Name: The Goblins of Bellwater
Rating: 3.25 (8 reviews)
ISBN: 9781771681179

Molly Ringle

"A story inspired by Christina Rossetti's eerie, sensual poem, 'Goblin Market'..."--Back cover.

The Goblins of Bellwater

Kelsey Joëlle

I got this book from NetGalley in return for my honest opinion!

I loved this book. It was well written with a really good story line and the right amount of magic. The characters were really funny and their storylines were well written as well. The only thing I didn't like was the multiple pov's. I personally just don't like them. 

I loved the storyline. Redring and her clan felt real and I just could imagine her whistling and throwing a path for me to come into the woods. Their village felt like something it could really be, and their behavior as well. The slow turn to one that two characters had to get through was well written in my opinion. The slightly got deeper and deeper into the spell and their lives slowly fade from them. I loved it. It was not a '*boom* now you are a goblin' thing. 

I would suggest you'll read this book, because it's amazing!

* Insert Melissa McCartney throwing a book in somebody's face GIF*

Savannah Winchell

An ARC was given to me via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book ended up being a fairly big disappointment for me. While some of my problems with this book ranged from disjointed writing, cringeworthy romance, and odd pacing, what bothers me most is the fact that I couldn't really pinpoint a reason for disliking the book as much as I did. 
I'll be honest, most of my interest in this book stemmed from the beautiful cover, an interest only furthered by the inclusion of goblins (my favorite magical creatures thanks to David Bowie). Once I got to reading, however, there was something about this book that constantly fell short.

This is perhaps one of my more frustrating reads, simply because i can't describe to you why I didn't like this book beyond the fact that it simply isn't for me. To conclude this thoroughly unhelpful review, I would just like to say that the author's imagery was lovely, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to care.

Megan Williams

I have to say that this book wasn’t what I expected. I’ve read that the book was described as almost a romance and paranormal combination, and while there was some romance and it was important to the characters and plot… I didn’t feel that this was one of the main genres of the book. Instead of using the word “romance” or “romantic”, I would describe this book as haunting and a dark paranormal twist. And now that the misconception is out of the way…

I really liked this book more than I originally thought I would. I’m usually more interested in the romance between characters than the fact that there is a curse on one and another is trying to figure out what happened and so on. But the way this book was presented didn’t lead more to the developing relationships but instead focused on the characters struggle with the goblins. And the goblins themselves were interesting because I feel like most books show paranormal or fantasy creatures in a more positive light but instead this novel reflected more of a Grimm’s Fairytales with the goblins preying on the humans who were unaware of their trickery. Not something that I’m exactly used to but actually really appreciated in this novel. There was this innate struggle between humanity and something that seemed far superior in terms of ability and I felt like this theme played out well throughout the novel. 

Another thing that I found interesting in this novel is the fact that it centered on not one, or two, but instead four individuals and their connections to each other and the frightening goblins in the wood. At first I went into this book a little confused because I was expecting the main character who could do no wrong and would be the highlight of the novel. Well nope. Doesn’t happen here. Instead it’s a group of people brought together by happenstance and have to deal with the terrible consequences that result from situations not of their making and how they go about solving the mess they were thrown into. 

Overall this book was gorgeous inside and out. While the but of fantasy thrown in was different then I was used to I came to appreciate the darkness and depravity that this element brought to the novel and therefore the characters. I’m still blown away by just the creativity that had to go into the making of this novel and I have to recommend this book to those who like a dark twist on their novels! This would definitely be the book for you!

Moray Lyle McIntosh

It always feels ungrateful to write a very critical review of an ARC but the agreement is that I be honest but fair and I have done my best to be both.

Another ARC with a gorgeous cover that pulled me in but unlike my last couple of pleasant surprises the beauty of the (digital!) outside was in no way matched by the contents. At first my criticisms were fairly run-of-the-mill, particularly for a debut novel. The writing seemed sophomore-ish, awkward and a little obvious. I was willing to be patient until the story emerged, sometimes a good story can overcome average writing and this is inspired by Rossetti's dense, succulent pre-Raphaelite poem The Goblin Market. With source material so rich something worthwhile must be lurking in this retelling but while the story follows the main thrust of Rossetti's narrative it makes surprisingly poor use of her language or imagery, instead the writing remains poor, riddled with cliches and clunky metaphors.. So the plot, two girls (sisters) an environmental worker and an aspiring-artist-cum-barista meet mechanic-cum-sculptor and aspiring chef and all proceed to fall instantly and tediously in lust with one another. But unfortunately there are goblins. Goblins who have the rugged, reluctant sculptor trapped in a thousand-year deal to steal to order, gold, coffee-makers, whatever they desire. And in traditional fae form they also like to steal and bewitch people. Cue the meeting of barista and chef in an over-heated encounter that is uncomfortably close to sexual assault with magic as the date-rape drug of choice. I can't say that this build up had me investing any emotion in the quest to remove the spell, it was all too clear that everyone was going to happily pair up despite the moral ambiguity.

