Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: November 17, 2020
Genre: YA Fantasy
Adventure Rating: 3 Stars
In this stunning sequel to 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.
*Thank you so much to Wednesday books for providing me an e-arc via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review!*
First let me start off by saying, I LOVED book 1, White Stag. I think it’s highly underrated. BUT that makes it all the more sad for me when I didn’t love book 2. I just liked it.
Good news first. I loved the adventure. I mean, they battle Norse mythological creatures. How freaking cool! It’s non-stop adventure and action to stop the end of the world. Loved that part. Barbieri also wrote about trauma really well. Janneke has a lot of trauma. I mean, being a human in a Goblin world for 100 years is bound to mess you up somehow. Especially with a slimy, disgusting goblin Lydian. Janneke was eventually able to help Soren with his trauma as well.
Here’s the kicker. There was no chemistry. No chemistry between me and the characters and no chemistry between the characters. Book 1 had all the heat and tension between Janneke and Soren that book 2 is lacking. At one point, they get separated and I didn’t really care. Plus, Seppo was my favorite character from White Stag and not even he could save the chemistry. It was just way too put-downable, even with all the action.
I am definitely still interested in continuing with the series. I am hoping this is just suffering from sophomore novel syndrome!
Storied Adventures 