Kara Barbieri

In this stunning sequel to Kara Barbieri's White Stag, Janneke must find how far she's willing to go to save her world from destruction--even if it means sacrificing everything she's fought for. The Hunt is over but the War has just begun. Against all odds, Janneke has survived the Hunt for the Stag--but all good things come with a cost. Lydian might be dead, but he took the Stag with him. Janneke now holds the mantle, while Soren, now her equal in every way, has become the new Erlking. Janneke's powers as the new Stag has brought along haunting visions of a world thrown into chaos and the ghost of Lydian taunts her with the riddles he spoke of when he was alive. When Janneke discovers the truth of Lydian and his madness, she's forced to see her tormentor in a different light for the first time. The world they know is dying and Lydian may have been the only person with the key to saving it.

Goblin King

Shereen Evans

***I was provided with an arc of this from Netgalley for my honest review****

Compared to the first book I enjoyed this one quite a bit more. The story little kept a great pace and explained it wonderfully so you didn't get lost. There was a great combo of fae and Norse Mythology convince throughout the book. The relationship between Janneke and Soren was stronger than ever.

In Kara Barbieri's Goblin King, the stunning sequel in the Permafrost series which began with White Stag, Janneke must find how far she's willing to go to save her world from destruction--even if it means sacrificing everything she's fought for. The Hunt is over but the War has just begun. Against all odds, Janneke has survived the Hunt for the Stag--but all good things come with a cost. Lydian might be dead, but he took the Stag with him. Janneke now holds the mantle, while Soren, now her equal in every way, has become the new Erlking. Janneke's powers as the new Stag has brought along haunting visions of a world thrown into chaos and the ghost of Lydian taunts her with the riddles he spoke of when he was alive. When Janneke discovers the truth of Lydian and his madness, she's forced to see her tormentor in a different light for the first time. The world they know is dying and Lydian may have been the only person with the key to saving it.

A Permafrost Novel

Story Eater

This review contains minor plot spoilers for White Stag. If you haven’t read WS, and wish to avoid spoiling it, read it first.  

Unfortunately, while this book was one of my 2020 highly anticipated, it fell very flat of my expectations. I don’t know whether this was because my expectations were much too high or if this dumpster fire of a year affected my mood when I was reading it.

That being established, I don’t feel my opinion about the book (which is not objective, obviously) should affect how others approach it, so I will make general comments on characters, plot, and pacing that should be objective enough for a review. 

First, and most importantly, the tension and suspense that made the first book so compelling was completely absent for me here. The objective of the plot is completely different, and instead of having few characters as a focus, there are many characters that create a shallowness to the story that was a depth in White Stag.

For me, Janneke was a gem of an MC in WS, but here she’s very limited and weak as a character. Her role has completely changed, she is in an established relationship, and she now has an entire group of people with whom she interacts regularly. 

The dialogue is not nearly as sophisticated as I felt it was in WS. In GK, it feels a bit more like teenagers squabbling and being sarcastic, which should have had an effect of comic relief but felt very nascent to me. 

The pacing for this installment was incredibly inconsistent. It dragged on in some parts and went at breakneck speed in others. It was very difficult for me to keep my attention on the book for established periods of time without becoming distracted. I started the book and did not finish it for three weeks, which is entirely too long. 

Though I would like to have been able to set the book down and DNF it, but I can’t bring myself to do that for the sake of boredom alone, especially since I specifically requested the book and it was not offered to me with no solicitation on my part. This sequel was just not for me this time, though I highly recommend WS. I feel my experience with GK is entirely due to taste, and not something universally faulty with a story at all.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, for which I give my own opinion.

Lauren James

Full review on my blog, Storied Adventures!

I LOVED White Stag. But this one was a bit of a let down. 
I loved the adventure and fighting Norse mythological creatures while saving the world. So freaking cool.
BUT there was no chemistry between me and the characters or between the characters themselves. There was no heat between Janneke and Soren this time. 

I still can't wait for the next book though!

Goblin King

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