The Goblin Gate

The Goblin Gate (Goblin Woon, 2) by Hilari Bell, 2010. 384 pages. Published by HarperTeen. Source: Borrowed.

Jeriah's brother, Tobin, is in terrible danger.

He's willingly crossed over to the Otherworld with a hedgewitch named Makenna and her legion of goblins. What Tobin doesn’t know is that the Otherworld is a perilous dimension that leeches magic from those who have it—and life from those who don’t. In order to save his brother, Jeriah must find a way to open a mystical gate between the worlds.

Searching for the key to rescue Tobin from the clutches of the Otherworld, Jeriah is thrust into a tangled web of political intrigue as he uncovers a dangerous secret that could change the fate of an entire kingdom. Now he must get help from the very beings he’s been taught to hate—the mischievous goblins. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking for Tobin. . . .

First Sentence:

"It will be dawn soon," Jeriah told the priest who rode beside him.

After quickly devouring The Goblin Wood I had to read The Goblin Gate, which meant putting off a couple of review books for a day. I know, bad blogger, but I needed to know what would happen next and couldn't imagine waiting to start it.

Did it live up to my expectations, yes. Was it just as good as the first books, yes. Although I did not love it as much as the first book, but it was still really good and definitely worth reading.

The Goblin Gate was an absolute thrill to read, especially as Jeriah was rushing to find out how to save his brother Tobin from the Otherworld. The tension as the time to get the answer and save Tobin became shorter, along Jeriah's attempts too get the one thing that could possibly save his brother made for some of the best reading in The Goblin Gate.  

I think I may just be addicted to this series because it is an all-around good book. From the writing, which is fantastic; the characters, which are well rounded and realistically flawed; to the amazing structuring of the plot and how things fall into place and details that didn't make sense earlier on suddenly find clarity.

With the way you are first introduced to Jeriah in The Goblin Wood, him running from a failed attempt to change things,  I did not much care for him. So I was quite surprised when The Goblin Gate started and I realized that he would be playing a bigger role in this book versus the previous one. at first I wasn't too happy about the change in narration, but it definitely worked out for the best plus I got a whole new perspective on the story with the change. So all in all, the change of POV is bonus and rounds out the story quite nicely.

What I loved the most in The Goblin Gate was some of the plot twist from the previous book were unraveled and that the one character that I despised because of his ruthlessness suddenly turned into a not so bad guy. By the time the book ended I was seeing certain characters (Jeriah & Lord Lazure) in a very different light and wishing that the book hadn't ended when it did.
    I admit I was a smidge disappointed when I realized that Jeriah would be the main protagonist in The Goblin Gate, mainly because I wanted to hear more from Makenna and Tobin. Even so, I found that having Jeriah narrate definitely kept the story moving forward, especially since nothing too important was happening in concerns to Makenna and Tobin with the plot (they were there, just more as filler so you wouldn't forget about them).

Final Verdict: The Goblin Gate was a solid follow up to the delightful The Goblin Wood. Definitely a must read series.  

The Goblin Gate earns 4.5 out of 5 pineapples.

Goblin wood (trilogy):

The Goblin Wood

The Goblin Gate

The Goblin War