Goblin Secrets

In the town of Zombay, there is a witch named Graba who has clockwork chicken legs and moves her house around—much like the fairy tale figure of Baba Yaga. Graba takes in stray children, and Rownie is the youngest boy in her household. Rownie’s only real relative is his older brother Rowan, who is an actor. But acting is outlawed in Zombay, and Rowan has disappeared.
Desperate to find him, Rownie joins up with a troupe of goblins who skirt the law to put on plays. But their plays are not only for entertainment, and the masks they use are for more than make-believe. The goblins also want to find Rowan—because Rowan might be the only person who can save the town from being flooded by a mighty river.

Like many other reviewers, I picked up this book after it was given the National Book Award and was eager to get started with it. However, I was met with a very disappointing read. The plot has some interesting promise -- a steampunk world, goblins, theater and beautifully described masks, as well as a Baba Yaga-esque villain -- the story, setting, and characters all fell flat. While some elements of the story were compelling, including the use of interesting machinery and the imminent danger of the flooding river, many of the books story arcs felt rushed and underdeveloped.

Most disappointing of all is the protagonist, Rownie, whose search for his missing brother and efforts to gain self-confidence are brought to an abrupt and show more unsatisfying conclusion. Although the plot moves with Rownie's attempts and desires to stand up to his adversaries through skills learned on the stage, Rownie never truly comes alive as a character and his role in the goblin's theater troupe seems minimal. Similarly, the goblins, who play a large role, feel one dimensional and never seem to emerge as distinct or memorable characters.

The multiple story lines and lack of exposition also make this a somewhat confusing read. The characters jump from place to place, but never make any lasting interpretations of difficult themes. Likewise, many questions, including the use of human hearts as coal, the social divisions and conflicts between Zombay's Northside and Southside, or the importance of the Changed versus the unChanged, are left frustratingly unanswered. And despite the time spent on different set pieces within the story, many of the events don't seem to have a lasting impression on the characters or tie back into the story later. The tropes and devices used in this book often lack a cohesion that would allow them to benefit the story or characters as a whole.

Overall, this book starts with the potential of a fantasy adventure, but the underdevelopment of key characters and themes, as well as an ill-paced plot lead Goblin Secrets to be an unsatisfying read.

If you are looking for a more effective book in this genre, I would suggest Neil Gaiman's [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1303859949s/2213661.jpg|2219449]. show less

Rownie is a street urchin, one of several adopted "grandchildren" of Graba, a Fagin-like old woman who unofficially rules the southside of Zombay. Ever since Rownie's big brother Rowan disappeared, he's been sticking with Graba in hopes that she will be able to locate Rowan. Rownie eventually falls in with a group of goblins who run a traveling theatrical troupe -- Rowan was an aspiring actor, even though acting is illegal in Zombay, so perhaps Rownie will be able to locate his brother in that world. Many adventures ensue as Rownie tries to evade Graba's clutches and locate his brother, all in the face of rising floods that threaten to destroy Zombay and all who live there.

So, this book has magic, goblins, theatre, steampunk (some show more characters have gearwork limbs or organs), and adventure. It sounds like just my sort of thing, but none of it is ever described fully, and some elements just don't make a lot of sense. There's plenty of action, but the backstory suffers in favor of chase scenes and confrontations. This may make it more appealing to reluctant readers, but I felt like there wasn't anything there to sink my teeth into, though with a little more space devoted to description, there could have been. show less

Awesome book! I love everything about it. I love the simplicity of the language, and the weirdness of it, the author is always giving us something that we've never heard of before -- fish that live in sand, a mask that is the river, saying hello with a pebble -- a truly fantastic fantasy. The villain is incredibly creepy and the heroes are all very individual. I reacted differently from other readers in that I kind of liked the pace at which information is revealed -- very slowly, so there is always another mystery pulling you through the book. I guess I found it refreshing. There are so many books that get bogged down in too many explanations. I really didn't want it to end.

Rownie is one of a flock of orphans under the "care" of Graba, a chicken-legged house-moving witch. His life revolves around running errands for Graba while scrounging enough food to live. When a troupe of goblins come to town, Rownie risks imprisonment by the guard and (worse) the wrath of Graba to see the play. He has soon joined leagues with the goblins in hopes of discovering more about the disappearance of his brother Rowan. Graba is very pissed off. This was a really cute book with a mixture of fairy tale, steam-punk, and Oliver Twist. But the execution wasn't as great as I'd hoped. I took a long time getting into the book...I felt like I should be enjoying it, but just couldn't concentrate. After I got used to the world, show more language, and characters, though, I enjoyed it a lot more. In the end, it was a good book, but it had potential to deliver more. show less

There is a lot I like about this book -- the mechanical beings, the play with theater, the menace of the goblins -- but I came away (1/3 of the way through) perplexed. This doesn't seem to be an award winner and I'm amazed that it was even nominated. I wasn't drawn into the story at all, in part because the world of Zombay seemed so thin and textureless. And the main character, Rownie, just didn't come alive for me. I happen to be reading China Mieville's Perdido Street Station at the same time, and while that book is very different (and can be frustratingly overwritten), he does immediately and satisfyingly thrust the reader into his very odd yet convincing world.

Listened to the audiobook read by the author and enjoyed it a lot. Like the most beloved stories in children's literature, this one centers on an ordinary child who has an extraordinary adventure and discovers something important about himself. Listening to this story made me feel as if this were a book that was written long ago--it had the language and pacing of an old classic. I don't know how that translates on the page for the reader, but as a listener, I found it quite appealing. Filled with theatrical goblins, a mechanical legged witch, and a motley assortment of street children and suspicious pigeons, here is a book where horrible secrets are slowly revealed and a town's safety depends on finding a lost brother.

Highly show more atmospheric, this would be a great story to listen to at night, under the stars. show less