Cover Image: The Goblins of Bellwater

The Goblins of Bellwater

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Member Reviews

I first heard the poem this novel is based on in high school and loved it. I found this book to be enjoyable, if a little short. It captured the essence of the poem with the powerful, wicked goblins tempting a beautiful girl into falling under their curse.

Occasionally the language felt stilted and awkward, I think in trying to make the voices of the characters relatable it just came off as simple. Overall, the novel was a sexy, dark and a quick read

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I'm a sucker for Pre-Raphaelites, so a novel based on Rossetti's "Goblin Market" really called to me. And I enjoyed the author's imagery and also the chemistry between KIt and Livy. Any talk of Grady's cooking also sent me running to the kitchen for a snack, too. Flaws - the trials that Livy had to face felt rushed, and most of the battle between the fairies happened "off screen." But I did like the idea of the goblins being an invasive species. Overall, it wasn't a perfect book, but it was a fun, fast read.

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unfortunately this novel was not one that was for me. I didn't really understand the concept and felt a bit confused throughout the novel. I think that this novel just isn't one for me, but if you're looking for a cooky, fantastical read, then I definitely think you should pick this novel up.

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I received this ARC copy from NetGalley for an honest opinion. Even though it took me a long ass time to finish(life happening), I enjoyed this book. I never read books about fae well if you don’t count TMI/TID/TDA series by Cassandra Clare. I loved someone wrote a book about how evil fae can be & not just the good fae because like who doesn’t want evil fae! I liked everything that happened in the book & I hope there more in the series if not this book is awesome!

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Be forewarned: this book is odd and full of sex, and will mess with you. It's not a usual kind of novel, and definitely not contemporary romance as it's being advertised. All this aside, I think I loved this novel, but I'm left unsure because of just how strange it was. Ever see the movie "Dark City," or "Labyrinth"? Even "Pan's Labyrinth"? A bit like that. 

This book falls more under the umbrella of "Magical Realism" than contemporary romance, in my opinion. The fascinating world of the goblins is explored, and boy does it put you on edge the whole way through! The author has an incredible talent for drawing you into the story, all while making you feel simultaneously attracted and repulsed by what you read.

One of the biggest complaints I've seen in reviews has been that the romance(s) felt forces, and the sex was terrible. I think that was the point, and if so, then I really, really appreciate it. It was so different from what I'm used to reading! The relationships are toxic and odd,  so... human. These four people are linked by blood, love, or by lust, and it ties them together in such a way that their lives depend on each other. It's surreal and unusual. All in all, don't come into this expecting a meet cute and romance, prepare to feel uncomfortable as heck.

The atmosphere is so macabre. I loved feeling dragged into this world, and the idea of goblins in the forest, stealing your iPhones, felt like a refreshing update on a tale as old as time. The challenges Livy faces at the end completely encompass the adventure of a fairy tale hero, and I love that the love of her sister brings her through.

So long as you're willing to read a book that will leave you feeling icky and uncertain, then you should give this book a try. Do not go into it looking for romance: get ready for the disgusting side of magic, and especially, for the Goblins.

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As someone who lives in the area of where Goblins of Bellwater takes place, I got a big kick out of the description of the environment, jobs, and hobbies of the main characters. It was hilarious to see all the clichés. A Barista, a Chainsaw Artist, and a Forest Ranger? I mean, how much more PNW can you get? It very much does throw the reader into the Puget Sound culture. That made the book worth reading for me. However, the actual story and its characters felt lacking. I wasn't able to connect with either and ultimately did not finish the book. In the future, I'd like to give it another shot and re-read it. Until then, I'll make sure to stop and think of the goblins the next time I'm out on a walk in the woods.

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I'm not gonna lie-- my decision to request this book was based on the cover.
I mean, I read the description and it sounded interesting and then I read Goblin Market and was super compelled and disturbed.
But like, that cover is so strange and appealing I wanted to read it.

