White Stag, the first book in a brutally stunning series by Kara Barbieri, involves a young girl who finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home. A Wattpad break out star with over a million reads Now expanded, revised and available in print and eBook. As the last child in a family of daughters, …
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.
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For lovers of dark fantasy
White Stag is the first book in the Permafrost serie by Kara Barbieri.
Janneke, seventeen years old, is the only survivor of her village. Before the day she been capture, she was always treated as a boy by her family. Last child in a family of daugthers, she was raise to be the heir. She learn to hunt and fight, while her sisters learned how to be good wives and raise a family. But goblins burned everything down and took her captive. Lydian, the one who capture her, give her to his nephew, Soren. She haven’t age in a century. Now its time for the hunt to choose the new king. It’s gonna be a hard hunt and her loyalty to Soren will depends. Janneke will have to make a choice in returning to the human world, or becoming more goblin, a chageling.
I have really like this dark fairtytale and will surely read the sequel.
Action-packed story, interesting main and supporting characters. Ultimately, though, I felt like I was dropped in to the middle of a story/world without much explanation or background, and although we got a little bit via flashbacks throughout the story, it never fully developed. Barbieri is a good writer and the story has potential though.
What a great book to start the year off with! I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. Once I started reading it was so very hard to stop and I finished it within a day. The world mixes Norse mythology and goblin kings and it was just right up my alley.
Janneke is such a great heroine. Life has thrown her nothing but horrors but she has always pushed through and survived and in the end she is stronger for it. This book really sees Janneke come to terms with herself and what she wants and who she wants to be. I love her because she may not have it easy but she never lets that stop her and she refuses to be pushed aside. Of course I adored Soren. I am always here for goblin king-esque characters and Soren fits that to a tee. He is charming and funny and the banter between him and Janneke is just pure fun. They play off one another so well and they work together so well. And then there is Seppo who also stole my heart. What an annoyingly lovable character and I just want more of him!
This book kept me addicted. I love the way the author just throws you into this dangerous, yet alluring, world. This world could be brutal at times, but the magic of it all was intriguing. And I loved the question of “what makes a monster?” because this book really puts that question into perspective and it plays out in numerous ways as the plot progresses. This book is nonstop action and danger but there is also a great romance thrown in. I loved this balance and I am always up for a high fantasy that has great romantic aspects as well.
White Stag was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it to high fantasy fans. This one reminded me a bit of a little known book I loved called Greta and the Goblin King. It’s one of my favorite books and I’ve never found anything else that had that same feel so I am so so SO glad I found this book because it gave me the same feelings. Like I said a great book to start off 2019 with and I am confident in saying it will end up being one of my favorite books of the year!
A different approach to a goblin storyline.
Hated the title. Stolen from classic by Kate Seredy. Ended story before it began for me.
Fascinating novel. The most substantial aspect of this novel is the fact that it follows Janneke, a character who is a survivor. After her village was decimated, leaving her the sole survivor, by Goblins, monsters of remarkable beauty that raid and pillage, Janneke was taken prisoner, a slave, repeatedly raped and beaten for decades as she served under a monster stronger than her. However, brute strength is not the only type of power; there are wit and determination, both of which Janneke use to overpower her abuser and escape him.
However, she escaped him for another, kinder, Goblin master as the laws of the Permafrost bind her. That is where the story begins, going back into the past to explore the pain that the Janneke still holds close to her. She is a survivor, but even after years, her former abuser still has some sort of power over her. He lingers, like a shadow, over her, coming through her scars, her memories, and the pain that lingers there. So, the story is a journey for her, to overcome that pain, to overcome the past and search inside of herself to find self-love, to find respect for herself and uncover the strength that had saved her once and use it to replace her pain. It is an empowering journey that unfolds, and Janneke faces so many obstacles in this journey, more monsters, that seek to destroy her from the inside out because she is human. There is also a risk here for her, a risk that Janneke also fears: that overcoming her pain means she would become a monster. However, that is the power of the novel as it focuses on her and her journey, to uncover her strength and move on past the pain of losing her family and her innocence.
As for the story, let us list the trigger warnings: sexual assault/rape, torture, body mutilation, and emotional abuse. These are essential aspects of the novel because they all connect to Janneke’s journey. That being said, they are uncomfortable scenes, and, at times, hard to read. They are not explicit, but there is enough detail there in those scenes that will make the reader’s skin crawl because of how Janneke’s emotions burn off pages. They are not meant to be easy scenes to read, as they never should be, which is part of the impact of the novel. Again, this connects to Janneke’s strength and her character growth. Everything in the novel connects which is part of what makes it a good read.
