The woods around Bellwater are strange. Skye and her sister Livy live by the woods and ever since they were children, they talked of the magical creatures living within the trees. However Kit knows the truth, there are goblins living in the woods, filled with bad intentions and he has a life long pact to serve them. One day the goblin succeed by enticing Skye into their realm and she has not been the same since.

Expectations are a terrible thing. When I saw this book was a retelling of The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, I was super excited. I created a set of expectations in my head for a lush and evocative tale, but not the urban fantasy/romance which comprises most of this book. (I'm not a romance fan but if you like romance, this could be more for you). However when the story did focus on the magical world and the forest, the story was rich and imaginative, I just wished there was more of this and less romance. The story was fast paced and an effortless read and if you like goblins, curses, romances and feisty sisters, this could be more up your alley.

The Goblins of Bellwater is the first book of Molly Ringle's that I have read; it definitely won't be the last! In the fictional town of Bellwater, Washington, there are are fae folk in the forest. Most people never see them, but Skye, Livy, Kit, and Grady aren't so lucky. Skye is cursed by Goblins, Grady is enchanted by Skye, Kit is trapped by a generations old deal, and Livy becomes a reluctant hero.
The Goblins of Bellwater is a well written new adult novel. The characters speak and act as you would expect adults in their twenties to. There is a little cursing and a little sex. This adds to the fun and realism of the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, and will happily recommend it far and wide.

Can we just take a minute to appreciate that cover...gorgeous.

Anyway. I thought this was an interesting concept, mixing contemporary fiction with fantasy. I know the author has done this previously with Greek mythology, so I was looking forward to a good blend of fae and magic in a modern setting. From the start I liked the goblins, they're just on the right side on sinister. However, I wished Kit was more engaging. He wasn't particularly charismatic enough to carry the story. I found the first part of the story quite whimsical and entertaining, and just on the right side of creepy. This soon decended into a more traditional romance however. I'm not a romance novel fan.

It felt a bit like instalove with Skye and Grady. I know it's suppose to be explained by this goblin mating pull, but I thought it was an easy way out of giving them a history or some sort of reason as to why they should just suddenly be kissing in the forest. I never did quite find the love story believable.

I guess I was expecting a bit more of the fantasy and less of the romance, which unfortunately didn't really materialise. I think if this was marketed more as a contemporary romance novel instead of fantasy it may gain the right readers.

Title: The Goblins of Bellwether
Author: Molly Ringle
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Release Date: October 1, 2017
Rating: 3.5/5
*Review copy read via Netgalley

First of all, the cover for this book is fantastic and very catching, as is the name The Goblins of Bellwether. A very intriguing title and summary. Baristas who are artists falling in love and getting cursed by goblins sounds like a fun time right?

I was first pulled into the description of this book not just at the draw of an urban fantasy with goblins and magic, but the multiple character points-of-view. That can be hard to pull of but I really enjoyed the four main characters and their distinct voices.

I haven’t read an urban fantasy novel in a while, so it was really nice to experience that kind of world again. As a fan of Holly Black’s work, I was immediately captivated by that kind of magical fantasy involving fae and forest creatures.

I did feel like there could have been a little more world building, but that being said, I really enjoyed the human setting of Puget Sound, the little island, and small town atmosphere. I also liked how this seems to be a standalone fantasy, which is always a pleasure to see.

The Goblins of Bellwater was inspired by Christina Rossetti's powerful poem, "Goblin Market." Long a favorite of many a fantasy writer, one of the things that always struck me about this poem was that one sister saved the other. In an era in which men were usually called upon to save women, Christina Rosetta's poem was unusual for sisters saving themselves, so to speak. And so I came to feel in this book as if the waters were muddied in that the sisters had to have relationships and those relationships had to be neatly tied in a bow by the end of the book. Rather than focusing on the magic of the goblins, and the fae in general, making the book a YA fantasy novel, I felt this was a YA Romance novel with a splash of magic. Some of the descriptive aspects of the local fae magic were nicely done but were lost in the midst of the sisters working out relationship issues with their boyfriends. The romances themselves were awkwardly developed, especially Kit and Olivia's, and yet were like a fait accompli from the first few chapters. Some of the sexual aspects were oddly pragmatic and lacking in emotional range.

In this book I wanted to learn more about the goblins and the local fae, see more of Livy the scientist dealing with the magical overlay in her forest. I wanted to understand Skye more as a person. I wanted to feel more love rather than duty from Livy toward Skye. In short, I wanted to feel the power of the love that Rossetti gave us. I just didn't feel it.

