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A review by ginalucia
Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino
3.0
Not Good for Maidens is a fun yet unsettling standalone, perfect if you want a quick shot of adventure.
Lou has been left in the dark. She’s grown up in a world that seems normal, if not for her slightly eccentric mother and aunt. But when she finds out her other aunt has been lost to the goblin market, a world of magic and horror she’s been sheltered from, starts to reveal itself.
Not Good for Maidens starts with a punch and then slows right down. It’s this punchy opening that I feel weirdly lets the book down.
It sets a high bar for action and mystery, but we’re then dropped back to ground level way too fast. It then takes a while to build back up again. Which means everything after that first chapter just doesn’t grip you.
The build-up doesn't feel right, and it takes too long because we already pretty much know what happens and what the market is. We know more than the main character, so there are no stakes and no tension. We can't relate to her.
After a shaky start, it picks up, though. Once the main characters are together and the action starts, the book gets good. But I was close to DNFing before that point.
It becomes something intense, kind of real, mysterious, and very morish.
It does get a little repetitive. The book is about the market, so its descriptions of the market throughout can feel a little samey. Like, I've read it a few times before.
The juxtaposition of our main character's story with her aunt's actually works quite well in the second half of the book. Those two stories come together nicely to form a complete one.
Overall the book is a good one, and it would be even better without that first chapter - even though it was written so well.
3.5 stars
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel
Lou has been left in the dark. She’s grown up in a world that seems normal, if not for her slightly eccentric mother and aunt. But when she finds out her other aunt has been lost to the goblin market, a world of magic and horror she’s been sheltered from, starts to reveal itself.
Not Good for Maidens starts with a punch and then slows right down. It’s this punchy opening that I feel weirdly lets the book down.
It sets a high bar for action and mystery, but we’re then dropped back to ground level way too fast. It then takes a while to build back up again. Which means everything after that first chapter just doesn’t grip you.
The build-up doesn't feel right, and it takes too long because we already pretty much know what happens and what the market is. We know more than the main character, so there are no stakes and no tension. We can't relate to her.
After a shaky start, it picks up, though. Once the main characters are together and the action starts, the book gets good. But I was close to DNFing before that point.
It becomes something intense, kind of real, mysterious, and very morish.
It does get a little repetitive. The book is about the market, so its descriptions of the market throughout can feel a little samey. Like, I've read it a few times before.
The juxtaposition of our main character's story with her aunt's actually works quite well in the second half of the book. Those two stories come together nicely to form a complete one.
Overall the book is a good one, and it would be even better without that first chapter - even though it was written so well.
3.5 stars
For more reviews and book recommendations, check out my YouTube channel