I come to you today to share all about one of THE most delightful stories I’ve ever had the pleasure to consume.

I have been a raving fan of Allison Tebo and her works for years, particularly her Tales of Ambia series, which are absolutely hilarious fairy tale romps of magic and mayhem and the most lovable characters. So when she announced she was publishing a brand new fairy tale, you better believe I was squealing to no end.

This novella is part of a collection of twelve stand-alone stories by twelve different authors, each story taking on the villains of fairy tales and giving them a happily ever after. YES PLEASE. That is the kind of fairy tale twist I will gobble up whole! Each of these novellas are completely separate from one another, so you can nab whichever ones catch your fancy without having to read all twelve.

Allison’s Tebo’s contribution to the collection, The Goblin and the Dancer, is a retelling of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a little known tale by Hans Christian Andersen. First of all, YAY for obscure fairy tales being retold! Secondly, this was such a brilliant and fun take to the story! I enjoyed every second of it.

SYNOPSIS

Grik the goblin spends his days as a janitor cleaning the Metropolitan Dance Hall, drawn to the Elvish world and tired of the darkness of his underground home. He secretly pines for the ballet company’s lead dancer, Rosanna, but his own ugliness and shyness stands in the way of confessing his love.

When a handsome rival appears on the scene, Grik’s jealousy bubbles over and he commits the unthinkable, plunging the threesome into a river and down into the depths of the earth.

Determined to redeem himself, Grik leads Rosanna and Paul through the place he calls home: but even a goblin can’t be prepared for everything that is found underground. Trapped in the dark, nightmares both within and without rise to the surface, threatening to destroy them all.

A magical and heartfelt retelling of The Steadfast Tin Soldier about finding your worth.

The Goblin and the Dancer is one of twelve short novels in A Villain’s Ever After, a collection of stand-alone stories featuring villainous twists on some of your favorite classic fairy tales. Read the series in any order for magical adventures . . . and fall in love with villains as you’ve never seen them before. Who said villains can’t have happily-ever-afters?

AMAZON | GOODREADS | AUTHOR’S WEBSITE

REVIEW

Grik, a janitor to the Metropolitan Dance Hall, a fabulous elvish dance studio, is discontent with his glum goblin world where rocks and darkness and a general everyday sameness is expected. In the elvish world above, there is color and light and beauty unimaginable.

And there’s also Rosanna.

The lead dancer and as graceful and beautiful in character as she is on the dance floor, Rosanna has utterly captured Grik’s heart. Except a goblin and an elf being together is unheard of. Besides, how can someone like Rosanna love him? His chances seem even more impossible when Paul, a handsome elf soldier, butts in and tries to claim Rosanna’s hand for himself. In a fit of rage, Grik makes a horrible mistake which puts all three of them in peril…and now it’s up to him to get them out of it.

This story had all the signature fingerprints of this author: humor, flawed but lovable characters to cheer for, mayhem and hilarious shenanigans, and, woven seamlessly into it all, a depth to touch the heart.

I adored this whole world of elves and goblins. In the upper world, we have glamor and riches and the impressive architect of the elves, while a network of goblin dwellings exist below, full of clever machinery in impressive caverns, but neither world may be as grand or as glum as it appears on the surface. The story took such care in showing both sides of the world, their beauties and flaws, and the struggles of two entirely different people groups co-existing. But it never felt heavy-handed. Instead it was shown in a gentle, yet powerful way with a beautiful message within the depths.

The twist on The Steadfast Tin Soldier was nothing short of genius. Due to the nature of that fairy tale, it seems like a difficult one to retell, but Miss Tebo pulled it off flawlessly, and I was delighted by all the references and twists she drew from the original story.

And then, of course, there were the CHARACTERS. The true heart and gems of the tale.

I fell in love with Grik by page one. First of all, I love how our protagonist is not a handsome elf, but a humble goblin. That was such a refreshing twist! And what a disastrous, lovable little goblin Grik was!

Longing for the elven world and discontent with his own, Grik feels alone in the world, never quite able to find his place in life. I loved how he was both humble and shy, but there was a fiery temper in there that would show itself during extreme occasions. His emotions were so tangible, so relatable. He was both reckless and terrified, all while feeling as though he’s ugly and unworthy of love, causing for quite a lot of mishaps on his part and a powerful arc along the way. I loved that, despite being a goblin, any of us can relate to him and truly feel his struggles and pain. But he also just made me laugh, so very much. Poor Grik got into so much trouble! Ah, I fell in love with this precious goblin with all my heart. This story is worth the read for reckless little Grik alone!

