DNF at 28%

I really, really wanted to like this. Goblins, a snowy setting, action and adventure -- all things I enjoy reading about. However, the story didn't deliver. It might have been my review copy, but there were a lot of inconsistencies that really detracted from the book. Also, Janneke has supposedly been around Soren for a century, but the two acted like total strangers.

“No, I mean, does your kind normally have that really cute nose crinkle when they make certain facial expressions, especially ones of humor or anger?"

I would assume that was something he'd have noticed in their ninety-nine years together, but it was like they were seeing each other for the first time. Additionally, Soren didn't seem like the type to use words like cute. Janneke was also equally surprised by his actions, even though they were things he's been doing forever. Their relationship was unrealistic and it would have been difficult to picture a romance between the two.

Janneke was always angry or feeling guilty about something, but it was hard to tell where those feelings were directed. Herself? The goblins? Humans? She seemed be angry with everyone and everything. Based on what I read, Soren never gave her a reason to hate him. He tried to keep her safe (albeit against her will at times), and was quick to offer comfort and reassurances (as much as a goblin can manage), but she still distrusted his intentions.

I thought the world-building was interesting, and I liked the idea of goblins and The Hunt, but a lot of the story was repetitive and the language was often redundant. It also wasn't believable when Janneke fought Goblins, especially when just showing their power crippled her. It seemed unlikely she'd ever be able to get the upper hand.

In the end, there were just too many things distracting me from the story. I think it's worth mentioning that there is a lot of brutality, detailed accounts of rape and abuse, and psychological torment. Goblins need humans to create (since they're only able to destroy things themselves), and some humans are treated better than others. Janneke's past has influenced her present, and it was often dark and unpleasant.

This review can also be found at Do You Dog-ear? on January 31, 2019.

This was definitely darker than I was expecting and for that I am so very happy. It was creepy and magical and hit all the right notes for me. The writing was wonderful and the story, oh gosh that story! I'm saddened I hadn't read my review copy sooner.

White Stag is a YA fantasy novel that puts a whole new spin on goblins, fae, erlkings and changelings. I was delighted to see that it was Norse mythology based, and introduced lesser known creatures and myths. While violence and goblins go hand in hand, the violence seemed extreme for a YA novel.

White Stag follows Janneke, a human girl who after her village burns, is the only survivor, and is kidnapped by a goblin who then takes her to the Permafrost where she then must live as a thrall. It’s a hundred years later and now she is caught up in a hunt all goblins participate in order to become the next king.

White Stag has a premise we’ve all heard of before with slight variations. However, even though I’ve read a story like this many times before, it still interests me and I wanted to hear how it would be told with goblins at the forefront of the story.

The beginning is rough. Like, real rough from all different angles. There’s several mentions of rape, sexual assault, abuse, mutilation, and captivity. All of this would be difficult for anyone to get through, in addition to the writing also being subpar. The main character acts extremely juvenile and makes rash decisions. There are too many exclamation points, and a lot of the characters say things that just don’t seem to fit their character.

Another issue I had was with the timeline. We never really learn what the human world was like before or after Janneke left, and it makes the world feel less real, and makes it difficult for the reader to really dive deep into the book. In addition, the main character has been in the Permafrost for 100 YEARS. And most of this time she’s spent with Sorren, her most recent master who has never hurt her, and has basically treated her like an equal. And yet until the story starts, she doesn’t trust him. In addition, Sorren is over 600 YEARS old which is supposed to mean he’s relatively young, but at the same time, he never really seemed old or like he had 600 years of knowledge.

As the story progresses, we go on several adventures/quests with the main character as she and Sorren complete the hunt. The writing gets a lot better, and the story becomes significantly more interesting. The different mythical creatures introduced and the fights Janneke must go through in order to win truly made this story bump up from a not-so-good story to this-is-actually-really-interesting story.

The ending, was a bit confusing, but still satisfying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I can see why others won’t. I think I’ll continue with the series and read the next book, but it probably won’t make my “most anticipated reads list”.

Trigger Warnings for: Physical abuse, sexual assault, rape, captivity, slavery, graphic animal abuse, mental abuse, and graphic violence.
1 like

The reason I picked up White Stag was because it was a Wattpad novel, and I LOVE to support Wattpad authors, and the cover is GORGEOUS. Absolutely stunning.

As I started reading, the first few chapters really gripped me and kept me entertained, but as I progressed into the story, it sort of started to fall flat. I’m not sure why, but it lost its momentum about halfway through, and I just couldn’t finish it, sadly.

