Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

Goodreads Blurb: 
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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.

I'll confess...I'm "over" the fairy tale retellings.  BUT -- a retelling of Labyrinth?!  Sign me up for that one.  Before ever hearing him sing, I remember watching David Bowie as the Goblin King and Jennifer Connelly winding her way through the maze.

Wintersong does not disappoint.  I was hooked from start to finish.  As far as fairy tale retellings go I think it was fairly standard.  You knew you were reading about Labyrinth despite the changes throughout the story.  The movie is so vivid in my mind, however, that it was hard to allow Wintersong's characters to have their own uniqueness and appearance.  You say Goblin King and I instantly think of Jareth: 

...not the Goblin King in Wintersong who's name plays a minor role in the plot line of the story.

Jae-Jones also focuses a lot on music and music theory...which is delightfully different from many young adult novels.  As a hobby musician who works in a music school, I really enjoyed seeing this light glimpse into music theory and composition.  

Wintersong was such a delight - both in its retelling of Labyrinth and in its freshness as a fairy tale retelling.  I am looking forward to the sequel which should be released in 2018!

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