Rockstar Book Tours presents... GOBLIN MARKET by Diane Zahler - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!

HI there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

TODAY, I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the Blog Tour featuring GOBLIN MARKET by Diane Zahler, hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my REVIEW post below and make sure to enter the giveaway before you head off into the great big blogosphere for more bookish adventures!

Title: GOBLIN MARKET

Author: Diane Zahler

Pub. Date: August 16, 2022

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 256

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

One sister must save the other from a goblin prince in this rich, spooky, and delightfully dark fantasy!

"TERRIFICALLY TIMELESS. . . SPLENDID."—Shelf Awareness

Lizzie and Minka are sisters, but they’re nothing alike: Minka is outgoing and cheerful, while Lizzie is shy and sensitive. Nothing much ever happens in their sleepy village—there are fields to tend, clothes to mend, and weekly trips to the market, predictable as the turning of the seasons. Lizzie likes it that way. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. She hopes nothing will ever change. 

But one day, Minka meets a boy. 
A boy who gives her a plum to eat. 

He is charming. He is handsome. He tells her that she’s special. He tells her no one understands her like he does—not her parents, not her friends, not even Lizzie. He tells her she should come away with him, into the darkness, into the forest. . . .

Minka has been bewitched and ensnared by a zdusze—a goblin. His plum was poison, his words are poison, and strange things begin to happen. Trees bleed, winds howl, a terrible sickness descends on Minka, and deep in the woods, in a place beyond sunshine, beyond reality, a wedding table has been laid. . . .

To save her sister, Lizzie will have to find courage she never knew she had—courage to confront the impossible—and enter into a world of dreams, danger, and death.

Rich world-building inspired by both Polish folklore and the poetry of Christina Rossetti combines with a tender sister story in this thrilling novel from Diane Zahler.

"Lush. . . Dreamy. . . Breath-quickening."—The Horn Book
"Resonates with emotion."—BCCB
"Believably wrought."—Publishers Weekly
"Will entice readers looking for some chills."—Kirkus Reviews

 

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From cover to cover, this one will have you hooked!

Once upon a time, there were two sisters.  As close as close can be, they shared everything with one another, until the day came that their most hidden heart's desires may not have truly been shared.  That one little spark, that one little wedge was enough for evil to take root, driving the sisters away from one another.  The one, teetered on the doorstep of death's door...the other, would find her footing, find her voice, find her inner well of strength to fight for the sister she loves at all costs.  Question is though...will the cost be too high?

I loved the spooky, slightly scary atmosphere of this story.  It's perfect for the upcoming reading season, but also a folktale-esque break from fairytale retellings.  Don't get me wrong, I love those as well, but tales passed down through the generations meant to teach lessons and instill a little fear in the heart's of its listeners hold a special kind of magic all their own...but not like the fruit magic in this story!  The message of alone we are but one, but we're always better together was touching, as was the lengths theses sisters were willing to go to save each other, when push came to shove.  Minka may have been blinded by her dreams being handed to her on a platter, but Lizzie was never going to leave her to the wolves...nor was Jakob, for that matter.

All in all, it's a story with vital lessons for all ages that echoes throughout the generations.  If something seems too good to be true, it probably is!  Never trust a cute boy with a line and out of season fruit!  Always share your hopes and dreams because they are worthy of recognition and you never know just who is going to be the one to help you get there!  I also liked, what I perceived as, the nod to autism or those on the spectrum.  It was hard to see Lizzie fight through those uncomfortable situations, but she illustrated well just how far she could go, when the price was too high to sit on the sidelines.  I could keep going, but I want you to discover the rest of the magic, both dark and light, on your own.  Quick word of advice though?  Read it with the lights on...

