Wintersong
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Wintersong Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

S. Jae-Jones (Author), Eva Kaminsky (Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 2,003 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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All her life, 19-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family's inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns. But when her sister Kathe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her - musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl faces an impossible choice. As she grows closer to the Goblin King, both of them must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

Set at the turn of the 19th century, when young upstart composers like Beethoven were forever altering the sound of music, S. Jae-Jones' richly imagined debut spins a spellbinding tale of music, love, sisterhood, and a young woman's search for self-actualization.

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  1. Listening Length
    14 hours and 13 minutes
  2. Author
    S. Jae-Jones
  3. Narrator
    Eva Kaminsky
  4. Audible release date
    February 7, 2017
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B01MZGL928
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 14 hours and 13 minutes
Author S. Jae-Jones
Narrator Eva Kaminsky
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date February 07, 2017
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B01MZGL928
Best Sellers Rank #199,680 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#369 in Dark Fantasy for Teens
#439 in Fantasy Romance for Teens
#1,736 in Teen & Young Adult Fairy Tales & Folklore

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
2,003 global ratings
Loveliness of the spirit is worth more than loveliness of the flesh.
4 Stars
Loveliness of the spirit is worth more than loveliness of the flesh.
Oh, Wintersong. How woefully wonderful you are. I truly loved this book...even the parts I disliked. Why? Because every uncomfortable bit fit the tale so well. Marketed as a Labyrinth retelling, I personally felt more of a Hades/Persephone vibe, and I enjoyed the despair, the rage, the contrite, and seduction. For the most part. I would caution young readers that this book leans more toward the adult side in regards to sex. (And definitely does not depict a healthy relationship.) There is plenty of manipulation, trickery, and embellished fights. But the extreme highs and lows come along with living in the Underground, I suppose. The romance felt less suiting for YA's usual coming of age tale and more like the struggles of an early twenty-something...if, you know, marry a Goblin King, who does some pretty deplorable things. That being said, he's one of my favorite anti-heros I've read in a while. He gives just enough to evoke hate and love and rejection and sympathy in readers in one chapter (and every chapter after). I'm a little sad we didn't learn more about him. There are some religious references, which normally turn me off in YA, but this time, they added an extra layer of guilt and hope and remorse that I soaked up. There was one twist in particular that I never saw coming, and I loved it. I wish (ha! I wish!) we had a little more action and a little less focus on romance, but Jae-Jones' writing style is to die for. Her prose drips with emotion, and the music breathes life into the tragic story. The underlying tale of choosing yourself, to be selfish, to do what you want (and need) to do despite consequences was refreshing as well. I would absolutely recommend it to romance readers who don't mind an anti-hero as the love interest. Or a dark myth to set the tone. A poetic, bittersweet ending. But I hear there's a sequel. I'll definitely check that out. Also, the author recently did an in-depth interview about this book on the podcast, PubCrawl. Check it out after you read it. (They discuss spoilers, but it’s a fantastic interview.)~SATRecommend to: YA paranormal/fantasy romance readers (who don't mind sex scenes). Fans of Labyrinth, or the Hades/Persephone myth. Anti-hero as love interest.Favorite Quote: "Loveliness of the spirit is worth more than loveliness of the flesh." (294)Favorite Word: Ouroboros: a circular symbol depicting a snake, or less commonly a dragon, swallowing its tail, as an emblem of wholeness or infinity: I no longer marked the passage of time; yesterday was today was tomorrow, an ouroboros of hours that circled back on themselves. (pg. 317)
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Top reviews from the United States

Silvana Reyes
5.0 out of 5 stars The award for greatest fantasy of 2017 goes to.... WINTERSONG.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2017
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Home wintersong ARC Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
ARC Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones
The Book Voyagers 2:48 PM

Title: Wintersong
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Release date: February 7, 2017

Book synopsis:
Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.
All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.
But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.
Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.
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Wintersong is a luscious tale of a king and a brave maiden. The story enchants you with its characters and the winter-y setting. But also pulls at your heartstrings with some really great writing. Wintersong deserves songs and poems in its name. It is a masterpiece and it's only the first sweet melody of this world I have come to love.

It's definitely one of my favorite fantasy books of this year. And I don't think I've read a lot on these first two months? Wintersong exceeded my expectations. When you find a book that has one of your favorite tropes while having a bit of royalty in it and some sweet romance but very very angsty as well, one really is happy. With its fascinating world-building and setting, Wintersong made me fall in love. To be honest, it wasn't so hard for me to fall head over hells for this book. The writing for one is gorgeous and lyrical and simply you will sigh because you are in love.

It talks about a Goblin King first of all. This is a legend/myth/bedtime story in this world where Elizabeth lives. The Gobliin King goes out in winter to pick a wife from the human world. Elizabeth has always been fascinated and enchanted by this figure and you get to know in the first part that once upon a time those two were friends when they were kids. Let me just tell you that the Goblin King has loved Elizabeth for so long, my heart gives out, my skin clears up, my crops are growing.

