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Into the Green #1
The Goblin Market
Beyond the Goblin Market lies the remains of a lost and broken kingdom divided by war. The war has been over for centuries, but the kingdoms still stand apart, overrun by a creeping goblin darkness known as the Darknjan Wald. It has been written that only one holds the power to destroy that darkness and reunite the kingdoms, but she has no memory of her former life.
Meredith Drexler must save her sister, Christina, from the wicked goblin king, Kothar, who has kidnapped the girl in order to convince Meredith to uphold an ancient commitment Meredith doesn't remember making. Sent Upland disguised as a human child, she has no recollection of her former faerie life, or her uncle's promised marriage betrothal to Kothar.
When she ventures back Underground in search of Christina, every step Meredith takes brings memories of her forgotten past back to the surface. As the pressures of her former life entangle with her quest to save her kidnapped sister, Meredith's predetermined fate is revealed. Will she embrace it, or walk away forever from a life she barely remembers as her own?
Meredith Drexler must save her sister, Christina, from the wicked goblin king, Kothar, who has kidnapped the girl in order to convince Meredith to uphold an ancient commitment Meredith doesn't remember making. Sent Upland disguised as a human child, she has no recollection of her former faerie life, or her uncle's promised marriage betrothal to Kothar.
When she ventures back Underground in search of Christina, every step Meredith takes brings memories of her forgotten past back to the surface. As the pressures of her former life entangle with her quest to save her kidnapped sister, Meredith's predetermined fate is revealed. Will she embrace it, or walk away forever from a life she barely remembers as her own?
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2011
10 people are currently reading
406 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Melzer
33 books146 followersJennifer Melzer spent the majority of her life as a writer denying she actually liked to write romance, only to wake up one morning and discover that every single tale she’d ever written had somehow revolved around the heart. She has since given into the whim, spinning yarns of love and firmly believing that everyone deserves a happy ending.
She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter, but dreams nightly she is laying on the beach watching the stars fall over the Atlantic Ocean.
She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her husband and daughter, but dreams nightly she is laying on the beach watching the stars fall over the Atlantic Ocean.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 4, 2011
Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me ~Labyrinth
The Goblin Market is the tale of Meredith, who is forced to travel beyond the Goblin Market to a kingdom that has been divided by war, to find her sister who was seduced by the delicious fruits of the Goblin Market and the unceremoniously taken by the scarred yet intriguingly handsome, Kothar, the King of the Goblins. Meredith is accompanied through this strange, yet vaguely familiar, world by Him of the Green, an antlered wood-god. As our heroine makes her way to the castle of the Goblin King we come to learn that it has been written that only one holds the power to destroy the darkness and reunite the kingdoms, but will she remember her old life in time to save all that she holds dear?
Influenced by Christina Rossetti's 1862 published work of the same name, I first was introduced to Jennifer Hudock's The Goblin Market through her podcast and was thoroughly entertained and sucked into the story. Now to be able to hold the story in my hands and read it for myself is a thrill. Ms Hudock captures the world of the fairies, both the darkness and the light, with amazing detail that lures you in and grabs hold. The imagery of The Goblin Market reminds me of the cold, dark and eerie tales of fairies of old...the type of fairies I love to read about. I, like, Meredith immediately fell in love with Him of the Green and his acts of heroism and could actually feel the draw that the mysterious and magical Kothar had on Meredith, as well as those around him. This is a fantastic novel that I am proud to have added to my collection and you should, too!!
The Goblin Market is the tale of Meredith, who is forced to travel beyond the Goblin Market to a kingdom that has been divided by war, to find her sister who was seduced by the delicious fruits of the Goblin Market and the unceremoniously taken by the scarred yet intriguingly handsome, Kothar, the King of the Goblins. Meredith is accompanied through this strange, yet vaguely familiar, world by Him of the Green, an antlered wood-god. As our heroine makes her way to the castle of the Goblin King we come to learn that it has been written that only one holds the power to destroy the darkness and reunite the kingdoms, but will she remember her old life in time to save all that she holds dear?
Influenced by Christina Rossetti's 1862 published work of the same name, I first was introduced to Jennifer Hudock's The Goblin Market through her podcast and was thoroughly entertained and sucked into the story. Now to be able to hold the story in my hands and read it for myself is a thrill. Ms Hudock captures the world of the fairies, both the darkness and the light, with amazing detail that lures you in and grabs hold. The imagery of The Goblin Market reminds me of the cold, dark and eerie tales of fairies of old...the type of fairies I love to read about. I, like, Meredith immediately fell in love with Him of the Green and his acts of heroism and could actually feel the draw that the mysterious and magical Kothar had on Meredith, as well as those around him. This is a fantastic novel that I am proud to have added to my collection and you should, too!!
August 9, 2011
Overall, this was a pretty underwhelming book. Personally, the only redeeming factor about this book was the ending, which was rather realistic and darker than I had expected. There is no fairytale happy ending here, instead, it’s all rather bittersweet.
I was already pretty iffy about this novel when I realized just how similar it was to Labyrinth (which is a huge guilty pleasure from my childhood. Who doesn’t love David Bowie in makeup and exaggerated hair dancing around in super tight leggings with an obvious bulge?). But The Goblin Market reads like Labyrinth with shades of The Iron King (I don't know which came first, Kagawa's book or Hudock's because I know Hudock had originally premiered this story as a podcast or something). At first I was willing to enjoy it for the ride, the adventure and the similarity to Labyrinth. But it was too similar.
If you're interested, here are the similarities to Labyrinth:
And then came the super cheesy insta-love. Nothing sours me on a book faster than poor romance that relies on insta-love. I’ve just become so sick of the plethora of books that use this crappy plot device to get to the romance, and The Goblin Market relies heavily on it when it comes to Meredith and Him.
For instance:
"... and though she knew they had barely known each other for the full cycle of one day, she felt as though they'd walked that forest together for the length of several lifetimes." (Emphasis mine)
"One night, and already she couldn't imagine a day apart from him. One night, and she was already thinking about forever."
Also, this is self published, so it's lacking some copy editing. There are periods in the middle of sentences, there are words incorrectly spelled and there were a few odd instances where a sentence had been changed halfway through but the original wording wasn't deleted. All in all, the actual text is very much readable, and these issues are not overwhelming.
Hudock isn't a bad writer, in fact she's pretty good. But I just couldn't get over the fact that the story she was telling was so similar to something that came out a quarter of a century ago. Oh, and that pesky insta-love nonsense.
If insta-love doesn’t bother you and you haven’t seen the movie Labyrinth, then The Goblin Market is going to seem like a really unique and fun ride.