I also feel that the book might have benefitted from pencil or charcoal illustrations of the goblins, since illustrating is one of Skye's only modes of communication. It would have allowed us to see and engage more with what Livy, Grady and Kit saw from her perspective.

The Goblins of Bellwater is a sinfully delicious read! This uncanny story follows four main characters and their unfortunate encounter with a tribe of otherworldly creatures.

LUST. GLUTTONY. GREED. SLOTH. WRATH. ENVY. PRIDE.

Characters.
MCs: Kit, 24; Grady, 21; Livy, 26; Skye, 23.
I really appreciated the realistic portrayal the author gave each character! They all worked regular jobs, had down to earth personalities, and were just trying to deal with the daily struggles of being an adult. Unfortunately, I didn't feel a connection for Kit or Livy, but I did find myself gravitating towards Grady and Skye majority of the time. And while I also appreciated the absence of a love-triangle, the romance between two of the MCs felt very unconvincing, so the sexual encounters they had left me feeling a bit awkward.

Goblins & Magic.
The main leader of the goblin tribe is Redring—and holy guacamole—she is one badass goblin queen. I definitely got some lucifer vibes with that one.

The goblins of Bellwater are grossly obsessed with gold because they are able to use it with their magic to create almost anything they want ex) espresso machine (yup, not even joking). The goblins love tempting humans into unfair deals and luring them into the forest to rob them of their valuables. Kit, being the liaison, tries to prevent them from luring people as much he can by supplying the goblins with gold on a regular basis.

Most of the magic doesn't take place until about 75% in, so just be warned that this book doesn't contain much world-building of the goblin realm or provide a detailed explanation of how their magic system works.

“…their voices were shackled. The silence wasn’t their choice”

Final Thoughts.
Overall, I did thoroughly enjoy the premise despite some issues and I would definitely recommend this book to readers looking for a light-hearted fantasy that is stand-alone and isn't heavy on the romance. Also, I'd like you all to join me in a moment of silence to thank the book gods for that stunning cover!

I received this via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

1 star - did not like it.

I think expectations were unrealistically high for this as it has such an excellent cover - which oversells it.

I just didn't enjoy this at all. I found it very hard to remain interested and at 50% through I couldn't believe how little had happened. One of the biggest issues for me was the "relationship" between Skye and Grady - I know this is meant to be a magical infatuation but it was just so creepy how he fancied her even though she was clearly so troubled. The other problem is that, for me, this did not successfully blend a contemporary romance with fantasy - it just felt really off.

I can't recommend this - I don't know who it is aimed at? If you read & enjoy contemporary romance, the goblins and romance are going to be really wtf. If you read & enjoy fantasy, the romance and the goblins are going to be wtf. Lose lose....

The Goblins of Bellwater initially intrigued me because of the concept of goblins living in a modern setting, completely unknown by the humans that live nearby.. except for Kit, the liaison to the local goblin tribe who is cursed to find gold every full moon.

Going in I knew it was going to be a contemporary romance with a fantastical twist, unfortunately for me I found the fantasy aspect of the goblins and Kit's family curse was lacking. The romance took too much of the spotlight instead of more of a focus on the family aspect of the story or even a deeper look into the goblin society. I didn't quite feel Livy's worry and stress towards Skye's condition, it just wasn't believable for me, she was more concerned about her love life than her sister's well being in my opinion.

The character development could use a bit more work, I didn't feel any concern or worry about Skye or Grady's outcome, the connection to the characters just wasn't present enough for me to worry that they would permanently be turned into goblins.

One thing I quite liked was the inclusion of the elements early on, it made later events not seem so out of the blue. However, overall my biggest issue with The Goblins of Bellwater was the happy ending everyone received. All of that happened and every single character returns to a happier, if not better life than they had before.. where was the sacrifice, the consequences of dealing with the goblins?

If you like to read stories where regardless of a character's actions everything gets wrapped up with a neat little bow at the end then you probably wouldn't find the ending too bad. But for me the end was too wrapped up nice and neat, with little to no repercussions for everything that went down.

Rosetti's "Goblin Market" is my all time favorite poem, so of course I requested this one. What a great story. Such a unique take on the story behind the poem. The characters were great and their dialogue was fun and realistic.