The writing, as persuasive as it is regarding characterization does falter a bit when it comes to the pace of the novel. There are times when the novel drags just a little too much, where the scenes that are less important take too long to resolve themselves and progress forward. The pacing is the biggest issue of the novel because while Janneke’s journey is impactful, the outer conflict of the plot, take a little too long to move forward and along.
There is so much about this book that told me I was going to love it. The plot was great and the whole idea of a giant hunt where the winner of this battle royale style fight to the death type deal seemed right up my ally. Toss in a love story and this is really my type of book. Unfortunately however, the whole story left me wanting in the end.
I was really hopeful in the beginning when we are tossed right into the action from the start. The only problem with this though is all of a sudden I felt like I was missing a big chunk of the story and didn’t feel like I was given the chance to really get to know any of these characters as the story progressed. I had no real hate for the villain and no real love for the main characters.
The action was great, I really liked where the story was going, but sadly I found the writing itself very repetitive and sloppy. I think if the author would have ran another good strong editing session through the entire book and added a few things, this could have been a really strong favorite, but as it stands now. I am not sure how I feel about continuing in with this series.
5 ’Mine’ Stars
Wow… this book rendered me speechless. If all of the fantasy books were like this one, I would read this genre every other day. I mean… wow, what a debut! I need to check this Wattpad thing because I may find treasures like Kara Barbieri. This book is the bomb!
I’ve read a few negative reviews on this book. Well, everyone is allowed to have their own opinion, of course, but I’m seeing this book in a very different way. See, I used to have an eating disorder. I was mentally unstable for a bit back in my teenage years. But now, here I am and better than ever but also truly appreciating book dealing with this topic. Adding the ’graphic’ violence to the story was a brave decision – although I’ve read way more graphical things in my life, but it’s okay. I also guess this book may contain scenes that will be a trigger to readers, but as for me, it only added to the value of the story.
I freaking loved White Stag. There are no other words to describe my feelings.
In Janneke, I met a truly brave and amazing heroine. In Soren, I met yet another hero to adore. In White Stag, I found the almost perfect book.
And now, I’m dying for more.
Main character becoming more of a monster and owns what she is .
Truly inspirational story with amazing writing.
I’m just going to start by saying that White Stag was one of the darkest YA fantasy reads that I have come by. This should also come with a trigger warning. I can see why this would be a factor into why some people may not read the book. Even though I understand that it was used as a shock factor.
I thought the premise of the novel was fantastically written and really does sweep into this world. Leaving you wanting and needing more. But when actually once you get into the book which can take about 35-40% of the way (way to long to in my opinion) your still left with characters that you don’t feel much for. Almost with the feeling of, well if this or that happens to so and so. It’s not that big of a deal.
I think what kept me pushing through was not the characters that were created but the world in which I characters thrived in. I did finish the book, but I don’t think I will move forward with the next. There was no connection with the characters and while the plot was well written it wasn’t intriguing.
This book was a cluster fuck of everything a 12 year old would want to read in a novel.
I just… I just don’t even understand what the author was trying to do with this. Firebogs, goblins, svartelf, dragons, nokken (which is basically a mermaid), palaces, Hunger-Games to the death in the woods scenario, Twilight “the lion falls in love with the lamb” (no… guys quite literally the author says this in the novel, “A wolf shoudn’t lay with a rabbit”), talking wolves, some kind of all knowing mountain Goddess, over dramatic orphan girl who’s a super special snowflake, absolutely cringe worthy writing…I could go on.
Every single cliche you could ever think about in a fantasy novel is here. All the way down to the classic “you are not my father, you are an illusion trying to trick me, so I will be badass and stab you” to singing mermaid-like creatures that lure you to the water.
The writing barely helped at all, either. All the way down to the fact that the writer tries to be clever and won’t even write out Hell, instead spelling it out Hel because why the fuck not? It was just cringe…. I have no other word for this. I cringed and cringed and cringed.
“I was breathless. I was on fire. I was floating and falling at the same time. I was everything, but I wasn’t afraid.”
Please, spare me.
And put aside the plot, the characters themselves were insufferable too.
