The Goblin and the Dancer
- Downloads：3916
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-12 01:20:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Allison Tebo
- ISBN：B093ZFFXDQ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
H。 S。 Kylian （Hannah Killian）
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RTC
Cat T。
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Summary: A lovely fantasy story that shows love and kindness and companionship。 It was such a fun twist on The Steadfast Tin Soldier。 The characters were all well-written and relatable in different ways， and the worldbuilding of the elven and goblin cultures was amazing。 The themes of worth， forgiveness， and hope in the dark were lovely。 Main characters: Grik's struggle with worth felt so real， and it was good to see the start of healing for that and for his relationships affected by it。 His sa Summary: A lovely fantasy story that shows love and kindness and companionship。 It was such a fun twist on The Steadfast Tin Soldier。 The characters were all well-written and relatable in different ways， and the worldbuilding of the elven and goblin cultures was amazing。 The themes of worth， forgiveness， and hope in the dark were lovely。 Main characters: Grik's struggle with worth felt so real， and it was good to see the start of healing for that and for his relationships affected by it。 His sacrifice towards the end， ahh my heart。 Rosanna was a good calming voice for the men， but had real struggles herself。 It was good to not see just a shallow love interest。 Paul was someone you kinda hated at the beginning but liked a lot better at the end。 Allison Tebo did such a good job with his arc and helping us get to know him and his story。 Villain- Ratiga was a scary no-nonsense queen of the underground。 Enough said。 Setting， style and plot: The worldbuilding was amazing。 I felt like I could really understand the culture of the two different races， and the contrast between them was well done。 The style was perfect for this fairy tale retelling， descriptive and full but too prosy or long-winded Romance: There's a love triangle， with both Grik and Paul vying for Rosanna's affections。 One of those relationships develops into a bit more later。 I appreciated how Grik loved her for her kindness as well as her beauty， and even that wasn't about her body or anything like that。 His love for her led him to protect her and sacrifice things for her， which is part of Biblical love。 Both he and Paul tried to care for her and help her。 Overall a clean romance and nicely done！ Theme: Loved the themes of individual worth and of， in a way， racial reconciliation and equality。 Their adventures also showed them supporting and helping each other， and hope in the dark times。 And forgiveness。 They all had things they could have done better or regretted， and they forgave each other freely。 Such a beautiful thing。 Favorite scenes: My two favorite scenes were Rosanna's dance in the dark and Grik's sacrifice during the battle。 "“Your dancing 。 。 。 it made us feel that we could go on， that we could get out of here。”The poetry seemed to pull out of his mouth， uncaring that Paul was there or that Grik was revealing so much to Rosanna。 His admiration for her finally came tumbling out without impediment or pause。 “You made us feel that even if we didn’t， we had won。 It was like the sun rose in the dark or birds started singing at night。 It made us forget， and it made us hope。” He finally ran out of breath。Rosanna’s voice was as moist and crumpled as a wet handkerchief。 “Did it really do all that？”“Of course it did！” Grik assured her。 “More。 Your dancing has always done that。”“It’s a gift，” Paul said softly。And no gift is worthless， Grik thought。 They’re all worth something。 The revelation fell open in his mind like a scroll that had been suddenly unrolled。" Some quotes: "'You’re not the only one who has made mistakes， who has faults，’Rosanna urged。 Rosanna smiled a little and wiped her face and nodded once， accepting his words。 “We can’t give up，” she murmured。 “And if we go on， we can’t go on like this。 We forgive each other 。 。 。 and ourselves 。 。 。 don’t we？ We have to。” She reached out， found Grik’s shoulder， and squeezed。 Completely， her touch seemed to say。Paul kept talking， oblivious to Grik’s impending breakdown。 “Promise me something。 If anything happens to me， get Rosanna out of here， no matter what it takes。” All of Grik’s indignation dissolved。 What Paul was asking was more important than any resentment or sense of injury。 It was the one thing they could both agree on with their whole hearts。“Maybe we will die down here—but I won’t die like this。 Maybe we are trapped—but I refuse to let us all stay trapped like this。” She touched a place near her heart， as if something painful was lodged there。 “This is worse than the dark，” she whispered。 “I can’t stand it anymore， and I’m going to pretend it isn’t real， and you should too。”"By dancing and singing in the dark， they hadalmost made themselves believe that they were happy where they were， that they didn’t care， that nothing could make them despair。 Even though the initial enchantment of the dance was over， the lightness of the moment remained， bolstering their spirits and their resolve。" 。。。more
