White Stag by Kara Barbieri

White Stag

Kara Barberi

Publisher: Wednesday's Books

Publication Date: January 8, 2019

Pages: 368

Grade Level: 7 and up

About the Author:

"Kara Barbieri is a writer living in the tiny town of Hayward, Wisconsin. An avid fantasy fan, she began writing White Stag at eighteen and posting it to Wattpad soon after under the name of ‘Pandean’. When she’s not writing, you can find her marathoning Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reviving gothic fashion, and jamming to synthpop."

Publisher's Summary:

"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, 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."

My Review:

As a reader who didn't read Kara Barbieri's Wattpad chapters, I got to read this novel fresh without being guided by what I had read before the story was revised. So, I am not sure what has changed and what hasn't. If you read Ms. Barbieri's Wattpad chapters and what I say doesn't go with what you read, I apologize. This is my error, not Ms. Barbieri's.

I wasn't sure what to expect from White Stag, except that it was going to be Scifi/Fantasy. I was fascinated with Janneke's character after reading the publisher's blurb about the book, so I requested an advanced read. I was pleasantly surprised that this book wasn't like so many other fantasies where the premise of the story is the same. Yes, there is the " strong heroine ends up in a mythical land where there are beasts and she wants to go home" premise, however, there is so much more to the story than that. It goes deeper, where segregation between humans and creatures of more depth than we think can live without tearing each other apart. It, to me, was a message of how life can be lived when everyone is different. Did good over evil prevail? You will have to read the book to find out. Did Jenneke's humanity reign over the Goblin's power? Read the book to find out. Can we live together in harmony if we don't find a common thread of value or traits?  Read the book to find out.

Just a warning (although I didn't keep my kids from reading at their reading level or believe in banning books from them. However, I know that some of my followers are looking for clean reads,) Ms. Barbieri's book is dark, super dark as there are flashbacks to sexual abuse and death. 

Although the recommended reading age is 12 to 18 years old. I am not sure if you really want your twelve-year-old to read it as it holds a clear sexual tension through many chapters and then literary prose & allusion to a sexual relationship in the following chapter lasting about a paragraph long. I would recommend this for an older teen. It truly is no different than say, Divergent or Twilight, although I believe the writing skills level for White Stag is much higher than the previously mentioned books. 

I enjoyed this book because Ms. Barbieri's writing painted a picture of the world that Jenneke was living in enough that you could feel the burning of an iron nail, the power stemming for the Permafrost and so many other wonderful sensory filled emotions. I like reading where it's not all telling and it doesn't truly feel like showing but feeling what is happening as if you were in the book.

I give White Stag a 4 out of 5 based on the age level, reading enjoyment and storytelling.