asianamlitfans | A Review of S. Jae-Jones’s Shadowsong (Wednesday Books, 2017).

A Review of S. Jae-Jones’s Shadowsong (Wednesday Books, 2017).
By Stephen Hong Sohn

So I remember having a rather bifurcated reaction to S. Jae-Jones’s Wintersong. I really enjoyed the exploration of the Goblin Underground, but found the so-called requisite romance plot to be a little bit overwrought. Nevertheless, this young adult debut seemed to wrap up fairly neatly, so I was surprised to see that there was a sequel (making these publications a duology) called Shadowsong (Wednesday Books, 2017). We’ll let B&N do some descriptive work for us: “Six months after the end of Wintersong, Liesl is working toward furthering both her brother’s and her own musical careers. Although she is determined to look forward and not behind, life in the world above is not as easy as Liesl had hoped. Her younger brother Josef is cold, distant, and withdrawn, while Liesl can’t forget the austere young man she left beneath the earth, and the music he inspired in her. When troubling signs arise that the barrier between worlds is crumbling, Liesl must return to the Underground to unravel the mystery of life, death, and the Goblin King—who he was, who he is, and who he will be. What will it take to break the old laws once and for all? What is the true meaning of sacrifice when the fate of the world—or the ones Liesl loves—is in her hands?”

What I thought most compelling about this work was the exploration of the brother-sister bond, which formed a rather intriguing triangle, precisely because Josef becomes a kind of narrative competitor to the Liesl’s Goblin King. If the first installment seemed more invested in Liesl’s willingness to save Kathe (her sister), then this sequel seeks to explore Liesl’s complicated attachment to Josef. For those that don’t remember—and here is your spoiler warning—Josef is actually a goblin changeling, who had taken on Josef’s life. This process somehow involves amnesia, as the changeling does not seem aware of this usurpation, and Liesl never reminds Josef about this fact. The revelation of this secret is key to the plot as it revolves, but Jae-Jones takes her time to get there: we have to follow Liesl and Josef, as they attempt to make a life in Vienna. They are later courted and then kidnapped by a powerful Count and Countess and must find a way to deal with the corruption between the “real world” and the Goblin “underworld.”

The conclusion was not my cup of tea, as it reminded me too much of the “sacrifice trope” that I’ve seen being used in numerous YA books, as of late, most prominently in the last of Marie Lu’s “Young Elites” series. Readers may be split upon Jae-Jones’s choice to move most of the narrative outside of the Goblin Underground. This shift gives Jae-Jones the opportunity to consider the so-called deviance of humans and gives this work a kind of magical realist generic critique that I found useful to consider. Otherwise, academics, scholars, and teachers of YA might find most intriguing Jae-Jone’s consideration of various forms of social difference: (1) mental illness, (2) racial difference (via Josef’s partner Francois), (3) queerness and associated sexualities (via Josef and Francois), and (4) monstrosity/ deviance (via the Goblin King/ changelings etc).

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Review Author: Stephen Hong Sohn
Review Editor: Leslie J. Fernandez

If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Leslie J. Fernandez, PhD Student in English, at lfern010@ucr.edu