Goblin King is the sequel to Kara Barbieri's White Stag, picking up from the ending of the first book. Struggling to accept her new role in the goblin world while haunted by visions of a doom that has yet to come, Janneke must work with Soren and an old foe if they are to survive the coming storm.

The worldbuilding is fun, and the lore that Barbieri weaves into the story is interesting. It's rare to find a fantasy book that draws from Norse mythology rather than the usual Celtic or other medieval inspirations. The references to Ragnarok are certainly fun for any Norse mythology enthusiast.

I also really enjoyed the twisted dynamic with Lydian. He's awful, but it's complicated and that's always fun.

Where the story faltered was the somewhat juvenile writing style. I'm never entirely able to get immersed into the world because I kept getting pulled back into the 21st century by some of the word choices. Barbieri's writing style can get tedious at times with what feels like overwriting as Janneke is always overexplaining herself. I'm also never fully able to get invested in the romance between Janneke and Soren, an issue that carried over from the previous book.

After the ending though, I'm definitely intrigued to see how things play out in the third book!

This is the most amazing series and I love this author. I could not put this book down. Great characters and unique plot.

Hello. As I had to put down and never finished the first book, I cannot, in good conscious, give a review fitting the time and energy the author put into telling the tale. My sincere apologies.

This book was just alright for me. I liked the characters well enough and it was a decent continuation, but not one that left me hungry for more.

Found this to be a great sequel to The Stag. K loved the journey and the world building. It was just slow at times. Thank you for my early copy.

Very nice. It wasn’t my cup of tea but the plot was thought out and it had a great plot. I just couldn’t get into the story. I’m glad I had the chance to read it but it’s just not the story for me. The author did amazing job though for those who are into these type of fantasy novels.

Review to come. Thanks to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date November 17, 2020
#GoblinKing #NetGalley

This is a continuation of the story where White Stag left off. Goblin King was a good sequel. I really enjoyed the premise of the story but felt the characters needed more - they were a little flat. A book all about power and what to do with it.

I’m not really sure what I was expecting when I started this but whatever this is wasn’t it. I really hope the author continues writing though because the style is good.

Definitely lived up to my expectations! I loved book 1 and this was such a nice followup. Would highly recommend and I did pick up a physical copy

Kara Barbieri does an excellent job reflecting the tale of Ragnarök as well as the nuances of Norse Mythology, bringing into play certain aspects such as Yggdrasil, the world tree, which is one of the reasons why I liked this book so much. The first book, White Stag, had more subtle hints at Norse culture, as Barbieri included a few key mythological creatures. But Goblin King dives right in while still remaining unique to its own world.

Even though Janneke has absorbed the power of the Stag, she still struggles with this power, and in many cases, it causes huge problems for the group. Barbieri did an excellent job incorporating this element into the story and using it to dramatically change plot points and add an extra level of tension to the overall story. Her character arc remains subtle, unlike the stark world around her, but it is still there enough to be noticeable.

I really didn’t think that Soren would go through a character arc in this book. After all, he had everything he wanted and seemed confident enough to rule the Permafrost. But Barbieri wasn’t satisfied with Soren’s first character arc and put him through a second, testing his strength of will and his strength of character. I would say more on this subject but I’m afraid I’d give away spoilers!

The overall plot of Goblin King was very good and held a good amount of tension and suspense. After all, Janneke and Soren, as well as some old and new characters, are trying to stop the end of the world! The beginning felt a tad slow, but things really picked up later on and I couldn’t really tell where exactly Barbieri would take the plot next, which was great. The only thing that I would like to say about it is trigger warnings. While White Stag dealt heavily with the subject of sexual assault, Goblin King illustrates more the grisly violence of Norse Mythology in general. There is a large amount of violence involved within the plot, and some very gruesome descriptions. If this is considered a trigger for you, I would suggest not picking up the book. Everyone has their own tastes and triggers, so it’s totally okay to not read a book if you think it could potentially be triggering.

With that being said, I’ll move on to some things that I liked. Deaval, for one. She is an amazing character with a great deal of unique magic and a spitfire attitude. More than once Seppo and Rose tell her that she is absolutely terrifying and for good reason. Deaval seems to not be tied down by rules of the Permafrost and is, frankly, my favourite character. Another thing I loved was the climax. Barbieri did an amazing job at writing a climax that ended on a cliffhanger, leaving me wanting to know more!

I can’t really think of anything I didn’t like, besides the excessive and vivid descriptions of violence. Also, the return of a certain character I was glad had died in White Stag.