I was already pretty iffy about this novel when I realized just how similar it was to Labyrinth (which is a huge guilty pleasure from my childhood. Who doesn’t love David Bowie in makeup and exaggerated hair dancing around in super tight leggings with an obvious bulge?). But The Goblin Market reads like Labyrinth with shades of The Iron King (I don't know which came first, Kagawa's book or Hudock's because I know Hudock had originally premiered this story as a podcast or something). At first I was willing to enjoy it for the ride, the adventure and the similarity to Labyrinth. But it was too similar.
If you're interested, here are the similarities to Labyrinth:
And then came the super cheesy insta-love. Nothing sours me on a book faster than poor romance that relies on insta-love. I’ve just become so sick of the plethora of books that use this crappy plot device to get to the romance, and The Goblin Market relies heavily on it when it comes to Meredith and Him.
For instance:
"... and though she knew they had barely known each other for the full cycle of one day, she felt as though they'd walked that forest together for the length of several lifetimes." (Emphasis mine)
"One night, and already she couldn't imagine a day apart from him. One night, and she was already thinking about forever."
Also, this is self published, so it's lacking some copy editing. There are periods in the middle of sentences, there are words incorrectly spelled and there were a few odd instances where a sentence had been changed halfway through but the original wording wasn't deleted. All in all, the actual text is very much readable, and these issues are not overwhelming.
Hudock isn't a bad writer, in fact she's pretty good. But I just couldn't get over the fact that the story she was telling was so similar to something that came out a quarter of a century ago. Oh, and that pesky insta-love nonsense.
If insta-love doesn’t bother you and you haven’t seen the movie Labyrinth, then The Goblin Market is going to seem like a really unique and fun ride.
April 10, 2011
Jennifer Hudock’s novel The Goblin Market references several canonical works of prose and poetry from the past which will evoke familiar memories in any fan of fantasy literature. While, as a result, parts of the plot feel very familiar, they are reworked in a way which is exciting and original. Meredith begins with a commitment to save her sister from the goblin king, no matter the cost, but finds that bargains of that kind are rarely simple.
While Meredith’s physical journey to the goblin king’s castle to rescue her sister, and possibly the whole world, it is her internal journey from a girl who has sacrificed her happiness to give her sister everything she needs to a confident woman who is willing to give up even more for a greater cause. Hudock’s descriptive prose puts the reader in Meredith’s mind and the reader is quickly drawn into a relationship with the protagonist.
While it is clear that the novel could be extended into a sequel, the conclusion doesn’t confirm this, while also lacking resolution to some plots points. This is a pet peeve of mine, as I like each novel to stand alone as well as possibly part of a series, but as it was only some minor points which were not fully answered it did not impact on my enjoyment too much, and I will likely buy the sequel if it is written. The number of errors, a common problem with independently published ebooks, might also bother some readers, as it did me. These criticisms are minor though when you consider the enjoyable fairy-tale feeling and exciting plot that Jenifer Hudock has created in The Goblin Market.
While Meredith’s physical journey to the goblin king’s castle to rescue her sister, and possibly the whole world, it is her internal journey from a girl who has sacrificed her happiness to give her sister everything she needs to a confident woman who is willing to give up even more for a greater cause. Hudock’s descriptive prose puts the reader in Meredith’s mind and the reader is quickly drawn into a relationship with the protagonist.
While it is clear that the novel could be extended into a sequel, the conclusion doesn’t confirm this, while also lacking resolution to some plots points. This is a pet peeve of mine, as I like each novel to stand alone as well as possibly part of a series, but as it was only some minor points which were not fully answered it did not impact on my enjoyment too much, and I will likely buy the sequel if it is written. The number of errors, a common problem with independently published ebooks, might also bother some readers, as it did me. These criticisms are minor though when you consider the enjoyable fairy-tale feeling and exciting plot that Jenifer Hudock has created in The Goblin Market.
March 3, 2011
Sweets for the sweeties!
Jennifer Hudock expertly lures her readers into an eerie, mysterious world, painting vivid imagery for the imagination. She knows how to provide information about her characters and the story in a very atmospherical way.
For the most part, the text flowed smoothly. I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the characters and the love, conflict, and anguish Merry feels as the tale unwinds. The author uses minute details to enrich the experience, making sensations and emotions real, captivating. There were times where I felt the effect was marred by overuse. However, the creativity of the world, and the well-paced storyline, kept my interest strongly.
The rich fantasy tale has a delicious sense of intrigue, and with the promise of adventure yet to come, the Goblin Markets is a novel that seduces the reader into hours of pleasurable reading and propels him headlong towards the last page, while the quality of the prose invites him to linger and savour the experience.
I wish I could put into better words just how fantastic this story is. It captured my imagination immediately. I will definitely return to its pages for the sheer pleasure of being immersed in the world again. The ending has left me craving the next book in this exciting series.
Jennifer Hudock expertly lures her readers into an eerie, mysterious world, painting vivid imagery for the imagination. She knows how to provide information about her characters and the story in a very atmospherical way.
For the most part, the text flowed smoothly. I enjoyed the rich descriptions of the characters and the love, conflict, and anguish Merry feels as the tale unwinds. The author uses minute details to enrich the experience, making sensations and emotions real, captivating. There were times where I felt the effect was marred by overuse. However, the creativity of the world, and the well-paced storyline, kept my interest strongly.
The rich fantasy tale has a delicious sense of intrigue, and with the promise of adventure yet to come, the Goblin Markets is a novel that seduces the reader into hours of pleasurable reading and propels him headlong towards the last page, while the quality of the prose invites him to linger and savour the experience.
I wish I could put into better words just how fantastic this story is. It captured my imagination immediately. I will definitely return to its pages for the sheer pleasure of being immersed in the world again. The ending has left me craving the next book in this exciting series.
December 4, 2024
4 stars for doing something different among the familiar:
-Rather than be a broody romance between the Goblin King, Kothar and changeling queen Meredith, this is actually a sort of brutal fairy tale homage that ends with our heroine setting her own happiness aside, resigned to marriage to a lovesick tyrant while knowing The Hunter (typing Him just feels weird) is probably dead and gone.
*And his death is by Kothar's own command....
-The start (and even Meredith's sister's) name sets up a clear call back to Christina Rossetti's "The Goblin Market"
1.Silly younger sister gets enticed into eating the goblin fruit "for free", but by way of the spell, ends up gorging herself and brings the wrath of the goblin king.
2.Older sister goes on a quest into the Underground to save said sister.
and we also get a taste of its most direct comparison Labyrinth, sprinkled in here and there
1.It's mentioned that while Kothar is the Goblin King, he himself is not really a goblin, rather a handsome mortal who was kept prisoner by the goblins and during that time, learned their customs as well as their weaknesses and made himself ruler upon getting out. This notion is alluded to in the Labyrinth: Coronation manga.
2.A version of the line "through danger untold and hardships unnumbered" has its own moment
3.There's a deceptive masquerade, ya'll! Complete with Meredith secretly donning an owl mask that shows her the truth beneath the beauty (a three in one: the owl, the dance, and a Sara shatters the illusion moment!)