Mary
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A graceful， caring dancer。 A handsome， self-assured soldier。 A gentle goblin who doubts himself。 Three people who struggle to belong to the worlds they know。 And three hurting hearts that hide behind careful disguises。Grik doesn’t fit in。 He’s not like other goblins。 Drawn to the soaring beauty of the elvish world， he is not content with his underground home。 And he has a secret 。 。 。 he holds a forbidden love deep in his heart。When a bitter rivalry drives Grik to a rash deed， the consequences a A graceful， caring dancer。 A handsome， self-assured soldier。 A gentle goblin who doubts himself。 Three people who struggle to belong to the worlds they know。 And three hurting hearts that hide behind careful disguises。Grik doesn’t fit in。 He’s not like other goblins。 Drawn to the soaring beauty of the elvish world， he is not content with his underground home。 And he has a secret 。 。 。 he holds a forbidden love deep in his heart。When a bitter rivalry drives Grik to a rash deed， the consequences and guilt threaten to destroy him， his enemy， and the one he loves most。 To save all three of them， to set them free， Grik must find his courage， let go of his bitterness， and sacrifice everything he values。The Goblin and the Dancer by Allison Tebo is a brand-new fairy tale retelling inspired by the Steadfast Tin Soldier。 It’s part of a new series by twelve well-known fairy tale authors who have banded together to write fairy tale retellings with a unique twist: this time， they’re told by the villains 。 。 。 who might not be as villainous as they seem。I had high expectations for The Goblin and the Dancer。 Allison Tebo’s books are always treasured favorites for me。 This one was no different。 It surpassed my expectations by far。 It was both everything I wanted and nothing I expected。 It was so much deeper and more interesting than I could have known， though I didn’t think about what the book might be until I read it。 I pre-ordered the e-book when the book was announced， but as I was reading， I realized that I need to buy a paperback--I can’t bear not to！ It will be lovely to own all of Miss Tebo’s books。Set in an intriguing and beautiful non-magical fantasy world， The Goblin and the Dancer follows Grik， Rosanna， and Paul， three compelling， complex characters who are thrust into a dangerous adventure they never wanted。 Each of them rises to immense challenges with courage and determination 。 。 。 but only after their damaging flaws come to light， hurting themselves and those around them。 In order to survive a terrible situation and to be free of the darkness within and without， they must each heal deep in their hearts and let go of misconceptions about themselves and others。 I enjoyed the excellent writing， fascinating relationships， dynamic character development， deep and moving themes， solid and complex plot， engaging action， steady pacing， effective antagonists， amusing humor， and rich setting of this gorgeous novel。 My favorite books are always thoughtful， character-driven， and adventurous， with rich themes and intriguing relationships。 I treasure the favorite authors that never fail to deliver。In The Goblin and the Dancer， Allison Tebo wrote each of these things with skill， weaving them into a delightful tapestry of bright color， great depth， and heartfelt emotion。 All of it was as fathomless as the underground caverns of the story， as alive and vivid as the costumed dancing on Rosanna’s stage。 It was as if the author invited me to come along on a journey， took my hand with a smile of anticipation， and then showed me beautiful sights， entertaining me， sharing her delight and imagination with me。While the adventure was solidly plotted and the fantasy worldbuilding was rich， believable and imaginative， those things weren’t my favorite aspects of this book。 The plot and world were effective vehicles for the characters， relationships， and themes。 These three things were woven together so seamlessly， supported by the plot， that it’s impossible to separate them。I felt Grik’s bittersweet longing from the very first page。 I came to care about each of the flawed， endearing characters as I saw more and more of their struggles， inward and outward。 That was true even of a character I hated yet appreciated at the beginning of the book。 