I'd truthfully never given goblins much thought before reading Tori Bovalino's Not Good For Maidens, and now I can confidently say I'll be having nightmares about them for years to come. This queer horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market" is visceral, imaginative, dreamy, and DISGUSTING. That is to say, I loved it.

It took me a minute to get fully invested in the story, which flits back and forth in time as current-day Lou — teenager, ace, living in Boston, trying to find how she fits in — reckons with the disappearance of her best friend and teenage aunt, Neela, who's been kidnapped to the goblin market (what, you don't have one of those in your town?) back in Neela's hometown of York, in the UK. That's where the other element of the story, which takes place 18 years earlier, comes in: Lou's other aunt, May, found herself in dire straits at that same market with a woman she loved when she was a young witch, and Lou's mother (May's sister), Laura, was dragged into the gory madness as well. Now, using tools of the past and present, the family must risk literal life and limb to save one of their own.

In addition to the body horror and unending trauma, there's a lot of great, complex stuff in here about family, duty, and honor, but I was most interested in Bovalino's differing approaches for Lou and May when it comes to what it means to carve out your own destiny. While one resists the very world she was born into, the other dives headlong into the same fate, and neither are portrayed as being wrong or right. It's just the differences in how they navigate the perils of growing up and finding your place in the word.

OK and also I adored how truly grotesque the goblin market is. Horrors on horrors on horrors. It's such a gross, gritty world not for the faint of heart — severed limbs, gouged-out eyes, and broken bones are just some of the varieties of "fun" you'll encounter under the ancient cobblestone streets of York. YA horror at its best.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher Page Street Publishing and netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book does not pull punches. It goes all out-- in gore, violence, and creepiness. A unique take on the Goblin Market, this definitely is not a book for the faint of heart!

Not Good for Maidens
by Tori Bovalino

They’ll lure you in with fruit and gems and liquor and dancing, merriment to remember for the rest of your life. But that’s an illusion. The market is death itself.

Beneath the streets of York, the goblin market calls to the Wickett women—the family of witches that tends to its victims. For generations, they have defended the old cobblestone streets with their magic. Knowing the dangers, they never entered the market—until May Wickett fell for a goblin girl, accepted her invitation, and became inextricably tied to the world her family tried to protect her from. The market learned her name, and even when she and her sister left York for Boston to escape it, the goblins remembered.

Seventeen years later, Lou, May’s niece, knows nothing of her magical lineage or the twisted streets, sweet fruits, and incredible jewels of the goblin market. But just like her aunt, the market calls to her, an echo of a curse that won’t release its hold on her family. And when her youngest aunt, Neela, is kidnapped by goblins, Lou discovers just how real and dangerous the market is.

To save her, both May and Lou will have to confront their family’s past and what happened all those years ago. But everything—from the food and wares, to the goblins themselves—is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in. And if Lou isn’t careful, she could end up losing herself to the market, too.

#NotGoodforMaidens

I loved the parts of the story that took place in the Goblin Market. However, with the split perspective, family obligations, and expectations, it felt like the book straddled 2 separate storylines instead of committing to 1. There was just enough disconnect that, at the end, I had no strong feelings about the outcome. 3 stars.

A gothic horror novel set in my favourite city with a sprinkling of literary allusions - how could I resist?

I was lucky enough to receive and advanced copy if 'Not Good for Maidens' via NetGalley and I was absolutely thrilled. I ripped through Bovalino's previous book 'The Devil Makes Three' and had high hopes for this one.

Dark twisty and with an unexpected romance this was an excellent read. I loved the intergenerational storytelling and the tensions between loyalty, duty and freedom.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy when the book is published!

The Wickett women are a family of witches that have for many generations protected the streets of York. May Wickett followed a goblin and tied to the world her family tried to protect her from. Years later, May’s niece, Lou, knows nothing of her families’ magic. Like her aunt, the goblins call to her. When her aunt Neela is taken by the goblins. May and Lou will have to fast the past to save Neela.
This horror young adult book was done well. The horror was done perfectly with a great use of feeling to help portray it. The LGBTA reputation in multiple characters was done well. The book was a great pace, going fast and kept me wanting to know more. The way the chapters bounced between different time periods; it felt a bit force and confusing. There was some world building, but I felt like there could be more especially when it comes to the magic system. The characters sadly felt unrememberable and flat. Thank you Netgalley and Page Street Publishing for a chance to read this really good book.

Not Good for Maidens is a hauntingly enticing and bloody spectacle of a book. It’s the type of story that sits heavy on your bones after reading and haunts your nightmares.

