I received this as an eARC for a honest review.
Thanks to St. Martins Press.

SPOILER WARNING - DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK.

The goblin king picks up about 6 months after we left off from the first book. Soren is the Erlking and Janneke is by his side as the first human Stag. But everything has not been wonderful. We find out in the first chapter that Jannke is struggling with not only her abilities but is also suffering from some form of post traumatic stress. Or so it would seem. Voices being heard in her head of her dead foe plague her and of a more frightening vision the Nordic version of the end of the world.

The first 5-7 chapters of this book felt strong and very similar to the first book for me, which I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed the chemistry and fight in these characters in the first book. That being said I feel that the second half of this book unfortunately lacked the same connection. It was as if I was seeing the same characters but through a filter as they went through another journey. This one to stop the beginning of the end of the world. Traveling through the different realms so easily felt off and even though the character went through hardships, the felt forced.

I am really hoping that this series is suffering from the second book syndrome as like I have said before I really enjoyed the first and the characters. keeping my fingers crossed that the 3rd installment from Kara pulls my interest and rating back up.

This was a solid 2.5 Stars -

Thanks for reading

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, it had been a fair amount of time since I read White Stag. I brushed up on it, but forgot how emotionally dark it was. Bearing that in mind, this was much darker, and, if this pandemic is giving you a bit of a struggle with mental health, consider this your warning.
This is a good, gritty, dark story; don’t get me wrong. The book was well written, and paced well, but it is much darker. There is healing for her as well, but there’s a lot of pain too, so while she’s still trying to help save the world, she’s trying to save herself and her sanity. For me, the mental health part in the beginning had me putting this down for a while just until I read some happier things, and dealt with my own balance.
If you liked the first book, and want to see more of the Goblins, and the start of Ragnarok, this is worth the read, but just be warned- book three will be a bit, and there’s a heck of a cliffhanger.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It has been a while since I read White Stag but I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. Janneke and Soren are so good for each other, though there are tough times ahead as they try to stop Ragnarok that they started when Janneke became the white stag and Soren became the Erlking. The addition of Rose and Seppo to their group provided strength and some humor in this fairly dark book as they travel to Hel to retrieve the shade of Lydian.

The story flowed well and the only complaint I have is that it ended on a cliffhanger again though that does promise more adventure as they race to stop the end of the worlds.

What a great continuation of the series, great sequel to the White Stag! The combination of Norse mythology and a fae-like court had me hooked. I am a sucker for mythology and anything fae.
Janneke is one of the such a strong MC. You get a good dose of perseverance with this character. So many hard lived experiences but that doesnt stop her. It is inspiring.
I love following strong MCs.

This was a great follow-up to the White Stag! It made me fall in love with the story line even more. I loved it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I loved this series so much! The Goblin King ended up being a bit slower of a read for me, but White Stag was a 2 day read! Barbieri helped us really visualize the characters enough to get the gist of the descriptions while letting the readers imaging the rest. I would read more from Barbieri in the future!

While I liked this book better than the first, the ending really stole some of the enjoyment for me. I liked Janneke in this book. She's really showing how much progress she's made healing from the horrors of her past. This especially is shown when Sorren is permanently injured and she has to be for him what he was when she was first healing. I really enjoyed this role reversal. I also liked the quest these characters were on. Janneke is hearing Lydian in her head and he's warning her that the world may end unless she stops it. So, Janneke and her friends, plus Sorren go off to complete an impossible task. But the synopsis made it sound like this was the final book. It wasn't. The epilogue made it clear that there has to be another book, but there's no information about this next book. There's just something that changes for me when I'm thinking this will wrap everything up and that doesn't happen. I definitely would still recommend this series to those that like darker fantasy. I also loved the Norse mythology that the world is based on (also very glad I just read the Magnus Chase books or else I would have had no idea about the world because not much of it is explained.) Overall, I liked it. It was entertaining while also covering tough topics.

This as a great follow-up to White Stag. Initially, I was a little nervous diving back into this because it's been so long since I read the first book but the author did a great job of recapping the events of book one without dragging out the story. The characters were just as lovable as I remembered and the world was just as dark as I remembered. The ending did feel a bit rushed and cliche but I'm definitely looking forward to where the author will take the characters in the next book.

Norse mythology meets a darker, psychological tale and is packed with tons of action in this exciting read.

After surviving the Hunt and receiving the Stag's powers, Janneke is having trouble sliding into her new role as The Stag. No matter how she tries, she can't even begin to touch upon the powers she received. And it's frustrating. Especially since the evil she defeated, Lydian has joined the nightmare visions in her head and speaks to her constantly. Now, she must take on the next stage of her life and live up to the position of The Stag, which means doing everything in her power to stop the end of the world...the very end she's supposedly going to cause.

I enjoyed the first book in this series quite a bit, and I'll admit, after reading it in 2019 (a year ago), it took me a bit to figure out where everything had left off when I dove into this book. This is by no means a stand-alone, and I would have appreciated a little backstory to help trigger my brain. But that's neither here nor there. This story starts not only where the last one left off, but introduces an entirely new stage in the heroine, Janneke's, life. She's gotten past the first horrible experiences of book one, is with her heart's desire, the Erlking, and now, has to take a leading role and save everything and everyone. It really feels like a next step, and that I definitely appreciate.