Goblin King earns an 8/10 for me, for its explosive plot and amazing cliffhanger ending, as well as interesting characters and the inclusion of Norse Mythology without sacrificing the plot or trying to squeeze the world into a set frame of mind. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mythology, unique worlds, diverse characters, and, of course, anyone who has read the first book!

Talk about some existential thought. This book is definitely a different bag than the White Stag was. The White Stag was about world building and action whereas this one is about what drives all these races and why the Permafrost exists. And of course why the White Stag and the Goblin King must keep it together.

When Janneke and Soren have to go into the nether realm to rescue a dead Lydian because he seems to have the answers to why Janneke can’t wield the power of the Stag yet and what is happening to their realm and finally just to get him out of her head. Soren loves Janneke beyond measure but has gone through no trial like she has under Lydian’s thumb and can’t understand the connection she has with Lydian. But he is willing to go to the depths of his soul to release her from Lydian.

Along the way they learn some truths about their rag tag gang that are both wonderful and heartbreaking. Everyone is keeping secrets but the in between will divest them of them. If any of them thought they were safe from the Queen of the Dead’s wrath they were all wrong. Sacrifices must be made and games plaid to get Lydian out with his mind intact. Lydian’s secret most of all brings peace to both Soren and Janneke as it explains why he was so intolerable to both of them as youth.

When they emerge from the in between, they are no more in the light than when they went in. We must wait for book three before we can really see the tale end and peace be brought to not only the Permafrost, but the Human world as well and the balance of good and bad, light and dark, human and other be put as ease. What gets me the most about Kara’s story thus far is how much it is similar to Dan Pullman’s Dark Materials in the pacing of the story between the two books and also how much the second book is really about what’s inside of each of the characters and the travails they much got through either because of what’s there or what they need to be in the future. Both books make you analyze yourself just a little bit differently than the other and maybe their is hope for the reader to have discovered something about themselves or discovered where they wish to be with their soul.

The new cover is soo cool!!! A pretty good follow-up to White Stag. To be honest I didn't even know there was going to be a sequel and I did forget some of what happened in White Stag, but it was a good quick catch up and this story give you a good recap of the events as well. My favorite thing about this is that it truly is a dark YA fantasy. Exactly what I want from something called Goblin King. There are some trigger warnings, but I still thought it was a good dark story. If there is to be another book, I will of course be picking it up.

My thanks to NetGalley and publishers of Goblin King for granting my request of a eARC, this review in exchange comes with my now regular apology for the delay.

Goblin King begins where White Stag left off, Soren is Erlking, Jeanneke is the Stag and Lydian is dead. Or is he? Jeanneke now hears his voice, recalling his visions of the ending of the world he tried to prevent by hurting Jeanneke.

And, worse, those visions prove true. With the help of Diaval's goblin magic, and with Seppo and Rosamund (or Rose, who's secrets entwined with Soren and Lydian) the two set out for Hel's realm to stop the end of the worlds and they'll need Lydian's help to do that.

I enjoyed the tour of Hel's realm, the many lives Jeanneke could have lived as shown to her by the roots of Yggdrasil, Hel herself, the dead, the serpent Nidhogg, the eagle Hraesvelg and the rooster Fjalar who they try to stop from making the three cries that begin Ragnarok.

The reign of Soren and Jeanneke is just beginning and it may be a war that ends the worlds and ends them, or, maybe - hopefully, not.

I hate that I didn’t like this one. But I feel better since I seem to be in the minority.

Goblin King follows the events of the first book as the main characters deal with the consequences: Janneke as the stag, Soren as the Erlking, and Lydian somehow still bothering everyone not quite passed over.

And there in lies are quest.

The first third of the book is basically quest-free and action free. We get a lot of inner monologues from our main character as she deals with who she is and the decisions she has made. And then as the book progresses, her inner monologue still continues to stay at the forefront of the story, but this time with more action and interesting “monsters”.

I think the author does an AMAZING job writing these quests/action scenes, and I’m always impressed with how imaginative the creatures are and how the main characters end up defeating the characters.

But one thing that I didn’t like - and maybe it’s obvious - was Janneke’s personality. She is made out to be almost too perfect, always talking about how forgiving she is or how much she cares about her friends. Lydian TORTURED her, and she didn’t once think about leaving him to suffer? I wished that she had been more conflicted about that. I personally, an more on the forgiving side myself, but Lydian mutilated her body and raped her and I felt like it would have been more natural and powerful to have her conflicted about whether she should save him. And to have these conflicting thoughts continue to be at the forefront alongside the action.

Overall, the story is not bad, but I just wasn’t a fan of Janneke’s character and her long monologues. I would DEFINITELY pick up the author’s later works since I think some of her action scenes are reminiscent of SJM’s writing (for example: the trial scenes from ACOTAR).