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About Diane Zahler:

Diane grew up reading children's books and never wanted to do anything but write them. Now she’s the author of six middle-grade fantasy novels and a historical novel, DAUGHTER OF THE WHITE ROSE. She lives in the country with her husband and slightly neurotic dog in what is aptly nicknamed the Bug House. Visit her website at www.dianezahler.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of GOBLIN MARKET, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Special thanks to the Rockstar Book Tours team for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the ARC for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, wherever books are sold. Catch the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/8/2022	Ya Books Central	Excerpt
8/8/2022	GryffindorBookishNerd	IG Review
8/9/2022	hauntedbybooks	Review/IG Post
8/9/2022	Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers	Review/IG Post
8/10/2022	Lifestyle of Me	Review
8/10/2022	@allyluvsbooksalatte	IG Post
8/11/2022	BookHounds YA	Excerpt/IG Post
8/11/2022	Kait Plus Books	Excerpt/IG Post
8/12/2022	Lisa-Queen of Random	Excerpt/IG Post
8/12/2022	onemused	IG Post

Week Two:

8/15/2022	Nerdophiles	Review
8/15/2022	Two Points of Interest	Review
8/16/2022	Beers Books Boos	Review/IG Post
8/16/2022	Celia's Reads	Review/IG Post
8/17/2022	Littlefreelibrarygrahamnc	IG Review
8/17/2022	The Momma Spot	Review/IG Post
8/18/2022	A Backwards Story	Review/IG Post
8/18/2022	@jypsylynn	IG Review
8/19/2022	@amysbooknook8	IG Review
8/19/2022	Eli to the nth	Review/IG Post

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

BOOK BLAST: There Be Goblins in the Wood! by Christopher Gray + CONTEST!

Hi there!

Welcome back to the site that aims to bring the known and unknown delights of the reading world to your attention....Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!

Today, we're playing host to a BOOK BLAST from the folks over at Pump Up Your Book Publicity (Hi Tracee!).  It stars a Young Adult title dealing with fantastical creatures, curious names, and a request for your assistance in settling a matter of the existence of tree people or people trees.  Sound like fun?  Well then, ladies and gents, step right up and READ ALL ABOUT IT!  Today's blog spotlight shines on....

The Chronicles of Combe Dingle Wood:

There Be Goblins in the Wood!

by

Christopher Gray

9781477269947

Authorhouse

Combe Dingle Wood can be found (if you look really hard) in the heart of the Somerset countryside. It exists in that twilight time between myth and reality. It belongs to the era when walkabout scarecrows and Aunt Sallies wandered the hills and vales of the English West country. The local folk can tell you stories of their experiences when entering the wood. Most people that wander in wander out again with a smile on their faces and a sense of well-being. No one has ever quite put their finger on why this should be- they can only say there is something magical about the place. The Chronicles of Combe Dingle Wood are a series of stories about the unique folk that inhabit the wood. They have exciting adventures in ‘Between time’ (created for them by a friendly witch). They encounter dangers, but they do so with a sense of humour and fortitude that is typical of the West Country folk. It was a few years after the Second Year War when I first encountered the real inhabitants of Combe Dingle Wood. Were they people trees or tree people? You know to this day I am still not sure. Perhaps you could decide? The story books I have produced are based on the records and drawings I kept in my diary all those years ago.

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See?

Told you it sounded curious, despite the unusual choice of grammar in the title and the cover that makes you stop to dissect just what you are looking at.  Sometimes those things that seemingly work against a title can in fact draw attention to it.  Case in point.

Now, let's learn a smidge about the author....

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About the author....

Christopher Gray was born and raised in the English West County. He is a retired Primary School Head teacher, professional artist, and Lay Preacher.

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What?

I told you it was a smidge!

Some people just prefer to stay mysterious....

*cue curious music*

Now, this IS a BOOK BLAST and so the fun doesn't just come to an end once you've reached the final sentence of my post.  No siree!  For more great stops along it's blogosphere trail, check out the official tour schedule AND while you're there, ENTER TO WIN a $25 Amazon GC!  But, you may want to be quick about it.  The contest ends in oh, about another day.

You're welcome!

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Special thanks to Tracee at Pump Up Your Book for the chance to participate in this promotion.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this BLAST as well as those forthcoming, be sure to stop by their official site, friend them on Facebook, or follow along on Twitter.

Until next time....SPREAD THE WORD...and happy reading!