I kinda wished Kothar would've turned out to be masquerading as the Hunter. Like, he'd been in love with Meredith back when she was a girl meant to be his queen, and she never got to see the boyish/true love protector he could be. It would've been better than the open ended mess that is this series in the end. The other "books" are less than 100 pages each and seemingly only available in e book format. Had I known this, I might not have started the book. But damn, the writing was beautiful and the tragedy made this a love story, not a romance. That bit killed me, but alas, here we are.
-Rather than be a broody romance between the Goblin King, Kothar and changeling queen Meredith, this is actually a sort of brutal fairy tale homage that ends with our heroine setting her own happiness aside, resigned to marriage to a lovesick tyrant while knowing The Hunter (typing Him just feels weird) is probably dead and gone.
*And his death is by Kothar's own command....
-The start (and even Meredith's sister's) name sets up a clear call back to Christina Rossetti's "The Goblin Market"
1.Silly younger sister gets enticed into eating the goblin fruit "for free", but by way of the spell, ends up gorging herself and brings the wrath of the goblin king.
2.Older sister goes on a quest into the Underground to save said sister.
and we also get a taste of its most direct comparison Labyrinth, sprinkled in here and there
1.It's mentioned that while Kothar is the Goblin King, he himself is not really a goblin, rather a handsome mortal who was kept prisoner by the goblins and during that time, learned their customs as well as their weaknesses and made himself ruler upon getting out. This notion is alluded to in the Labyrinth: Coronation manga.
2.A version of the line "through danger untold and hardships unnumbered" has its own moment
3.There's a deceptive masquerade, ya'll! Complete with Meredith secretly donning an owl mask that shows her the truth beneath the beauty (a three in one: the owl, the dance, and a Sara shatters the illusion moment!)
I kinda wished Kothar would've turned out to be masquerading as the Hunter. Like, he'd been in love with Meredith back when she was a girl meant to be his queen, and she never got to see the boyish/true love protector he could be. It would've been better than the open ended mess that is this series in the end. The other "books" are less than 100 pages each and seemingly only available in e book format. Had I known this, I might not have started the book. But damn, the writing was beautiful and the tragedy made this a love story, not a romance. That bit killed me, but alas, here we are.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2015
I've been a stickler for High Fantasy recently. Nothing seems to get my attention or hold it for long enough that I end up finishing the story.
The Goblin Market was different. It's the perfect mix of fairytale and darkness that really kept me going.
Jennifer has a way about her writing that makes you fall instantly into the world that she's created. Her imagination is rich and bountiful and expansive and personally, I'd not see it end if only so I can live in her world longer.
The story revolves around Meredith and Christina, two sisters who live alone in the Upland. Christina, who is the headstrong one, gets herself into trouble at the Goblin Market. One knows one should never eat the fruit of the faerie, but the temptation is too strong and Christina is kidnapped by the Goblin King Korath, who is convinced Meredith is the Queen he's been looking for. He uses Christina as leverage against Meredith, propelling her on a journey into the Darknen Wald and the dangers that lie within. Accompanying her is Him, a man with stag horns who Meredith is drawn too despite her determination that she has never seen him before in her life.
What follows is a story of identity, love, loss, and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love.
The story is solid, reminiscent of Labyrinth and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, richly populated, and imagined.
There are fairytales, and then there are Jennifer Melzer's fairytales.
Personally, I prefer Jennifer's.
This is a book you don't want to miss.
The Goblin Market was different. It's the perfect mix of fairytale and darkness that really kept me going.
Jennifer has a way about her writing that makes you fall instantly into the world that she's created. Her imagination is rich and bountiful and expansive and personally, I'd not see it end if only so I can live in her world longer.
The story revolves around Meredith and Christina, two sisters who live alone in the Upland. Christina, who is the headstrong one, gets herself into trouble at the Goblin Market. One knows one should never eat the fruit of the faerie, but the temptation is too strong and Christina is kidnapped by the Goblin King Korath, who is convinced Meredith is the Queen he's been looking for. He uses Christina as leverage against Meredith, propelling her on a journey into the Darknen Wald and the dangers that lie within. Accompanying her is Him, a man with stag horns who Meredith is drawn too despite her determination that she has never seen him before in her life.
What follows is a story of identity, love, loss, and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love.
The story is solid, reminiscent of Labyrinth and Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, richly populated, and imagined.
There are fairytales, and then there are Jennifer Melzer's fairytales.
Personally, I prefer Jennifer's.
This is a book you don't want to miss.
April 20, 2011
The Goblin Market reads a lot like a fairy tale. A young girl gets carried away by a wicked goblin king and the heroes undertake a quest to rescue her. But this isn't the modern fairy story you might expect. It is dark and gritty and the happy ever after you might be waiting for never comes.
The reader is treated to both the beauty and ugliness of the world of the fairy. It is a world that reminded me of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Despite the reminder, it is by no means a simple rework of stories I've read in the past. The author's voice and imagination is clearly on display throughout.
The plot of the story is not overly complex but enjoyable nonetheless. It is a book that can be enjoyed by both the adults and children in the house.
My major complaint with it is less about the writing and more about the presentation. The version I read (Kindle) was a bit rough around the edges formatting-wise. I don't know if that is common to all eFormats or not.
So should you take the time to read this book? Well, if you enjoy visiting the land of the Fey and the battle between Good and Evil then I think you would enjoy it. You can even use the excuse that you're reading it for your children. Just make sure you go into it knowing that bad things can happen to good people and that all stories don't end with "And they lived happily ever after".
The reader is treated to both the beauty and ugliness of the world of the fairy. It is a world that reminded me of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Despite the reminder, it is by no means a simple rework of stories I've read in the past. The author's voice and imagination is clearly on display throughout.
The plot of the story is not overly complex but enjoyable nonetheless. It is a book that can be enjoyed by both the adults and children in the house.
My major complaint with it is less about the writing and more about the presentation. The version I read (Kindle) was a bit rough around the edges formatting-wise. I don't know if that is common to all eFormats or not.
So should you take the time to read this book? Well, if you enjoy visiting the land of the Fey and the battle between Good and Evil then I think you would enjoy it. You can even use the excuse that you're reading it for your children. Just make sure you go into it knowing that bad things can happen to good people and that all stories don't end with "And they lived happily ever after".
March 6, 2011
Accompany Merry along her journey through the world she had been cast from a lifetime ago for her own protection. Follow along with her as she makes her way through two new worlds, as she tries to remember the life she has lived, all while trying to save another..
The details of his book fills your mind with such vivid images you soon feel as if you are traveling right along with Merry and Him.
Jennifer is truley gifted with words, using them to pull you deeper and deeper in thought as you mindlessly turn the page.
