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oxlabyrinthxo's review against another edition
3.0
I stumbled across this book while I was hunting for more fae books after reading Hidden Huntress by Danielle L. Jensen and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Since I have a huge nerd-on for Labyrinth (1986) and subsequently anything along that line, I had to check this book out.
It's a okay book, the plot was a little rushed and confusing at times. The characters could have used a little refining, but overall it was a quick and enjoyable read. The book starts out with Greta already in Mylena and has been for a while, establishing herself as a bounty hunter. All the while concealing her humanity and posing as a sprite. She has been taken in and claimed by a high elf like creature who trains her and becomes a father-figure to her in this world that is not her own. We also meet the Goblin King, Isaac who has dream invading abilities, an ability to get under Greta's skin, and for some reason you cannot say his name because that gives him the ability to invade your dreams???
The fae(ish) creatures of this book are pretty standard, though they're kind of like weres in the sense that during eclipses they lose their ability to reason similar to a werewolf during the full moon. And of course that's a big plot point in the book. Anyway Greta's adoptive father gets murdered, leading her to seek revenge with a half-baked, ill-conceived plan and an overestimate of her abilities. She meets a group of human boys living in the woods who have escaped from an evil wizard who seems more like an afterthought than an actual nefarious villain. The books gave me serious Peter Pan feels in the sense they reminded me of the Lost Boys, which there was a joke about later in the book that had me smiling!
These boys have some hairbrained scheme to free the other human slaves working for the big baddie, which they rope Greta into. She quickly forms a bond and has a sense of camaraderie with the boys, all the while there's a bounty on her head because it was revealed to the world that she's human, and Isaac is looking for her because he's in love with her. There's this big deus ex machina ending and basically everyone goes home happy. Don't get me wrong I really did enjoy this book, I just feel with a little more work the plot could have been expanded upon and made this a better read. I'm still going to read the sequel(s) and see where this goes.
It's a okay book, the plot was a little rushed and confusing at times. The characters could have used a little refining, but overall it was a quick and enjoyable read. The book starts out with Greta already in Mylena and has been for a while, establishing herself as a bounty hunter. All the while concealing her humanity and posing as a sprite. She has been taken in and claimed by a high elf like creature who trains her and becomes a father-figure to her in this world that is not her own. We also meet the Goblin King, Isaac who has dream invading abilities, an ability to get under Greta's skin, and for some reason you cannot say his name because that gives him the ability to invade your dreams???
The fae(ish) creatures of this book are pretty standard, though they're kind of like weres in the sense that during eclipses they lose their ability to reason similar to a werewolf during the full moon. And of course that's a big plot point in the book. Anyway Greta's adoptive father gets murdered, leading her to seek revenge with a half-baked, ill-conceived plan and an overestimate of her abilities. She meets a group of human boys living in the woods who have escaped from an evil wizard who seems more like an afterthought than an actual nefarious villain. The books gave me serious Peter Pan feels in the sense they reminded me of the Lost Boys, which there was a joke about later in the book that had me smiling!
These boys have some hairbrained scheme to free the other human slaves working for the big baddie, which they rope Greta into. She quickly forms a bond and has a sense of camaraderie with the boys, all the while there's a bounty on her head because it was revealed to the world that she's human, and Isaac is looking for her because he's in love with her. There's this big deus ex machina ending and basically everyone goes home happy. Don't get me wrong I really did enjoy this book, I just feel with a little more work the plot could have been expanded upon and made this a better read. I'm still going to read the sequel(s) and see where this goes.
laureenreads's review
4.0
Greta and the Goblin King is the debut novel by Chloe Jacobs, and the first in the Mylena series. This is the story of Greta, a human girl who fell through a portal into Mylea. In this world full of monsters, Greta finds that she is considered evil. She hides her humanity and finds work as a bounty hunter.