Hi, my name is Alana and I am TRASH for goblins. Seriously though, can goblins become a trend in books because I am SO with it. Ever since Wintersong came out I have been mildly obsessed with trying to find another book that would fill this goblin-loving void in me, and ladies and gentlemen this was it.

This story revolves around four characters, three of whom get cursed by goblins, and the other remains uncursed but must try and save them all. No pressure. These four characters are a combination of sisters and cousins whose lives intertwine quite a lot throughout the story. Skye, one of our sister MC’s finds herself out in the woods one day and (much like me) finds herself very intrigued by goblins. So intrigued that she ends up waking their path and getting tricked into eating their fruit which causes Skye to fall into a “depression”. During this time Skye cannot smile, laugh, or talk about what she saw and what happened to her in the woods. She feels a pull towards the woods that will continue to get stronger until she finally leaves her human life behind to join the goblins in the forest.

The only person who seems to have the potential of uncovering Skye’s depression is Kit, a local of Bellwater, whose family has been cursed by the goblins for multiple generations. However, it’s not a subject that Kit is too keen on talking about since everyone he has ever told thought he was crazy. I mean who wouldn’t think stealing a milk steamer and an espresso machine for goblins is a little crazy, right?

Pretty straightforward for the most part, until Livy (Skye’s sister) and cousins, Kit and Grady come along and everyone’s lives start to really, REALLY tangle (if ya know what I mean). One of the reasons why I rated this four stars and not five was because I felt that the romance between the characters was a little bit much in this story. It’s not bad, don’t get me wrong but I just felt like we could have had more time in the goblin world! I NEED MORE GOBLINS!

The goblins in this book are a riot and I loved every second of them. They’re sarcastic, rude, witty, and it was everything I could have hoped for. (I especially loved how they got their names). My little boo Flowerwatch was my fav. This story also has a goblin vs. fae aspect to it and it totally worked, especially during the “rescue” portion of the story. It really made it so much more interesting.

Overall, if you’re looking for a eerie, fast-paced, goblin-filled, story then this right here is definitely for you! This book also reads as a stand-a-lone which was super nice but I would pick up anything goblin-related Molly Ringle writes about in the future, just sayin’ 🙂

Beautiful pugit sound. What could possibly be scary here?
Kit is a slave to the creatures here. Can he protect his cousin, Grady, from them?
Skye is enthralled by them. How far will she go before her sister, Livy, notices.
Is anyone safe?
Amazing world building. What could YOU find in the woods?

Entertaining spin on goblins involving four humans in a race against time before two of them become goblins forever.

Thrilling and imaginative! Can't wait to read it again!

“Everyone knew you shouldn’t go biting into fruit offered to you by magical creatures in the woods, even if you’d thought until just five minutes ago that such stories were, you know, only stories.”

This is a wonderful and magical tale about fae creatures that resided in the local Washington forests one wintry season. From page one, this story was so atmospheric and I was completely swept away in this tale of goblins and the horrible things they are capable of in their treetop village. Yet, the goblins only do terrible things if their need for gold is not met by their goblin liaison, Kit.

Every full moon he goes into the forest, notices all the hidden fae signs of life, and meets with the goblins and their leader, Redring, named after the first thing she has ever stolen, which she also wears proudly around her neck. At the monthly encounters, Kit gives them the gold he has collected, or stolen, to appease them from causing havoc on his local townsfolk.

At this wintry visit, Kit does not provide enough gold, and even though he promises to return quickly, the goblins are not satisfied and they decide to have a little fun at the expensive of a local barista and artist who has been drawn to the forests her whole life.

“This magic brought all sorts of cruelty,”

This story surrounds four people, from two different families, and their lives that quickly intertwine. The victim and the liaison’s paths inevitably cross, and we are lead on a magical story trying to figure out how to stop the goblins once and for all, while everyone also chooses to start relationships.

➽ Kit Sylvain – 24 – Mechanic and auto shop owner who also enjoys chainsaw carving. Oh, and goblin liaison.
➽ Livy Darwen – 26 – Environmental scientist, who is passionate about cleaning up her forest, and even more passionate about trying to save her little sister.
➽ Skye Darwen – 23 – Barista and artist, sister of Livy, who accidentally wanders upon the Goblins and finds herself under a powerful curse.
➽ Grady Sylvain – 21 – Chef, who is trying to save money by living with his cousin, Kit, and ends up tangled in the goblin’s web, too.

