Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Not Good for Maidens

This was a short, atmospheric fantasy horror! I had some minor issues, though.

Not Good for Maidens is a retelling of the poem The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti. It follows Lou, who finds out her family keeps some dark secrets: 18 years ago, her mother Laura and her aunt May escaped the Goblin Market. Now, the market wants its due and takes Lou's teenage aunt Neela. Determined to save Neela, Lou travels to York to uncover her family's dark past.

The plot here was two-fold: Lou's story in the present and her aunt May's story, eighteen years prior. For me, May's part of the story and how the Goblins lured her into the market was far more engaging and relatable. I found myself wondering why Lou's arc was there at all. May going to the Market and Laura rescuing her already made for a great story, with the romantic subplot as well. So Lou paled a bit in comparison, although her struggles were still understandable. The descriptions of the Goblin Market were vivid and atmospheric and the horror element of the story fit nicely here.

My major complaint was that the story was resolved too quickly. Once the characters entered the Goblin Market, it was all solved very easily. There were almost no obstacles in Lou's or May's path except for Goblins threatening to eat them. I would have liked there to be more challenges in the Market, or a deeper exploration of the Market. Moreover, the worldbuilding apart from the Market was threadbare. In conclusion, I wanted more from this story. Still, Not Good For Maidens was an enjoyable read and I gave it 3.5 stars.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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? No

4.25

Thanks to Pride Book Tours and Page Street YA for the free copy of this book.

- NOT GOOD FOR MAIDENS is a queer, witchy, horrifying tale, and I was fully gripped by it.
- This book is gory and haunting, but also full of love and characters itching to prove themselves.
- Flipping back and forth between POVs in different timelines can be tricky, but I think Bovalino nailed it here. The parallel stories unspool quickly enough to keep you interested but not so quickly that things are revealed too soon: you'll find yourself mentally shouting at the characters to put the pieces together.
- The two POV characters, Lou and May, are ace and bi, respectively. I appreciated that challenges they might face due to their sexualities are mentioned, but it's not a book that's full of on the page queerphobia.

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