Greta was an interesting character. She was lovely, and fierce, and very human. She had her doubts about herself and the people around her but she did what she needed to do to survive. On the other hand, she used a lot of slang and at first I was confused because the slang she uses is modern (Craptastic, and freaking, for example). It isn't until later that we learn that she came through the portal during modern times and was thrown into this fantasy world where people are relying on fire for cooking and warmth and using bows and swords as weapons. I would have loved to read about the culture shock and how much she had to adjust in order to survive in this strange world, but that would have been a different book.
I liked the relationship between Isaac, the Goblin King, and Greta. He obviously cared about her from the very start and while Greta kept rejecting him it seemed to come more from a place of hiding her identity than a lack of attraction. In fact in some of their shared dreams it was made very apparent that she wanted to kiss him. The sexual tension between the two is just that--tense and highly erotic, but never trashy. I found myself holding my breath in a few places because of it.
On the other hand, the relationship between Wyatt and Greta is... Well. Carly Rae Jepson could probably sum this one up, "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but I think I love you so who was that other guy?" Yeah, that sums it up. if you know me, you'll know that I prefer the slow and steady fall to the first sight infatuation. it's not that this is a bad character, the opposite really, it's that the relationship feels like it was forced just do there would be a love triangle. And really, like Greta pointed out, she's the first female Wyatt has seen in years so can we really trust his feelings for her?
So while I've enjoyed this book, I found that the language was off putting. So much slang was used and it just disturbed me. Greta shifted from this really awesome, kick-ass character into a mothering Wendy type when she was surrounded by children and I just can't see her adapting like that quite so fast. And the relationship between Wyatt and Greta was lackluster. But... It was an interesting concept, and had a great relationship between Greta and Isaac. I'd love to read the next in the series, and I think Chloe Jacobs is definitely a writer to watch.
Greta was an interesting character. She was lovely, and fierce, and very human. She had her doubts about herself and the people around her but she did what she needed to do to survive. On the other hand, she used a lot of slang and at first I was confused because the slang she uses is modern (Craptastic, and freaking, for example). It isn't until later that we learn that she came through the portal during modern times and was thrown into this fantasy world where people are relying on fire for cooking and warmth and using bows and swords as weapons. I would have loved to read about the culture shock and how much she had to adjust in order to survive in this strange world, but that would have been a different book.
I liked the relationship between Isaac, the Goblin King, and Greta. He obviously cared about her from the very start and while Greta kept rejecting him it seemed to come more from a place of hiding her identity than a lack of attraction. In fact in some of their shared dreams it was made very apparent that she wanted to kiss him. The sexual tension between the two is just that--tense and highly erotic, but never trashy. I found myself holding my breath in a few places because of it.
On the other hand, the relationship between Wyatt and Greta is... Well. Carly Rae Jepson could probably sum this one up, "Hey I just met you, and this is crazy, but I think I love you so who was that other guy?" Yeah, that sums it up. if you know me, you'll know that I prefer the slow and steady fall to the first sight infatuation. it's not that this is a bad character, the opposite really, it's that the relationship feels like it was forced just do there would be a love triangle. And really, like Greta pointed out, she's the first female Wyatt has seen in years so can we really trust his feelings for her?
So while I've enjoyed this book, I found that the language was off putting. So much slang was used and it just disturbed me. Greta shifted from this really awesome, kick-ass character into a mothering Wendy type when she was surrounded by children and I just can't see her adapting like that quite so fast. And the relationship between Wyatt and Greta was lackluster. But... It was an interesting concept, and had a great relationship between Greta and Isaac. I'd love to read the next in the series, and I think Chloe Jacobs is definitely a writer to watch.
magencorrie's review
4.0
I'm so glad I finally picked up Greta and the Goblin King!
It was much better than I expected to be and took me into a world so different than any other
fantasy books I have read lately. Chloe Jacobs created a unique world filled with sexy goblins, creepy gnomes and all kinds of things that go bump in the night. I enjoyed Greta and Isaac. I loved the world I got sucked into!
Can't wait for the next book!
Magen Corrie
It was much better than I expected to be and took me into a world so different than any other
fantasy books I have read lately. Chloe Jacobs created a unique world filled with sexy goblins, creepy gnomes and all kinds of things that go bump in the night. I enjoyed Greta and Isaac. I loved the world I got sucked into!