Each of them started out with a perspective that hurt themselves， other people， and their relationships。 They were forced to overcome and grow through great difficulty。There was both care and tension between the characters。 The book is centered around Rosanna’s relationships with Grik and Paul--but I enjoyed the third relationship in a different way--the rivalry between the two male characters， who must work together even though they hate each other。 If I had known their potential， I would have hoped for them to come to understand and respect one another--and I was in good hands with this author。I loved the story of forgiving each other and letting go of bitterness and prejudice。 The dual society of goblins and elves was more than just an enjoyable， believable， and totally unique fantasy setting。 Instead of leaving it at face value， The Goblin and the Dancer explores the deeper struggles that happen in a world of people who are different from one another。 This world might be inhabited by goblins and elves， not humans--but it is saturated with humanity， with both the beautiful and ugly qualities of every person in the world。 There is hope of love and harmony， but it must be won with difficulty against our tendency to be unkind without thought。All of this combined to convey beautiful truths from deep within the hearts of the characters and author。 It was so natural， beautiful， and real that I barely thought of it as a theme or message--but it was one， and a wonderful one。 I saw myself in each character--even ones I never expected to relate to。 I felt for them in their pain， and their healing helped me too。 The refreshing truths in this book are like the water of life， springing from a deep well with a pure source。We all walk through darkness and suffering in some seasons of life--perhaps all seasons， some of us more than others。 We all carry wounds in our hearts and lies in our minds。 We need love and truth to heal us。 Stories， words， and art have power to carry that love and truth， to make it sink deep into our hearts， just as Rosanna’s dancing and Grik’s encouraging words brought hope and light to their friends amid deep darkness。It is a powerful thing to offer words of life to those around us， both enemies and friends， instead of sharp words of hate that tear each other down。 Deep healing comes when we forgive others of past hurts and wrongs， and let go of bitterness and prejudice。 We doubt that we are loved， and we struggle to accept love from others when we don’t love ourselves--but when we do receive and believe love from others and from God， it is powerful and life-giving。And when we choose to have joy， faith， and love in the face of deep suffering--to dance when surrounded by oppressive darkness--we hold on to true hope that drives back the darkness。 And we share it with others， because it is a gift that is meant to be given away as well as held close to our hearts。 By writing and sharing this novel， Allison Tebo is doing just that。May we all have the courage to dance in the dark。I recommend The Goblin and the Dancer to anyone who enjoys unique fantasy or fairy tales， with adventure， friendship， unrequited love， rich worlds， and an entertaining yet profound story。 4。5 stars。*A few thoughts on fictional romance。。。The Goblin and the Dancer will appeal to readers who love a good dose of romance--and to readers who like it in moderation。I don’t ever read a book with a beautiful model on the cover。 Ever。 But I made an exception for this one， for the first time in my life。 I’m glad I did， as I knew I would be！ My expectations were high， and this book more than surpassed them。I read The Goblin and the Dancer because Allison Tebo is one of my top favorite authors。 I loved each of her other books so much， and I know her style and excellent writing。 Because she wrote it and her name is on the cover， I knew the book inside would be amazing。 And it was。 And the cover is certainly gorgeous！ I can now report that this book will appeal to readers who are usually drawn to covers like these 。 。 。 and that you may still love it if， like me， you avoid that kind of cover。Based on the cover and genre， I think I expected this book to be the sort that is fluffy and fun， light and bright。 And The Goblin and the Dancer certainly was all of that！ All of that and more。 It was fun and bright and utterly delightful。But it was much more than that， as well。 It had such depth and complexity of plot， character， relationship， setting， and theme。 I enjoyed it all so much。 I should have expected that from this author--and I suppose I did。 But I think this is even more excellent in writing than Allison Tebo’s other books， since her writing， skilled from the beginning， has only grown better over the years。*I had to think hard to come up with anything that could be improved about this book。 