Finally a book that is not about Greek mythology! Don't get me wrong I am a total nut for anything mythic, so I was ecstatic to see that this one was rooted in Norse myth. I gushed about it to my husband who was just as shocked as I was.
I loved this book, I sat down and devoured it in one sitting. I just could not put it down.

This is about goblins and erlkings and monstrous girls... so basically a checklist of things I quite enjoy reading. I am PLEASED. It had a lot of fae culture woven through a Norse setting, but focusing on goblins instead. Plus it's bitterly cold and cruelly wicked with knives and claws and fights around every few pages. But it also takes the time to really discuss and delve into PTSD and mental illness!

Welcome to the halls of the GOBLIN KING. I loved reading this version of them. The have glamours, like the faeries, to make themselves inhumanely gorgeous, but when the glamours fade they look like vicious terrible monsters. They're all so bloodthirsty. Literally stab your neighbour before breakfast and nobody is shocked.

It has a Norse-inspired setting! I loved the mythology creatures we met, like the wolf goddesses and the mischievous svartelves who'll drive you mad. And it was SO COLD. So frikkin' freezing. I could feel that wrapped around every page.

Jenneke was also a bitter stabby gift to this world. She's been tortured and abused for hundreds of years (but she's permanently 17) and she is NOT in the mood for anyone's shenanigans. She was rescued from her abusive master by Soren, who has always been kind, but she still hates him for owning her. Which...fair. Her PTSD and anxiety are brutal portrayed. It's easy to feel a lot for her. And I'm just glad more YA fantasy books are unpacking the mental side of the vicious lives they lead. Jenneke has been actually through hell (torture, mutilation, rape) and while the book isn't graphic, it does refer to what happened.

But then when little shreds of friendship weave into her life... it's so good. Like she starts teaching a little goblin girl who to be a better archer. And Soren is there like as a constant: "!!! I like you !!!" and watching their relationship thaw was beautiful. He basically affectionally describes her a small dog that bites ankles. She hits him. Bless.

Now I was worried about the romance, because Soren is effectively her "captor" even though he rescued her from her abuser. Uneven power dynamics in relationships (especially when it's with 1000 year old goblins) make my skin crawl thnx so much. But this book did it the right way. There was only romance when they were both in equal positions of power over themselves.

There are a few things that didn't work for me.
(1) The language is super modern (aka, Janneke even busts with stuff like "gee thanks") and they banter back and forth about how Goblins can't use sarcasm properly. I mean there has always BEEN sarcasm, but the actual word didn't exist until the 1500s. Plus GOBLINS CAN'T LIE. It's said again and again. But in order to be sarcastic, you are effectively saying an ironic lie. So the discrepancies here threw me a lot.
(2) And yeah there are a lot of fight scenes and I'm not the biggest fan of unending action. But that's just me!


Overall? This was a very satisfying story of monsters and mayhem, and it was cruel and vicious and filled with brittle and desperate hope. It was about what even makes a monster. And it was about being abused and it's about healing, and saying how it's ok to change. I very much loved the balance of mythology and hunting for the erlking's stag vs piecing back together broken people and loving yourself.

First of all, this should not be being promoted as YA. It is too disturbingly violent, and there are several accounts of rape. The sexual bent to some of the scenes is too detailed for YA. This should be NA. The character seems to be 19+ in human years. The rape scenes are also gratuitous. They were used for shock value and a quick way to evoke sympathy for the main character.

The story was basically one continuous bloody battle scene, momentarily broken up by gruesome descriptions of battle wounds, and, "do I want to have sex with him" thoughts. I think the phrases "blood dripping" and "blood flowing" were on just about every page. Also, they always seemed to be in easy walking distance of the "rare magic" that would cure whatever mishap befell them. The word building was flimsy , and the magical system was weakly configured. The writing was amateurish at best. It is the worst book I have read in a long time. This review is short because I don't want to waste anymore of my time thinking about this book

3.5

This book was such a fun read. I love the world and found the story to be unique and engrossing. I did have some issue with some repetitiveness through out the story. I also didn’t connect with the romance at all. Other than those issues though I really enjoyed it!

White Stag jumps right into the goblin world from page one. A mixture of Vikings and Labyrinth, Nordic folklore is very prevalent. Janneke, a human girl, is taken and raised by goblins. She tries to maintain her humanity while surrounded by magical creatures. I quickly fell in love with Janneke, Soren, Seppo and Rekke. There is a lot of graphic violence and rape so it’s not for the faint of heart.