This book is one that you will not forget in a hurry. It is chilling and spectacular, with the terror building and the chill on your spine only ever getting more intense. Tori Bovalino caught my attention last year with the tightly plotted, horrifyingly brilliant The Devil Makes Three. That same attention to detail and innate ability to craft such perfect horror rings true once more. This feels like the whisper in the dark that promises you everything you have ever wanted, but at an unimaginable cost. It is genuinely tantalising. Right from that atmospheric opening, you will be hooked. Instantly the scene of intertwining timelines and the legacy of that traumatic experience is established. You know this is going to be a book that does not hold back and grapples with intergenerational trauma. Bovalino constantly keeps you wanting more, drawing you into this blood-drenched world where every action has consequences and everything has its price. Her writing is stunning in every way. It is evocative, descriptive and endlessly gorgeous, but tinged with such darkness. It resembles the market in the way it shines, but that shine is a veneer of bright promises to conceal the horrific underbelly. The pacing is immaculate, keeping the pages flowing past you. For me, the reading experience was transportive, compelling and utterly enrapturing. Time flew past as the pages flowed and the blood spilt.

This is the sort of retelling that honours the essence of the original but spins it into something entirely new. The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti is an impactful poem warning of the dangers of temptation and damnation, particularly periodical taboos surrounding sexuality and desire. Bovalino brings these moral panics into the modern day, interrogating societal assumptions and the underlying judgement of female sexuality. It is a deeply feminist and empowering book, complicating Rossetti’s original challenges to society. The way Bovalino brings the original tale into the timelines is excellent and a creative way of merging these two worlds. Her reinterpretation is a brutal, blood-drenched one, but also one that maintains hope.

Lou was such a fantastic protagonist and really acted as the audience’s eyes, as she enters this darkly magical world. Her spirit and determination is admirable, but she is not entirely immune to temptation. The way she wavers is so human and the conflicts she encounters are both mental and physical. I loved the way Bovalino explores family ties, heritage and intergenerational trauma. In fact, the entire central cast of characters is so fractured and fascinating to read about. The representation was so amazing, particularly the speech about being asexual. This representation is not something you see too often in books and Bovalino brings sensitivity and authenticity to it. Also, the choice of setting is perfect. Aside from some Northern representation, Bovalino really taps into that environment of small town superstitions. It is claustrophobic and suffocating. At the same time, it speaks to folklore of old and the knowledge of something beyond. It pays homage to the history embedded in these small towns and the way that traditions are upheld. At its core, this is a book about temptation and damnation in a way that examines societal pressures and judgements. It asks why society deems certain values and people as forever unsullied and others as above judgement.

Not Good For Maidens is one of those books you cannot get out of your brain. It is a gory, complex and emotionally fraught book centering on trauma, family and temptation.

Not Good for Maidens by Tori Bovalino was off-the-scales impressive! I have not read The Devil Makes Three, so I was certainly blown away by the talent and skill Bovalino showed throughout the entirety of Not Good for Maidens!

This wonderful novel switches between two POVs; May who had a traumatic experience at the goblin market 18 years ago, and her niece, Lou, who grew up ignorant of the market’s existence. When May’s younger sister and Lou’s aunt, Neela, gets stuck in the goblin market, Lou is exposed to an entirely new, and dangerous world.

By far the best thing about this book is its immersiveness! From the first chapter to the last page I felt like I was part of the story and couldn’t wait to read what would happen next. I would frequently lose track of time while reading, and I definitely felt like the book was over too quickly. While I believe Not Good for Maidens is a standalone, the ending leaves a good opening for a sequel, so I will hold out hope that Bovalino might write one some day!

Similarly, the world-building was absolutely wonderful! While the novel takes place in our world, Bovalino creates an entirely new world within the goblin market. She describes it so vividly, and it added a lot of depth to the novel as a whole.

Finally, the representation in Not Good for Maidens is phenomenal! The main character, Lou, is ace, which was extremely exciting to read since I am also ace! On top of that, Lou’s Aunt May is bi and her Aunt Neela is pan. While the characters’ sexual identities are not a huge focus of the book, I sincerely believe we need more books that include this kind of representation without necessarily focusing on it. Regardless, I was elated to read a book with an ace character, and I related to a lot of what Lou experienced, which truly means a lot to me as both a reader and an ace person!

I could go on about this book for hours, but I will leave you to discover its amazingness on your own!

Not Good for Maidens is a creepy retelling of The Goblin Market, a poem most of us read freshman year of high school and went "but wait, this is about sex though right?".

NGfM follows two stories and two POVs: May, a young soon-to-be-witch with a destiny she's tired of bending to, and Lou, a young woman who is determined to uncover her family's secrets. Both stories intertwine - May is Lou's aunt - when Lou's other aunt and best friend is taken by the Goblin Market. What is the Goblin Market? NO GOOD AT ALL. This book has it all - creepy corridors, people getting eaten, a sapphic romance, asexual rep, and lots of fun witchcraft. I got really into this tale, curious to see how the two stories would intersect, and was rewarded for having a guess pay off in the last part of the novel.

My only complaint (and what docked the score) was that the beginning was sloooow. As soon as both women were in the Market in their respective chapters, the story was riveting, but it wasn't until about 30% that this happened. The first 30% set us up nicely for character arcs, but I feel could have been easily trimmed.

