Salem’s Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”
Lou never believed in superstitions or magic–until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market.
The market is a place Lou has only read about–twisted streets, offerings of sweet fruits and incredible jewels. Everything–from the food and wares, to the goblins themselves–is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in.
Determined to save Neela, Lou learns songs and spells and tricks that will help her navigate this dangerous world and slip past a goblin’s defenses–but she only has three days to find Neela before the market disappears and her aunt becomes one of them forever.
If she isn’t careful, the market might just end up claiming her too.
⤖ My Review ⬻
Tori Bovalino’s No Good for Maidens really surprised me! The main thing that surprised me was the vibe, which was very much tied to a misunderstanding from my end. I interpreted the cover design to depict a female presenting person wearing a historical bonnet alongside a drooling goblin. So, you can likely imagine my surprise when I started reading No Good for Maidens and things were happening in present/modern times.
There were flashbacks as well, which I enjoyed and thought added nicely to the story, but those stayed within modern times as well. All that aside, I think that the time period worked really well for this particular story. The author really made it all work together.
I’ve always been a fan of goblins and the goblin market—I love the magic and the horror of it. And I definitely appreciated that No Good for Maidens tapped more into the horror side of things. I also really liked that I couldn’t foresee how things would go for any of the characters.
I also found it quite amusing that I had the Scarborough Fair ballad stuck in my head while reading this book and for many weeks after because it was mentioned in No Good for Maidens a number of times. I enjoyed this one and definitely wouldn’t mind returning to this world—preferrably with the same cast of characters.
⤖ About the Author ⬻
⤖ Places to Purchase the Book ⬻
⤖ Let's Chat ⬻
Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