The details of his book fills your mind with such vivid images you soon feel as if you are traveling right along with Merry and Him.
Jennifer is truley gifted with words, using them to pull you deeper and deeper in thought as you mindlessly turn the page.
April 25, 2011
I have just finished reading The Goblin Market, by Jennifer Hudock. It has all the things I most enjoy in a book -- a quest/journey, characters who are well drawn, believable, and easy to tell apart, lots of tension and surprises, non-human characters, and the bonus of a female protagonist. Meredith has a very compelling reason to see her quest through to its end, and her experiences along the way are believable and well written. Ms. Hudock did an excellent job of creating the Underworld and its inhabitants. This is the sort of book that sticks with you after you've finished it.
April 24, 2011
This was the first book I read by Hudock. And now I have to confess -- she is my new favorite writer. The characters in this story came alive for me, and the settings were beautifully handled. The Goblin Market was ghastly and horrific, while the fairy "town" was lovely and enchanting. The journey into the darkness and the romance that somehow thrived there . . . let me just say that the writing is beautiful and engaging. I'm on the lookout for any and everything I can find by this author.
June 7, 2016
If you loved the movie Labyrinth, this is your flavor of mind-candy. It reminded me a little of George MacDonald because it does have a Victorian flavor and there are elements of Grimm and Rosetti, of course. Him of the Green and Sir Gwydion were very well-done.
January 31, 2011
One chapter in, as awesome as I remember from the podcast..
March 16, 2011
Had a lot of fun reading and listening to this. All I can say is HIIIIIIIIIIIIM!!!!!!! (and I'm ready for the next book!)
June 7, 2011
RECEIVED FROM: Library Thing Member Giveaway From The Author For Review
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
This book, reminiscent of fairy tales of old, follows the story of Meredith, the human reincarnation of a fairy princess. Meredith was reborn into the human world to protect her from Kothar, the Goblin King, her promised betrothed who was obsessed with possessing her. When the original betrothal was made, Kothar was a different man, a soldier in the fairy kingdom being sent on a mission to discover the secrets of their enemies, the goblins. Kothar was captured and imprisoned, only to conquer the King of the Goblins in a duel and take the position of power himself. Unfortunately, each day he spend in the Goblin kingdom had made him a little darker himself and when he returned to claim his future queen, the Fairy king could not send his niece to such a cruel fate. For her protection and her people, she sacrificed her fairy life to be reborn as a human girl with no memory of her past. For years she was safe, until her younger sister, who she'd cared for most of her human life after her human mother died and human father abandoned them, wandered into the Goblin Market that had been created as a trap for the fairy princess. Christina, her sister, gorged on fairy food for which she could not pay and returned to their little cabin deeply ill after having revealed Meredith's location, not even realizing she'd betrayed her own sister. Meredith watched her sister wasting away as Kothar appeared and offered her a deal, marry him and her sister would be saved. Though she knew she should jump at the deal for some reason unknown to her at the time she couldn't say yes. Kothar steals the dying Christina and challenges Meredith to come into the Goblin Kingdom and find her. He challenges that she will be begging for his help and his hand in less than a day. What follows is an adventure as Meredith returns to the Fairy kingdom and begins to regain her lost memories while she travels through it and into the Goblin Kingdom to save her sister. Along the way she encounters a variety of people and creatures in a story that draws you in and won't let you go until you've reached it's completion.
For the most part this book is a great story that slowly draws you in, turning the pages to discover the secrets of Meredith's past the Underground world she journeys through. Hudock has a strong voice in her writing and creates interesting and intriguing characters. The story is both entrancing and thrilling. However the voice is so distant to create the fairy tale quality of the story that it's difficult to connect to these interesting characters. Personally I feel the story could have been better told if the writer wasn't trying to mix the feel of an absent narrator into the telling of the story. There's not an actual narrator, don't get me wrong on that, but there are parts that feel more like they're being narrated to the reader instead of being experienced by the reader. These sections distance you from the characters and I think negatively effect a reader's view of the story and ability to relate to the characters.
Additionally some of the plot points were a little difficult to believe, for instance during Meredith's journey she meets Him of the Green, a Hunter in the Fairy Kingdom who becomes both her guide and protector. Within the two or three days that she knows him she falls madly in love with him and begins planning their forever. She gladly relinquishes her virtue on the second night she knows him even though in the time period when this takes place no respectable female would have done so before marriage. By the time she journeys into the underground she's considered an old maid in the human world, long past marrying age, though she'd still be thought young by today's standards. If she's gone that long without "soiling" herself, I can't see the character jumping into a moonlight twist with a man she barely knows. Also I don't think there's enough interaction between these two characters in the story to create the kind of heartbreaking love that is described when she loses her consort.
Honestly I think with a lot of the scenes that were hard to believe the writer didn't want to take the extra time needed to make them believable since the story was so long already. With the talent she has for writing, I think she could have easily made each impossibility seem plausible if she'd put a little more time and words into these scenes. My ebook reader charts this as 1082 pages so I can understand why with so much to tell she didn't want to go too far into depth with these scenes, however most fantasy readers are prepared to embark on a longer story than the average reader because of all the pages necessary to create a realistic world so different from their own. The extra length needed to create the believability in those situation I think would have gladly been devoured by any fan of a fantasy story.
On the character of Him, the name really bugged me, I found it really distracting to have a character who's first name was a pronoun. Every other character had an actual name, I feel this particular character should have a real name as well.
Overall this book was a delightful read that I really enjoyed. Hudock has a great talent for world building and creating a very enchanting story. I highly recommend to any reader of fantasy and look forward to the next story in the Into the Green Series.
***NOTE MY REVIEWS OFTEN CONTAIN SPOILERS***
This book, reminiscent of fairy tales of old, follows the story of Meredith, the human reincarnation of a fairy princess. Meredith was reborn into the human world to protect her from Kothar, the Goblin King, her promised betrothed who was obsessed with possessing her. When the original betrothal was made, Kothar was a different man, a soldier in the fairy kingdom being sent on a mission to discover the secrets of their enemies, the goblins. Kothar was captured and imprisoned, only to conquer the King of the Goblins in a duel and take the position of power himself. Unfortunately, each day he spend in the Goblin kingdom had made him a little darker himself and when he returned to claim his future queen, the Fairy king could not send his niece to such a cruel fate. For her protection and her people, she sacrificed her fairy life to be reborn as a human girl with no memory of her past. For years she was safe, until her younger sister, who she'd cared for most of her human life after her human mother died and human father abandoned them, wandered into the Goblin Market that had been created as a trap for the fairy princess. Christina, her sister, gorged on fairy food for which she could not pay and returned to their little cabin deeply ill after having revealed Meredith's location, not even realizing she'd betrayed her own sister. Meredith watched her sister wasting away as Kothar appeared and offered her a deal, marry him and her sister would be saved. Though she knew she should jump at the deal for some reason unknown to her at the time she couldn't say yes. Kothar steals the dying Christina and challenges Meredith to come into the Goblin Kingdom and find her. He challenges that she will be begging for his help and his hand in less than a day. What follows is an adventure as Meredith returns to the Fairy kingdom and begins to regain her lost memories while she travels through it and into the Goblin Kingdom to save her sister. Along the way she encounters a variety of people and creatures in a story that draws you in and won't let you go until you've reached it's completion.
