Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren. Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about. Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling. I haven’t read any YA goblin fantasy books, and I think White Stag was a pretty good place to start. I’m not really knowledgeable on goblin mythology, but I like how Barbieri articulated the differences between human and goblin society, and the pull Janneke felt between her found home in the Permafrost and her human self. During the hunt, Janneke knew that if Soren was killed, she would be bound to Lydian again, the goblin who had tortured her, but she also knew that if she wanted to stay with Soren, she would have to give up her humanity and let go of her past. I loved her growth and every part of her journey. That being said, I think her story would be more impactful if we knew more of what her life would like before she came to the Permafrost. I know Janneke longed to keep her humanity, and I know she was abused and tortured, but we can't feel the loss like she does if we don't know what she misses. I loved the darker psychological aspects to this story, having to do with humanity and monstrosity, and how we regard ourselves and the choices we make. The whole book was intriguing and I was interested through to the end. Part of Janneke's struggle is her romance, although sometimes I wished it wasn't included. The romance felt contrived at times, and I didn’t love the whole “I own you, but I’ve been nice” aspect. Janneke had a certain amount of agency, but we were always reminded that she was indentured to Soren, which doesn't lead me to think that she had freedom. We also see their relationship beginning at a hundred years, so they are already in love, and we don't see how they came to like and love each other, or why. A lot of their relationship seemed to be previously established. Some of my favorite scenes were the action scenes. The concept of killing the stag to be king leads to a fierce and ruthless hunt where Janneke must use her best fighting skills. She is human, but she keeps fighting even when she's a lesser fighter than her goblin opponents. Her origin does not hold her back, and I admired that about her. For anyone seeking a dark fantasy romance, White Stag is for you. 4/5 stars.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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