The Goblins of Bellwater
Author: Molly Ringle
Published: October 1st, 2017
Book length: 288 Pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Fantasy
Buy the Book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Kobo,
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥
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.
This cover is beautiful! The combination of colors shows the beauty of nature and the forest where the Goblins live. I won this book as a part of a twitter giveaway. I have been excited to finally get to it. There are mixed reviews on Goodreads, but that is with almost anything really.
This is a wonderful novel about Washington forests that hold more than ordinary creatures. There are many fae that inhabit these woods, but Goblins are by far the worst. Although capable of doing terrible things, they only find the need to do so when their need for gold is not met. Kit, their liaison, is the sole person responsible for fulfilling their desires.
Kit goes into the forest, many times a month, to give the gold he has bought or stolen to Redring, the goblin leader. Lately, he has not been providing enough gold to appease her. Without enough, the promise of more to come is not enough. They seek out something else, a local artist and barista, Skye. One who has always been drawn to the forest, but each time managed to avoid their trap. This time, she is not so lucky. Kit is allowed one person to claim protection for each year, Grady his cousin is his choice. His cousin has a lot more in store for him than just visiting a new city.
Despite the horrific events, romance blossoms and each person must find their way around how to make their relationship work. The lengths to which each will go to protect one another are put to the test.
“Everyone knew you shouldn’t go biting into fruit offered to you by magical creatures in the woods, even if you’d thought until just five minutes ago that such stories were, you know, only stories.”
I really enjoyed each character in this story. Although Kit and Livy were portrayed as being in their twenties, I felt they were more mature than that. To me, they seemed more likely in their thirties. They spoke as if they have lived and experienced much more than many people in their mid-twenties. Although I may be mature for my age of 27, I have been since I was 17, not many people my age speak of always having lived the “bachelor life” at 24.
The “instant-lust” or “instant-love” between Grady and Skye is something that I am not typically fond of, but it has its place here. One thing sticks out to me about both relationships though, the women are older than their male partners. This is rarely depicted in stories today and refreshing to see.
The way mental illness was depicted here was done very well. The fact the Skye was thought to be in a deep depression fit her symptoms well. I will say this…I am concerned that Livy did not contact her mother or a professional. She was really worried about her sister and asking the help of this man who she had seemingly just begun to get to know…but would not tell her mom or any professional about what was occurring. As an older sister, I would have first reached out to my family, no matter how much they helped in the past. If they could not help, I would have ensured I got my sister to see a professional. Though, Skye could not talk or even write about what she experienced…so I guess it would not have made any difference in this instance. I simply found it strange that Livy would not explore these avenues of aid.
The world building was wonderfully done in this tale. I could vividly imagine the treetop goblin dwellings, the creepy goblins, the tiny mushroom paths, even smell the vanilla cookies and coffee. A modern world, with something magical hiding beneath the forest trees. Removing a simple veil shows an entire realm hidden within our own that hides creatures both mystically beautiful as well as terrifying. The entire story is very well written.
The book was paced really well. I did not find myself bored at any time, though the beginning was slow. I hated putting it down, I finished it in a day. I found it pulling me in more with each page turn. I did find that near the end, the book became predictable and the final turn of events seemed anti-climatic. Almost as if it was rushed to ties loose ends up quickly. I was hoping for so much more.
Though I have not read many books depicting goblins, I enjoyed this one. Goblins are seen as ugly, cruel creatures and Ringle does a wonderful job bringing a unique spin on these classic fae creatures. I was happy to find this a standalone novel. It seems that today they have become harder to come across.
Have you read this novel? Does it sound like something you would enjoy? Let me know what you think below.