For the most part this book is a great story that slowly draws you in, turning the pages to discover the secrets of Meredith's past the Underground world she journeys through. Hudock has a strong voice in her writing and creates interesting and intriguing characters. The story is both entrancing and thrilling. However the voice is so distant to create the fairy tale quality of the story that it's difficult to connect to these interesting characters. Personally I feel the story could have been better told if the writer wasn't trying to mix the feel of an absent narrator into the telling of the story. There's not an actual narrator, don't get me wrong on that, but there are parts that feel more like they're being narrated to the reader instead of being experienced by the reader. These sections distance you from the characters and I think negatively effect a reader's view of the story and ability to relate to the characters.
Additionally some of the plot points were a little difficult to believe, for instance during Meredith's journey she meets Him of the Green, a Hunter in the Fairy Kingdom who becomes both her guide and protector. Within the two or three days that she knows him she falls madly in love with him and begins planning their forever. She gladly relinquishes her virtue on the second night she knows him even though in the time period when this takes place no respectable female would have done so before marriage. By the time she journeys into the underground she's considered an old maid in the human world, long past marrying age, though she'd still be thought young by today's standards. If she's gone that long without "soiling" herself, I can't see the character jumping into a moonlight twist with a man she barely knows. Also I don't think there's enough interaction between these two characters in the story to create the kind of heartbreaking love that is described when she loses her consort.
Honestly I think with a lot of the scenes that were hard to believe the writer didn't want to take the extra time needed to make them believable since the story was so long already. With the talent she has for writing, I think she could have easily made each impossibility seem plausible if she'd put a little more time and words into these scenes. My ebook reader charts this as 1082 pages so I can understand why with so much to tell she didn't want to go too far into depth with these scenes, however most fantasy readers are prepared to embark on a longer story than the average reader because of all the pages necessary to create a realistic world so different from their own. The extra length needed to create the believability in those situation I think would have gladly been devoured by any fan of a fantasy story.
On the character of Him, the name really bugged me, I found it really distracting to have a character who's first name was a pronoun. Every other character had an actual name, I feel this particular character should have a real name as well.
Overall this book was a delightful read that I really enjoyed. Hudock has a great talent for world building and creating a very enchanting story. I highly recommend to any reader of fantasy and look forward to the next story in the Into the Green Series.
October 25, 2017
I was a little disappointed that this was too similar to David Bowie’s Labyrinth. I was really stoked about reading this.🤔
I hate disappointment!
I hate disappointment!
September 29, 2011
An enjoyable fairy tale-style quest in the tradition of Labyrinth and something like a darker Princess Bride, with hints of The Lord of the Rings and A Midsummer Night's Dream thrown in for good fun. It begins with the Goblin Market of poem fame and weaves its way through some stunningly painted territory -- the odd sights, sounds, tastes, smells of the Market, the Forest, and the Wald are expressed wonderfully. The characters are good fun, and, as is always super important in these quest type deals, you want them to win even when they screw up, doubt themselves, have selfish moments, and are generally ridiculous, like real people tend to be. Also kind of feel for the "bad guy", as Hudock is careful to present him as more than just a baddie. (Oh, he's a baddie worthy of any fairy tale. But he's got a little extra in him, too.) A lot about her style is seductive, just like you want it to be -- I'd take the fairy food she's selling.
That said, I'm of two minds about this book, because all my enjoyment of that stuff was honestly dampened by the lack of editing. It's not so much the little mistakes, typos and punctuation problems happen, though there were a pretty large number of them in this one. But, while the scenes were chosen wisely for pacing, the scenes themselves tended to lose focus, conversations tended to backtrack on themselves, internal monologues grew repetitive and telegraphed things we already knew on a regular basis. Some of the relationships and character motivations were difficult to feel for in the beginning, and that's usually something one or two sentences changed could fix. People kept telling Merry over and over how smart and brave and beautiful and important she was -- and while I appreciate that she's a fairy princess and is all those things, I caught my attention wandering a lot while she was basking in it after about the third time.
I don't mean to sound overly negative, because although I believe those problems had a negative effect on the emotional impact of the cool story and characters in the end, there was still an impact, and I'll read the next one. But it's sort of a mixed bag -- good enough that I wanted a little more out of it.
That said, I'm of two minds about this book, because all my enjoyment of that stuff was honestly dampened by the lack of editing. It's not so much the little mistakes, typos and punctuation problems happen, though there were a pretty large number of them in this one. But, while the scenes were chosen wisely for pacing, the scenes themselves tended to lose focus, conversations tended to backtrack on themselves, internal monologues grew repetitive and telegraphed things we already knew on a regular basis. Some of the relationships and character motivations were difficult to feel for in the beginning, and that's usually something one or two sentences changed could fix. People kept telling Merry over and over how smart and brave and beautiful and important she was -- and while I appreciate that she's a fairy princess and is all those things, I caught my attention wandering a lot while she was basking in it after about the third time.
I don't mean to sound overly negative, because although I believe those problems had a negative effect on the emotional impact of the cool story and characters in the end, there was still an impact, and I'll read the next one. But it's sort of a mixed bag -- good enough that I wanted a little more out of it.
July 19, 2013
A retelling of the Goblin King story, with a few interesting twists, The Goblin Market was not a terrible book. A princess is sent from the Underground to the human world above to escape marriage to the Goblin King. She is born into a human family, with no memory of her former life. The Goblin King tracks her down, and when she refuses him, he kidnaps her poisoned sister, forcing Meredith to seek out his castle to save her. She is joined on her quest by Him, a Hunter.
Overall, the story is good. It twists the basic plot enough to make it interesting. The main characters, while somewhat archetypal, have enough flesh to make them real. The romance between Meredith and Him seems a bit rushed, and the intimate scenes feel as though the author was a bit uncomfortable with them. The writing style seems a bit stiff and forced at times. It felt like the author was trying to mimic a classic fairy tale, and couldn't quite pull it off. There are awkward and wordy sentences, and the prose is sometimes difficult to read. The journey through the Darknjan Wald to get to the Goblin King's castle is rather quiet for a place supposedly fraught with danger, and there are really only two instances of real peril. There is a Lovecraftian feel to one that is a nice touch, however.
All of that could be forgiven in a story like this, except...