I only thought of one thing。 I would have liked just a tiny bit more progression in one arc--Rosanna’s relationship with Grik。I knew I didn’t want Rosanna to end up with Paul， because he was unkind to both her and Grik。 （vague spoilers here。） I loved that Rosanna valued Grik’s kindness and encouragement--as she should。 She deserved to have friends who were just as kind， caring， and encouraging as she was herself！ But apart from that （bigger spoilers）， I didn’t see any other reason for Rosanna to value Grik as something other than a friend。 If I was her， I would have liked both Paul and Grik as friends， but not something else。 As a reader， I would have been happy if Rosanna didn’t fall in love with either of them at the end。 I could have loved the romance if I saw a reason for romance， but I didn’t feel the spark on her end。 However， I think it’s wonderful to have a friendship or romance between an elf and a goblin--it’s something totally different than I’ve ever seen， but I love that sort of relationship。 I just need deeper things to convince me that a relationship should be a romance。I didn’t dislike the ending。 I enjoyed it。 I usually accept a book for what it is， and as always， I don’t wish this book was different。But I would have liked just a little more of a reason for the relationship resolution， just a hint of something to make me believe in the nature of that relationship， to make me want it to happen。 I didn’t really see how the friendship could turn into romance on Rosanna’s side。 I think something small could have given me the progression I needed， or shown me more of how Rosanna felt--and why。I like romance in books， for sure。 I think many readers look for romance in every book。 But 。 。 。 I don’t like romance in every book， at least when there isn’t a couple I can root for romantically。 （spoilers again。） In this book， I would have been perfectly happy if there was no romance in the end--or at least not a mutual， requited romance。 I thought the characters had chemistry， but I didn’t see it as romantic chemistry on Rosanna’s end。But for the most part， I LOVED everything that happened with the relationships。 A lot of it was very unique， like the feelings Paul expressed toward the end。 I think the world of fiction needs different kinds of relationships that reflect life， instead of similar ones every time--such as romances that always work out， or love that is always returned in the end。 I’m making generalizations， of course。 I’m sure that’s not true in every case， but it’s true most of the time in fiction， though not in real life。I love seeing a book that does it differently！ The Goblin and the Dancer does it so well。*A note on fantasy elements， for those who would like to know。。。。The Goblin and the Dancer is set in a fictional world populated by elves， goblins， and other fantasy creatures。 The world and its inhabitants are the only fantasy elements， though it's plenty fantastical。 This book contains no magic at all， although it is a fairy tale retelling。 It is non-magical fantasy。 There are no other special powers。 。。。more
Anne
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4。5 stars！！！ RTC
Becca
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I need to say something: at the very beginning this novella kinda seems like the origin story for a funny old bachelor。 It obviously ends up going in a different direction but you will not convince me Grik doesn't have funny old bachelor vibes。 Moving on。I loved this book。 But the first thing to really grab my attention was the world building。 With The Goblin and the Dancer， Allison has created a new world， entirely distinct from Ambia but with a similar flavor。 The underground world of the gobl I need to say something: at the very beginning this novella kinda seems like the origin story for a funny old bachelor。 It obviously ends up going in a different direction but you will not convince me Grik doesn't have funny old bachelor vibes。 Moving on。I loved this book。 But the first thing to really grab my attention was the world building。 With The Goblin and the Dancer， Allison has created a new world， entirely distinct from Ambia but with a similar flavor。 The underground world of the goblins is especially incredible and I want an animated movie of this already！Speaking of similarities to Ambia， this book has a couple delightful fight scenes and some slapstick comedy which can only be compared to A Royal Masquerade。 I wouldn't say the overall story is quite as comedy focused as either The Reluctant Godfather or A Royal Masquerade， but the comedy is in the same vein and it's perfectly on point。What truly hooked me though is the main character， Grik， who is a reluctant goblin。 He reminds me so much of Bilbo Baggins， another short fictional character。 