Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an e-arc! This book comes out June 1st!

A story where goblins are real and humans are fairytales? Well count me in!
This book is about Ivy, daughter of the advisor to the goblin king. Because she is only half goblin, she gets picked on by bullies a lot. Luckily, she is strong and trains with the guards. She also has a very good friend that she can always count on.
When the crown prince is taken, Ivy needs to step up and save him. But the crown prince isn't just taken by anyone. Apparently it's the humans...

I loved the idea of humans being the fairytale character in this story. It's very original! I was a little disappointed though that the author didn't elaborate too much on the how and why and instead focused on too many other small and - to me - insignificant things. Personally I feel like the story would have been better if it focused on 1 or 2 storylines and truly delved deep into them, instead of, for instance, writing about a divine sword that doesn't add much to the actual story. There could have been more character development.

Still, I enjoyed reading this book a lot! It's fast paced and has some interesting twists. There are a few incongruities but overall I thought it was fun to read. And obviously, having a dog named Grr in your book makes it 200% more enjoyable 😁

I enjoyed reading this book. Never had a dull moment :)
In the beginning I sensed some influence from other books but apart from that the book follows it own path.

We meet Ivy a half goblin half human princess (ups spoiler, sorry 🙊) who travels to the human realm to save her brother. Along with her came her best friend, Pudge. I liked their relationship and their constant teasing 😁
Together they uncover conspiracies, fight dwarves, humans, and even their own in order to return safe to their land.

-->3.5 stars but I gave it 4 because this was the only book I ever read with goblins as main characters and I loved it 💚

This was an easy, enjoyable read. I would say that it was probably aimed at the younger end of YA/teen, rather than squarely in YA. I loved the cover, and the premise and there were enough twists and turns to keep me interested and the pages turning. There were some parts of the plot that I feel could have used more development, for example how humans had come to be considered ‘fairy tales’, and I would have liked to see some more striking differences between Goblins and Humans. We got some insights into the Goblin culture, but I would have liked to see it pushed farther as it felt the two were fairly similar. That said, I did like the focus on Goblins who are often ignored, and the idea of ‘handsome’ prince with sharp teeth, and aside from the build-up to the twist which felt a little forced, the friendship/romance elements were well done, and I loved the relationship between Ivy and Pudge.

This book is a wonderful idea. It feels like there is a huge opportunity to thrive, however I don’t feel it was executed well. I had to force myself to finish it and I just could not connect to the characters or the plot. It feels like it is lacking some description on both the worlds as well as the characters and there just wasn’t any emotion that I felt for the overall story itself.

-Stone

I enjoyed the book and it was the first I have read involving goblins. It was a quick and easy read with enough twists and surprises to keep me turning the page. The characters particularly Pudge grew as the story evolved and initially I thought there was going to be a love triangle but given the plot twist that wasn’t to be.

*Review will be posted on 5/16/20
Thank you to Entangled Teen and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

My Reactions:

Had My Attention: for the most part

World Building: fairly solid on the goblin world, but some holes with the human being fairy tales bit 🤔

Writing Style: Easy to follow, quick read 🙂, more young teen than young adult

Bringing the Heat: a sweet kiss 🔥

Crazy in LOVE: 💚💚 (mild, best-friend crush)

Creativity: Goblins 👍🏼

Mood: adventurous

Triggers: mild violence

My Takeaway: half goblin girl shows her goblin family and friends that she’s better than the boys and worthy

What I Liked:
*Goblin stories always entertain me because not a lot of books are written about them. They are not as gorgeous as their fae or elf counterparts so I like how we have a handsome goblin prince with razor sharp teeth and green skin in this book.

*Ivy can hold her own against the bullies and she trains with the guys so that’s always fun to see a girl who can fight.

*I thought her crush on her best friend Pudge is cute and sweet. Their relationship is solid, not much challenges there except how they both don’t know how the other feels.
Love the book cover!

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:
*The twist with Ivy and Dorian (goblin prince) – ha! Didn’t see that coming and it was a bit awkward but it worked out in the end.

*It’s a quick read and though Ivy encounters some challenges, she meets them pretty easily. Personally I wanted more, even the betrayal felt a bit weak, it felt like a light fantasy – which is fine for some. For me, I just wanted more.

Final Thoughts:
I like stories about goblins because they have a rich culture even though they don’t seem the most glamorous of creatures. This story held my attention for the most part with a goblin kingdom, adventure, a girl trying to prove herself and a happy ending.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Where There Be Humans felt like reading a book. Which I suppose shouldn't be a complaint because technically I was reading a book, but I'd argue that a book's main job is to make you forget that. For whatever reason, I just couldn't buy into the narrative.

MC Ivy has been raised a Goblin but has always suspected she was half human, despite humans being widely regarded as 'fairy tales'. The premise sounds interesting, but I was frustrated that there was never any real reason provided as to why everyone was convinced humans were just a fairy tale. Ivy and her world felt very human-esque and when she does enter the human world any differences between the two realms felt more like a cultural change then a species based one. I was really excited to read about Humans as a fantastical species with their own mythos and that just never happened.

Everything also happens way too easily for Ivy. The plot doesn't necessarily move to quickly, but each event feels like it's happening because it's next in the book, not because it's something organically happening to Ivy.

A cool concept, but I had too much trouble getting into the world to become invested in the story.