Overview

In Not Good for Maidens, we are drawn into a hidden goblin market that exists beneath the modern world, full of beauty, danger, and bargains that always cost more than expected. Seventeen years ago, May Wickett escaped the market and the price it demanded. Now her niece Lou is being pulled toward the same fate. As Lou learns the truth about her family’s past and her own connection to the goblins, she must decide whether survival means resisting the market or giving in to it.

Writing & Voice

We found Tori Bovalino’s writing rich and unsettling, steeped in folklore and tension. The prose lingers on sensory detail, from glittering fruit to quiet threats, creating an atmosphere that feels both timeless and sharp. The voice balances anger, longing, and fear, making the horror feel personal rather than distant.

Characters

Lou is curious, angry, and unsure of the inheritance she never asked for. May is shaped by guilt and survival, carrying the weight of choices she made long ago. Their relationship anchors the story, while the goblins remain seductive and cruel, always pressing at the edges of human desire and weakness.

Themes

This novel explores inheritance, temptation, and agency. We see how power is passed down through families, and how resisting that power can come at a cost. The goblin market becomes a symbol of hunger and control, asking who gets to decide what is taken, what is owed, and what is lost.

What Worked

• Strong atmosphere: the market feels vivid and dangerous.
• Emotional core: the bond between Lou and May drives the story.
• Integrated representation: queer identity is woven naturally into the narrative.

Minor Quibbles

• The shifting timeline slows the opening chapters.
• The horror leans more toward dread than outright fear.

Final Thoughts

We found Not Good for Maidens dark, thoughtful, and sharply written. It is a haunting take on folklore and inheritance, where magic is never free and survival always demands a choice.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.2 / 5)