White Stag – Kara Barbieri

White Stag – Kara Barbieri

How has your week been? Mine has been great, I’ve been so productive getting some posts prewritten so that I can partake in a surprise readathon. This means the amount of time each day where I write a blog post, I can read!! I also want to get ahead so that I don’t have to write so many posts in April. I am participating in Camp NaNo and The Magical Readathon. I will be doing a post about my chosen career and book choices soon too, so be sure to watch for that.

 

I am doing more activities with my older son for cub scouts. We are working on the Germs Alive badge now. It is fun being able to teach him about so many things and have fun activities or crafts to go along with each badge. We love doing crafts, even my 2-year-old son now wakes up and asks if he can make something. There is just something so satisfying about making something new from pieces of other things.

 

Well, how about I craft this book review huh? See what I did there?

 

White Stag (Permafrost, #1)

White Stag(Permafrost #1)

White Stag (Permafrost, #1)

Author: Kara Barbieri

Published: January 8th, 2019

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Book Length: 368 Pages

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ (3.5)

Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist)

The first book in a brutally stunning series where a young girl finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.

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.

 

I actually really enjoyed this book and was on the edge of giving it 4 hearts but I just didn’t get that last push to really make it to that level. This was a story that captivated me by the summary given above. I will mention that there are a few trigger warnings though; rape, violence, torture, and abuse. To some that might be enough to make you avoid this book. I pushed through it and did enjoy it but it does get dark at times. If you do not tolerate those issues well, avoid reading this.

 

 

This story follows Janneke, a girl who has lived among goblins as a slave since she was captured at the young age of seventeen. Overall, the premise for the book was great. I was really hoping for a dark and captivating fantasy…I just didn’t get that. Now…I will say I did enjoy the twists that came, despite already knowing what would happen. I liked seeing the plot unfold between the characters, secrets being revealed. The start of the book seemed, choppy at best. Once the hunt begins, pieces fall into place and there is a smoother flow between events. This could be because much of the start of the story is spent on background and Janneke’s past.
One of the problems I had was the romance. The two characters refused to acknowledge their feelings which is fine, I love a slow burn romance especially a hate to love one. The issue here was that they acted as if they were recently introduced when in fact he chose her and they’d been living together for about 100 years.
I never really fell deeply into the story and I’m not sure why. It could have been the issues I mentioned above or even the fast pace. I typically enjoy fast-paced novels and this was no exception but maybe the fast pace combined with the other issues failed to pull me in.

 

I have a love and hate relationship with the world building in this novel. On one hand, I did really enjoy it, it was detailed and atmospheric. But there was one thing that really bothered me. There is a major plot point that comes up pretty early, I’ll not specifically mention it to avoid spoilers but if you’ve read the book you know what I’m talking about. The reader is never given any information about this, we are simply supposed to accept it. While there are some concepts in the fantasy genre or any genre for that matter, that should not have to be explained and the reader should just accept as fact. Something with as much importance as this though…I would have liked to have known more about this phenomenon, how it happens and why. I just wanted to know more…

 

 

Soren: Talk about Stockholm syndrome… I think If I was Janneke I would want Soren by my side. He has a good heart and treats her with the respect she deserves. Unlike some Goblins, these were described more attractive…almost like Fae.

 

Janneke: I initially was unsure of her. She was the ‘chosen one’ but I just couldn’t connect with her. As the story progressed she did suffer and her character grew…a lot. She became a strong…BADASS…there I swore in my blog for the first time. There was no other way to put it. She became the woman I wanted from the start and the struggles she endured are what pushed her.

 

So I guess in a way I am cruel because I love to see characters suffer. Only because from suffering comes growth…well most of the time.

 

 

This is a fast-paced, dark fantasy novel that is sure to be a thrill. With the trigger warnings mentioned, I want to say again, I did enjoy the book. The characters were great but the best part was watching Janneke grow into a strong woman. I failed to really fall into the story and it became too predictable for me but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it.

 

I think with a little more attention to the world building and a few other aspects, this could be a fantastic novel! I do look forward to the sequel and hope to continue along the paths of Soren and Janneke.

 


Would you read this novel? Buy it or borrow it? If you have read it, what did you think?


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10 thoughts on “White Stag – Kara Barbieri

    • March 21, 2019 at 12:32 am
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      Yea… I’m not dying to continue the series right away

  • March 21, 2019 at 11:53 am
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    Fantastic review, I will keep an eye out for this book!!

  • March 21, 2019 at 11:54 am
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    I have an artsy crafty small person too 🙂 – definitely a satisfying feeling making something out of bits and pieces that would otherwise been left to the side. Good luck with the badge.

    Great review, but I’m not sure the book is for me.

    • March 21, 2019 at 12:16 pm
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      I was iffy on the book the entire time. Not every book is for everyone. Thanks for reading!

  • March 21, 2019 at 2:31 pm
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    Thanks for the excellent review and for posting the trigger warnings. I now know that this isn’t a book for me.

    • March 21, 2019 at 2:34 pm
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      I love seeing trigger warnings just because it helps people to shy away from books they won’t like and ones that might cause unintended emotional harm

  • March 21, 2019 at 6:54 pm
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    I was intrigued by this, the trigger warmers are handy and will set this aside for awhile. Loved your review!

    • March 21, 2019 at 6:57 pm
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      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it😊

  • March 22, 2019 at 7:10 pm
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    Amazing review, I think I will add this to my wishlist

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