The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle is a New Adult novel that will creep you out and burn with a lil’ romance. 
“A contemporary romance inspired by Christina Rossetti’s eerie, sensual poem, “Goblin Market.” Four neighbors encounter sinister enchantments and a magical path to love in a small, modern-day Puget Sound town, where a fae realm hides in the woods and waters…
Most people have no idea goblins live in the woods around the small town of Bellwater, Washington. But some are about to find out.
Skye, a young barista and artist, falls victim to a goblin curse in the forest one winter night, rendering her depressed and silenced, unable to speak of what happened. Her older sister, Livy, is at wit’s end trying to understand what’s wrong with her. Local mechanic Kit would know, but he doesn’t talk of such things: he’s the human liaison for the goblin tribe, a job he keeps secret and never wanted, thrust on him by an ancient family contract.
Unaware of what’s happened to Skye, Kit starts dating Livy, trying to keep it casual to protect her from the attention of the goblins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kit, Skye draws his cousin Grady into the spell through an enchanted kiss in the woods, dooming Grady and Skye both to become goblins and disappear from humankind forever.
It’s a midwinter night’s enchantment as Livy, the only one untainted by a spell, sets out to save them on a dangerous magical path of her own.“
First off, this book started out pretty creepy. Like lil creepy goblins running around a dark forest with their even more creepy singing and sweets.
One of the most interesting aspects of this book included the diverse point-of-views we get to read. The main focus of the book surrounds a girl believed to be sunken in some sort of mysterious depressed state, but then it is her POV that allows us to see more into the depth of where this book focuses from. Each character has a part of the story that allows us to piece the puzzle together into a more suspenseful story. This isn’t to say that it is predictable. Overall, we do get hints into the general direction of the story, but I think it’s Skye’s world that drew me into the book entirely.
Since this is a New Adult book, there is romance scattered into the plot. I liked how the idea of a spell motivates part of the story, and not including an all-in, typical insta-love connection. So if you[re worried about insta-love, this book does have the qualities, but doesn’t overpower the story.
It was also fun to read the drive of the story involving the creepy, disturbing goblins. If you are looking for a subtle fall read which captures off-set romance and that October-windy nights vibe, I highly recommend this book.
Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I finished this book within one night. It was fast-paced and I couldn’t put it down until I knew just what was going to happen. The writing blended YA-aspects into a more adult setting. I didn’t expect too much going into it, but I am glad that I picked it up.
Published: 1 October 2017
Publisher: Central Avenue Publishing
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Pages: 288
How I Read It: NetGalley eArc from Publisher
Cover Design: 5/5 (Eye-Catcher) – The design matches to how I pictured the aesthetics of the goblin creatures.
**Disclaimer: I received this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All of my reviews contain my honest opinion only and are not influenced in any way.**
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Happy Reading,