This is a self-published book. I have no problem with that, and I do think self-publishing is a fine decision for many authors, but there are problems, and this book is no exception. The author could really have used the help of both a good line editor and content editor. There are wrong word choices (a horse's reigns, rather than reins, as one example), badly edited sentences, and grammatical and punctuation errors throughout. Extra words that obviously should have been deleted when a sentence was changed show up too often. Run on sentences, or ones that simply made no sense, pulled me out of the story far too frequently. I understand the temptation of getting a work out in the world more quickly than a traditional publishing track, but that should not come at the expense of the reader's experience of the story.
Overall, the story is good. It twists the basic plot enough to make it interesting. The main characters, while somewhat archetypal, have enough flesh to make them real. The romance between Meredith and Him seems a bit rushed, and the intimate scenes feel as though the author was a bit uncomfortable with them. The writing style seems a bit stiff and forced at times. It felt like the author was trying to mimic a classic fairy tale, and couldn't quite pull it off. There are awkward and wordy sentences, and the prose is sometimes difficult to read. The journey through the Darknjan Wald to get to the Goblin King's castle is rather quiet for a place supposedly fraught with danger, and there are really only two instances of real peril. There is a Lovecraftian feel to one that is a nice touch, however.
All of that could be forgiven in a story like this, except...
This is a self-published book. I have no problem with that, and I do think self-publishing is a fine decision for many authors, but there are problems, and this book is no exception. The author could really have used the help of both a good line editor and content editor. There are wrong word choices (a horse's reigns, rather than reins, as one example), badly edited sentences, and grammatical and punctuation errors throughout. Extra words that obviously should have been deleted when a sentence was changed show up too often. Run on sentences, or ones that simply made no sense, pulled me out of the story far too frequently. I understand the temptation of getting a work out in the world more quickly than a traditional publishing track, but that should not come at the expense of the reader's experience of the story.
April 13, 2011
The Goblin Market
When asked by a friend on Twitter to read and review a book for her I was excited...but when I realized that it was YA with a little romance thrown in I became a bit disheartened. However, with that being said, The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock is a very well written story about a woman with no memory of any other life than the one she remembers getting drawn in to the faerie world of the evil goblin king in order to save her little sister. The king believes her to be his promised bride and uses her sister as bait to lure her into his domain. Loving her sister with all her heart the young woman plunges into a world of magic andchaos to get to her. She is helped along the way by good elves at the borders to the goblin kings realm. After meeting with the elves she is told that she actually is there long exiled princess who had her soul placed in the body of a mortal baby to save her from having to marry the goblin king. Her new companion travels with her on her quest to aid her in any way he can and quickly,a romance from the past but, as new to her as fresh snow develops. I do not wish to spoil the book so please go out and buy a copy yourself. You won't regret it.I rate it 4 stars out of 5 for content and 5 stars out of 5 for being well-written and worthwhile.
The Goblin Market is an original, dark fantasy podcast novel by Jennifer Hudock. http://jennybeans.net/goblin-market/
http://www.amazon.com/Goblin-Market-I...
When asked by a friend on Twitter to read and review a book for her I was excited...but when I realized that it was YA with a little romance thrown in I became a bit disheartened. However, with that being said, The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock is a very well written story about a woman with no memory of any other life than the one she remembers getting drawn in to the faerie world of the evil goblin king in order to save her little sister. The king believes her to be his promised bride and uses her sister as bait to lure her into his domain. Loving her sister with all her heart the young woman plunges into a world of magic andchaos to get to her. She is helped along the way by good elves at the borders to the goblin kings realm. After meeting with the elves she is told that she actually is there long exiled princess who had her soul placed in the body of a mortal baby to save her from having to marry the goblin king. Her new companion travels with her on her quest to aid her in any way he can and quickly,a romance from the past but, as new to her as fresh snow develops. I do not wish to spoil the book so please go out and buy a copy yourself. You won't regret it.I rate it 4 stars out of 5 for content and 5 stars out of 5 for being well-written and worthwhile.
The Goblin Market is an original, dark fantasy podcast novel by Jennifer Hudock. http://jennybeans.net/goblin-market/
http://www.amazon.com/Goblin-Market-I...
June 20, 2011
The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock is the tale of one young woman's journey to find and rescue her sister from the clutches of the Goblin King. Meredith journeys into the Underground where she discovers her true nature, meets her true love, faces numerous dangers and betrayals, and finally confronts the king himself.
What should be a rousing and uplifting tale of courage in the face of strange and terrifying circumstances frankly left me flat. That's primarily due to the portrayal of the main character. Meredith's actually stronger in the beginning of this story than she is at the end. Rather than grow into her new situation within the faerie kingdoms, she whines and broods about every decision she faces. Usually she ends up letting others make the tough decisions for her. Because of this, the ending was less surprising than it was inevitable and disappointing.
The supporting characters, on the other hand, were well done and may be the only redeeming part of this work. The fact that these characters keep disappearing, right at the point where I expect them to make a difference, adds to the generally depressing nature of the book.
Normally I won't comment on editing or formatting issues, especially in a self published work, but in this case I would be remiss if I did not. I purchased the Kindle version and it was atrocious. It appeared to be a draft in progress and contained many missing words, extra words, duplicated words, multiple tenses of the same phrase right next to each other, and at least one section where several paragraphs seemed to be missing.
What should be a rousing and uplifting tale of courage in the face of strange and terrifying circumstances frankly left me flat. That's primarily due to the portrayal of the main character. Meredith's actually stronger in the beginning of this story than she is at the end. Rather than grow into her new situation within the faerie kingdoms, she whines and broods about every decision she faces. Usually she ends up letting others make the tough decisions for her. Because of this, the ending was less surprising than it was inevitable and disappointing.
The supporting characters, on the other hand, were well done and may be the only redeeming part of this work. The fact that these characters keep disappearing, right at the point where I expect them to make a difference, adds to the generally depressing nature of the book.
Normally I won't comment on editing or formatting issues, especially in a self published work, but in this case I would be remiss if I did not. I purchased the Kindle version and it was atrocious. It appeared to be a draft in progress and contained many missing words, extra words, duplicated words, multiple tenses of the same phrase right next to each other, and at least one section where several paragraphs seemed to be missing.
April 13, 2011
The Goblin Market
When asked by a friend on Twitter to read and review a book for her I was excited...but when I realized that it was YA with a little romance thrown in I became a bit disheartened. However, with that being said, The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock is a very well written story about a woman with no memory of any other life than the one she remembers getting drawn in to the faerie world of the evil goblin king in order to save her little sister. The king believes her to be his promised bride and uses her sister as bait to lure her into his domain. Loving her sister with all her heart the young woman plunges into a world of magic andchaos to get to her. She is helped along the way by good elves at the borders to the goblin kings realm. After meeting with the elves she is told that she actually is there long exiled princess who had her soul placed in the body of a mortal baby to save her from having to marry the goblin king. Her new companion travels with her on her quest to aid her in any way he can and quickly,a romance from the past but, as new to her as fresh snow develops. I do not wish to spoil the book so please go out and buy a copy yourself. You won't regret it.I rate it 4 stars out of 5 for content and 5 stars out of 5 for being well-written and worthwhile.
