Book Review: Goldfield Forest

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

An immersive foray into the magic of the Amazon rainforest

 Goldfield Forest is a fantasy lover’s fantasy. Fairies, dragons, warlocks, humans, supernatural abilities—there’s more. And it all takes place in settings so lush in green that you’ll refresh while getting lost in them. 

Maria is a guardian of the Fae living in Goldfield Forest with her daughter Ashley and father Ross. But Maria’s out on an expedition in the Amazon rainforest to find a magical kingdom written about hundreds of years ago. 

So we start with Ashley, Maria’s daughter, who didn’t know her family (and maybe her) had supernatural abilities. Not everyone can see the fairy dust. But she does. It may have meant for Maria, but Ashley’s coming into her own, too. This is how she finds an important trinket—a ceramic lion—buried beneath a tree outside of her house. 

But it’s no ceramic lion. Not really. It’s Lena—the shapeshifting leader of a community in the Amazon rainforest. She was removed and hidden years ago, but the community needs her now more than ever. Bagrim, a warlock, is attempting to take over the rainforest and gain access to all the magic that comes along with it.

Ross and an astonished Ashley have to flag down Maria to return from the Amazon to get Lena and bring her back with her to defend her home and others’ homes from the power-hungry Bagrim. 

This novel is sprinkled with fairy dust. There are little people everywhere, waving and winking at you. If you’re a reader in love with natural imagery, you’re going to love spending time in these forests. Not only is everything as green as freshly wet moss, but it sparkles. There are dragons in the trees, and there’s rain pouring down, and there’s a plane on the verge of crashing. The imagery is rich here.

But for those who love the extra-little and the extra-big creatures, just know that there is some serious danger going on for them in the forest. This is a war, and the action reflects it. Powerful magic and powerful creatures collide. Readers looking for action-packed fantasy have found it.

I did miss Ashley and Ross though! They go through their trials with some serious game-changing danger, but I loved these two so much—my connection back to the real world—that I wished they’d played a more prominent role later on. Maria is a strong, brave, and dedicated character, but I longed for more opportunities to get closer to her like I felt with Ashley.

Goldfield Forest has so much going for it. It hits all the beats of a good action fantasy, and it satisfies in the creature department ten-fold. The power and the magic is real—as long as you’re willing to see it.

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