I enjoyed these characters and their budding relationships, don’t get me wrong, but it still felt a little off. Especially Kit and Livy, because they felt so much older than mid twenties. Hell, they even kept making comparisons how they felt old to their family members, you know, the 21 and 23 year old. I honestly feel like this story was first written with them as the parents, and I actually feel like it would have felt more authentic and more true.

Like, Kit kept talking about how he has always been a bachelor, because of his predicament with the goblins, and I’m like “YOU’RE ONLY 24, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?” Seriously, this story would have worked so much better if they were in their 30’s. Like, please, just add ten years to Kit and Livy both and I’d be a happy camper.

Then Skye and Grady’s relationship felt a little off just because of the circumstance that forced them together. As the reader, I was left constantly wondering if they were acting this way because of their predicament or because of their genuine feelings for one another. I totally understand that this is intended, but it made the sex scenes not as enjoyable as they could have been.

Also, for the record, the sex in this book is not good. Like, this for sure has erotic moments, but I didn’t believe or buy them whatsoever. I have read a lot of erotica and a lot of new adult sexy time stories in my day, so maybe the bar is just set high for me, but I personally didn’t enjoy the sex in this book and sort of wish it wasn’t in it.

I did love that both relationships had an older woman with a younger man. We never get to see this relationship dynamic in books, even though it is super common in the real world. So I give huge kudos to Molly Ringle for incorporating that into her story.

And to separate the pairs into other pairs, I freaking loved the familial bonds from each of these characters, especially Livy and Skye. I love sibling relationship stories, and this one truly warmed my heart to see Livy do whatever it takes to save her sister. Kit and Grady, even though they are cousins and not brothers, were still super enjoyable too, and I loved how self sacrificing Kit was willing to be for his family.

I didn’t like how Livy chose not to get her and Skye’s mother involved with Skye’s sickness, especially when she was taking Skye to see professional help and even talked about suicide prevention. In this story, their mother lives in Oregon, and Livy feels like she doesn’t want to involve her mom because she has worked and done so much for them growing up, but, like, that’s her daughter who is hurting, she would want to know. It just rubbed me the wrong way and further justifies my point that Livy and Kit felt so much older and were truly the parental figures in this story, not random twenty-year-olds.

My favorite character in the whole story was a goblin named Flowerwatch, and I would instantly buy a spin-off book just involving that little cinnamon roll. Seriously, she was so precious and the values and morals she brought to the story were so tedious. Flowerwatch truly is a literary gift to this world, and I’d recommend this book to my friends because of this little goblin alone.

I haven’t read that many books on goblins, but I really enjoyed Molly Ringle’s debut take on them, and loved the eerie, creepy, spooky vibe she constantly created involving them. This story was actually inspired by a poem, Goblin Market, by Christina Rossetti, that I have never personally read, but now I am so very interested, and I think that speaks volumes about how enthralled this world left me. I’m also really craving to read Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones now, too!

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. It is fast paced, relatively short, and I’m super happy I gave it a try. My favorite part, besides all the fae life, was how amazingly atmospheric it was. I constantly felt like I was teleported into a snowy forest, or a small town café, or even in a boat floating down a river stream. I really think Molly Ringle is a beautiful writer, who has so much talent with words. I am very excited to see what she does next.

Overall this is 3.5* rounded up.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, fast read with just enough hints of creepiness to keep me invested. The prose was clean and engaging and Ringle has a real knack for making her narrative atmospheric, whether it's a glimpse of the cold grey water of the Sound or the faint dripping of rain from pine needles in the muffled and isolated forest. I loved that aspect of the book.

The four main characters - forester and environmental scientist, Livy, her artist sister, Skye, part time mechanic, part time chain saw sculptor and full time goblin liaison, Kit and his rather innocent chef cousin, Grady, were all good characters. Very likeable even when they weren't perfect. I loved how Livy's science back ground and love of the forest gave her a connection wit nature. Skye, despite being a victim for 90% of the book, still had agency. You felt that she was still active and you rooted for her - this was skilfully done as she easily could have slid into being a damsel in distress. Kit was likeable enough although I got frustrated with his reluctance to talk about his goblin liaison issues. Also considering his relationship with the goblins, he's really blase about whether anyone is under a curse or not, assuming they aren't and then not investigating. Grady suffers a bit for being enspelled pretty much from the get go and therefore doesn't have a lot of personality, especially when held up next to Skye.

