see it terribly. Who hasn't dreamed of being snatched away by the Goblin King to the Labyrinth? Well, as grown Labyrinth-lovers we now have a grown-up place to dream of.
I thought the author did a wicked good job with the characters and how they react to each other and how they learn and grow. One of the best examples is when Janneke is out teaching Rekke how to hunt, how there is a parallel in the goblin world to the differences that humans have from one generation to the next, how there are certain things that just were and accepted without regard to right or wrong, and then one day it is questioned and newer generations break the mold in their attempt to make a better world.
I must say I was shocked at the end. I did not see that coming at all. Perhaps I have read too many books that would have ended at the place I expected, and so when the change came, I was wildly unprepared, but it was beautiful nonetheless.
I certainly hope no one stops at the last chapter and skips the epilogue because had the book failed to keep my interest and have my looking forward to more in the series (but it didn't fail, just to be clear), then the epilogue definitely would have at least made me reconsider. (I'm a huge WoT fan, so, when the infinity ceases to be infinite you have me hooked because I must know what comes next).
I did go and read other reviews on this book, which I hate doing but can't stop doing. There is mention of world-building or the lack thereof. I thought the author did a fantastic job with the world-building. I don't expect all of my books to be 1100 pages long to be exceptional, and I don't expect all series to be 14+ books in the making to be complete.
Highly recommended.