Review & Blog Tour: White Stag by Kara Barbieri
SYNOPSIS:
The first book in a brutally stunning series where a young girl finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.
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.
REVIEW:
*Book Received in Exchange for Honest Opinion/Review*
Talk about a magical debut novel, I was sucked into the fascinating world of goblins, hidden agendas, betrayal, and mystical lands…and I am not ready to leave it! Kara Barbieri writes a unique tale with refreshing view points, tortured characters, and the power that love and perseverance have. While the story started off a little slow, by the end I was enraptured and I am dying for book 2 already.
I think one of my favorite things about this book are all the fine details. From painting the lush contrast between the human realm and the desolate permafrost to describe the horrors of characters to the beauty of the goblins, you can’t help but craft the images in your mind. And while the details take time to absorb, they help me sink further into this world.
Janneke is the strong, bad-*ss heroine we all need. Many times I will dive into a YA novel and see characters who are assassins/murderers/gruesome pasts but never kill anyone. Kara is not messing around, Janneke is a survivor to the core, and she will do whatever it takes to survive. She is a strong, take no prisoners type of woman and while she has her fears and trepidation, she doesn’t let any of this prevent her from progressing and moving forward. Soren, well by the end of the story I was swooning for this lilac-eyed, white haired goblin. *shrugs* Don’t judge, he is strong and resilient but he also has a keen sense of those around him. His ability to read people and know how to help was swoony. I will go down with this ship.
A rich and action-packed plot had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation. There was never a dull moment for Janneke and Soren. Lydian was a truly awful character, who I wanted to throw off a cliff on a regular basis throughout the story. There was the perfect balance of secondary characters who added depth to the story as well as another dimension to this magical world. As the plot built to a crescendo, all the twists and turns had me a ball of nervous energy. But Kara wrapped things up nicely and didn’t leave me with too many questions, actually as I closed the last page I only had 2 lingering thoughts. What the heck Soren do when he last visited Skadi, and what the heck is going to happen next?!
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes and Noble
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kara Barbieri is a writer living in the tiny town of Hayward, Wisconsin. An avid fantasy fan, she began writing White Stag at eighteen and posting it to Wattpad soon after under the name of ‘Pandean’. When she’s not writing, you can find her marathoning Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reviving gothic fashion, and jamming to synthpop.
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