Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs



While trying to save her brother from a witch’s fire four years ago, Greta was thrown in herself, falling through a portal to Mylena, a dangerous world where humans are the enemy and every ogre, ghoul, and goblin has a dark side that comes out with the eclipse. 


To survive, Greta has hidden her humanity and taken the job of bounty hunter—and she’s good at what she does. So good, she’s caught the attention of Mylena’s young goblin king, the darkly enticing Isaac, who invades her dreams and undermines her will to escape. 

But Greta’s not the only one looking to get out of Mylena. An ancient evil knows she’s the key to opening the portal, and with the next eclipse mere days away, every bloodthirsty creature in the realm is after her—including Isaac. If Greta fails, she and the lost boys of Mylena will die. If she succeeds, no world will be safe from what follows her back...

Chloe Jacobs is a native of nowhere and everywhere, having jumped around to practically every Province of Canada before finally settling in Ontario where she has now been living for a respectable number of years. Her husband and son are the two best people in the entire world, but they also make her wish she'd at least gotten a female cat. No such luck. And although the day job keeps her busy, she carves out as much time as possible to write. Bringing new characters to life and finding out what makes them tick and how badly she can make them suffer is one of her greatest pleasures, almost better than chocolate and fuzzy pink bunny slippers.






What a great story! First I have to say, usually it's a cover that draws me in initially. Yep, I'm a cover ho. Not this time- I do love the cover but before I even saw the artwork, the title caught my eye...a goblin king... and then the synopsis??? I was chomping at the bit. I knew this was a book I had to read.
Mylena is a dark and frightening world inhabited by faeries, ghouls,gnomes, OGRES and you got it... goblins. A place that appears to be parallel to Greta's human world, but minus our modern conveniences- namely technology, but thrumming with magic. With the bitter cold and vast expanses of nothing but snow covered landscape, these creatures roam freely day and night. Creepy right? Very. Scary enough in their natural state, add in Mylena's twin moons and a curse revolving around the eclipse- they transform into giant sized beasts with boundless strength and no rational thought. Without the full moon one could be an ally or friend, but once turned, all bets are off. There's no telling if they'll remember who you are, and they would gladly tear you to shreds. Real pleasant folk. I shuddered often, had chills run down my spine and felt my heart race so many times- I was glad I was sitting down. This is definitely edge of your seat-glued to the page storytelling.
There is so much that makes this story special. The world itself is amazing and the characters...ugh, I just loved them all.
Greta is strong willed, smart, compassionate, and an exceptional bounty hunter. She's easy to connect with and a joy to follow. And hey, who doesn't love a sword and dagger wielding heroine? This girl kicks some serious butt.
And what about the Goblin King you ask? Well, WOW! Isaac is not your typical goblin. Oh no. He is a young, powerful king, who's none to thrilled with his new role but is determined to win the favor of his people and Greta. He's persistent, cunning and handsome- devastatingly so... and Greta can't seem to get him out of her head. Nor can she decide if he is friend or foe. He loathes humans, would love to see them all dead, yet there's something between the two that Greta can't explain or deny. They play a dangerous game of cat and mouse. And then some.
So it seems the only person she can trust is Luke, a sprite, who has trained her to survive the creatures and the land.
He's trained her well- she's lasted for four years and she's comfortable in his home. But things are about to change. For the worst? Oh yeah.
With the coming eclipse, tensions are high and bounties even higher...there's a price on Greta's head and she finds herself on the run and out of time. And from here the story just takes off.
You know I don't like to spoil, so I'll just say, GatGK is fast paced, nonstop action and thrills. I was engaged within the first pages, but as the story built, I found myself completely enthralled. From start to finish GatGK is filled with twists and turns, and amazing side characters you can't help but fall for- namely the Lost Boys. I can't say much more about them without giving some of the story away, and I'm sorry, I just can't do that. I will tell you my favorite side characters were Wyatt, Jacob and Ray. Each very different, and each play an important role.
What Chloe has formulated is a fantastic beginning to a series that is sure to knock your socks off. The world she's created is familiar and yet all it's own. Her writing is gripping, the narrative sharp and clear, filling your head with vibrant visuals of this odd and mysterious planet. The dialogue is clever and witty, making interactions entertaining and lighthearted despite the darkness of the tale. Our Goblin King, Isaac often steals the show with his charming, seductive and manipulative ways. He's not the only charmer, not by a long shot. Even as Greta tries her best to convince herself and everyone else- they're  better off without her, she manages to bewitch them all... much to her chagrin. And the Lost Boys? Well, they are a diversified and very young group. Full of angst, bravado and determination...and more charm.
The entire cast is endearing and beguiling. I want to know more- much more about them all. Oh yes, we are left with many loose ends. Many. I seriously cannot wait for the next installment and I plan to reread GatGK very soon- slowly, so I can really get lost in the beauty of it.
A great pick for fantasy and paranormal fans alike, I recommend you add this one and place it high on the TBR list. Better yet, put it on top so you can begin stalking Chloe along with me for book 2.
A couple of my favorite lines from the book:

"If there were trust between us..."
He stopped and took a deep breath.
"You could have me."


"It seems to me that if you really wanted to be free of me, you could've fought harder."
"I think showing off your sword might distract them from the fact that you have breasts... at least for a little while."
She choked, her mouth falling open in shock. "Gee, thanks. Do you think so?"
He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "It distracted me for, oh... at least a full minute. "


I want to gives thanks to the wonderful Heather Ricco from Entangled Teen Publishing for gifting me an advanced copy of Greta and the Goblin King. And to Chloe Jacobs for crafting such a great tale. THANK YOU!!!



3 comments:

  1. I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book. But after I read you're review I'll definitely will! It seems that this book will be right up my alley! Thanks for the wonderful review!

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    1. Thanks so much- for the great compliment and for stopping by. I hope you like it as much as I did. Would love to hear your thoughts. ~Shelley

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    2. I'll let you know once I've finished it! Which will probably take a while... *looks to full agenda* *sigh*

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