This tale is more psychological in nature than the first. Janneke is battling with tons of inner problems—her powers, nightmares, doubts, and Lydian. I'd say that makes this one a little slower paced, but that's not quite true since she does meet battle after battle and monster after monster in gruesome and deadly situations. Still, there isn't as much progress plot wise in this novel, which did make it fall a little flatter than book one. But don't underestimate the monster end because the author does pull all stops and lets those action scenes thrive. So, kudos on that end.

I did love the world building. It's so rich and wonderful, packed with fantasy and draws in. There's darkness, details and wonders, which make it so easy to get lost in the pages. The characters are also intriguing and many carry quite a bit of depth. Obviously Janneke gets a ton of insight thanks to all of the head time and Lydian shines in this book. Even if he's pure evil, he gains a special place and makes him so wonderful and enjoyable to dislike (at the same time.) I was pretty disappointed with the Erlking. This is Janneke's heart-throb and yet, he's so...dull. I honestly wondered why she was with him since he offers little personality or much of anything. It gets so bad that I almost started hoping Lydian would slide into the hero position simply because he's definitely more interesting...unfortunately, too evil though. And old. Going from a nephew to an uncle would be strange.

There's a ton of Norse mythology and this comes in a landslide as the book gets going. Either readers will love this or feel bogged down. For me, it was interesting and grabbing, however.

While there are a lot of good things in this book (and I'd still recommend it after book one), it'd didn't quite grab me as much as the first in the series.

I thought this was an excellent follow up to White Stag! The plot was entertaining and I enjoyed seeing how the characters recovered from the first book. Soren especially felt very dynamic, or gained new dimensions, in the sequel. Overall, very well done and just as addicting as the first book!

Okay I somehow missed that this was a sequel, but I decided to try and read it anyway. I read through the first chapter and was like no I have to read the first one first because I had to know what horrors Janneke went through, it’s a good thing that I’m one of those rare people that love spoilers. So I bought the first book stayed up all night reading it and then binged on the sequel the next day. It’s a good thing it was the weekend and my hubby was home to help with the kids. Lol

The author has a gift with building worlds and developing characters that have you enthralled. This was an amazing sequel and one that maybe hints to a third book. I throughly enjoyed reading this.

I was quite excited to start #goblinking since I liked #whitestag so much. At the beginning I was enjoying it more that it’s predecessor and would have given it 5 stars. However the ending felt rushed and incomplete to me-things we’re looking grim for our gang of heroes and the heroine, Janneke, goes to sleep and wakes up knowing what to do—really?!? I still liked this and found it to be an enjoyable read but can’t give it all the stars. I thank #netgalley and the publisher for this ebook to read and review.

Kara Barbieri is such a beautiful writer. It takes a special skill to be able to write a book about trauma, and learning to cope with PTSD, and masking it as a fantasy book. That is exactly what Kara did with Goblin King. Throughout the novel, Janneke has to deal with both her internal struggle of unlocking her new powers as the Stag, and the horror of not only being tormented by her abuser for nearly 100 years, but learning that she'll have to work beside him to stop the end of the world.

Goblin King is full of beautiful quotes as Janneke grows and learns to accept her trauma as part of her life, and that she still has value as a person, and has people who love her and want her to succeed who are true friends.

I can't wait for the final installment in this beautifully written Norse fantasy.

It took me forever to get into this book but once I did I finally enjoyed it. Not really one that I would like to read again but it was good.

2 1/2 stars

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

Somewhere between 3 to 3.5 stars. I didn't really enjoy this one as much as the first.. I feel like nothing really happened?

I was so excited to be approved for this book as it’s a sequel to White Stag and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Just like the first one, it was unpredictable that it kept me wanting to read more. I finished this book in about 2 reading sessions? I’m looking forward to the pub date for this and more from the author!

I loved White Stag so much and I was really excited to find out what happens next I loved Janneke and Soren and I wanted to see where their stories went next. Goblin King was just as dark and enchanting as the first book and I loved learning more about the Permafrost, reading more about the goblins and all of the Norse lore. The worldbuilding really is incredible.

The pacing was perfect, and the plot was awesome, especially that ending! Though the poor characters really had to work to make it through to the end of the books, all had to sacrifice something. Poor Soren and Janneke most of all - I thought my heart was going to break in the final test Janneke had to escape "by iron".

If you liked White Stag then I would definitely recommend continuing the series. I really need the next book already!

This series has quickly become a favorite. I had vines of Sarah J Maas and as she is one of my favorite authors that is definitely a good thing!

Ya’ll, White Stag has a sequel, and it’s just as engrossing as it’s predecessor.

Now, to be honest, I did have some things I wish had been better in White Stag (world building & some of the dialogue) but I found Goblin King (Permafrost #2) to be even stronger.

The hunt for the white stag is over and Soren is the new Erlking. With her world falling apart, Janneke must now balance her powers, the voice of Lydian in her head, and her role as the Stag against a chance to save it all. But how can she put her trauma behind her when she has to set out on a new mission? She’ll have to journey to Hel to free Lydian—yes, Lydian—and then to Ragnarock.

In Goblin King Janneke is dealing with a lot of trauma and this girl just keeps going. She’s a fierce, solid character and I just can’t help but adore her. The entire book has a dark, angry, exhausted tone, which can make it hard to be in that world, but is also a perfect fit for the storyline.


Goblin King incorporates a blend of Norse and fae mythology which, when combined with an epic adventure and intense action make for a decent literary escape.

Oh, and there’s more to this adventure…stay tuned for book 3.

Goblin King is available 11/16/2020

*I received a copy of Goblin King from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!