Review: The Goblin Market by Jennifer Hudock

I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing.





About the Book


Meredith Drexler has been the sole caretaker for her young sister Christina ever since their father went away. Sacrificing her life and her freedom to ensure Christina has a better life, Merry’s only escape from the monotony of every day life is her daydreams. When Christina arrives home late one evening speaking in delirious riddles, Meredith discovers her sister has been poisoned by Goblin fruit obtained in the Goblin Market.


She must travel to the heart of the Goblin Kingdom to retrieve the antidote to save her sister’s life, but at a price no sister should ever have to pay. Along the way, Meredith falls in love with the forest god who names himself her consort, and discovers a strange truth about her past and her identity.


For more information about The Goblin Market you can visit Jennifer Hudock's website or follow her on Twitter.


My Review
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!