It's sort of a hate to love story but also a bit of enemies to lovers, I guess? I saw it that way anyways. It definitely has passion. This book is A+ level of steamy and sexy. It also has some really great things in it like: Liesl mentions her period at some part of the book, which is amazing because not a lot of YA books mention periods. I literally loved this book so much ~ I just bought my copy and I cannot wait for it to arrive and reread.

I have not watched Labyrinth tho. I don't know how close this book is based on it? Either way, this book has some epic stories and characters. It definitely has a love story that will make you bleed (probably? definitely?). I definitely got destroyed by S. Jae-Jones. I was listening to my SKAM playlist and lit every song fit and every song hurt me so much??? The conclusion: This book will hurt you. But it will be worth it. You want to know what happens believe me. You want to find out how the Goblin King and Liesl's story ends in that final chapter.

And then come running and tell me all about it so I can relive all of the emotions, please.
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4.0 out of 5 stars A seductive, richly woven story
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2017
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A seductive, richly woven story. S. Jae-Jone's WINTERSONG is a book that will sweep you into a dark, enchanting story, and leave you wanting more. Jones's writing is mesmerizing. I love the poetic, and romantic tones to her storytelling. Together, these elements compliment the setting perfectly.

I am a sucker for a dark, romantic, and fantasy, and this book was just what I needed to break my reading slump. There are so many elements to this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of my favorites is the mystery of The Goblin King, and the history he and Liesel have. There's this romantic notion between the two, and a relationship that is complicated by the laws that govern The Goblin King's world. It's one that makes them at times friends, and then enemies, as they play a dangerous game that has all the odds stacked against Liesl.

This story has a love-hate relationship that I enjoyed. It worked. I loved what it grew into. It's a bittersweet one that makes you wish there more to come after this book ends, and leaves you feeling a little heartbroken for each character. I really liked how music ties into this story. It reminded me of another dark, romantic story I love, The Phantom of the Opera.

I really enjoyed the strength Liesl gains on her character journey. I also liked how she, and The Goblin King are able to see past the walls they both put up. It was interesting to see how vulnerable they both were in a few scenes together, and how each of them reacted to it. I fell in love with The Goblin King as much as Liesl does during those scenes. It was easy to feel compassion for him, and his situation. Something he's not able to control, but has to endure.

I loved this setting. It really set the mood for the story. This world is dark, mysterious, intriguing, and magical. It is as dangerous as it is enchanting. It's one I enjoyed being lost in right along side Liesl. I loved the way the real world, and the fae world are blurred. The Goblin King's world is definitely ruthless.

The slow pacing, something that often annoys me in books, worked great for this book. I loved that there was more showing vs telling. Had it been a fast paced book, it would have lost the showing this story needs. The showing is what pulled me into this book. I get that some readers won't enjoy it, but this book definitely wouldn't have worked had it had more telling.

While I did enjoy much of this book, there were a few things I wasn't a fan of. Towards the last 1/3 of the book Liesl becomes very hot, and cold. So much so I re-read part of the part just to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a page or two. Thankfully that confusion didn't last too long, but it was enough to pull me out of the story, and wonder what the heck was going on.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the writing to the setting, and everything in between. S. Jae-Jones gave me a story I hoped for, and one I look forward to re-reading again. I know this won't be a story everyone will like, but it's one I absolutely loved spending the afternoon reading.
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3.0 out of 5 stars A unique and interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2017
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This is one of those books that I was so anxious to get. I pre-ordered it and waited to get it on release day. I stalked the mail person and waited. I was excited to read a tribute to the Labyrinth because it was one of my favorite movies. I cracked it open and quickly fell in the world that Jae-Jones created. I really enjoyed the first half of this book. I liked the main character and the concept. The writing was great and story flowed naturally. It was exciting and it included all the elements I expected. The second half is where it went wrong for me. It wasn't the writing that went wrong because that was strong throughout the entire novel. It went wrong for me because it turned sexual and the pace slowed down. It was hard to focus and some of the scenes seemed never ending. It definitely for the upper YA crowd probably more for the NA crowd. I also wish there was a epilogue.

My favorite character was the Goblin King. I found him to be quite complex and a very deep character. I wanted more of him because I feel like we just got a snippet of who he is. I would loved if it was through his point of view the second half. It would have be different. I loved my end that you felt that he was more human than monster.

