by S. Jae-Jones
First published 2016
Nineteen-year-old Liesl has always protected her beautiful sister Käthe while finding solace in composing secret music for the mysterious Goblin King. Her grandmother warns that ancient laws govern their world, and each winter's longest night brings danger when the Goblin King seeks his eternal bride. Liesl considers herself plain and sensible, but when the Goblin King steals Käthe away, she abandons her safe life to venture into his strange underground kingdom. There she discovers a world of terrible beauty ruled by a man who both attracts and frightens her. As time runs short and the old laws work against her, Liesl faces an impossible decision between saving her sister and following her own desires. She must learn who she truly is before her fate becomes sealed forever. Set during Beethoven's era when music itself was changing, this story follows one young woman's journey from dutiful sister to someone who claims her own power and identity.
Genres: romance, fantasy, fairy-tale-retellings, historical-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, lyrical, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love, reluctant-hero
Setting: Goblin Kingdom
Period: 19th-century
69 pages · Kindle Edition · Thomas Dunne Books