Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Not Good For Maidens

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Not Good For Maidens by Tori Bovalino

3 reviews

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Having read (and loved) Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, I never miss the chance to check out a book that takes inspiration from it. And I have to say, Tori Bovalino’s vividly atmospheric, fantasy horror retelling was everything I hoped it would be and more!

Blending eerie and unsettling folk horror elements, with a pacey (action oriented) narrative that delves into themes of self discovery, sacrifice and sisterhood— fans of Holly Black’s grittier Fae books (The Darkest Part of The Forest & The Modern Faerie Tales series) will almost certainly enjoy this.

The attention to detail in the world building and lore was incredible, but it was the depth and complexity we explore in both of our POV characters, Lou and May that really kept me emotionally invested.

Told through two interwoven timelines, we follow present day teen, Lou (finally learning the secrets her mother and aunt have kept from her all her life), and the POV of her aunt, May, eighteen years prior (during the traumatic events that led to her and Lou’s mum moving to the US.)

Alternating between perspectives and timelines, Bovalino has crafted a highly suspenseful and empowering tale that beautifully captures the essence of sisterhood and family.

If you love empowered FMCs then you’ll love Lou, who (like her mother) is fiercely determined and willing to go to any lengths to protect the ones she loves. I also enjoyed exploring the juxtaposing upbringings she and her mum had (one with full knowledge of their witchy heritage and the Goblin Market, and one without) and felt their bond definitely strengthened in the midst of Lou’s discovery.

With only a crash course on Goblins, magic and the precarious pact her family share with the market, Lou feels like the character with the most disadvantages. But her lack of know how and shock from the new revelations, did seem to help in dealing with the Goblins in a more logical manner (plus her throwing a punch at a Goblin whilst half asleep was pretty badass.)

The queer representation was amazing too with Ace, Bi, Pan and Sapphic rep in our cast of characters—including both our MCs! Plus we’re also treated to a (star crossed-esque) sapphic romance involving Goblin, Eitra, that was surprisingly pretty endearing.

The only thing that I wish was included was Lou’s mum’s POV and also maybe Eitra’s POV (who I ended up absolutely loving), but otherwise an evocatively rich and captivating read that YA Horror/ Fae/ Goblin Market fans should really consider checking out. Just check TWs first cause it can get pretty gory.

Content Warnings

aliveinbooks's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I will start off by saying this is a good story. The dual point of view from different perspectives was a nice touch to keep you guessing and there is definitely a decent amount of gore that sells the idea of the goblin market. It's great writing and each character stands on their own. That being said this wasn't the book for me. I had a hard time connecting with the adults and adolescents in the story and the amount of beating around the bush was akin to edging in the most frustrating experience for me. I also didn't feel the dark atmosphere the author was trying to convey in the novel. It's a great book overall and good for anyone dipping their toes in soft YA horror.

Content Warnings

cameronreads's review against another edition

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2.0

I think it was abundantly clear that the author of this book was not Jewish. Disclaimer; neither am I, but I think it's important to talk about. As soon as I realised the goblins in this book would be evil characters alarm bells were set off in my head, and since doing some research into the tropes used, I think this book does do harm. There is of course one good goblin, but the general idea is that the goblins are evil and want to hurt people (and eat them on occasion) and have magical blood. All things that are outrageous stereotypes of Jewish people, especially considering goblins have been used as a way to represent and do harm to Jewish people. I'd really recommend looking at some Jewish reviewer's discussions on this.

My opinions on the plot and characters of this book are rather average. I think the basic idea was there, but something about the pacing and what this book emphasised was off. I wasn't all that attached to the characters, especially because the character we're meant to be saving all through this book is never seen on page until the end. It meant the stakes didn't feel very high. To be honest, I would have read a whole book about one of the point of views (May's) if it had been expanded on and we had got to spend a bit more time with it (and there wasn't such antisemitic themes).

I do however like the casual queer representation. The main characters are ace and bi respectively, and there's a pan side character, and all of these words are said on page. There's no prejudice against them because of their sexualities, and the main romance is a sapphic one. That was all really nice to see.

I'm really mad about this one - I loved Bovalino's other book and the other goblin market retelling I've read (In An Absent Dream, Seanan McGuire) so I really wanted to love this too. Unfortunate.

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