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lunardragon's review
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
sstuermer93's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
annettebooksofhopeanddreams's review
4.0
Howard is one of my favorite authors ever. Her books are atmospheric, unique and original. That means that you don't always get the kind of ending you would want as a reader, but it's still always worth it. Although I'm not really familiar with the tale of the Goblin King and the Goblin Market I've been reading quite a few retellings based on the story and I was very curious what Howard was gonna do with the source material.
I have to admit that as a reader who absolutely can't picture things in her mind while reading (no pictures, not videos) this was a challenging book to read. There were a lot of lengthy descriptions of fantasy creatures, landscapes and characters. I have to admit that especially during those descriptions my mind had trouble to keep up. And yet Howard also managed to give the place a certain kind of feel. A kind of feel I did understand.
Because of all the creatures that I couldn't really picture I'm missing out on maybe the starring and most awesome part of the story. If you do see pictures or movies in your head you're gonna love this story probably more than I did, but I did enjoy the story too, mostly because it painted a pretty realistic picture of grieving and having to say goodbye to a loved one all of a sudden. And throughout the story we slowly see how that grief changes and morphs into something more bareable.
For quite a long time it's unclear what's exactly going on. The book does a great job when it comes to building up tension. At first the goblins are nothing but a fantasy, but slowly we discover that maybe this fantasy world is a little more real than we thought. And even then what we think to know about the world changes constantly until the last few chapters where we're given all the answers. Answers that make sense, that are meaningful and that change lives.
The ending might not be the kind of ending everyone can appreciate. I absolutely loved it. I mostly loved though how it keeps the door slightly open for future adventures.
I have to admit that as a reader who absolutely can't picture things in her mind while reading (no pictures, not videos) this was a challenging book to read. There were a lot of lengthy descriptions of fantasy creatures, landscapes and characters. I have to admit that especially during those descriptions my mind had trouble to keep up. And yet Howard also managed to give the place a certain kind of feel. A kind of feel I did understand.
Because of all the creatures that I couldn't really picture I'm missing out on maybe the starring and most awesome part of the story. If you do see pictures or movies in your head you're gonna love this story probably more than I did, but I did enjoy the story too, mostly because it painted a pretty realistic picture of grieving and having to say goodbye to a loved one all of a sudden. And throughout the story we slowly see how that grief changes and morphs into something more bareable.
For quite a long time it's unclear what's exactly going on. The book does a great job when it comes to building up tension. At first the goblins are nothing but a fantasy, but slowly we discover that maybe this fantasy world is a little more real than we thought. And even then what we think to know about the world changes constantly until the last few chapters where we're given all the answers. Answers that make sense, that are meaningful and that change lives.
The ending might not be the kind of ending everyone can appreciate. I absolutely loved it. I mostly loved though how it keeps the door slightly open for future adventures.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
1.0
1/5
I thought I would enjoy it but the plot ended up being slow and not my favorite
I thought I would enjoy it but the plot ended up being slow and not my favorite
karleighreads's review
2.0
I gave this one 2 stars because it was nothing special. I picked up based on the cover and was expecting something different than what I got. This is a Goblin Market retelling and it does make me want to pick up the original Goblin Market book. The thing I did like that we don’t see often in books is goblins. I enjoyed the portal aspect of this book because I love portal stories. But this was just not good. The reason behind Nix losing her family is kind of ridiculous
jesseonyoutube's review
3.0
a genre bending YA fantasy that lives up to its stunning cover. loved the neurodiverse characters, mech-prosthetic components, all the fairy tale vibes/mythological creatures, and the delicious scenes of horror.
it’s tender, immersive, and utterly bingeable. read it in one sitting :)
thank you to the publisher for the arc!
it’s tender, immersive, and utterly bingeable. read it in one sitting :)
thank you to the publisher for the arc!
bluejadeblue's review
3.0
this was fun! i had a bit of trouble getting into the world and attaching myself to the characters, i think this is mainly because i listened to most of it on libby and i think i'm just more of a visual reader than anything. i really wanted to continue reading it though and i spend most of my time driving these days so it's just easier for me to listen.
i truly think AG Howard's writing JUST FOR ME because a steampunk, labyrinth-inspired fantasy novel? right. up. my. alley. SO good. and i kept picking up on nods to labyrinth and i was just smiling ear to ear as i kept reading.
i found the twin dynamic to be so interesting too, i loved that there's a conflict between lark and nix by the end of it. i'm pretty excited to see where this goes!!
i truly think AG Howard's writing JUST FOR ME because a steampunk, labyrinth-inspired fantasy novel? right. up. my. alley. SO good. and i kept picking up on nods to labyrinth and i was just smiling ear to ear as i kept reading.
i found the twin dynamic to be so interesting too, i loved that there's a conflict between lark and nix by the end of it. i'm pretty excited to see where this goes!!
cecetomas's review
Nothing that I can pinpoint, I just wasn't enjoying very much. I'm hoping to revist and maybe I'll be more into it at a different time.