Can't wait for the next book!
Magen Corrie
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
3.0
I had never heard about this book before I received it in a personal bookbox designed for me. I really love the cover and the blurb on the back was totally intriguing, so I decided to pick it up and give it a shot.
I have to admit that during the first few pages I was actually wondering if this was the second part in a series, but after a quick search I discovered it wasn't. So, I decided to just go with the flow and enjoy the beautifully written scenes where action and emotions were constantly keeping me on the tip of my toes. This continued for the entire book. It's very well written, has a nice pace where it's never getting boring or slow, and has interesting scenes, encounters and twists that kept me glued to the pages.
But I still have the feeling that something was missing and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's because the information I felt was missing in the beginning was never really given. There were hardly any flashbacks and therefore I had to take a lot of things for granted, because I never got to read and experience them for myself. For example, Greta keeps on talking about the boy she met before Isaac became the Goblin King, but we never truly see or meet him.
Therefore I never felt fully connected to the characters and their journey. There were quite a few tear jerking moments, but because I felt a little distanced from the story I couldn't bring myself to actually cry over them.
It was however a very enjoyable read. It was well written, it was captivating and I enjoyed each and every second of it. Everything that was there was absolutely amazing, but I can't help missing a few things here and there that could have made the story perfect for me.
I have to admit that during the first few pages I was actually wondering if this was the second part in a series, but after a quick search I discovered it wasn't. So, I decided to just go with the flow and enjoy the beautifully written scenes where action and emotions were constantly keeping me on the tip of my toes. This continued for the entire book. It's very well written, has a nice pace where it's never getting boring or slow, and has interesting scenes, encounters and twists that kept me glued to the pages.
But I still have the feeling that something was missing and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's because the information I felt was missing in the beginning was never really given. There were hardly any flashbacks and therefore I had to take a lot of things for granted, because I never got to read and experience them for myself. For example, Greta keeps on talking about the boy she met before Isaac became the Goblin King, but we never truly see or meet him.
Therefore I never felt fully connected to the characters and their journey. There were quite a few tear jerking moments, but because I felt a little distanced from the story I couldn't bring myself to actually cry over them.
It was however a very enjoyable read. It was well written, it was captivating and I enjoyed each and every second of it. Everything that was there was absolutely amazing, but I can't help missing a few things here and there that could have made the story perfect for me.
kokidelavega's review against another edition
2.0
Story plot and characters are only deserving on 1 Star, but I gave the whole book 2 Stars because the action was decent.
The low rating is mostly due to the 'romance' portion of the book. If you read this book hoping for Jareth, you'll be disappointed. Mostly because I felt that the goblin king of this book wasn't a well developed character and the romance between him and the girl was shallow at best (mostly just physical attraction since even after reading the entire book, I had no sense of his personality).
And overall, the story felt discombobulated since the protagonist's goal seemed to change a lot. Plus the world building was off. The ideas were interesting, but there were little things like the fairies sounded more like elves in their physical description, how everyone speaks English is never explained, and the fact that mystical beings from a WoW/DnD like world have Bible names (and even that wasn't consistent).
Slight SPOILERS below:
Wyatt, poor boy, who gets thrown in for the now obligatory love triangle, actually had more of a personality than Isaac, so I don't understand why she chose the goblin king in the end.
The low rating is mostly due to the 'romance' portion of the book. If you read this book hoping for Jareth, you'll be disappointed. Mostly because I felt that the goblin king of this book wasn't a well developed character and the romance between him and the girl was shallow at best (mostly just physical attraction since even after reading the entire book, I had no sense of his personality).
And overall, the story felt discombobulated since the protagonist's goal seemed to change a lot. Plus the world building was off. The ideas were interesting, but there were little things like the fairies sounded more like elves in their physical description, how everyone speaks English is never explained, and the fact that mystical beings from a WoW/DnD like world have Bible names (and even that wasn't consistent).
