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celina246's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
this was a hard book to rate. on one hand, i really liked the lore, and it had a little bit of everything - horror, adventure, romance, fantasy, and for a YA book (which is NOT usually my top genre), i didn't hate reading it. but i also feel like it could have been so much more and it was hard for me personally to overlook all the editorial mistakes & so many unanswered questions.
i wanted to love it and give it a 4 so badly but i just can't.
i wanted to love it and give it a 4 so badly but i just can't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body horror, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Grief and Kidnapping
itsheyfay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Torture, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Confinement, and Medical trauma
Minor: Pregnancy
blackthornfaery's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Kidnapping, Medical content, and Torture
Moderate: Pregnancy
mattyb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Addiction, Confinement, Medical content, Stalking, Trafficking, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Cannibalism
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Torture, and Sexual content
ramunepocky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
I really liked both of the perspectives in this book, both were separate and strong characters within their own right and they both had stories that, whilst they mirrored each other, were very different. They both had different personality traits and different motives for going into the Market and different points to prove and I enjoyed that. I loved the representation too, giving us both great asexual and bisexual rep !!!! I also loved the contrast between May and Lou, and how May grew up around the Market and was actively drawn to it, but couldn’t stay, and how Lou grew up sheltered from that side of her family history and only reluctantly entered the Market to save her Aunt and wanted to stay.
This book was far from perfect, but I enjoyed the vibes immensely and it was dark and gothic without rlly being scary. I felt like the conclusion to Lou’s story and her getting her Aunt out of the Goblin Market felt too easy, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
This book was far from perfect, but I enjoyed the vibes immensely and it was dark and gothic without rlly being scary. I felt like the conclusion to Lou’s story and her getting her Aunt out of the Goblin Market felt too easy, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Gore, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Torture, and Kidnapping
Minor: Cannibalism
wardenred's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There are rules, and I broke them. But the rules don’t matter in the market. They’re rules set by tricksters.
This was an enjoyable and highly atmospheric retelling with sone great ace and bi rep. It's worth noting that there are two storylines separate by eighteen years, and the one mentioned in the blurb that led me to pick up the book was the more boring one, tbh. I liked Lou well enough; I related to her struggle to find the balance between finding herself and belonging, and I found her relationship with her Mom, her aunt, and the rest of her family really interesting. However, May's story was simply more compelling. She had a more interesting deal right from the beginning, and while she had a somewhat similar conflict that's typical for YA ("what I want vs what my family needs me to be"), the way it unfolded against the backdrop of witchery and goblin murders was more compelling. I felt like it showcased the vibe of the whole story better, too. That whole thing about already living on the border of a mundane world and a magical one full of withcraft, and then stepping over yt another threshold into the goblin market? Beautifully done and instantly engrossing. Lou's journey was a more typical "I'm just a kid figuring myself out and overlooking some weirdness in my family, and now I've learned that a world of magic exists" one, and it was more predictable and less novel for me.
I felt like the first half of the novel was a lot stronger than the second one. In both storylines, there was some great build-up with big promises, and then the pay-off kind of... fell a little short. Looking back, perhaps it was actually a problem with the first half, too, at least in May's part; by the time we get to the most high-stakes parts, it's already way too clear how most of the big stuff is going to play out. Still, at least the thick atmosphere of beautiful terrors—the undeniable strength of this book—was very much there, whereas in Lou's story it falls a bit to the side. Upon some thinking, I actually like the blatant difference in how May and Lou interacted with the Market: May was strongly susceptible to its draw whereas Lou entered it with a single-minded purpose to find Neela, stuck to it throughout, and distanced herself from all the weirdness to some extent. She overlooked the addictive beauty all the horror was wrapped in and went straight for the horror, whereas May allowed herself to be drawn into the beauty first.
Speaking of horror: there was less of it than I expected from the way the book was presented. The story is definitely more on the fantasy side. But all the body horror bits were appropriately chilling, and everything about the Market, with the constant addictions and abductions it provides, was terrifying, and really, I just need to mention again how atmospheric Bovalino's writing is. Despite some of the book's weaknesses, I really want to read more by this author, especially if the later books end up going even deeper into the horror territory!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Body horror, Addiction, Blood, and Alcohol
ash_ton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
when Laura said "I'd do ANYTHING for you May" i cried. idk man 🤧
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Grief, Kidnapping, Child death, Torture, Medical content, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Cannibalism, Kidnapping, and Vomit
cameronreads's review
2.0
I think it was abundantly clear that the author of this book was not Jewish. Disclaimer; neither am I, but I think it's important to talk about. As soon as I realised the goblins in this book would be evil characters alarm bells were set off in my head, and since doing some research into the tropes used, I think this book does do harm. There is of course one good goblin, but the general idea is that the goblins are evil and want to hurt people (and eat them on occasion) and have magical blood. All things that are outrageous stereotypes of Jewish people, especially considering goblins have been used as a way to represent and do harm to Jewish people. I'd really recommend looking at some Jewish reviewer's discussions on this.
My opinions on the plot and characters of this book are rather average. I think the basic idea was there, but something about the pacing and what this book emphasised was off. I wasn't all that attached to the characters, especially because the character we're meant to be saving all through this book is never seen on page until the end. It meant the stakes didn't feel very high. To be honest, I would have read a whole book about one of the point of views (May's) if it had been expanded on and we had got to spend a bit more time with it (and there wasn't such antisemitic themes).
I do however like the casual queer representation. The main characters are ace and bi respectively, and there's a pan side character, and all of these words are said on page. There's no prejudice against them because of their sexualities, and the main romance is a sapphic one. That was all really nice to see.
I'm really mad about this one - I loved Bovalino's other book and the other goblin market retelling I've read (In An Absent Dream, Seanan McGuire) so I really wanted to love this too. Unfortunate.
My opinions on the plot and characters of this book are rather average. I think the basic idea was there, but something about the pacing and what this book emphasised was off. I wasn't all that attached to the characters, especially because the character we're meant to be saving all through this book is never seen on page until the end. It meant the stakes didn't feel very high. To be honest, I would have read a whole book about one of the point of views (May's) if it had been expanded on and we had got to spend a bit more time with it (and there wasn't such antisemitic themes).
I do however like the casual queer representation. The main characters are ace and bi respectively, and there's a pan side character, and all of these words are said on page. There's no prejudice against them because of their sexualities, and the main romance is a sapphic one. That was all really nice to see.
I'm really mad about this one - I loved Bovalino's other book and the other goblin market retelling I've read (In An Absent Dream, Seanan McGuire) so I really wanted to love this too. Unfortunate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Grief, and Torture
Minor: Death of parent
decembermagpie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping and Torture