This one was... alright. It felt like a chore to finish, which is never a fun thing. However, I still really enjoy the world and from the ending, it seems like the author is continuing on with it, which is super exciting. My favorite thing about this book is our two main characters, Janneke and Soren, and their relationship. I like how they interact with each other and that they are willing to do anything for the other. I loved Seppo as well and found his commentary to be the best. I also love the atmosphere. It is set in the frigid north, and I could definitely feel it whilst reading.

What I didn't enjoy as much was the writing. It was average and just... I don't know, I don't want to be mean, but came across as slightly juvenile. I also did not like the fact that it was hard to tell what time period we are meant to be in. Is it historical? Or a <i>completely</i> different world? The characters dialogue just seemed far too modern for the kind of world the author is trying to build.

However, I still really enjoyed this and would recommend it to others!

Goblin King was one of my most antticipated books of 2020... Unfortunately, it did not make my favorites list. I absolutely adored the adventure, brutality and ending of White Stag and couldn't wait to get to this second book. I really hate to say that I was dissapointed. It was still a good book, it had a lot of insight as to why Lydian was the way he was and how the Permafrost was affected by the changes that took place at the end of the first book.

Honestly, my biggest problem with this book was that it focused so much on the romance between Janneke and Soren. I realize that the premise of this specific book was that the romance between them was also the problem... I just didn't love it. Both Janneke and Soren were too "smoochy" which was the complete opposite of why I loved the original book. It was more annoying than anything and I almost didn't want to finish the book. I found myself liking Lydian more than the majority of characters this time around, as he had the most interesting story line in this book.

The journey itself wasn't bad, there was still a lot of creativity, interesting creatures and tasks along the way. That along with the writing style that I've come to love so much from Barbieri were the only things that saved this book for me. I'm not sure if there is going to be a third book or not, if there is, I don't know how I feel about wanting to read it. I mean, I probably will just to see what will come next, but it won't be on my most anticipated list this time. Fingers crossed that it's less about the romance and more about the Permafrost, creatures and world.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 ⭐

Against all odds, Janneke has survived the Hunt for the Stag--but all good things come with a cost. Lydian might be dead, but he took the Stag with him. Janneke now holds the mantle, while Soren, now her equal in every way, has become the new Erlking. Janneke's powers as the new Stag has brought along haunting visions of a world thrown into chaos and the ghost of Lydian taunts her with the riddles he spoke of when he was alive.

This book takes place shortly after the events of White Stag. The characters have mostly recovered from the events of the prequel and have moved on with their lives. Because of this, the book starts fairly slow. While White Stag immediately threw the reader into Janneke’s inner turmoil and external conflicts, this book has a slower build with less obvious, immediate action. Given how action-packed the first book was, having the sequel be so slow and quiet was a bit of a let down.

All of the major characters who survived the previous book appear in the sequel. Additionally, the author introduces some new characters that were either mentioned in the previous book or didn’t appear at all. The existing characters were still well developed and intriguing, but I felt the new characters fell flat. They definitely added to the plot, but were missing the extra layer from the first book.

While the previous book touched on Norse mythology, this book really dives into it in depth. I enjoyed the way the author wove real-world myths in with her fantastical world. I also appreciated that the reader was able to see more of the world in this book than the previous, as the previous book was more plot focused. The sequel paints the world in a new light, however, that at times doesn’t seem continuous with the White Stag.

While I absolutely loved White Stag and devoured the story, Goblin King didn’t grab me in the same way. It was still a fun read and I was able to read through it fairly quickly, for being a larger book, but my expectations were high based on the first book in the series. However, if you enjoy Norse mythology, I definitely would recommend this book as it does a great job touching on real-world stories.

Compared to the first book I enjoyed this one quite a bit more. The story little kept a great pace and explained it wonderfully so you didn't get lost. There was a great combo of fae and Norse Mythology convince throughout the book. The relationship between Janneke and Soren was stronger than ever.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a free arc in exchange for an honest review."

Goblin King picks up with Janneke as the mythical Stag that balances the Permafrost and Soren as the new Erlking. Working together shouldn't be an issue since they're a coupe but that's part of what actually makes it a giant problem. The Permafrost is basically collapsing forcing Janneke to try to revive her enemy and former torturer Lydian.

This might just be a personal preference since I read a lot of Fae and goblin books but I find the world to be confusing. The main character has barely been out in the world which is typical was a ya heroine but maybe a few more POV's wouldn't be a bad thing since it seems to be a very complicated world. The book seemed to drag along without any clear reason why.

The best comparison I can think of for this book is a goblin version of The Odyssey. I have no clue what's going on and if anyone is going to make it but there's a large amount of tasks and trials being done.