Slight SPOILERS below:
Wyatt, poor boy, who gets thrown in for the now obligatory love triangle, actually had more of a personality than Isaac, so I don't understand why she chose the goblin king in the end.
mellhay's review
4.0
Oh, wonderful action packed fairy/fantasy read. They are not all the happy creatures you would think, and Greta's stuck in the middle of a world that blames humans for their curse. Action and a touch of love in this Young Adult read, that I loved. Looking forward to more with Greta, Isaac, and the Lost Boys.
****FULL REVIEW****
Seventeen year old Greta has been stranded in Mylena for four years making her living as a bounty hunter as her patron taught her, rescuing missing goblin children by hunting the creatures lost to their raw creature pulls. In rescuing the children, she remembers how she got here, saving her little brother from the fate of this world. Greta has to hide she's human as humans bring the cry for blood in Mylena. The creatures here blame humans for the endless winter and the curse upon them by turning the two moons against them. Isaac, the new young goblin king, has had his eye on Greta since they meet a fortnight ago. There is an attraction between the two, and it grows from Isaac's intruding and spying in Greta's dreams. He is interested in her and tricked her into letting him invade her dreams. Wanting to know more of her he keeps visiting her on the occasional night asking her to share her secrets, promising to be lenient with her if she tells. Greta comes home with her own aching wounds to find the wood sprite who took her in four years earlier to Luke bleeding from an obvious battle in their home. Lucius's dying words are a warning that He knows the key and sounds as trouble is stirring for humans. Could the one Greta is fighting her feelings for and now the Goblin King be the one she can trust with her secret and life? Could he, would he, help her - a human - and all human kind? Being the Goblin king he is looking out for the safety of his people, and in his forest. Greta goes out on her own with Isaac fresh in her dreams, asking to help her, she finds others like her. Her own band of Lost Boys. With the eclipse seven days away the beasts inside are freeing and the people all change to loss control. Greta may not be safe for them to be around with the turning hunters after her and the dangerous man trying to get to the human world.
There is a connection between the guarded Greta and flirty goblin king Isaac. You hope they could be together but know he, in his position which he didn't want when they first meet, and she, being the hated human thought to be a sprite, can't work out. But still hope they could come together.
Isaac is the next hot thing around! So what he's a goblin. To have this man in your dreams, and in the flesh...dreamy... His human form and what's inside will have girls willing to have him in control of their souls and happiness. He has a flirty bad boy feel, BUT there is more to him and he cares deeply. I do love the way he gets under Greta's skin, good and bad, or is that in her dreams... I do look forward to her dreams where he's present. There is a fire between these two, challenging each other.
Then we meet Wyatt and his band of Lost Boys. Wyatt is different from Isaac and I instantly melted for his kindness. Where Isaac's sure of himself and muscled, Wyatt is kind and smart and quick thinking with this world, and good to Greta. And he's human. Something Greta thought she'd never see again. Wyatt brings new pieces of information to us, pieces Great wants and no one else in Mylena will share.
This story was full of action in a world being turned up on it's nose with the curse of the eclipse. There is trouble at every turn, and it's compounded with hunters now hunting Greta. There is a growing thread we learn of a terrible secret up in the mountains. And Greta is determined to learn more about it, and save who she can once she finds the truth. Wyatt helps Greta greatly, but Isaac is always there on her tail. This is also about a young girl having lost so much and learning to become what she needs to be in a strange dangerous world, now put more on the defensive when the world learns what she really is. Greta has to learn to trust someone, but who will that be? Greta also has to make a choice, one she never thought she would have to.
Wonderful action packed fairy/fantasy read. They are not all the happy creatures you would think, and Greta's stuck in the middle of a world that blames humans for their curse, while the curse is changing them sending them into a blood fury for a night. Action and a touch of love in this Young Adult read that I loved. This was a great tale to keep me flipping, wanting more of Isaac, Wyatt, and even little Jacob along with others in the Lost Boys. Not only is there a touch of romance but action and danger to keep me wanting more.
I do look forward to future stories with Greta and all the others.