It was refreshing to read a more new adult genre.
I think the paranormal aspects mixed with the contemporary setting was well done.
The concept of the novel itself is so strong.

However, I felt that there were too many lacking elements to give it a higher rating, despite how entertaining I found the book to be.
The plot felt sort of awkward to me because the characters were pretty helpless most of the time.
I wanted to like them, but they just sort of went along with whatever was happening with little resistance and it was super frustrating, but not in a good way.
The character development and relationships were pretty predictable too.

Overall, this is a fun read if you're looking for a quick paranormal romance book about creepy goblins and just random people that somehow get sucked into the plot.
Give it a try! Why not :D

Comparable Titles:
UnEnchanted
Vassa in the Night
Talon

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That was what she hated most about this spell, sometimes. The goblins had taken her love of the forest and tainted it, bound it up with their magic.


Goblins starts off so strong; the goblins right from the beginning are reminiscent of actual folklore, being creepy, horrible little critters. They’re greedy, grotesque, carnal, and violent. Reading their treatment of Skye is downright painful, as every move they make is laced with cruelty. Unfortunately, though, the book goes downhill fairly quickly beyond that point, and by the end, I think I was just ready for it to be over as quickly as possible.

→ what i liked ←

“That’s why the locals called them weeds.” Livy sounded glum. “They actually are an invasive species.”

This book is so incredibly atmospheric. The settings are described so beautifully that you find yourself feeling as though you actually are in a damp, dark forest at night, surrounded by mushrooms and critters. I’ve never even visited the PNW, yet even the daytime scenes had me feeling as though I could blink and find myself transported into a beautiful, wet, misty land of greenery and coziness. Not to mention, the descriptions of the goblins themselves are so creepy and perturbing!

Mental illness is handled beautifully in this book; Skye’s silence is mistaken for a deep depression, and her sister is so loving and concerned. The Sylvain boys, despite hardly knowing Skye before the events of the story, are nothing but understanding and caring – especially Grady, which leads me to my next point.

This story has hardcore insta-lust, and I would say, even insta-love, but it’s actually for a reason. The curse placed upon Skye has made it so whomever she chooses as her mate must want her back, so you’re never left thinking, “How do two grown adults fall for each other so quickly?” The two of them even frequently consider the aspect that it’s abnormal for them to be so attached. Oh, and did I mention that the men are younger than the woman in both ‘ships? Yeah, that happens, and I never see that, so I couldn’t help but love it.

→ what i didn’t like ←

“You sure? You want me here?” “Want you,” she whispered. The way she said it, gazing at him, choosing those words to echo – an erotic thrill shivered through him.

The writing is quick and easy, but things are just too convenient and predictable, especially towards the end of the book. There is one small twist, and while it’s a fun one, I definitely didn’t find it even remotely surprising (you kind of guess it right at the beginning). Speaking of odd writing, there are a lot of mentions to sex, and most of them feel unnatural and a little bit forced. The discussions and scenes don’t often feel natural to the story. (Speaking of the sex, if you’re turned off by the fact that many reviewers are calling this book erotica, I wouldn’t be too concerned – everything is only implied or done in a “fade to black” style.)

Mostly, the ending was just such a disappointment; while the rest of the book hadn’t been remarkable, I’d have given it 4 stars for fun’s sake, but the ending is so rushed and predictable that it immediately lowered my rating to 3. I felt like there was this obvious desperation to tie up all of the loose ends, while so much of the book had been spent on descriptions of unimportant aspects, such as Grady’s cooking, or Kit’s frustrations over how nobody believed in the goblins’ existence.

→ final thoughts ←

All in all, The Goblins of Bellwater is a quick, fun read, and given the fact that you can nab an ebook of it on the Kindle store for $3 or less right now, if you’re interested in a new adult romance with fantasy and lore thrown in, I’d tell you to go for it. That said, I wouldn’t expect anything overly intense or captivating.

CONTENT WARNINGS: trauma, physical assault, mentions of sexual assault, PTSD, depression.