Other than that, this was an awesome, atmospheric, spooky novel.

Thank you, Page Street Kids, for allowing me to read Not Good for Maidens early!

Dark and captivating, Tori Bovalino crafted a splendid thrilling sapphic tale which caught my attention since its first words and kept me engaged until the very end.

I have always been fascinated with "The Goblin Market". This idea of a market that wraps you up, entrances you, and captures. So when I heard about this queer fantasy retelling (Ace MC and MC with sapphic LI), I was over the moon excited. And Tori Bovalino smashed through my expectations. In this dual POV and timeline story, Bovalino weaves a queer story about family, sacrifice, and love. There's a horror and suspense element that only grows as the book progresses.

Not Good for Maidens is a book that is perfect for fans of those settings that will make you shiver. I could not stop reading and ended up finishing this book days early. Because while there's a steady action pacing, it's also a story about characters, belonging, and family. I was captivated by the action, by not knowing what would happen. But at the same time, I fell in love with May and Lou. How they are struggling with this feeling of belonging.

A super fascinating retelling of Goblin Market with all kinds of queer rep! I really enjoyed this one, especially for its depictions of sapphic longing, dark atmosphere, and sharp body horror. Told through two timelines spanning decades, the first POV follows Lou as she learns of the Goblin Market's existence and travels within it to save her aunt. The second POV follows past May as she's sucked into a dark and discomfiting romance with the exact creatures her family is trying to eliminate. The stakes are high and the prose gorgeous, but the pacing lost me a little in the first half of the story. It's a slow start that requires commitment, and once I was in the meat of the book I enjoyed it much more. The sapphic rep is so well done, full of yearning!!! and I loved Eitra's character. Overall, Not Good for Maidens is a gorgeous retelling that builds to an exciting story!

I went into this one with really high expectations because The Devil Makes Three completely took me by surprise when it comes a well crafted story within the realm of gothic/dark academia. I desperately wanted this story to recreate those vibes, but it just didn’t quite get there.

Don’t get me wrong, Bovalino still maintains incredibly atmospheric writing and really nails the horror and body gore that the Wickett women experience at the Goblin Market. I also loved that there’s so much casual queerness in the storyline (an ace MC and a f/f relationship).

I don’t think the dual timelines where we get the flashbacks of May’s story 18 years prior in contrast to Lou’s current timeline worked for me. The biggest reason for this was that May and Lou didn’t feel like unique characters/voices, so it was really difficult to remember who was talking and in which timeline we were in. Because of this, the pacing felt choppy versus being very fluid.

While this one wasn’t a favorite, I am still looking forward to Bovalino’s next book.

A haunting reimagining of the poem Goblin Market, this book is as vivid as it is brutal. The protagonist's sense of isolation in the world around her, even as she struggles to forge a stronger connection with her family, struck home for me as much as the ill-fated romance in the flashback portions. I wasn't familiar with this author but I'll definitely be on the lookout for her in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for an early read of this ARC. Oh wow, I literally got done with this book and said to myself “THIS WAS SO COOL.” Intense? Downright gory sometimes? Yes but an underground goblin market? Witchery protecting a city? Sapphic love?! Yes and yes. It reminded me of a better more lore infused Little Monsters.

I was expecting this to be much darker than it actually was. With a cover like that!

The pacing of this was off for me. It felt extremely rushed in the first half. I also wanted more backstory on the market and certain characters.

The writing wasn't my favorite. I'm mad upset that I didn't enjoy this one more because it sounded so promising.

Another lush and whimsical book from Tori Bovalino that doesn’t shy away from nightmarish imagery or haunting prose!

This was my second book by Tori Bovalino and it was so close to a 4.5! It was so creepy and interesting. It wasn't the usual goblin book, it was definitely its own thing. The atmosphere of the market was absolutely amazing. It was gross and creepy and so easy to picture even when I didn't want to.
We almost immediately get a missing person mystery which really caught my attention. Lou's aunt Neela (who is almost her age and her best friend) leaves her a strange message on her phone. She needs Lou's help. And then a voice she has never heard comes on the line telling her to come find Neela. She lives an ocean away and Lou's mom does not want her to go but she won't tell her why.
Obviously from the synopsis Neela ends up in the goblin market. Lou's mom and other aunt May have a long history with the goblin market Lou has never heard about. Lou is determined to save Neela no matter how hard it is to get in and out of the goblin market, especially with her family's history.
We get 2 different timelines in this book. Lou (present) and May (18 years earlier). I really liked Lou and her determination to save Neela. I also really enjoyed May's story. Everything ends up weaving together perfectly and it just makes sense.
If you are looking for a creepy goblin horror story, look no further. Put this one on your TBR!

Ultimately I DNF’d this one because I couldn’t quite connect with the story. I absolutely love “The Goblin Market” and loved that it was getting a retelling. I thought Bovalino’s horror and gore was appropriate for this tale