Let’s start with Janneke. She’s supposed to strong and smart and cunning, but (although I won’t deny her strength cause she does go through some heavy shit… I’ll give the author that), she’s literally…. I wish there was a nice way to put this…. dumb as hell. My favorite example of aloofness is when she meets this depressed mermaid dude (called a Nokken or some shit) gives her the answer she’s looking for, and then the only thing he asks in return (which, might I add the author spends like 3 pages talking about how terrifying this creature is), is for her to sing a song. This is her response to his super simple request:
“I seethed with rage. Sing him a song? Anything remotely songlike was ripped from my lips the moment my village turned to ash. No lullaby, hunting tune, or ballad survived the destruction. Sing him a song.”
JUST STOP THE “awww my life is so tragic, everything is so tragic” AND SING HIM THE GOD DAMN SONG! And on top of this, she’s supposed to be sUpEr smart (as all the side characters always praise her to be), and she didn’t even make sure that a way out of the cave was part of the negotiation.
I could give you a thousand more examples, all the way from when she finds humans in the forest to when she meets whatever the fuck svartelves are, she is like this.
The side characters have no personality. I just don’t even want to waste my breath. They are like all her personal cheerleaders, always praising Janneke and talking about how amazing she is for breathing and existing. Soren literally just existed in the story to boost Janneke’s ego, I swear.
“‘I could be surrounded by unearthly beautiful, naked women, and I would prefer you as you are, fully clothed.'”
“‘You drive me mad, Janneke. Completely and utterly mad. I’m probably going to die in a few days, and all I can think about is you.'”
“‘If I kiss you, will you kill me?’ he asked, eyes sparkling. ‘Only if you stop,’ I said and finally gave in.”
The author literally pulled that out of what my dream romance would have been when I was ten years old.
ALL IN ALL,
This book was a no. If anything, the only reason I didn’t DNF it is because it was utterly hilarious how cliche and cringeworthy it got.
Wow! This was such an intense read. It was way more violent than I was expecting but it also had a powerful emotional draw — so many emotions and so many varied personalities.
But, of course, I loved watching the story as it happened, the unfolding of truths between Soren and Janneke. It is an intense story of growth and change, self-awareness and self-acceptance and, of course, as in every true love story, a willingness to give your heart and even your life for the sake of the other.
I don’t want to divulge anything or be a spoiler, so I will just say that there is a small part of the final revelation that didn’t sit quite right with me — perhaps because I liked the idea so much of the Ehrlking and the Stag beginning and ending together.
I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series (and hope to hear more of Seppo and the wolves as well) but perhaps it’s a good thing that book two has not yet been released as it gives me a breather and time to absorb the intensity of The White Stag. I received an advance copy from NetGalley for which I am thankful but for which I am only asked to give an honest review. I would give this one a solid 4 1/2 stars.
What to say about the The White Stag? Well. I loved it, to start with. I picked it up intending to read the first chapter or two and couldn’t put it down until I really, really, had to go to bed. I also think the description on the back cover isn’t particularly accurate. It’s true, but doesn’t encompass the full depth of the story. This is a book that asks you what “human” and “monster” mean, and ultimately lets you decide for yourself. The book follows Janneke as she navigates the world of the Permafrost, where she was trapped after goblins raided her village.
Janneke’s story is compelling and very real as she struggles with the aftermath of kidnapping and torture. The dialogue is meaningful and the interactions between characters subtle. I was able to suspend disbelief at the world Kara Barbieri created and simply follow where it led. I want to avoid spoilers, so I will only say that there is a subtle shock that occurs after the first two chapters that was only possible with very careful storytelling. I loved the connection between Soren and Janneke and was thrilled with their development (and it was great fun watching Soren try to be human sometimes). I was enchanted with the world of the Permafrost and can’t wait for the next book.
I would recommend The White Stag to fans of S. Jea-Jones (Wintersong), Danielle L. Jensen (Stolen Songbird), Katherine Arden (The Bear and the Nightingale) and Kelly St. Clare & Raye Wagner (Darkest Drae).
ARC provided via NetGalley for an honest review…..
This book is not out yet and will not be released until January of 2019. The author, Kara Barbieri, is a complete unknown to me. Looking at Barbieri’s Goodreads page I believe this may be the first book she has had published. White Stag follows Janneke, a human woman living in a world of Goblins and other mystical beings. Barbieri has created a new world using known creatures but has given them all new life. Forget the Goblins you know from Tolkien. These Goblins are equally evil but they look beautiful until they are angry.