My favorite scene was when Elisabeth and Kathe were trying to get out of the Unground the first time. It was an intense moment and extremely exciting. It was easy to imagine and terrifying to feel. It was just freaking epic

Overall I would have given this book five stars if the first half matched the pacing of the second half. It is still worth a read for any fans of Labyrinth and fantasy.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Raffy
5.0 out of 5 stars winterson
Reviewed in Italy on August 17, 2022
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arrivato prima del previsto, libro ok
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Andréia Satyro
5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking, bittersweet, completely beautiful. (NO SPOILER REVIEW)
Reviewed in Brazil on March 10, 2019
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Wintersong is a book I will hold dear to my heart forever.
Both Elisabeth and the Goblin King are such beautifully well-written characters and the soul and heart of the book can be found within them and their relationship. It warms my heart to see how much they grow through the course of the story, not only for eachother, but for themselves too. The minor characters like Käthe, Josef and Twig are very interesting and I took a special liking for each of them and their respective goodness, innocence and wisdom. But my favorite characters are still with no doubt the protagonists.
Speaking of Der Erlkönig, the reason I started reading Wintersong was because I was told the premise of the story was inspired by the movie Labyrinth in which David Bowie plays the role of the Goblin King. In the book when the Goblin King shows up, his physical description really is a very similar description of Bowie and I was just really happy because that was a nice touch, Bowie and Labyrinth are dear to me too, so it just made me love the book even more! But don't worry, the book can stand on it's own very well, being it's own story.
I heard there was a sequel and before I finished the book I was very afraid to read it, but now I'm eager to it, the book really leaves you wanting for more and it is truly a masterpiece from beginning to end. The story, musical vocabulary, characters and development in general are very well done, sometimes you may feel like the story will fall into a cliche but then, with it's little plot twists, it goes to a completely more satisfying route.
In the end, I recommend Wintersong to everybody who is a true fan of fantasy and romance stories, music lovers, fans of David Bowie and 1986's Labyrinth and/or just a fan of interesting and well written stories in general.
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Neill Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful mix of fantasy and music.
Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2018
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Katharina and Liesel were sisters who lived outside a village in Bavaria with their mother and father, grandmother and a talented but shy brother named Josef who was a violin prodigy. Katharina (Kathe)matured early and was beautiful while Elizabeth (Liesl) was called the little hobgoblin by her father. Their grandmother, Constanze, had a fear of goblins, exacerbated by her superstitions on this, the last night of the year, and as the girls headed off to the town market to buy food to serve to Josef’s violin instructor, expected for dinner soon, she strongly warned them of the dangers to be expected in town. When Katharina disappeared, presumably either abducted or seduced by the Goblin King, Elizabeth must make the required sacrifices to regain her in a competition with the Goblin King involving personal sacrifices. As the conflict with the Goblin King develops, Elizabeth learns more about herself and her family relationships. This place s an excellent book from romantic and musical points of view. I am looking forward to the sequel.
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Claudia Padilla
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in Mexico on October 3, 2017
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What is there not to love about a magic prince whose mischievous personality tangles the not so beautiful princess and takes her to a "journey" into finding herself and her hidden passions. I'm looking forward to read part two
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Nia Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully mysterious fantasy!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2017
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For more reviews like this check out Nia's Book Fort!!

Review: So I picked up this book after The Book Voyagers mentioned it in her twitter thread about female authors of colour! The beautiful cover, and the fact that it is based upon Labyrinth also drew me to this novel; I loved the film so I felt that a book based upon that premise would be something I'd enjoy, and unsurprisingly I loved it!

Liesl's story is wonderfully written; it's magical, mysterious, and pulled me in after just a few chapters. I honestly loved the focus on music, and how her passion and talent was such a huge part of Liesl; there was also the fact that she is never once described as beautiful, and even when she marries the Goblin King, she remains normal. Instead it is her talent that drew the Goblin King to her, the beautiful music that she was creating made her far more valuable than someone more beautiful. I honestly loved the way that this novel puts her talent before her beauty, it's really refreshing to see a book wholly focused on developing her music and not transforming her into someone beautiful.

I loved the enemies to lovers trope in this book as it honestly made much more fun to read! Liesl didn't fall instantly in love with the alluring Goblin King, and I loved the fact that she wasn't drawn in by his beauty and instead focused on saving her sister. This love hate relationship brought with it flirting, but also lots of little snipes and tension which made the romance more complex and fun to read. Their relationship together is also focused on developing their emotional connection, so the attention is taken away from the physical aspects, and instead placed on them dealing with the issues within their relationship.

The only real issue I had with this book is that it felt a little long, a lot of the plot takes place in the final third and it did feel a little drawn out; it is a very detail orientated novel, and honestly as much as I loved the focus on music, a lot of the discussion of Liesl's music went over my head. It feels more like adult literature than your typical young adult novel, due to it's beautifully complex writing style which honestly lets me overlook everything else.

I'm honestly so excited for the sequel, as I fell in love with Lisel's beautiful 18th century world.

Recommend: Heck yes! If you're looking for a fantasy novel that's mysterious, and a little bit sexy then this is for you.

Stars
★★★★★
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