Goblin Heart

This book is so good! The writing is fantastic and the story is such a great upending of traditional fairytales. I love Will and Luc together and separately and getting to watch them develop and watch the plot unfold was a delight. The side characters, too, are so well-done and add so much to the story.

I am so excited to have heard about this book. I’ve followed some of the author’s other work in different media and really love his strengths in worldbuilding, especially when it comes to the folklore of a world. Goblin Heart definitely didn’t disappoint - we’re introduced to a world that has been shaped by archaic magical wars that in some ways have prevailed into recent generations, which provides a subtle cage of political intrigue woven through with deadly magic that our heroes are enclosed in at the opening of the book. The main plot largely revolves around their finding ways out of the circumstances that have bound them, together, with help from a colorful cast of friends and allies in both the goblin and human kingdoms in this world. Will and Luc both make excellent romantic heroes in their own rights. Will is a character who seems to have learned, through some truly horrific childhood experiences, how to fly under the radar, and with his family of borderline-impoverished nobility barely clinging to the outskirts of their kingdom’s society, it’s been easy for him to go unnoticed (at least in the space of time before the events of the book) and therefore become more grounded in who he is and what he’ll stand for, as a young man, a son and brother, and an apprentice tradesman. While Luc has been surrounded with more of the trappings of high society growing up as a political prisoner in the castle of Morvane, he has been far more subject to constant scrutiny, and…

I loved this story from start to finish. This was a very well written story about finding the truth within yourself and love winning in the end. Will is full of anger when we first meet him and he likes to sneak away to the goblin village to work the forge while his mother and sister try to live the high life with no money while his stepsister plays Cinderella to them. Prince Lucan has essentially grown up under the control of the neighboring kingdom as a best friend to the crown prince. On a journey to right wrongs and return Luc's heart to himself, these two have to overcome the odds while major feelings come into play. I thought the world building and character development was phenomenal. Will's stepsister becomes a true sister and I loved the found family these two create with the goblins. This is a must read for any fan of the fables and fairy tales! I do hope we get to explore this world some more through some other characters' eyes. This is a standalone, and is complete as it is. However, I am quite curious as to what Kit and the guard get up to. Those two definitely grew on me and I loved how they bantered so well together.