White stag is a debut ya fantasy novel. When I read the synopsis I was so excited to receive an arc of this novel. In the beginning for me it was kind of slow to get into but once that passed I was able to really enjoy this novel. I love this world and the characters and I’m so excited to continue with the series. I totally recommend this read so put it up.

I'm really sad that I this was a DNF at 40%!

I was totally loving the writing and the imagery! Kara is a very talented writer!

I really wanted to to love this book because of the premise. It had SO much potential. But, unfortunately I couldn't connect with the story or the characters.

Most of the story was exposition in the form of backstory and I found both the story and characters inconsistent. There was a romantic tension that felt very artificial because they acted as they had just met when they have been together for a hundred years! That made their dynamics and dialogues very unnatural.

I will definitely read more of Kara's work though! The writing was truly enthralling, that's why I read almost half the book!.

“We're all monsters to someone or something by some definition. It's the context of the situation that matters.”

Janneke is the sole survivor of her village after everyone is killed by goblins. She is then taken as a slave/thrall by a sadistic goblin named Lydian. After being tortured by him, which we get glimpses of through flashbacks, she is passed off to Lydian’s nephew Soren. As you can imagine she is filled with survivor's guilt and PTSD. The story begins after Janneke has been under Soren’s service for 100 years. When Soren and Janneke go to swear loyalty to the goblin king, he is murdered and a hunt is started to kill the white stag. The goblin who kills the white stag will be the strongest goblin and become the king.

This book was such a fast read. I know that 15-year old Maddie would have loved this book. The plot was very interesting and original. But by no means was this book perfect. I’m still confused about the world building and magic system. The characters were also a bit one dimensional. There was also some grammar mistakes but this may be fixed before publication.

I’m also very confused on how Janneke can look the same after 100 years. As Janneke is over 100 years old I would have thought she would act more mature. It was never really explained how the Permafrost land/magic worked. Since this is a series, the next book may explain more about this world. We also never get a good explanation as to why the villain of the story is so evil and crazy. We are told he sees something and went crazy but never what it was.

I’ve never read a book with goblins in it but I thought of them as short, warty, ugly beings but in this book, the author describes them like elves or fairies, beautiful and very human-like. When I was reading it I just thought of them as elves and it made more sense in my mind. But we do learn that the beauty may be an illusion as the goblins can grow their hands and teeth into claws and fangs.

The romance was believable and not insta-lovey, thankfully. Janneke and the love interest complemented each other well and didn’t take precedence over the whole story.

“The oak is the strongest tree in the forest, but the willow bends and adapts. When the fires and storms hit, it is the willow that survives.”

Overall this is a good book. I would recommend it if you like The Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson. It was an original fast-paced story but had some world building problems and one-dimensional characters. I’m unsure if I’ll continue the series or not. But I would give this book 3 stars.

TW: Rape, torture, murder, and thoughts of suicide.

I look forward to Barbieri's next book. White Stag was a compelling story but not executed as well as I hoped and the sexual abuse detailed was not handled as well as I would've liked.

This book was wild! Once I started it I couldn't put it down! It was such a great read with the perfect twist of darkness!

Title: White Stag
Author: Kara Barbieri
Pub Date: 8 January, 2019
Company: St. Martin’s Press

White Stag, the first book in a brutally stunning series by Kara Barbieri, involves a young girl who finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.

A Wattpad break out star with over a million reads! Now expanded, revised and available in print and eBook.

As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.

Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.

Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.

If you love action, which we all know you do, you’ll be pulled into Janneke’s story from page one. In just the first chapter, we learn that Janneke has been through some traumatic events, but she’s strong and she’s made it through. Just in case you need convincing of her mental and physical strength, she sees her torturer and fends him off, never backing down from the fight and willing herself to be in control. Then the White Stag, the symbol of the emperor’s power leaves.

End scene.

You better believe I turned the page to find out what happened next.

But then the action stopped. And I found myself in a world of stilted dialogue and flashbacks and I was bored. I didn’t want to be bored. Look at that cover, look at that summary. Goblins! Goblin kings! Hunts! Action! Perhaps… romance?

When the narrative was in the action, it was wonderful and I couldn’t put it down. But the lulls in between make it difficult to review this title because I kept putting it down and picking it up. And I could see myself easily not finishing it at all.

Ultimately, White Stag wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.

This is truly a pure fantasy world. Truly another world which I thoroughly enjoyed, My only regret is that I didn't read it sooner.



