diff --git a/marshal.go b/marshal.go
index 29ea0fb..c370ab7 100644
--- a/marshal.go
+++ b/marshal.go
@@ -344,13 +344,26 @@ func valueFromToml(mtype reflect.Type, tval interface{}) (reflect.Value, error)
 	if mtype.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
 		return unwrapPointer(mtype, tval)
 	}
-	switch {
-	case isTree(mtype):
-		return valueFromTree(mtype, tval.(*Tree))
-	case isTreeSlice(mtype):
-		return valueFromTreeSlice(mtype, tval.([]*Tree))
-	case isOtherSlice(mtype):
-		return valueFromOtherSlice(mtype, tval.([]interface{}))
+
+	switch tval.(type) {
+	case *Tree:
+		if isTree(mtype) {
+			return valueFromTree(mtype, tval.(*Tree))
+		} else {
+			return reflect.ValueOf(nil), fmt.Errorf("Can't convert %v(%T) to a tree", tval, tval)
+		}
+	case []*Tree:
+		if isTreeSlice(mtype) {
+			return valueFromTreeSlice(mtype, tval.([]*Tree))
+		} else {
+			return reflect.ValueOf(nil), fmt.Errorf("Can't convert %v(%T) to trees", tval, tval)
+		}
+	case []interface{}:
+		if isOtherSlice(mtype) {
+			return valueFromOtherSlice(mtype, tval.([]interface{}))
+		} else {
+			return reflect.ValueOf(nil), fmt.Errorf("Can't convert %v(%T) to a slice", tval, tval)
+		}
 	default:
 		switch mtype.Kind() {
 		case reflect.Bool:
@@ -444,7 +457,7 @@ func valueFromToml(mtype reflect.Type, tval interface{}) (reflect.Value, error)
 			}
 			return reflect.ValueOf(val), nil
 		default:
-			return reflect.ValueOf(nil), fmt.Errorf("Unmarshal can't handle %v(%v)", mtype, mtype.Kind())
+			return reflect.ValueOf(nil), fmt.Errorf("Can't convert %v(%T) to %v(%v)", tval, tval, mtype, mtype.Kind())
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/marshal_test.go b/marshal_test.go
index f9196cd..127b68a 100644
--- a/marshal_test.go
+++ b/marshal_test.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"reflect"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 )
@@ -508,6 +509,14 @@ func TestPointerUnmarshal(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestUnmarshalTypeMismatch(t *testing.T) {
+	result := pointerMarshalTestStruct{}
+	err := Unmarshal([]byte("List = 123"), &result)
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "(1, 1): Can't convert 123(int64) to []string(slice)") {
+		t.Errorf("Type mismatch must be reported: got %v", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
 type nestedMarshalTestStruct struct {
 	String [][]string
 	//Struct [][]basicMarshalTestSubStruct