The Goblin Market is an original, dark fantasy podcast novel by Jennifer Hudock. http://jennybeans.net/goblin-market/
http://www.amazon.com/Goblin-Market-I...
When asked by a friend on Twitter to read and review a book for her I was excited...but when I realized that it was YA with a little romance thrown in I became a bit disheartened. However, with that being said, The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock is a very well written story about a woman with no memory of any other life than the one she remembers getting drawn in to the faerie world of the evil goblin king in order to save her little sister. The king believes her to be his promised bride and uses her sister as bait to lure her into his domain. Loving her sister with all her heart the young woman plunges into a world of magic andchaos to get to her. She is helped along the way by good elves at the borders to the goblin kings realm. After meeting with the elves she is told that she actually is there long exiled princess who had her soul placed in the body of a mortal baby to save her from having to marry the goblin king. Her new companion travels with her on her quest to aid her in any way he can and quickly,a romance from the past but, as new to her as fresh snow develops. I do not wish to spoil the book so please go out and buy a copy yourself. You won't regret it.I rate it 4 stars out of 5 for content and 5 stars out of 5 for being well-written and worthwhile.
The Goblin Market is an original, dark fantasy podcast novel by Jennifer Hudock. http://jennybeans.net/goblin-market/
http://www.amazon.com/Goblin-Market-I...
May 30, 2011
I really liked this book. I couldn’t put it down, it just drew me in right from the beginning. It reminded me of the movie Labyrinth – which is one of my favorite movies. I pictured Meredith as Sarah, and of course David Bowie was in there too. And while parts of the book are similar to the movie there is enough of a difference that it wasn’t just a rewrite of Labyrinth.
Meredith seems to have been given a TON of responsibility that she might not have been ready for. She’s the guardian to her sister Christina. The loss of her parents made Meredith grow up long before she should have. But Christina has always had someone there to care for her. Meredith seems to resent this fact to a point, but being that Christina is in her care she’s determined to do whatever it takes to make sure she’s ok.
The imagery Hudock uses is amazing. The pictures that I painted in my mind were beautiful and fully detailed. What I liked the most is that each new area Meredith enters into is vastly different from the last, and yet each is described wonderfully. While my imagination was allowed to fill in some of the scenery there was so much description that I had such an amazing picture.
The story is full of suspense. Every obstacle Meredith encounters makes you wonder if she’s going to be able to fulfill her mission. The characters she meets to help or hinder her add to the story so much. As each new character was encountered I wondered what “side” they were going to take.
It really was a wonderfully written story and kept me intrigued right up till the end!
Meredith seems to have been given a TON of responsibility that she might not have been ready for. She’s the guardian to her sister Christina. The loss of her parents made Meredith grow up long before she should have. But Christina has always had someone there to care for her. Meredith seems to resent this fact to a point, but being that Christina is in her care she’s determined to do whatever it takes to make sure she’s ok.
The imagery Hudock uses is amazing. The pictures that I painted in my mind were beautiful and fully detailed. What I liked the most is that each new area Meredith enters into is vastly different from the last, and yet each is described wonderfully. While my imagination was allowed to fill in some of the scenery there was so much description that I had such an amazing picture.
The story is full of suspense. Every obstacle Meredith encounters makes you wonder if she’s going to be able to fulfill her mission. The characters she meets to help or hinder her add to the story so much. As each new character was encountered I wondered what “side” they were going to take.
It really was a wonderfully written story and kept me intrigued right up till the end!
August 10, 2011
The Goblin Market opens with a prologue ripped out of Grimm's Fairy Tales. A girl, wandering away from her boyfriend, stumbles upon a goblin market, where she is tricked into sampling the food. Soon, she is kidnapped by goblins, and it's up to her sister to enter the faerie world to save her.
The fairy tale aspects of the book were wonderful. Everything functions by the same crazy, but somehow coherent logic as it does in the stories you heard as a child. The worldbuilding was well-done, but sparse, although the scarcity of information often added to the mystique of the world. The villain of the novel channeled David Bowie's performance in Labyrinth. On top of that the prose was beautiful.
On the negative side, some of the characters only showed up long enough to leave. My favorite, a boisterous fairy warrior, vanishes from the book in the blink of an eye. Another issue, and this is largely a pet peeve, was the name of the male lead, Him. Seeing "Him" as the subject of a sentence just kept setting off my grammar alarm, and drew me out of the story. It's petty, but it bothered me.
The fairy tale aspects of the book were wonderful. Everything functions by the same crazy, but somehow coherent logic as it does in the stories you heard as a child. The worldbuilding was well-done, but sparse, although the scarcity of information often added to the mystique of the world. The villain of the novel channeled David Bowie's performance in Labyrinth. On top of that the prose was beautiful.
On the negative side, some of the characters only showed up long enough to leave. My favorite, a boisterous fairy warrior, vanishes from the book in the blink of an eye. Another issue, and this is largely a pet peeve, was the name of the male lead, Him. Seeing "Him" as the subject of a sentence just kept setting off my grammar alarm, and drew me out of the story. It's petty, but it bothered me.
June 15, 2011
The Goblin Market (Into the Green Book 1) by Jennifer Hudock was a decent fantasy novel. As I was reading the goblin king played by David Bowie in the 1986 movie Labyrinth kept popping up in my head. Wonder where she got the idea for this story? HMMM.... Anyways, it was worth the read. Christina stumbles upon a Goblin Market in the forest where she is tempted to consume all of the fruits available for free. She becomes poisoned and forced to reveal where her sister Meredith is to Kothar, the Goblin King. When he finds Merry, he tells her that he has Christina and she must come with him to be his Queen. She refuses and decides to venture on her own to the Darknjan Wald to find Christina herself. After battling the Goblins in the Market, she is rescued by Him of the Green (yes, that's his name and it got annoying after a while) and taken Underground. Come to find out she is actually Queen Glylwythia who was sent Upland to live as a mortal by her family to protect her from Kothar. Lady Meredith enlists the help of Him and Sir Gwydion (who is a pixie) to help her get safely to Darknjan Wald to save her sister and bring peace to the realm.
June 17, 2024
The Goblin Market reads like a classic fairytale, with a traditional beginning plotline: the abduction and necessary rescue of a loved one from lands afar and dangerous by an unassuming, unsuspecting "normal" girl. Meredith Drexler is the likable and capable rescuer, and her sister Christina, the carefree, dependent rescuee. Though similar to fairy-tales and myths with goblins, pixies, etc., Hudock's Market is original and refreshing to read.