Our main character, Janneke had been taken from her human village during a Goblin raid over 100 years ago. Goblins enslave humans to complete domestic tasks they have no skill set for such as sewing, cooking, cleaning, etc. The last child born to a family of all girls, Janneke has no domestic skills as her father was raising her to be his next male heir. She was taught how to hunt, track, and fight. Janneke is bound to the Goblin realm through magic; this same magic allows her to remain ageless. Her original capturer, Lydian, has gifted her to his nephew, Soren, after Janneke attacked Lydian with an iron nail. Iron is poisonous to Goblins within Barbieri’s world. Unknown to Janneke, Soren has a life long connection to the young woman and willing takes her in, treating her with respect and kindness.
The story actually begins with he death of the current Goblin King which in turn ignites a hunt for the next king. Lydian and Soren appear to the be the most powerful of all the goblins and lead the charge to become the next King. The longer Janneke remains in the Goblin realm the more she transforms in to one of the monsters she despises. She has spent 100 years waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape back to the Human world she came from, will the Hunt allow for that opportunity or will Janneke except her transformation and understand that evil only resides where it has been fostered?
The first 10% of the story I was lost. I didn’t understand the politics within the Goblin realm and explanations seemed to come much later. With that said once I understood who was who and what was what I really began to like the main characters. Janneke is a strong woman who has visible and mental scars from wounds inflicted by Lydian. Soren is not your typical evil Goblin. By nature Soren is born to fight and kill but he is good and desires to not be viewed as a monster. I think Barbieri is trying to impart the message that you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover or that you can’t judge a whole race/species by the actions of one person. It’s a noble message not usually so prevalent in a fantasy book.
Full disclosure, there is a lot of violence in this story. I always try to step out of the real world and view fantasy from the perspective of the world within which the story has been built. I understood that within the Goblin world violence was the norm. Lydian had tortured and raped Janneke. The sexual assault element, when originally mentioned was brushed over. I had to read the paragraph it was first mentioned in three times to really understand that she was truly sexually assaulted When it is fully addressed later it appears to be a topic that Janneke has moved on from. Again, I tried to tell myself that technically in the storyline 100 years has passed. She has had time to deal with the trauma but it was still a tough sell. Janneke sort of disregards the issue of being raped when Soren attempts to address it with her. I am not saying that the topic needed to be the focus of the storyline but a little bit of depth may have aided with the subject matter.
For the rest of the storyline, once I got past all of the story building I really enjoyed the adventures of the Hunt. Things within the story seemed to progress quickly until I got about 80% into the book. I think there was too much, too many adventures, too many creatures to battle. Looking back I understand they were necessary to bring Janneke to the realization that she needed to be at for the story to conclude but I struggled with the last 20% of the book.
There is a second installment of the series. At this point I am uncertain if I will read the next book. I felt that the White Stag was fine ending the way it did. As it is it could be taken as a stand alone.
Grammar – 3.0
There are some serious grammatical errors. A book this length I can complete in one sitting but I found myself re-reading a great majority of the sentences to understand what was being said.
Plot – 3.5
I like the world building. I struggled with the violence and the rape. I really enjoyed the concept of the Hunt, a battle to become the next King of the realm, with the strongest surviving to rule. I wonder if the moral of the story may end up lost on some readers.
Believability – 4.0
At some point in the story the author mentioned a creation story. When you truly develop a whole new world it aids in the believability factor. We are wiping the slate clean and starting from scratch. I had no issues with believability.
Cover – 2.5
The cover is pretty but not appealing. It doesn’t really draw me in.
Ending – 3.0
I really did not like the ending of the story. Warning – Spoiler Alert….at the end of the story Janneke “becomes” the White Stag. Not in appearance but in persona. Through all time she will die and be reborn as the White Stag, standing beside future Goblin Kings as they rule the realm. I am not sure what I expected of the ending. Soren does win the Hunt, Lydian is dead, and Janneke and Soren are together. I am not sure I understand the symbolism behind her becoming the White Stag. I completely understand the symbolism behind her evolving into a Goblin and growing to except that not all Goblins are monsters. I felt confused and unsatisfied with the ending.
Price Value – 2.5
I don’t think the story is worth the cost value.
Overall – 3.0
I think the book was a decent read. If I hadn’t gotten to read it for free I probably would have been greatly disappointed. I think the story has some good elements and some bad. I loved the strength of Janneke. I loved the backhanded arrogance of Soren as well as his attempts to be more human like. I aways say everyone takes away different things when they read a book. I think there will be a lot of people who will struggle with the “brushing over” of the sexual assault.