All quotes are taken from an unfinished review copy and may differ from the final release. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

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At the beginning I felt that the book was for a young audienc, but then it switches and it was a bit shocking in it flip so that it becomes for a more mature audience. I don’t believe young adults will stick wi5 it long enough to get to the “juicy parts.” I did not really want to finish it.

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I thought the book was well written. The characters are well done out.

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I received this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story of four people and their battle to stop a group of malevolent goblins.
What I like most about this story was the eerie scene descriptions and the history of the goblins. What I didn't like was the romance between the characters. It wasn't believable and some of the sex scenes were distasteful for me. I wish the storyline would have followed the goblins, as I found them more interesting than the protagonists.
My advice is to skip through the relationship between the characters and enjoy the world building.

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I really liked the concept - I love dark fantasies, and this was very reminiscent of Holly Black’s Ironsides trilogy (as well as her newer ‘Cruel Prince’. This was a really promising concept, but the whole Skye - Grady relationship did kind of weird me out. Skye became so passive - and I get that she kissed Grady & cursed him - but she barely spoke or interacted with him - their relationship was not healthy at all - & it actually kind of grossed me out. The line between consensual and nonconsensual was so blurred - and it made for an uncomfortable read. The book (kind of) tried to explore that - and it did not do the concept justice - and kind of felt icky. Aside from that - I really liked the goblin world and how they were at odds with the other fey - but I felt like too much time was spent on the humans and their relationships - and not enough was spent on world building. Finally - the other fey coming to save the Day was rather convenient and happened too quickly, with not enough context - to feel natural. Not my favourite read - but I hope the author does explore the fey a bit more in a future book. I would love more history!

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Well, where to start?
I am having a hard time here with this.
I'll be honest and say that I nearly gave up a few times as the first 50% was a bit slow for me. Then I started with the over analysing. Was it me? Am I way out the target audience? Was it my mood? I hate it when I do that.....
This will probably be short. Maybe it's best if I list the things I liked and didn't....
What I liked:
The cover (artwork is superb)
The unique premise (goblins are so under used!)
The creepy evil goblins! (they were naughty!)
The romance (although a bit insta-love)
The fae folk!
What irked me:
I was expecting more fantasy (my expectation may have ruined it for me!)
I didn't feel I connected with the characters (in fact sometimes I was shaking my head at them!)
I found it extremely slow until it comes together at around 50% (glad I didn't give up though, I hate to DNF a book!)

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Sisters Skye and Livy live on the edge of the woods. Throughout her youth, Skye has heard, smelled, and seen weird things in the woods, calling to her. Finally, she gives into the temptation and follows. Meanwhile, Livy starts getting to know Kit, the local mechanic who knows more about the mystery of the forest than he is letting on.

The Goblins of Bellwater is a retelling of Christina Rossetti's poem, "Goblin Market." The Goblins of Bellwater takes on the overall storyline of the poem, in all of its eerily sensual glory. The author digs deeper into the story than even Rossetti did and subsequently added explanations for the goblins' existences and desires; a double romance between the sisters and two cousins; and a satisfyingly conclusive ending. The story was compelling, creative, and sensual. The imagery was stunning in the contrasts of the grotesque and the beautiful.

I really enjoyed this intriguing story. Despite my prior knowledge of the poem, the story kept me guessing. I loved the imagery the author created, perhaps most of all. I would love to see some of the scenes depicted in art. I recommend this book to adult fans of romantic fantasy.

I received a complementary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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The Nitty-Gritty:
This book was enchanting from the first page. The goblins are immediately sinister and dangerous. The storytelling is vivid. The setting is dazzling. The characters are compelling. If you couldn't already tell, I loved it.

