Title: Shadowsong (Wintersong #2)
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Rating: ★★★★

ARC received through NetGalley.

“Perhaps I loved the monstrous because I was a monster. Josef, the Goblin King, and me. We were grotesques in the world above, too different, too odd, too talented, too much. We were all too much.”

It seems like a lot of people have been disappointed by Shadowsong, but as for myself, I really enjoyed it! I was thrilled to return to the dark, haunting world S. Jae-Jones has created. As with Wintersong, I feel like people will either love the writing or feel disconnected to it. I absolutely love the lush, lyrical writing and descriptions and find it matches the tone of the story perfectly. 

“On and on and on, for as long as the seasons turn and the living remember all that is good and beautiful and wonderful and worthwhile in the world. For love is our only immortality, and when memory is faded and gone, it is our legacies that endure.”

Shadowsong differs from the first book in that the story focuses almost entirely on Liesl and her growth as character, including her changed relationships with Josef and Käthe. Because it’s much more character driven, the story does move at a much slower pace as there’s not a lot going on plot-wise. I love Liesl’s character and felt very connected to her, so to me this wasn’t an issue, but I could see how it could be bothersome to others. My only gripe was that there was not enough Goblin King! Although we do learn a lot more about the Goblin King, such as his background and – finally – his name, even the interactions between him and Liesl were sparse, which left me wanting. Overall, I was ecstatic to be thrust back into the world S. Jae-Jones created and was very pleased with the sequel!