While I liked the creepy atmosphere the writing seemed lackluster. There where moments where it jumped from different characters and the way of was written was confusing to me. I liked the premise of the book though.

3.5

Solid YA! I was very impressed with how goblins were worked into the story (okay, are the story) in a non-traditional, non-frightening way. The story was new, creative and the author did a superb job illustrating the lush backgrounds of Washington and the fae that come with it.

A great story and not overly complicated which is great. Sometime it's nice not to have a book where you need to think about it.

Occasionally the chapter heading is at the bottom of the page and this could be changed by double spacing so it's attached to the right chapter. Not a big thing though.

a intriguing read I definitely enjoyed it. I would recommend this to YA and those who like fantasy.

Loved this book! It was well written and captivating.

Goblins of Bellwater was an interesting story that got more interesting as it went on. I feel it was a bit rushed though. I love how the characters were older (20’s) because that helped relate the story more to me. I loved the take care of the environment message hidden throughout the book.

Spring-boarding a modern story off of Christina Rossetti's The Goblin Market seemed like a clever premise for a novel. Unfortunately, this failed badly in the execution.

While the pacing is decent and the characters are likable enough, the positives end there. The writing (especially the dialogue) is ham-handed and juvenile, the solve is hokey, and the plot is problematic and unimaginative.

This was a cute idea, but the final product isn't a good read.

Great teen read that I read in a single sitting. Well fleshed out characters in a setting clearly loved by the author. Will be of particular interest to residents or those interested in the Pacific Northwest.

Not quite my cup of tea, but an interesting take on the world of fae!
This is pretty sexually charged--and that works well. Fans of Maas' ACOTAR (which I quite enjoyed) might also like this trip into the world of fae!

This is a wonderful and magical tale about fae creatures that resided in the local Washington forests one wintry season. From page one, this story was so atmospheric and I was completely swept away in this tale of goblins and the horrible things they are capable of in their treetop village. Yet, the goblins only do terrible things if their need for gold is not met by their goblin liaison, Kit.

*thank you to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Not since The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald have I enjoyed a novel about Goblins so much. This fantasy story was brilliant! I love the cover! It's stunning! I also really liked that the characters were in their 20s. It was a nice change from most fantasy stories I've read were the characters were in their teens. Though, I really could have done without the sex parts. The really didn't need to be in there at all and I probably would have given this an extra half star if that had been taken out. Still, this was enjoyable and the ideas the author came up with were really good. I liked the relationship between Skye and Livy, the sisters. Definitely recommend if your in the mood for a good fantasy with older characters.

This book was just not my cup of tea and I was not able to finish it. Thank you for this opportunity, though!

I cannot force myself to finish this. The characters are not particularly unique: they aren't exactly dislikeable, but they don't stand out from random 20-year-olds on the street. The paranormal element isn't strongly tied in: there is not history presented in the town, no references to established outside folklore. The writing is choppy: the narration is a little melodramatic, and the boy-girl scenes are, I think, trying to be frank but come off as crude.

I heard quite a bit of chatter about this because it's set in a local-ish made-up place; the descriptions and incorporation of the scenery is the smoothest and most accurate part of the writing, but cannot stand by itself as a reason to read a whole book.

I honestly could tell by the writing of the first 2 chapters that it wouldn't be a good fit for our box and had to put it down. I may read it again in the future!

This story surprised me in a good way!I loved the concept and the settings and it was so atmospheric that I couldn't put it down! The writing is quick and easy!My only complain is about the ending!It felt so rushed that it was disappointed!Overall if you are looking for a unique read this is perfect!

Wonderful YA title! Very fast moving, lots of quirky characters, a main character that can't stay out of trouble and the boy she never knows what will happen with. Loved the ending! It's always refreshing to not have it end with the usual rainbows and unicorns!!

I picked up this book because someone compared it to Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones. While there are goblins in both books, the two stories present the fair folk in clearly separate ways. Molly Ringle presents the goblins well, just as devious as they are usually known in literature, and she even says one of her main influences was “The Goblin Market” poem by Christina Rosetti. It’s a good light read with a slightly dark story.

