Review: Not Good For Maidens by Tori Bovalino

Synopsis:

Salem’s Lot meets The Darkest Part of the Forest in this horror-fantasy retelling of Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market.”

Lou never believed in superstitions or magic–until her teenage aunt Neela is kidnapped to the goblin market.

The market is a place Lou has only read about–twisted streets, offerings of sweet fruits and incredible jewels. Everything–from the food and wares, to the goblins themselves–is a haunting temptation for any human who manages to find their way in.

Determined to save Neela, Lou learns songs and spells and tricks that will help her navigate this dangerous world and slip past a goblin’s defenses–but she only has three days to find Neela before the market disappears and her aunt becomes one of them forever.

If she isn’t careful, the market might just end up claiming her too.

MY RATING: ★★★★★

I haven’t had the opportunity to read The Devil Makes Three, Bovalino’s previous work, but I have only ever seen high praises for it all over the internet. When I got the email for this tour, I decided it would be a crime if I let Bovalino’s next book get lost in the pit that is otherwise known as my TBR. Not to mention, I saw the word ‘horror’ and was instantly sold.

I have never read or heard of “The Goblin Market” and didn’t know what to fully expect. But after reading, I am definitely doing a deep dive into the main inspiration and other retellings (if there are any). I LOVED the market. Like can’t get enough, gimme another book, need to know more, want to go there even though I would probably die type of love. You’ll see this a lot in reviews for Not Good For Maidens, but the atmosphere built up in the story is perfection. You can picture the market booths, you can feel the goblin’s thorns, you can smell the rosemary and thyme used for escape, and you can easily imagine how forbidden yet beautiful it would all appear. I felt like I was right next to May and Lou, getting pulled deeper and deeper into the market’s grasp.

The story is told from dual perspectives and timelines. You start off following Lou, a teenage girl that lives with her mom and aunt in the States. She doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere, especially not with her family. Grappling with generational family secrets being kept from her, she is thrust into a completely different world with witches and goblins. The other perspective follows May, Lou’s aunt, eighteen years in the past when she entered the market on the cusp of becoming a witch. May’s past slowly unravels revealing her traumas while simultaneously adding to the worldbuilding and lore in perfect doses. Both perspectives worked so well together, and I found myself unable to put the book down after a chapter because the timeline hopping left me wanting more and more.

While Lou’s character and overall story were solid and fully fleshed out, I found myself wishing for more May chapters. Honestly, Eitra and May stole the show for me and I could read an entire book about them any day. The forbidden love that develops between them paired with fear, guilt, and tragedy made for a beautiful story and it battled for my attention from the main storyline. There was a moment when the pacing felt a little off and certain parts of the story felt rushed. Most of this was felt in Lou’s perspective, the main storyline, when she decides to enter the market herself. I almost wish the book had been a bit longer, if only to give Lou some more time to shine.

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of gore and body horror found throughout the story. Even though Not Good for Maidens is young adult, it is not a light and fluffy read. If descriptive horror isn’t your thing, then this might not be the read for you. The body horror was key in creating a setting that was easy to picture and even easier to fear. There are some reviews that make the book sound much more horrifying than it really is (IMO), but that could be because I read adult horror frequently. Just keep in mind this book is about goblins that trick humans into their market to eventually eat their flesh or keep them around for sport.

The book has a stand-alone type ending, but it also gave me the impression that another story could develop in the future. I truly hope this is the case, as I am officially obsessed with the Goblin Market lore and will devour any and all content relating to it in the future. Bovalino is 100% an auto-buy author for me now, and I can’t wait to read her other work.

I highly recommend this book for fans of: descriptive horror, body horror, retellings, fantasy, sapphic romance, forbidden love, star-crossed lovers, dual perspectives, and atmospheric reads.