Review: The Goblin King by Shona Husk

The Goblin King (Shadowlands #1) by Shona Husk
Synopsis (Goodreads):

Once upon a time...

A man was cursed to the Shadowlands, his heart replaced with a cold lump of gold. In legends he became known as The Goblin King.

For a favored few he will grant a wish. Yet, desperately clinging to his waning human soul, his one own desire remains unfulfilled: A Willing Queen.

But who would consent to move from the modern-day world into the realm of nightmares? No matter how intoxicating his touch, no matter how deep his valor, loving him is dangerous. And the one woman who might dare to try could also destroy him forever.

My Thoughts: Read the prequel, got excited. Read this book, still excited. I'd call that a win no matter how you look at it. I loved the world building. So dark and brutal. The fact that Roan and his comrades have managed to exist in a place as desolate as the Shadowlands for centuries gives me the shivers.

I liked that Eliza's life was messed up but I don't know if the reasoning behind why she was choosing to tie her life to Steven's was a valid one. I get the blackmail. I get that Eliza found it easier to give in than to fight. I just... don't know. Why didn't she go to the police and lay out what was going on? Instead she lets this jackass bully her into marrying him to the point that she has to call on the Goblin King to whisk her away. I'm totally on board that she *thought* she'd be hauled away to jail, I just have a hard time believing that someone wouldn't have seen through Steven's scam if they were pointed in the right direction and started investigating it. *hand wave* I'm over it. It was more about Roan and Eliza anyway.

The whole curse thing was creepy. The goblin horde, the lust for gold, the fact that Roan had a freaking lump of gold in his chest. Yikes. I liked him in both his forms. He was hideous and gruesome but he still had the heart of a man. Kinda. Okay, he had a heart of gold but he was still holding onto his humanity and that made him pretty darn awesome.

To recap, awesome world building, grody curse, iffy reasoning behind Eliza's engagement to the douchecanoe Steven, Roan was awesome. *thumbs up*

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Books in this series
0.5. The Summons
1. The Goblin King - Paperback | Kindle
2. Kiss of the Goblin Prince
3. For the Love of a Goblin Warrior

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