The goblins were everything you could wish for - greedy, pugnacious, tricksy, cunning, avaricious and physically strong. Do not expect any handsome goblin kings here though because it just doesn't happen. It's not that kind of goblin story. Redring is deliciouly nasty - so nice to see a female goblin as antagonist! - and Flowerwatch was wonderful in a different way. I feel like there could be an entire story just about those two and I'd love to read it.

There were a couple of minor blips in this book for me. The ages of the protagonists just didn't seem to fit. (And also why stress so much that the girls are a coupe of years older than the boys? Weird.) Mostly it feels like Kit and Livy could be much older than mid twenties. Another blip was the sex. I enjoy a good sex scene as much as the next mildly perverted person but these felt a bit out of place. As in I'm not sure they advanced the plot, it was more that they were there just to show that the two couples had sex. So it read a bit oddly and you were left with about three chapters early on where the MCs were all just getting it on.

The curse that Skye is caught in is especially nasty because it robs her completely of the power to communicate. Even to smile. There's something subtly awful about that and I really felt for her and Grady when she accidentally pulled him into it. The final battle was pretty satisfying but I would have liked Livy to win at the very last by using her wits since the goblins were so much more powerful.

Overall though this was a strong urban fantasy and one which will stay with me a long time just from the sheer feel and atmosphere. Highly recommend for all those who like Holly Black, Neil Gaiman or fairy tales in which the fae are bot the good guys.

Love love love!! Haven't read a book where goblins are described like this. Fascinating history surrounding them in this book. Actually I wish the book was all about the goblins, like going more into the characters of all the goblins, there history, lifestyles.
I liked the characters a lot as well. I cared about them.
The location was a great choice. Puget Sound, Washington state, Gorgeous trees and forests. Great place for goblins to live!

I didn’t end up loving this as much as I was hoping, but Ringle weaves an interesting story and her writing was good. The atmosphere of the books is gloomy and dark, matching the mood of the original poem. It feels haunting, like I would expect a book about goblins to feel. A large portion of the book is focused on romance, which did not bother me, but if others are looking for a more fantasy heavy book they may be disappointed. My only problem was that the ending dragged. I think the last few chapters could have definitely been condensed into less, or even one epilogue.

Molly Ringle knows how to present a page so it’s more than ink on paper; it comes alive in your hands and tugs you into the story. Ringle creates a riveting and vivacious world full of relatable characters.

Her storylines are compelling with a pace that beg you to read another page even when you know you should be getting back to those pesky real life demands.

The mix of modern with the pagan and mystic was surprisingly realistic to the point you come away believing goblins could exist in the world.

Ringle has a way of creating the kind of experience you don’t want to leave and will find coming back to take over your thoughts at odd moments. It has this way of creating a magical spell over you drawing you further into this beautifully written world where reality bends to magic’s will.

The characters pull at your heart and the only negative I found was a love story angle that didn’t feel like it was realistic to the overall story. At some point it felt like the fantasy elements got lost in the quest to turn this into a romance story which was disappointing because the fantasy elements were the best part.

Kit works for the Goblins. Well, not exactly like he has a choice. They ask for gold and trinkets and he provides them with it, because the alternative is that they wreak havoc with humans. When we find him he fails to deliver and tbe goblins get a young woman in their hands: she will be bound to them and will return to the woods and claim a mate. Obviously, the goblins want her but she choses Kit's cousin, Gabin, who is left dumbfounded and interested on the girl he mets and gets kissed by on the forest.
Meanwhile, Kit suspects sth, specially when Livvy tells him how weird her sister is acting. Yep. You got it right. Skye is Livvy's sister. So it all will remain in the family if the four of them hook up, right?
The writting style of the author is good, and so is the idea, but I can't feel the characters or their feelings. The ones that somehow scape are the "tragic" ones, Kit and Skye, but not enough as to be invested in the book and want to know more... :/

I'd like to begin saying that this is a very different story from everything I've read, I loved the myths and how it was part of the every day normal life, how it made it seem like something possible, that it could be happening and we're just unaware. I loved the goblins and how TERRIBLE they are. I like how helpless it felt to read from Skye's point of view, it made it so real. However, for me I'd have liked the opportunity to delve deeper into the characters, I just lacked the connection with them-- I cared more about the story than if any of them lived or died. Same with the relationships, it lacked, for me, tension or chemistry. But overall it was a really interesting story and I'm glad I read it.