I've read a few goblin/fae books lately, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this one. I ended up really enjoying it! Ringle's goblins are nasty and evil little beings that you definitely wouldn't want to meet in the woods. This was an interesting change from the "beautiful fae creature everyone falls in love with" type that are prevalent in YA fiction. I also enjoyed how the goblins were an invasive species at odds with the local fae groups who wanted the goblins out.

One of my favorite aspects of this novel is the setting. Ringle's description of western Washington and the Puget Sound region made me want to visit so I could enjoy the beautiful forest and beaches in person (while avoiding any goblin paths, of course).

Overall I would consider recommending this book to fans of paranormal romance and anyone who wants an atmospheric read set in the Pacific Northwest.

I really wanted to like this book; what's not to like about Goblins?

It just didn't pull me in. The story fell flat for me. I tried holding onto and trying at different periods where I was reading several genres to determine if I was in a book funk. This one just didn't do it for me.

A beautiful cover, a story inspired by Rossetti’s Goblin Market, and set in the PNW, I was all about The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle. Yet, I don’t really know how I feel about it now that I’ve finished it, other than saying it’s a true and solid three start book. The story was solid, but the pacing a little odd. Character development was good, but then weird. And the resolution we received at the end fell flat for me.

The setting and descriptions were fairly spot on. Having been to the PNW and hiking in Oregon, it felt real and authentic. I could almost smell the crisp air and feel the river and ocean mist. Ringle excelled at making this feel like a real place, but simultaneously feeling other. Perhaps it’s because these places, these peaceful out of the way woodland areas already lend themselves to your imagination, but either way, Ringle really brought out the excitement and wonder of running into fae creatures in your backyard as it were.

Character development was a bit odd. I say that only because it makes sense that it would be odd. When you have half of the 4 main characters under a spell, it’s hard to see much of a change in them. The change we see almost fades into the background with them. They exist, things happen, we’re supposed to care, but in the end, don’t really. However, when we get to the non-glamoured half, they really take off. We see how Kit is a good guy in a bad situation. We see him grow from being a loner to making all of these connections and wanting more out of life. With Livy, we see the same. From her devotion to her sister, to finally focusing on her own life, her own future. It was really great and those two were really strong characters that I would have loved to have seen more about.

Which leads me to my biggest issue with The Goblins of Bellwater: the pacing. It just didn’t click for me. There is this huge build-up at a slow and steady pace. Things are happening, slowly growing in intensity, but then suddenly, poof! Everything is fixed in a quick fifteen minute read. It felt like the set-up was more than half the story, and then the journey and resolution combined made only a quarter. I would have preferred the journey to resolving the problem to be as long as the set-up. But instead, we get a journey that happens in the blink of an eye, a resolution that happens even quicker, and then a nicely wrapped up ending. It should have taken longer.

Finally, for mentioned Rossetti’s Goblin Market, I’d feel like there’d be more to it other than hey, we’re goblins and we force people to eat fruit. I expected the tie-in to be greater or more significant. Possibly for the story to go deeper into the symbolism of the poem. For all my complaints though, The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle was an enjoyable story. I enjoyed the premise, the setting, and characters and really, only wish it was longer to more fully delve into everything.

The premise of this story was awesome and I enjoyed it. I just wasn't completely sold on the execution of it.

I needed more worldbuilding. So much more building. I found holes all over the place and they drove me crazy. I need to know more about the goblins and why and about their magic.

I had issues with the romance. The way Kit and Livy act, they should be older. I got bored with the sex scenes. The romance between Livy and Kit was good but I didn't like Skye and Grady's at all. It was really insta love and their romance was not developed at all for me. And not dealing with what actually happened is not a good thing at all.

I did like the goblins and Kit's job. I just need more about why. I liked Flowerwatch.

So overall I just needed more. The ideas were good but it just didn't live up to its potential. I needed way more goblins and less contemporary romance and bad sex.