The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell

Summary: Makenna lives with her mother, a hedgewitch, in a village peacefully until the reigning regime claim Makenna’s mother worships the devil. Fleeing to the forest, Makenna teaches herself magic and forms a bond with the goblins that live there. She seems to be winning against the oppressive regime when a disgraced knight Tobin comes along to regain his lost honor.

It’s been a while since I read The Goblin Wood, but my old review of it was written in haste, and I’m not so sure I want to rely on it. Where to start then?

Plot: The plot here, while not complex is quite good. It sets up both Makenna and Tobin’s situations well, and has them meet in a realistic manner I believe. Bell also does a good thing for their characters. While they both see each other’s sides in the end (Makenna doesn’t think all humans are scum and Tobin doesn’t think the goblins are evil) it takes a while for both of them to get there. It makes the idea of it more believable and I think much more credible as well. The villains also strike me as pretty believable, mind 
controlling their people into taking up doctrine. The pace of the writing was also pretty well set. 


I apologize for the lack of analysis here, but it has been some time since I read it.  


First Published: 2003