Then there was Paul. I don’t want to say much, but let’s just say this elf soldier made me want to hit something while at the same time had me rolling with laughter. Paul was…something, and surprised me multiple times. But that’s all I’m sayin’. *smile, smile*

Rosanna was one of my favorite types of female characters, and the kind I feel like we don’t see much anymore. Quiet and gentle-hearted, she was the voice of reason and peace amidst the goblin and elf soldier’s rising tempers and reckless behavior. But she also had a hint of wry humor that would occasionally appear that I LOVED. I especially liked how, despite seeming perfect on the outside, Rosanna had her own flaws. She wasn’t the token perfect-in-every-way love interest. She, too, had her own struggles to overcome.

The three of them were a riot, and I was delighted over all the shenanigans, the banter, the fights, and the unexpected relationships that formed along the way.

The story takes us on a perilous adventure underground, wrought with danger and intrigue, but at the heart of the journey is a theme of repentance and growth and overcoming. This may seem like a fluffy, lighthearted fantasy read with a hint of romance and plenty of humor. And yes, it is that to a point, but it is so much more.

Though there are all sorts of excitement and danger, it’s not really about the characters trying to escape their predicament, but about the growth they must achieve along the way. It’s about realizing one’s worth, no matter who you are. It’s about how the smallest people can make the biggest impact, how your actions, though often seemingly insignificant, can change the world and bring so much joy.

Rosanna fears that her dancing is insignificant. She thinks that merely dancing can’t make a difference and it’s just a waste of her life. And as a writer, these are fears that go through my own head day after day.

But then there was one scene… It brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me of the beauty of art. How the world needs our art to cast out the dark and refill empty hearts. How art can inspire and encourage and set hearts ablaze.

How when there is darkness, all we need do is dance to find the light again.

It spoke to my very soul and is a message I hold dear.

Though short this story is, the growth these characters obtained was powerful. It showed how, yes, we all have flaws, but they can be overcome. We do have worth and every life is important.

I can go on and on about the beautiful themes of this story, but it’s really best to experience it yourself. This whole novella was just a delight from start to finish. It is a humorous story about a shy, reckless goblin plunging himself and two elves into peril, with a stream of mishaps along the way. But it also a story interwoven in heart-stirring themes about one’s worth and place in the world. And I loved every moment of it.

CONTENT CAUTIONS

Extremely clean! This is very much a family-friendly read and, in fact, teeters closer to the middle-grade side of things than young adult, though it can easily be enjoyed by all ages!

Though it is fantasy, no magic was involved. There were some scenes of danger and fear and monstrous things lurking in the dark, but nothing over the top. The romance was also very light, with just one non-descript kiss.

I would comfortably recommend this to young children and up.

CONCLUSION

Allison Tebo has done it again. This was just a DELIGHT. The characters had me cracking up while also totally stealing my heart, the exciting underground adventure had me turning pages, the worldbuilding charmed me, the take on the original fairy tale was brilliant, the moments of beauty amidst the darkness left me in awe, and the themes stirred my soul. It is both sweet and fun and powerful, and I’m so happy I had the pleasure of reading it. It had such a great mix of excitement and lightheartedness, and was sweet enough for those who like fluffy reads but not too much for us who don’t want an excess of romance. It was wonderfully balanced and had a little something for everyone.

Filled with flawed but lovable characters, packed with laugh-out-loud moments and excitement in turn, but perfectly interwoven with powerful themes, this delightful, heartfelt book about a little goblin and dancing in the dark will forever hold a special place in my heart.

One more thing…

. . . Realm Makers Readers’ Choice Awards Finalist . . .

One other extra exciting bit of news: The Goblin and the Dancer is one of the 5 finalists for the Realm Makers Readers’ Choice Awards! *shrieks* I am SO proud of Allison, though not surprised. Of course little Grik and his delightful story received all the love. <3

If you’ve read this story, you can vote for it HERE!

It takes all of 3 seconds. Voting closes June 21st, so if you’ve not read this novella yet, now is a great time to do it! It’s a super quick read. Easily read in a sitting or two. *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge*

A HUMONGOUS congrats to Allison for making it this far in the awards!!! *throws enough confetti to fill an ocean*

Have you read this book? Or any of the other A Villain’s Ever After stories? Does this one sound up your alley? Because, if you can’t tell, I highly recommend it. *winks*