The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle

Genre: New Adult, Retelling, Fantasy

Pages: 288

Expected publication: October 1st 2017 by Central Avenue Publishing

Synopsis:

A contemporary romance inspired by Christina Rossetti’s eerie, sensual poem, “Goblin Market.” Four neighbors encounter sinister enchantments and a magical path to love in a small, modern-day Puget Sound town, where a fae realm hides in the woods and waters…

Most people have no idea goblins live in the woods around the small town of Bellwater, Washington. But some are about to find out.

Skye, a young barista and artist, falls victim to a goblin curse in the forest one winter night, rendering her depressed and silenced, unable to speak of what happened. Her older sister, Livy, is at wit’s end trying to understand what’s wrong with her. Local mechanic Kit would know, but he doesn’t talk of such things: he’s the human liaison for the goblin tribe, a job he keeps secret and never wanted, thrust on him by an ancient family contract.

Unaware of what’s happened to Skye, Kit starts dating Livy, trying to keep it casual to protect her from the attention of the goblins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kit, Skye draws his cousin Grady into the spell through an enchanted kiss in the woods, dooming Grady and Skye both to become goblins and disappear from humankind forever.

It’s a midwinter night’s enchantment as Livy, the only one untainted by a spell, sets out to save them on a dangerous magical path of her own.

My Thoughts

Prior to reading my review, I’d just like to say that I devoured this book in one evening, just 4 hours is all it took to gobble this up!

A whimsical, fantastical and witty read, one that will have you questioning your love of fruit.

I’ll be honest here, the cover drew me in first and then that synopsis… A twenty-something-year-old named Kit is the liaison for Goblins and per a deal made hundreds of years ago by his ancestors he must bring a certain weight of gold to the goblin tribe every month. But it doesn’t stop there, this isn’t a story wholly based off of Kit, there are three other individuals that get roped into this wonderful nonsense. Grady, Kit’s cousin has come to stay with him, and there are two local girls, sisters Skye and Livy, that are drawn into the Goblins devious ways.

This all takes place in Puget Sound, Washington, which is written in such a way that I could almost smell the forest. I thoroughly enjoyed the creeptastic world that was depicted by the author, because inside of the forest there is another realm which belongs to the fae. Not all are sinister but the Goblinfolk are. I enjoyed the history of the goblinkind and where they came from, who they used to be.

Each character was unique, with their own plight. Did I overly connect with them? No, I don’t think so. I was never really invested in them so much as what I was with the actual story, the core of the plot and I wanted to know what happened. There was something about the writing that seemed to serve as a disconnect for me and I can’t quite place my finger on it, but don’t take this as an “I didn’t enjoy it,” because I obviously did! I mean, I read it in FOUR hours. I ate it.

To sum it all up, it’s a kooky goblin story that showcases just how important friends and family are and what they’re willing to do to ensure their safety.