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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino
5.0
Themes come and go in the publishing world and it seems that right now stories based on the Goblin Market get their chance to shine. I personally didn't grow up with the story of the Goblin Market, but during my studies I learned the songs this book was inspired by and YA literature did the rest. I was therefore quite excited about this book when I found it on Netgalley and I'm really thankful that the publisher granted my request and gave me an arc.
What I love most about this book is the atmosphere and the suspense. Bovalino starts with a prologue that immediately grabbed all my attention, but it took a while before we actually got to see the Goblin Market. And by making us wait, making us grow more and more curious, making us more and more excited about its beauty and its darkness, it was also easy to understand how those girls, aware of the dangers and risks, still end up visiting the Market.
I do have to admit that I personally would have loved to see a little more of the beauty of the market. We got to see the horrors, quite detailed and quite sickening at times, but since all our heroines are so aware of the dangers and can't be tricked to really enjoy the market, we never get to experience the beauty, the reason why so many people end up hurt or killed in the end. Adding that, or giving us a side story showing us, would have made this book even more perfect!
Although there was some romance in the book I also really loved that the romance never dominated the story. This story wasn't about romance. It was about witchcraft and friendship. About the power of intelligence. It was about girls sticking up for each other and fighting for each other. And it didn't really matter if that was because they loved each other romantically or were simply friends. It showed us mostly how beautiful female friendships and sisterhood can be.
I somehow hope Bovalino returns to this world one day, so do me a favor: get the book and beg her to write more!
What I love most about this book is the atmosphere and the suspense. Bovalino starts with a prologue that immediately grabbed all my attention, but it took a while before we actually got to see the Goblin Market. And by making us wait, making us grow more and more curious, making us more and more excited about its beauty and its darkness, it was also easy to understand how those girls, aware of the dangers and risks, still end up visiting the Market.
I do have to admit that I personally would have loved to see a little more of the beauty of the market. We got to see the horrors, quite detailed and quite sickening at times, but since all our heroines are so aware of the dangers and can't be tricked to really enjoy the market, we never get to experience the beauty, the reason why so many people end up hurt or killed in the end. Adding that, or giving us a side story showing us, would have made this book even more perfect!
Although there was some romance in the book I also really loved that the romance never dominated the story. This story wasn't about romance. It was about witchcraft and friendship. About the power of intelligence. It was about girls sticking up for each other and fighting for each other. And it didn't really matter if that was because they loved each other romantically or were simply friends. It showed us mostly how beautiful female friendships and sisterhood can be.
I somehow hope Bovalino returns to this world one day, so do me a favor: get the book and beg her to write more!