This is a fairly short read (less than 300 pages), and it's a fast-paced story as well. I finished reading it on Halloween, and, I have to say, it was exactly the type of story that I love for Halloween. Dangerous, supernatural, dark, sinister, but not actually scary. I'm not a big horror fan. This checked all my boxes. The only thing that kept it from a full 5 stars was the sheer amount of sex (it wasn't graphic, or anything, there was just a lot of it. And I get why - it was just a bit too much for me).

The Verdict:
I whole-heartedly recommend The Goblins of Bellwater - especially while you're still in an autumn mood!

Review posted on wreckedmyeyesreading.wordpress.com on November 2, 2017

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This book was truly magical. Not just a beautiful cover it was a beautiful story. So well written I couldn't put it down. I loved everything about it and really enjoyed the characters and how they changed throughout the book.

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I love Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” and whenever I see a retelling that reflects the original poem and its themes of sisterhood and female empowerment, I want to read it right away. So of course, when I came across The Goblins of Bellwater being a new adult, modern-day retelling of "Goblin Market," I knew I had to read it. And you guys, this book did not disappoint. 

The Goblins of Bellwater has the perfect amount of romance and fantastical elements, with a innovative contemporary storyline that parallels Rossetti's poem. I love that the author, Molly Ringle, does not romanticize the goblins. Instead, she provides them a heartbreaking backstory, but they are still ruthless creatures with greedy and uncaring intentions. 

In The Goblins of Bellwater, the four main characters all have their own well-developed personalities. Each of them are ingrained with aspirations, but these dreams are halted by goblin mayhem. I don't want to give too much away in regards to the characters and plot, but the goblins are only appeased when they are given gold or other valuable treasures. If this routine of appeasement is stopped then the goblins retaliate in the most bizarre and evil ways. Temptation is tested in this story, but I love that sisterhood and love are the empowering forces that drive these characters to go against the goblins. 

Overall, I highly recommend everyone to get tangled in this goblin-infested but love-conquers-all book. The overall story is well paced, I loved the characters, and there is a good mix of sensual romance. If you like your contemporary novels meshed with a fantasy twist, The Goblins of Bellwater is the right book for you.

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The Goblins of Bellwater was inspired by the poem: Goblin Market. I've read the poem before and liked it, which is why I was super excited to read this retelling.

While The Goblins of Bellwater contains goblins and fruit (like the poem!) there's also something called a "Goblin liaison" in the book. The goblin liaison is Kit and his job is to basically steal gold for the goblins. In return, they give him the ability to steal and not get caught. He makes it a point to invoke protection for his cousin, Grady, when he comes, but that doesn't really help. You see, the goblins have enchanted Skye, the sister of the girl who will eventually be Kit's love interest and well, one thing leads to another.

This is supposed to be a romance, which is not a genre I read often, but I found this book to be really interesting. It's obviously not for kids or teenagers (though I can't really say how explicit the romance gets because I skimmed (basically skipped) those sections), but I thought that the world building was very well-done and I'm always up for a story involving plots and loopholes and trying to outsmart crafty creatures.

Kit, Lib, Skye and Grady were all well-developed and I really liked reading their story. I thought the romance developed naturally and made sense within the plot.

If you're into fantasy, and especially if you're a fan of romance, then you'll probably enjoy this book.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

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** I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own**


So, this time I'm sharing just part of the book description from Goodreads - by all means pop on over and check it out if you want to see more =)


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.







Not to sound like a broken record but, this cover! I feel like there are so many amazing covers this year! I might have to do a blog post in January of my favourite covers of 2017 (assuming I can narrow it down!)


This is a new adult paranormal romance - which in this case means there is sex and a lot of it! In fact, sometimes it felt like the goblin curse was there largely so the characters would get sexy. This was a bit of a surprised to me, since I was expecting YA (totally my fault - I have no idea what I even based this assumption on!)

The world/mythology building was pretty brief, but enough to satisfy me - and I really liked this imagining of goblins and other fae, which was a bit different from others I've read lately. There is also a great 'quest' aspect to the story, which felt was really well done.

Overall an entertaining read, I gave this one three stars.

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