In my previous review I had stated that music technicalities took up the majority of the story. Not in this one. Oh, they were still there, but this was more emotional and historical. At the beginning of the novel was an Author's Note, and I appreciate the gesture especially considering the topic. But even if the author had left it out, anyone with empathy would have noticed right off the bat Elizabeth's depression and bipolar disorder. There were quite a few times where I had to put down the book and follow my own routine so as to not "go down the rabbit hole". The musical pieces made Liesl's heart and soul bare to the reader, that one cannot help but be a part of her. In Shadowsong, I would say that music was about 25% of the novel this time.
The main thing I do not understand is how other readers can say there wasn't a lot of the Goblin King. I thought S Jae-Jones wrote him in quite a bit. Throughout the whole story, he was there. He was the soul, the Count and Countess and the rest of the "faithful". He was the heart for Liesl thought of him throughout the whole thing. And he was the body, from the historical pieces of his childhood to the eventual meeting of the Wild Hunt. I never felt that he wasn't a part of the story.
Shadowsong was more of a bearing of one's heart and soul. I think that speaks to people more than a book of action or statements can. S Jae-Jones wrote such beautiful prose that I felt transported to the time and place. I felt the fear, love, anger, bitterness, etc of each character. I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars, because it was still a slow read. Novels like this, I feel, wouldn't grasp much if they were fast, but sometimes this dwelled too much on the depressive side that, like I said, I had to stop reading. Overall, it was beautifully written, and I think I connected with S Jae-Jones' concept of emotional and mental states.
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