Shadowsong (Wintersong, #2)

by S Jae-Jones

[shannonmiz]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight When I read Wintersong last year, I was so impressed with the lovely writing and vivid imagery. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed Shadowsong just as much! It's quite a different book from its predecessor, however. To me, this was absolutely fine, I loved the direction the story went in. It felt logical to me to have the characters focusing on the aftermath of the previous book, and ultimately trying to find themselves and their places in the world.

The tone is dark, in a different way. The main character, Liesl, is dealing with mental health issues- a rarity in fantasy, and I applaud the author for including it (this is also #ownvoices, make sure you read the author's note!). She's also trying to put her family back together, all while dealing with her own broken heart. I absolutely felt for her during the course of this story.

I realize that some people will be a bit unhappy that the romance isn't front and center of this book as it was in the last book. But I think it was quite important for Liesl to work through her circumstances, and to figure out who she was and what (or who) she was willing to fight for. And of course, the Goblin King is involved, no worries!

There was a point in the middle that the plot felt like it was meandering a bit, but the beginning and end were quite strong and definitely made up for some of the slowness in the middle. I also do need to mention, the formatting of the eARC was a disaster- and that sometimes that took me out of the story a little. Obviously I'd never fault the book for that, but... it was some of the messiest formatting I have ever encountered. I assume my trouble was perhaps part that the story was a bit slower in the middle, but also that I was trying to decipher stuff and that made it feel even more so? It's as good a guess as any, right?

Ultimately, this book completed the series nicely. I had feelings during the course of the story- happy, sad, swoony, all the things. And I felt that it was a strong conclusion; not too many loose ends, nor too neatly wrapped up. Definitely one of the best series ends I've read in awhile!

Bottom Line: With completely enchanting writing and fabulous character development, this sequel provided a very satisfying ending to a lovely series!