Title: Wintersong

Author: S. Jae-Jones

First Published: 7 February 2017

First Sentence: Once there was a little girl who played her music for a little boy in the wood.

Poetic and captivating in its writing. Truly, from this novel alone, S. Jae-Jones has become one of my favorites in terms of her beautiful writing style. I was already hooked by the first few lines alone, and I knew I had to read it.

“Will you marry me, Elisabeth? the little boy asked, and the little girl did not wonder at how he knew her name.”

Wintersong has a fairytale-esque quality to it, with the protagonist Liesl not a beautiful maiden whom everyone loves. Instead, she lives in the shadows of her well-beloved sister and prodigy brother, composing music in secret and wishing good fortune for everyone else but herself. She’s not your typical heroine who’s done the world a noble deed, but her character is a broken young woman in a journey of finding herself. Which is extremely real and relatable, to an extent.

“What is eternal life but a prolonged death.” 

Now, let’s talk about the Goblin King or Der Erlkönig. The Lord of Mischief and the Underground. Also Liesl’s “mein Herr”. The nameless, austere young man, who is trapped under an eternal crown that he never wanted to wear anyway. I love how Jones never completely revealed the Underground and how it works, nor how Der Erlkönig had exactly become the Goblin King.

“Your music,” he said at last. “Your music was the only thing that kept me sane, that kept me human instead of a monster.” 

Let’s talk about the romance. I know before starting there was, for sure, going to be a romantic element to it. But I didn’t know there would be a heck load of it. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but it feels like the book is split into two main plots. The first, which I personally prefer, is the promise of the premise -Liesl’s rescue of her sister, as well as the grandiose introduction of the Underground through the Goblin Ball.

The second is less plot and more about Liesl discovering and accepting herself. Where everything becomes about her romance with the Goblin King and all the interesting characters from the first half disappear. Suddenly, Liesl and the Goblin King are the only characters. Not that it didn’t unfold well (in fact, I think the pacing was excellent, especially with Jones’ poetic prose). However, I can say I wanted to see more of Josef and Käthe, of Hans and especially Constanze.

Constanze. (This is where I feel there are many loose ends too) The eccentric grandmother whose belief in myths is frowned upon by her family. I felt like there’s more to her character than just that. To be honest, I’d thought she had some sort of past with the Goblin King himself. And about that nameless Goblin Queen who roamed the world above… I somehow thought she would be revealed to be Constanze. Ah, maybe that’s why there’s a sequel.

Although the book isn’t a masterpiece plot-wise, I feel like there’s so much more to the romance than true love who deserves a happy ending. In fact, I believe there’s so many symbolization and extended metaphors going on that I have to give it a reread someday.

“There is music in your soul. A wild and untamed sort of music that speaks to me. It defies all the rules and laws you humans set upon it. It grows from inside you, and I have a wish to set that music free.” 

And while I’m not a musician myself, I do appreciate the musical jargons aptly weaved into the narrative. In a way, it gives the book its lyrical and melodious quality, which I think is its strong point.

Overall, it’s a really good book that I’d recommend for those who enjoy a poetic writing style, dark romance and fairy tales.