Wintersong--A Novel

November 28, 2016
Set in 19th-century Bavaria, Jae-Jones’s debut tells the tale of 18-year-old Liesl Vogler, an innkeeper’s daughter who dreams of being a famous composer but is resigned to a life of minding her siblings and helping her mother run the family business. When the Goblin King abducts Liesl’s younger sister, Kathë, Liesl travels to the Underground and secures Kathë’s release by agreeing to marry the King in her stead. Freed from her earthly responsibilities, Liesl can finally dedicate herself to her music, with the Goblin King serving as both collaborator and muse. But as she falls in love and finds her voice, the Underground begins to drain her life force, and soon Liesl is faced with difficult decisions. While Jae-Jones writes beautifully about the magic of love, the power of music, and the importance of free will, she gives short shrift to the more elementary aspects of her story. The plot meanders, the stakes are ill-defined, and the characters lack depth and verisimilitude, keeping the book from reaching its full potential. Ages 12–up. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

November 15, 2016
Germanic legends and the Persephone myth blend with the Labyrinth film to deliver a torrid fantasy romance.When der Erlkonig (or "Goblin King") ensnares a Bavarian innkeeper's daughter for his bride, her sister, Elisabeth, dares to rescue her--and take her place. "Queer and strange and unlovely," Elisabeth devoted most of her 19 years to supporting her younger siblings. Now she can finally indulge her secret longings to compose music...and for the Goblin King himself. But at what cost? Elisabeth's first-person voice is all extreme passion: jealousy, self-loathing, frustration, rage, desire, rapture, and grief, expressed in lush prose that feels poetic in small doses but eventually becomes exhausting. Despite all the physical sensuality, it is the descriptions of music which are most compelling; perhaps because der Erlkonig (an explicit David Bowie insert) remains shallow wish fulfilment, transforming from "austere young man" to mischievous playmate to rapacious lover to devoted swain, all with exquisite tortured angst. The remaining characters barely register; a hinted same-sex relationship between her brother and a black slave (seen as exotic in this white European setting) seems to serve mostly as a counterpoint to Elisabeth's romantic arc. Structured as a sonata, the final movement culminates in a bittersweet sacrifice that will leave readers either savoring the delicious tragedy or irked by the unresolved plot holes. Like fruit from the Goblin Market: luscious at first bite but ultimately overripe, cloying, and empty. (Fantasy. 14 & up)

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December 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-This YA fantasy is a richly detailed journey through German folklore and 19th-century Europe. Often overshadowed by her musically talented brother and her beautiful sister, Liesl assists her parents in running the family's inn. When her sister, Kathe, is taken by goblins, Liesl makes a wager to secure her release and travels underground to the alluring Goblin King's world in an attempt to win freedom for both herself and Kathe. This fantasy debut is rife with intricate details and world-building, as well as the charged relationship between Liesl and the Goblin King. Fans of Gregory Maguire's Egg & Spoon or E.K. Johnston's A Thousand Nights will be drawn to the in-depth depictions of the goblins' realm. Others may find the story's length and its emphasis on description rather than action overwhelming. The slower pace allows for additional character development of Liesl, although Kathe and their younger brother, Josef, remain in the background. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger collections.-Jenni Frencham, Columbus Public Library, WI

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* In nineteenth-century Bavaria, the old legends still hold sway even as an era of enlightenment dawns. Liesl, oldest of three, has grown up on her grandmother's tales of goblins and beautiful maidens, although it is Liesl's sister, Kathe, who is the beautiful one. For Liesl, magic is the music she composes and plays with her violin-virtuoso brother, Josef. It's Josef's talents that will save the family, as Liesl, gifted composer though she may be, is only a woman. But when the Goblin King, austere and clever and strangely familiar, surfaces and steals Kathe away to be his bride, Liesl travels to their underground world to save her sister. When she comes face-to-face with the Goblin King himself, odd, unlovely Liesl and her odd, unlovely music are both woken in entirely new ways. But there are forces at play that she doesn't understand, and sacrifices to be made that she could never imagine. There are plenty of nods to Labyrinth, but atmospherically, this first novel is most similar to another debut: Robin McKinley's Beauty (1978). The plot sometimes stalls, overwhelmed by the language, but this is an exquisitely and lyrically crafted tale of longing, sibling loyalty, and the importance of women in a time when women were so often overlooked. Eerie, unsettling, and, above all, full of music.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)