Descriptive and vivid, this is a well-written and enjoyable novel. The editing in the ebook needed some work but were not too huge of a distraction from the fast-paced novel and the characters. The pacing moves along briskly, there is not a dull or boring moment throughout the entire thing.
Just read with fair warning, unlike typical, watered-down fairy-tales, remember that the oldest, beginning fairy-tales were much darker, with happy endings much more rare. Though some readers might want a different ending, I thought it was brilliant as is; the perfect ending to a novel about goblin-abduction.
Descriptive and vivid, this is a well-written and enjoyable novel. The editing in the ebook needed some work but were not too huge of a distraction from the fast-paced novel and the characters. The pacing moves along briskly, there is not a dull or boring moment throughout the entire thing.
Just read with fair warning, unlike typical, watered-down fairy-tales, remember that the oldest, beginning fairy-tales were much darker, with happy endings much more rare. Though some readers might want a different ending, I thought it was brilliant as is; the perfect ending to a novel about goblin-abduction.
May 30, 2011
Christina is walking home with Will, when he asks her to marry him. She goes the rest of the way by herself so she can think and have an answer for him. All of a sudden a goblin market is in her way. They are calling her offering her the best of fruit and she eats too much of it and is poisoned.
The goblin king is searching for his missing bride and it is Christina older sister that raised her. Meredith does not believe him and asks him to save her sister. He agrees if she can make it too his castle he will heal her.
So Meredith goes to goblin market to find the start of her quest and they try and force her to eat the poison fruit and attack her. She is rescued by Him and a pixie and he takes her to his brother who knows the history of thier lands and to help her rescue her sister. They go and fall in love and have stumbling blocks before they get to the castle.
the ending part of the book I was not happy with. thier is another book comming out soon that might clear up my questions. Be the way I would like it to go. was given the book to review by library
The goblin king is searching for his missing bride and it is Christina older sister that raised her. Meredith does not believe him and asks him to save her sister. He agrees if she can make it too his castle he will heal her.
So Meredith goes to goblin market to find the start of her quest and they try and force her to eat the poison fruit and attack her. She is rescued by Him and a pixie and he takes her to his brother who knows the history of thier lands and to help her rescue her sister. They go and fall in love and have stumbling blocks before they get to the castle.
the ending part of the book I was not happy with. thier is another book comming out soon that might clear up my questions. Be the way I would like it to go. was given the book to review by library
July 10, 2011
The Goblin Market is a wonderful story, often times captivating in the same way a good movie causes you to forget you're not actually there. Some scenes were so vividly described, I wondered if Jennifer had actually gone through similar excitements and traumas in real life. Also, although I wouldn't classify this novel as child-friendly, there were significant portions I read to my young child without worry. Certainly it's suitable for adults of all ages. I was glad to see it lacks the unnecessary volume of sex, violence and profanity so often used by some to draw an audience and hide a mediocre story. Jennifer never stooped to that level and instead delivered a wonderful fantasy story well worth the read, or reading to others. The only reason I didn't rate this story as five stars was the number of typographic and format errors in the version I read. While they didn't take away from the story itself, they were a visual distraction--one I'm sure the author can remedy in a future version/release of the book.
June 22, 2011
I was very happy with this book. The characters were as vivid as the settings. Hudock wrote the descriptions with such wonderful detail, I felt I could reach out and touch it.The middle did drag a bit, but not to the point that it hindered the overall story.
The main characters were 3 dimensional, and I cared for Merry and Him. I loved reading about Merry reconnecting with the world she'd come from. And, I loved the interplay between Merry and Him. Kothar was the realistic villian, evil and obsessed but with a core foundation/reasoning that logically led to his antagonist character. The guy wasn't just evil to be evil.
This is self publishing done right. I will definitely look for more works by this author.
The main characters were 3 dimensional, and I cared for Merry and Him. I loved reading about Merry reconnecting with the world she'd come from. And, I loved the interplay between Merry and Him. Kothar was the realistic villian, evil and obsessed but with a core foundation/reasoning that logically led to his antagonist character. The guy wasn't just evil to be evil.
This is self publishing done right. I will definitely look for more works by this author.
July 21, 2011
This book could benefit greatly from some editing and proofreading. There are numerous minor mistakes of punctuation. I don't just mean missing or too many commas. I mean, a period in the middle of a sentence. Or, a pronoun and a name used as if it was a re-write that didn't quite get changed. The worst part was a character described as having lavender skin in one chapter, only to be referred to as green-skinned in the next chapter.
It's a shame, because the story is good. It's rich and compelling and the book could be so much better.
Also, this is the first in a series, which I didn't know when I started it.
It's a shame, because the story is good. It's rich and compelling and the book could be so much better.
Also, this is the first in a series, which I didn't know when I started it.
January 16, 2012
If you're looking for a strong, capable heroine, look elsewhere. You will get a damsel in distress, who is incapable of making her own decision, and instead waits for everyone else to help/fix/make it happen for her.
While the writing is pretty good, and the premise of the book is fun, I could not get over how useless Meredith was. She didn't make anything happen, instead things happened to her. Her supposed noble quest-adventure didn't feel like quest at all, but more like she was dragging along for a ride. Because of that, the book dragged for me too and I had a hard time finishing it, only using my sheer stubbornness to finish the darn thing.
While the writing is pretty good, and the premise of the book is fun, I could not get over how useless Meredith was. She didn't make anything happen, instead things happened to her. Her supposed noble quest-adventure didn't feel like quest at all, but more like she was dragging along for a ride. Because of that, the book dragged for me too and I had a hard time finishing it, only using my sheer stubbornness to finish the darn thing.
May 15, 2016
Good Points:
- Goblin market, Goblins, twisted songs about such.
- Him
- an occasional burst of poet sentences that felt right.
Not-so-good points:
- There were a lot of grammar issues; not necessarily mistakes but a lot of sentences felt disjointed. Like they were trying for something and fell flat. It was distracting.
- The timeline. Everything happened in a matter of days. Longest days...ever it seemed
- The romance- it would have been nice to see more instead of them talking about getting lost in each others eyes...every page.
- A plot device...this is more of a Me quirk then anything. I just can not stand when a story involves this as the main reason for a next event.
- Goblin market, Goblins, twisted songs about such.
- Him
- an occasional burst of poet sentences that felt right.
Not-so-good points:
- There were a lot of grammar issues; not necessarily mistakes but a lot of sentences felt disjointed. Like they were trying for something and fell flat. It was distracting.
- The timeline. Everything happened in a matter of days. Longest days...ever it seemed
- The romance- it would have been nice to see more instead of them talking about getting lost in each others eyes...every page.
- A plot device...this is more of a Me quirk then anything. I just can not stand when a story involves this as the main reason for a next event.
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