****FULL REVIEW****
Seventeen year old Greta has been stranded in Mylena for four years making her living as a bounty hunter as her patron taught her, rescuing missing goblin children by hunting the creatures lost to their raw creature pulls. In rescuing the children, she remembers how she got here, saving her little brother from the fate of this world. Greta has to hide she's human as humans bring the cry for blood in Mylena. The creatures here blame humans for the endless winter and the curse upon them by turning the two moons against them. Isaac, the new young goblin king, has had his eye on Greta since they meet a fortnight ago. There is an attraction between the two, and it grows from Isaac's intruding and spying in Greta's dreams. He is interested in her and tricked her into letting him invade her dreams. Wanting to know more of her he keeps visiting her on the occasional night asking her to share her secrets, promising to be lenient with her if she tells. Greta comes home with her own aching wounds to find the wood sprite who took her in four years earlier to Luke bleeding from an obvious battle in their home. Lucius's dying words are a warning that He knows the key and sounds as trouble is stirring for humans. Could the one Greta is fighting her feelings for and now the Goblin King be the one she can trust with her secret and life? Could he, would he, help her - a human - and all human kind? Being the Goblin king he is looking out for the safety of his people, and in his forest. Greta goes out on her own with Isaac fresh in her dreams, asking to help her, she finds others like her. Her own band of Lost Boys. With the eclipse seven days away the beasts inside are freeing and the people all change to loss control. Greta may not be safe for them to be around with the turning hunters after her and the dangerous man trying to get to the human world.
There is a connection between the guarded Greta and flirty goblin king Isaac. You hope they could be together but know he, in his position which he didn't want when they first meet, and she, being the hated human thought to be a sprite, can't work out. But still hope they could come together.
Isaac is the next hot thing around! So what he's a goblin. To have this man in your dreams, and in the flesh...dreamy... His human form and what's inside will have girls willing to have him in control of their souls and happiness. He has a flirty bad boy feel, BUT there is more to him and he cares deeply. I do love the way he gets under Greta's skin, good and bad, or is that in her dreams... I do look forward to her dreams where he's present. There is a fire between these two, challenging each other.
Then we meet Wyatt and his band of Lost Boys. Wyatt is different from Isaac and I instantly melted for his kindness. Where Isaac's sure of himself and muscled, Wyatt is kind and smart and quick thinking with this world, and good to Greta. And he's human. Something Greta thought she'd never see again. Wyatt brings new pieces of information to us, pieces Great wants and no one else in Mylena will share.
This story was full of action in a world being turned up on it's nose with the curse of the eclipse. There is trouble at every turn, and it's compounded with hunters now hunting Greta. There is a growing thread we learn of a terrible secret up in the mountains. And Greta is determined to learn more about it, and save who she can once she finds the truth. Wyatt helps Greta greatly, but Isaac is always there on her tail. This is also about a young girl having lost so much and learning to become what she needs to be in a strange dangerous world, now put more on the defensive when the world learns what she really is. Greta has to learn to trust someone, but who will that be? Greta also has to make a choice, one she never thought she would have to.
Wonderful action packed fairy/fantasy read. They are not all the happy creatures you would think, and Greta's stuck in the middle of a world that blames humans for their curse, while the curse is changing them sending them into a blood fury for a night. Action and a touch of love in this Young Adult read that I loved. This was a great tale to keep me flipping, wanting more of Isaac, Wyatt, and even little Jacob along with others in the Lost Boys. Not only is there a touch of romance but action and danger to keep me wanting more.
I do look forward to future stories with Greta and all the others.
katelin00's review
4.0
Originally posted to A Bookworm's Confessions
I really enjoyed this book. The original cover wasn't that great but I do like the new one.
This book is full of action, adventure, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. I found the world building quite interesting. Mylena is full of goblins, faeries, sprites, wraiths, gnomes, and many other fairy tale creatures. There are no humans. Humans are a hated race and killed instantly. Greta, a human, was found by a Sprite, Luke. He trained her to become a great bounty-hunter and taught her how to survive.