I was surprised that this book isn't a stand-alone book. I honestly thought it was until I researched the author. But then looking back on the last chapter, I should've known the way it ended. I'm piqued more than ever how the second novel in this Permafrost Series will be.



Just to be fair, this novel is pretty dark. If you enjoy

Goblins

Fantasy world

Monsters

Action

Fights

Sarcasm

Survivor guilt
Self-identity struggle

Light romance

Wolves

Magical land

Self Loathing and angsty heroine

then this is it for you.



I'd have to warn you, even though the author did a good job crafting her story, her story has many twists to it. For example, the goblins are not what we expect of them in her book. There will be flashbacks of her horrible past, rape and torture, and etc. So, for some of the sensitive readers out there, may want to read with caution. It isn't too detailed.



This novel is about trials, errors, trust, loyalty, empowerment, self-discovery, triumph, deep regrets, and rebirth.



This novel is raw, gritty, haunting and honest which will challenge you to think. This novel came across as an allegory to many things we deal with in real life. This is maybe why some readers have a hard time reading this or just DNFing it. I'm interested in seeing how the rest of the series turn out.



I'm going to give this novel a low 4 stars.



I received this beautiful haunting ARC from Wednesday Books/ St. Martin's Press through Net Galley for my honest and unbiased review. Thank you!

Absolutely enchanting dark and thrilling are the words I would use to describe this book.
A great original plot about Goblins; a magical creature that does not get very many nice stories told about them.
In this story we follow to main characters Janneka and Soren. Janneka is Human and Soren is a Goblin we get to see their relationship strained during a stressful time, with several obstacle they have to overcome.
The way this book is written is perfect! The banter between the two MC was great and the
plot kept me very much entertained.
I'm very excited for the next book to be released.
I would defiantly recommend this book.

The description of the book, along with the cover, are what drew me to this story initially. I do have to admit that I was hesitant to read this after reading some negative reviews on Goodreads, (note to self, try to avoid reviews of books until after you've the book). The book started out slow for me and I found myself feeling lost, as though I was being dropped into the middle of an ongoing story. There were many times where I felt like putting this book down, not bothering to pick it up and just dnf'ing it. But, I persevered and pushed through and found that once Janneke and Soren left on the hunt for the white stag, the action and story finally began to pick up and I was finally drawn in to the story. My feeling of loss eventually dissipated as I did finally start to be given a back story as to how exactly Janneke found herself a human living with the goblins for over a hundred years. In the end I rather enjoyed the book and was happy I pushed myself to not give up on it. I definitely plan on reading the next book as my curiousity has been piqued. Trigger warning: Rape

First Impression

I must admit that the cover is what first caught my eye with this book. Once I read the blurb, I was even more enticed to read it. Merciless monters! Sounded so intriguing to me. Goblins! A female heroin and a struggle within herself! Complete win/win and makes for an interesting plot.
The Plot

So basically, the Permafrost is a world that borders the woods and where all the goblins live. The children are always told to stay out of the woods for fear of them not coming back and being taken by the evil monsters (goblins) that roam there. Janneka was born to be the male heir. She was the last child and her father taught her hunting and tracking skills. Thankfully, this prepared her for her time in the Permafrost.

The goblins will steal humans to do the work that they cannot do themselves. Janneka was taken fairly young and has spent the last 100 years in the Permafrost. She is starting to change and is not sure if she will give in to the changes or try to stay human forever?

There is also a battle brewing over whom will be the next Elderlking. There are two main candidates and they must battle it out against each other to the death.
The Characters

I adored Janneke and felt for everything that she had been through. The fact that she struggled within herself just made me love her even more. She knew right from wrong and even after losing everything, she still wanted to be a good person.

I also really liked Soren. He was so sweet and kind which was the exact opposite of what he should have been being a goblin and all. But, I really loved him from the very beginning.

Lydian…UGH! I must say that I despised him with a fiery passion. I still have no clue what exactly it was that made him tic? I think that I may have to go back again and read the ending for it was a whirlwind of action.
Final Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. I must admit though that the beginning caught my attention so fast and I did not want to put it down but somewhere around the middle, I got slightly bored. Not enough to keep me from continuing but I had to force myself through some of the “filler” parts.

Also, this book has a lot of violence and mentions rape with dis figuration quite often. Although it is classified as a YA, I believe it read more like an NA with some of the sex scenes and past situations that the main character had faced.

If any of the above mentioned has you wondering what your missing, pick this one up! I really enjoyed the story and the ending to me, was perfection. I did not see it coming and that rarely happens for me.