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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: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
Minor: Pregnancy
amanduhhhpls's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was a book where the vibes were great but it could have used a little more rounding out of character arcs to truly get the reader to connect.
The descriptions of the small Scottish town, the giant looming cathedral, the river that runs through the city, and the unease of the goblin market all made the vibes of this book immaculate if you're looking for a grim read.
The gore in this was pretty heavy. There are some descriptions of disembowlment, decapitation, and lots and lots of body horror. There is medical/magical grossness. If you're familiar with goblin markets from other stories, then this will likely feel familiar to you. The only big difference between this and other goblin stories was that the goblins feel more like fae. It was an interesting characterization.
On to the characters: I didn't like how the mom and aunts kept our main character in the dark about something that was such an important part of her upbringing and their lives. Almost the entire conflict in this book could have been solved if Mae and Laura talked to Lou openly about their family history. Even when Neela goes missing, they are still so secretive and don't tell Lou anything until she basically forces them to. This ends up putting Lou into the unlikely hero/naive hero trope that I don't love.
This was told in a dual timeline, which is always a gamble because there's one timeline I end up liking more, and this time it was the flashbacks into Mae's life. I wish we got more backstory to why a goblin felt like a safe place to explore her sexuality, but her on-page exploration of bisexuality and the sapphic relationship that ensued was hands down the best part of the book. Mae and Eitra's characters were the most well-rounded in the book and their motivations were clear because of it.
There's some other rep as well: Lou is asexual and Neela is pan. Neither of these are explored very far, but they are stated on page.
Overall, I just wished this book didn't hinge on miscommunication and I wish some of the characters were written with stronger, more relatable stories.
The descriptions of the small Scottish town, the giant looming cathedral, the river that runs through the city, and the unease of the goblin market all made the vibes of this book immaculate if you're looking for a grim read.
The gore in this was pretty heavy. There are some descriptions of disembowlment, decapitation, and lots and lots of body horror. There is medical/magical grossness. If you're familiar with goblin markets from other stories, then this will likely feel familiar to you. The only big difference between this and other goblin stories was that the goblins feel more like fae. It was an interesting characterization.
On to the characters: I didn't like how the mom and aunts kept our main character in the dark about something that was such an important part of her upbringing and their lives. Almost the entire conflict in this book could have been solved if Mae and Laura talked to Lou openly about their family history. Even when Neela goes missing, they are still so secretive and don't tell Lou anything until she basically forces them to. This ends up putting Lou into the unlikely hero/naive hero trope that I don't love.
This was told in a dual timeline, which is always a gamble because there's one timeline I end up liking more, and this time it was the flashbacks into Mae's life. I wish we got more backstory to why a goblin felt like a safe place to explore her sexuality, but her on-page exploration of bisexuality and the sapphic relationship that ensued was hands down the best part of the book. Mae and Eitra's characters were the most well-rounded in the book and their motivations were clear because of it.
There's some other rep as well: Lou is asexual and Neela is pan. Neither of these are explored very far, but they are stated on page.
Overall, I just wished this book didn't hinge on miscommunication and I wish some of the characters were written with stronger, more relatable stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Cannibalism, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Kidnapping