Greta isn't a perfect heroine with perfect abilities. She is capable of making mistakes while she's hunting for the Lost. The Lost are any creature who sub-comes to the pull of the Moons. They become rabid creatures who live to kill. We get a clear example of this right at the beginning. She is a human through and through. She has fears and flaws just like any teenage girl. Of course, her fears are legitimate as she always has to be on guard lest she be exposed.
There is a little bit of romance and the smallish love triangle. There's also a little bit of insta-love but it wasn't too much for me. I despise insta-love so there were points where I was irritated but it wasn't too bad. I liked how she cared for the boys she found, especially the youngest. She is compassionate and willing to do what she could to help them survive the cold, harsh world of Mylena.
The ending felt a little rushed but it was definitely a dramatic one. It set up book 2, Greta and the Glass Kingdom, quite well without having a horrible cliffhanger. Overall it was a great book. There are flaws but not enough to bother me. I definitely recommend it, especially to fantasy lovers.
I really enjoyed this book. The original cover wasn't that great but I do like the new one.
This book is full of action, adventure, tragedy, mystery, and fantasy. I found the world building quite interesting. Mylena is full of goblins, faeries, sprites, wraiths, gnomes, and many other fairy tale creatures. There are no humans. Humans are a hated race and killed instantly. Greta, a human, was found by a Sprite, Luke. He trained her to become a great bounty-hunter and taught her how to survive.
Greta isn't a perfect heroine with perfect abilities. She is capable of making mistakes while she's hunting for the Lost. The Lost are any creature who sub-comes to the pull of the Moons. They become rabid creatures who live to kill. We get a clear example of this right at the beginning. She is a human through and through. She has fears and flaws just like any teenage girl. Of course, her fears are legitimate as she always has to be on guard lest she be exposed.
There is a little bit of romance and the smallish love triangle. There's also a little bit of insta-love but it wasn't too much for me. I despise insta-love so there were points where I was irritated but it wasn't too bad. I liked how she cared for the boys she found, especially the youngest. She is compassionate and willing to do what she could to help them survive the cold, harsh world of Mylena.
The ending felt a little rushed but it was definitely a dramatic one. It set up book 2, Greta and the Glass Kingdom, quite well without having a horrible cliffhanger. Overall it was a great book. There are flaws but not enough to bother me. I definitely recommend it, especially to fantasy lovers.
lynseyisreading's review
3.0
This was a buddy read with Janice.
So much promise...
Greta and the Goblin King follows the adventures of Greta, a 17-year old human who 4 years ago fell through a magical portal to Mylena, a world of goblins, Faeries, Giants and Witches. It's also a place where being human is a one-way ticket to an early grave, as they are blamed by the locals for, well, everything. Luckily for Greta, she was found early on by Luke, a Sprite and Bounty Hunter who became a father figure to her and taught her how to not only hide what she is, but how to fight, how to survive the harsh climate (it's constantly winter there) and how to be a Bounty Hunter, like himself.
When we meet Greta for the first time she's on a mission in her role as Bounty Hunter and I thought this was a really strong opening scene. She's a sword-wielding badass with a snarky attitude who seemed very likeable and I appreciated that she'd kept her human traits and vocabulary despite the dangers involved in doing so. Where this book fell apart for me, though, was the romance. It was pretty terrible, I'm afraid. Absolutely paper-thin characterisation of Isaac the Goblin King. And even though his name graces the title, don't think for a minute that stopped there from being a love triangle thrown in for good measure. And sadly, I preferred the second potential love interest over Isaac, which I don't think was supposed to happen.
I think perhaps the fundamental mistake and the reason I didn't connect well with the romance was that at the time we join Greta's story, she and Isaac have already known each other for two weeks. Now if only we'd been privy to that first meeting— which sounded rather good and flirtatious and would have told us much about Isaac's true nature and personality. Plus, it was only two weeks ago; it's not liked we'd have had to backtrack years! You could even just stick it on as a prologue— But no, instead we only hear about it in brief retrospect and so when he all of a sudden, out of absolutely nowhere to my eyes, starts talking about these great immense feelings they share, I was like "What now? Did I miss a something?" I just wasn't feeling it at all.
