Wintersong is an intensely emotional journey. It's a book I could not put down. I love YA as a genre, but sometimes you can be hard-pressed to find a main character with so much substance. S. Jae-Jones takes Liesl through such a range of emotions, but you never feel like Elisabeth [Liesl] is melodramatic. Her concerns and inner thoughts are realistic (within the realm of fantasy fiction), which is critical in such a complex personal journey. She's so well-written. On top of that, it was refreshing to read from the perspective of a female character that was not physically totally desirable. It's rough when you read fiction that champions female empowerment, but trends toward writing female MC's that are largely commercially attractive. People say true beauty exists on the inside, Wintersong shows you that it's true. 
 I can see how this might be polarizing due to its ending, and spoiler alert - (view spoiler)[ it's a bittersweet one. Personally, I would have liked a happy ending. Call me a sucker, a romantic, or someone looking for a little escapism in her fiction. Liesl goes through so much, only to return home. And even though she has gained so much personally, she still must have had to return to reality of being what she was before her journey to the Underground. I want her to have happiness entirely. (hide spoiler)] That being said, I wouldn't mind if this book had a sequel, I need some closure after all that! 
 P.S. Extra special bonus points for the amazing use of Christina Rossetti poetry!