Wintersong: A Novel

S. Jae-Jones

Feb 2017 · Wintersong Book 1 · Sold by Macmillan

About this ebook

"Darkly romantic and atmospheric in all of the best ways, this book reads like a fever dream you never want to wake from." —Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints and Ruthless Gods

Dark, romantic, and unforgettable, Wintersong is an enchanting coming-of-age story for fans of Labyrinth and Beauty and The Cruel Prince.


The last night of the year. Now the days of winter begin and the Goblin King rides abroad, searching for his bride...

All her life, Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, dangerous Goblin King. They’ve enraptured her mind, her spirit, and inspired her musical compositions. Now eighteen and helping to run her family’s inn, Liesl can’t help but feel that her musical dreams and childhood fantasies are slipping away.

But when her own sister is taken by the Goblin King, Liesl has no choice but to journey to the Underground to save her. Drawn to the strange, captivating world she finds—and the mysterious man who rules it—she soon faces an impossible decision. And with time and the old laws working against her, Liesl must discover who she truly is before her fate is sealed.

Rich with music and magic, S. Jae-Jones's Wintersong will sweep you away into a world you won’t soon forget.

"This was Labyrinth by way of Angela Carter. Deliciously romantic, with a nuanced Goblin King and a strong heroine, this story was rife with fairy tales, music, and enchantment." —Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen

Ratings and reviews

If you love an old fairytale and classical music than this book is for you! I loved this story, the Goblin King a change of pace for once, with a German based tale. There's multiple phrases mentioned and dialogue between characters in German, but the author never once let's you feel lost if you don't read or speak German. I'm a big fan of these tyles of stories, fairytales that are reinvented to be new again....if you liked Uprooted or Spinning Silver by N. Novik you'll love this book. There's a second book to finish the story started in this book, but I think the first is best. The second isn't bad, it's just a different direction and my favorite character (The Goblin King) isn't in it as much...though it is about him and our heroine. Read this book, you'll find yourself with a newly appointed appreciation for classical music.

I voluntarily received an ARC of Wintersong by S. Jae Jones in exchange for an honest review. I was very hesitant when I started reading Wintersong, because the idea of a book surrounding goblins did not sound appealing to me. I'm glad I kept an open mind about Wintersong because this book is mesmerizing. Jones's prose has an elegant feeling to it and really brings the story to life. The story was a little confusing in the beginning, but all of my questions were answered as the story progressed and more details were revealed. I became frustrated with Elisabeth at times, but I understood her fierce desire to protect her family and take care of them at all costs. Even though Wintersong has a magical and fairy tale like feeling to it, I would say this story is suited for readers on the older end of the young adult spectrum and older.

This book was depressing. It is one of the few romance novels i couldn't finish. The protagonist wasn't interesting, distinct or overly likable, and the goblins are super gross. This book almost seemed sexist at times, and oh, there's some nasty goblin sex...Truly one of those, "can't judge a book by its cover" moments, because that cover is gorgeous.

About the author

S. Jae-Jones (called JJ) is an artist, an adrenaline junkie, and erstwhile editrix. When not obsessing over books, she can be found jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, co-hosting the Pub(lishing) Crawl podcast, or playing dress-up. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she now lives in North Carolina, as well as many other places on the internet, including Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram, and her blog. She is the author of Wintersong.