On the other hand, when we meet the second potential love interest we get a proper introduction, some nice life and death actions scenes together, some tender, quiet moments and a believable beginning to a relationship. So I found myself totally rooting for the underdog, which judging by the title, is not the author's intent.
Having said all of that, there were some really good aspects to this book; it's not all doom and gloom by any means. I thought the actual concept was good—a human surviving undercover in a world that detests humans— and Greta was a pretty decent kick-ass protagonist (although considering she was meant to be very skillful, the amount of times she needed saving somewhat belied that fact). Also, there were some nice secondary characters that were fleshed out quite well. The action scenes were really easy to visualise, the weird creatures sounded funky and the idea of the eclipse affecting everyone and turning them rabid was interesting and unnerving. So definitely not a total loss. Just such a shame about the romance angle, really.
I would possibly try this author again in the future because there's clearly a good imagination in play here, but I think I might have been a bit too underwhelmed with the characters to continue with this particular series.
3 Stars ★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
So much promise...
Greta and the Goblin King follows the adventures of Greta, a 17-year old human who 4 years ago fell through a magical portal to Mylena, a world of goblins, Faeries, Giants and Witches. It's also a place where being human is a one-way ticket to an early grave, as they are blamed by the locals for, well, everything. Luckily for Greta, she was found early on by Luke, a Sprite and Bounty Hunter who became a father figure to her and taught her how to not only hide what she is, but how to fight, how to survive the harsh climate (it's constantly winter there) and how to be a Bounty Hunter, like himself.
When we meet Greta for the first time she's on a mission in her role as Bounty Hunter and I thought this was a really strong opening scene. She's a sword-wielding badass with a snarky attitude who seemed very likeable and I appreciated that she'd kept her human traits and vocabulary despite the dangers involved in doing so. Where this book fell apart for me, though, was the romance. It was pretty terrible, I'm afraid. Absolutely paper-thin characterisation of Isaac the Goblin King. And even though his name graces the title, don't think for a minute that stopped there from being a love triangle thrown in for good measure. And sadly, I preferred the second potential love interest over Isaac, which I don't think was supposed to happen.
I think perhaps the fundamental mistake and the reason I didn't connect well with the romance was that at the time we join Greta's story, she and Isaac have already known each other for two weeks. Now if only we'd been privy to that first meeting— which sounded rather good and flirtatious and would have told us much about Isaac's true nature and personality. Plus, it was only two weeks ago; it's not liked we'd have had to backtrack years! You could even just stick it on as a prologue— But no, instead we only hear about it in brief retrospect and so when he all of a sudden, out of absolutely nowhere to my eyes, starts talking about these great immense feelings they share, I was like "What now? Did I miss a something?" I just wasn't feeling it at all.
On the other hand, when we meet the second potential love interest we get a proper introduction, some nice life and death actions scenes together, some tender, quiet moments and a believable beginning to a relationship. So I found myself totally rooting for the underdog, which judging by the title, is not the author's intent.
Having said all of that, there were some really good aspects to this book; it's not all doom and gloom by any means. I thought the actual concept was good—a human surviving undercover in a world that detests humans— and Greta was a pretty decent kick-ass protagonist (although considering she was meant to be very skillful, the amount of times she needed saving somewhat belied that fact). Also, there were some nice secondary characters that were fleshed out quite well. The action scenes were really easy to visualise, the weird creatures sounded funky and the idea of the eclipse affecting everyone and turning them rabid was interesting and unnerving. So definitely not a total loss. Just such a shame about the romance angle, really.
I would possibly try this author again in the future because there's clearly a good imagination in play here, but I think I might have been a bit too underwhelmed with the characters to continue with this particular series.
3 Stars ★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
alyram4's review
2.0
I didn't really like this one very much. I enjoyed the beginning and end portions, but the middle was all a blur. I enjoyed whenever Issac showed up, but it didn't help that Greta was always so defensive over everything. I just frankly didn't like her character much, and the other humans here weren't much better. Honestly, I don't even feel like reading the next book. This was sadly a bust for me.