There is so much available lore to mine and there are so many wonderful urban fantasy examples to follow (though there are plenty of poor ones too) but Ringle does the bare minimum. The background to the story is paper-thin, there is minimal explanation of the goblins or the other fae or their connection to our world except in the terribly tired device of having information revealed in letter/diary form by a long-dead relative. 

Despite all this it is the characters that are the main problem. Nothing more than caricatures The characters are caricatures and the course of the relationships between them ranged from simplistic to dubious to downright worrying. Consent is a serious problem in this story and though the context can obscure this (a relationship between two adults who come together under the influence of a *goblin spell* can be difficult to take seriously) it is part of a long trend that has found recent expression in novels like Twilight and Fifty Shades of Gray. Ringle makes halfhearted overtures to the problems raised by her narrative, her characters briefly consider the implications of a relationship based wholly on goblin-induced lust but it turns out "these two characters do really like each other and the sex was amazing so that's okay then". Except it isn't. They have never had a single interaction that hasn't included some form of coercion, the fact that this coercion is in the form of a spell or magic pixie (goblin) dust is really beside the point. Throw in some awful parallel love scenes (easy on the love) and the whole thing left me squirming with discomfort and glad to see the back of it.

Corrie White 

Before I get into my review of this book I want to thank NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, despite the absolute GORGEOUSNESS of this cover (seriously... it is AMAZING), I really did not enjoy this book. The book begins by quickly introducing us to the four main characters of the book... Kit, Grady, Livy, and Skye, and provides a meaningful explanation as to their importance within the story, as well as setting up the plot. From there, the book fails to add anything meaningful to that plot, until about 60% into the book.

Kit is your typical, rugged, bad boy character (I honestly pictured Chris Pine) who unfortunately, due to a generational agreement made from one of his ancestors, is entered into a pact with the 'Goblins of Bellwater'; in the hopes of saving the town from the conniving goblins, he is to provide them with large sums of gold each month - as well as to fulfill the requirements of the pact. In return the goblins do not bother the citizens of the town. Kit's cousin, Grady, who does not know about this pact, is visiting Bellwater in order to look for a job in the cooking industry. Little does he know, his entire life is about to change. A chance meeting in the forest with Skye, a young barista/artist, sets them both on the path to potential destruction. Livy, Skye's older environmentalist sister, is tasked with helping Skye after she comes home from the woods one day forlorn and depressed, unable to talk much or show emotion.

The premise of this book is simply amazing, and incredibly unique. A fantastical world where goblins wreak havoc on a small town if their liaison, Kit, does not fulfill the pact requirements. One night he comes up short, and four lives are about to be changed forever.

However, I found four main issues with the book that almost had me DNF'ing the book at 35%, 50% and even up til 75%.

 1. The dialogue in this book is awkward at best, and absolutely cringe worthy in other spots. It portrays each character as being perfect, one-dimensional, and overly stilted and robotic. These conversations are never ones that would be had in real life. Not to mention the character's need to over-explain quite a few things that were happening throughout the book.
 2. Characters in the book tended to be omnipresent; as in they were able to discern what was happening during another characters POV, but should not have been able to do so. And it was repetitive. Happening multiple times throughout the novel as a way to quickly progress the story. This is your standard "show" not "tell" issue. The characters tended to tell you (inferring out of nowhere - 'deus ex machina') rather than come to the conclusion naturally.
 3. Being able to read way too much in people's faces. Although we can tell subtlety in people's facial expressions, 'She seemed mournful almost, as if there might be many things she regretted, but not this specifically,' this seems a bit over the top, using elaborate facial descriptions in order to feed the plot line. 
 4. A lack of communication. Honestly the first 50% of the book was not necessary. In the beginning, Kit questions whether or not Skye has been affected by the goblins in some way. He literally owns a letter from his ancestor explaining the symptoms of a goblin curse, but then thinks himself crazy for even thinking of mentioning it to Skye. Who is Experiencing. The. Same. Symptoms. If she wasn't cursed, all he'd have to do was laugh it off as a joke. He questions whether she's been affected at ~20% into the book, but doesn't realize that he's been right the entire time until ~50% of the book.

In conclusion, while I think the premise is super interesting and fun, I would have loved to see less of a focus on romance at the beginning, and a stronger fleshing out of the curse, the trials the four characters must go through to break the curse, and the aftermath of dealing with a relationship primarily formed through being forced together. I unfortunately have to give this book 1 star. However, the plot and atmospheric writing, will have me picking up another Molly Ringle book, when she releases something new.

The Goblins of Bellwater

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