Man, I was not expecting to come here and tell y'all that Wintersong was a huge let down. I was on my library's waitlist for this book for nearly sixty days, so, clearly, I thought it was worth the wait. 
 I always have high expectations reading these types of books, because I go in comparing them to the one of my all time favorite films, Labyrinth. I've watched the movie possibly a thousand times since I was a child, and David Bowie's portrayal of the Goblin King is one of my favorite villains, if one can go so far as to call him that. Based on the author's blog, I know that she wanted to re-create the Labyrinth and Fifty Shades of Grey, but this book fell flat on both of those fronts. The references to the Labyrinth and David Bowie come in the form of his feathery blonde hair, lithe build, and mismatched eyes - and there were several quotes that were uncomfortably close in similarity. As for Fifty Shades of Grey, I don't see how that book came into play whatsoever. The Goblin King in the story isn't attracted to Liesl for 3/4 of the book, and their "romance" is pretty chaste, with cutaway scenes and everything. 
 Anyway, this book should've been right up my alley because I speak German, I've been enamored with the Labyrinth since I was a wee girl, and I've played violin for seventeen years. So why did I hate it?!? I found it... just... too much, if that makes sense. It was overwhelming in every aspect. There was too much German, too much of Liesl feeling sorry for her plain appearance, and far too many musical references. It was like the author poured all of her obsessions into this book, and the result is really awkward. A shame, because some of the writing is very beautiful. 
 I guess I just want to read about Sarah and Jareth for the rest of my life *shrug*