The Goblin Wood

****This post will contain slight spoilers****

Synopsis:

When Makenna’s mother is killed by the people in her village, she flees. Along the way as she tries to survive she makes friends with goblins. Together, one hedgewitch and 1,000 goblins make a formidable force against the Hierarch and his priests who are trying to eradicate goblins and hedgewitches.

When a reluctant assassin comes to kill Makenna, she finds that he could be the goblins’ secret weapon, or the spy that leads to their destruction can she trust a human?

I really enjoyed The Goblin Wood story. It was written for a young audience (I think it is categorized as a middle school book) and it’s an easy read, but it is well written and captivating. To the point where I was sneaking pages at stop lights and walking around doing chores while reading. Hard, not impossible :) I’ve learned to cope with having my nose in a book while doing a myriad of things over the years.

This being the first novel in the series, there are some things I am excited to learn more about. First is the Hierarch and his army of magic using, and goblin and hedgewitch killing priests. Who is he? Why is he so powerful? What is his end game in all this? Also, what about Cottswallop?! He and a few other goblins were left behind! What will happen to them?

And what’s up with this gargantuan cannibalistic army? It almost sounds made up by the priests. How can a group of cannibals be that large? To outnumber an entire a country 8 to 1? That seems almost comically ridiculous.

One thing I wish was better developed was the relationship between Makenna and Tobin. He goes with her and realizes he has feelings for her, but when exactly did those develop? When he was delirious and sick? Or when she was threatening to torture him? It just seemed a bit fast.

I give The Goblin Wood four and a half stars. I really liked this book, and would recommend it to anyone who likes strong heroines, magic, and an easy read.