By Kersten Hamilton
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 336
Lexile: HL590L
Age Range: 12 – 17 Years
ABOUT
What would you do if the stories of your childhood suddenly began coming to life?
Teagan Wylltson’s best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures—goblins, shapeshifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty—are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn’t worried. Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives, with his killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. Either he’s crazy or he’s been haunting Abby’s dreams, because he’s talking about goblins, too . . . and about being born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby’s right. The goblins are coming.
REVIEWS
“Laced with humor, packed with surprises and driven by suspense, the plot grabs readers from the start using the stylistic tactics of the best fantasy writing. . . . Buy this novel for readers of Franny Billingsley and Dia Calhoun as well as fans of urban fantasy.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Ancient Irish myths and legends mix and mingle with the modern world in this fast-paced fantasy. . . . Hamilton has created characters who are quirky and complex. Their stories are tightly woven together and riveting, and readers will look forward to the next installment in the series”.
—School Library Journal, starred review
“Making the leap from picture books and middle-grade novels to YA, Hamilton mines Celtic myth and fairy tales for this engaging adventure, first in the Goblin Wars series. Sixteen-year-old Teagan Wylltson’s life may not be entirely ordinary, with an eccentric artist mother, techno-savvy little brother, and an after-school job that involves primate research, but at least she understands it. When Finn Mac Cumhaill, a teenage cousin from a family of “Travelers,” comes to stay with them, things get seriously weird. Now Teagan is seeing goblins in the shadows, and mythical monsters are stalking her family. Is Finn, who claims to fight the goblins, the cause or a symptom of something worse? To save someone she loves, Teagan and Finn make a perilous journey into a treacherous supernatural realm, where she learns the truth about her family and its relationship to the goblins. While the plot meanders at times, there’s no denying the solid concept or attention to detail present in the overall story. Even the most myth-savvy readers will revel in the clever twists and surprises.”
Ages 12–up. (Nov.)
—Publishers Weekly