Grik is a lot like Bilbo， going against his society's demands while still valuing his culture although perhaps he doesn't realize how much he loves it at the beginning。 He spends a lot of time grappling with the conflict between what his culture demands and what it means to be true to himself: the idea that he must be like all the other goblins， staid and down-to-earth and most certainly NOT in love with an elf; versus his sense of adventure， his appreciation for eleven art， and his funny old bachelor energy。 This is similar to Bilbo's supressed thirst for adventure conflicting with his horror of not being a respectable hobbit。 Grik has to learn to respect his culture without feeling bound to it， without feeling inferior because of it， and without constantly caring what other people think of him。 At the beginning， he is afraid to confess to the elven dancer he loves because "No matter what their reaction， he would be treated as different—and the horror of being different， of being inherently wrong， was stronger than his yearning。" So you see， he's trapped in a cage of his own making。The two other main characters， Rosanna， the elven dancer; and Paul， a wounded human soldier （and Rosanna's potential suitor） also have fantastic character arcs。 They， along with Grik are thrown into a river and swept into the sewers， and most of the book is their journey through underground caves and tunnels trying to make it back to the surface。 Being underground immediately puts Grik at the advantage since goblins live underground and are equiped to navigate underground， so this gets rid of some of his crippling anxiety around the "superior" human and elf， essentially leveling the playing field。 The journey would be quite an adventure in itself—I mean there's a KRAKEN y'all！ I have a been a huge fan of krakens ever since the Lord of the Rings "watcher in the water" and also the krakens in Sea of Thieves （nothing like being flailed about in their tentacles）。 But I digress。 The point is， monsters， and ratlike outlaws， and twisty tunnels make their journey an adventure to begin with。 But layered on top of that adventure and mimicking it at every step of the way is the personal journey each one goes through as they conquer the enemy in their own mind: resentment， insecurity， pride。 It's interesting because at the beginning of their journey， the three of them are together yet each one is alone， and it's only when they've conquered the enemy inside that they truly become a team。One other thing I want to point out about the characters: Paul is insufferable at the beginning because we're seeing him through Grik's eyes and Grik views Paul as the guy trying to steal his girl right out from under his nose （actually from above his nose because Rosanna is definitely the taller of the two but anyway）。 The fun part is that the roles could easily be reversed。 If the story were told from Paul's perspective， Grik would be the insufferable one。 And that's what I love about Allison's characters！ They're realistically flawed and totally unlikable but she makes us love em anyway。The things I'd like to have changed are more backstory for Rosanna and less explicit explanation of what's going on in the characters' heads。 Though the more I think about it， I realize that the former might bog down the book and mess up the pacing， and the latter might actually be necessary because it's such a character focused book that if you miss the important steps in the character arcs， nothing will make sense。 So the solution is probably more complicated。I love the concept of this story so much， the villainous goblin who's fault it was that everyone ended up in the sewer to begin with （did I not mention that until now？ Look， I assume you all thoroughly acquainted yourselves with the synopsis before you read my review。 So please do）。。。 anyway， he is the protagonist and the soldier in tin armour appears more villainous by far。 （Although the real villain is CLEARLY the kraken。）It should be obvious by now， but if this sounds like your bag， I say you need to give it a try。 It's such a sweet and gentle story with a beautiful message， and I love how it subverts the typical fairytale tropes。 You'll definitely love it if you're a fan of Allison's Ambia series！ It's also very similar to Heather Dixon Wallwork's The Enchanted Sonata， and it resembles AG Marshall's fairytale retellings。 I'm having trouble finding books/authors to compare it to though， so I guess if you want something new and original this is perfect！ Something incomparable。 。。。more
Joshua （ithildins）
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Release Date: 10 September 2021
Merie Shen
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*flailing*rtc soon！！
Allison Tebo
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