Okay, here's the deal. When did people become "that" instead of "who?" I hear this on the radio on the TV ( and shouldn't news reporters know better )? and unless my memory is wrong, have even read it in places. Why? How hard is it to remember that people require a "who"? And here's another--myself instead of me. My boss did this all this time and it drove me crazy. Are we so afraid to be in the spotlight that we have to say, "So-and-so and myself did such-and-so?"
When The Stars Threw Down Their Spears by Kersten Hamilton- KA-POW!!! What an AWESOME finish to the Goblin Wars Trilogy!!
When The Stars Threw Down Their Spears by Kersten Hamilton
Published August 6th, 2013
Available Now
Published by Clarion Books
Hardcover 400 pages
Received e-arc from publisher for review (but also purchased my own copy)
To Buy Links-
Goodreads Synopsis- “People will die.”
Locked doors are opening, and uncanny creatures are tumbling through mysterious portals from Mag Mell, the world-between-worlds, into the streets of Chicago. The Dark Man has marked Aiden with a new song that’s scared him badly, and a frightening new group of sídhe is lurking nearby.
Teagan knows this is war, and she must protect her family. She leaves her flesh and bones behind to join Finn in hunting the evil beings across the city. Meanwhile, their relationship is heating up—almost faster than they can control. But he is still bound to fight goblins his entire life . . . and by blood she is one of them now.
Then the gateway to Mag Mell cracks open again, and the Wylltsons find themselves caught in a trap. As her loved ones begin to die, Teagan realizes that she must destroy the Dark Man and his minions once and for all in order to save those who remain . . .
. . . before it is too late.
This is it. And I probably would still be sitting on it if the e-arc didn't expire back in June. That's how I am about series that I love. I hate for the last book. I want to know what happens but I don't want it to end. But there was something different with THE STARS THREW DOWN THEIR SPEARS. There was so much story left to be told. Not just loose ends to be tied up, but another journey into Mag Mell, a love story to finish, one way or another, and a story to be told. This was no wrap up book. This was a story within itself. And I was so blown away by this book it made me want to start the series all over again.
So, what? You haven't heard of The Goblin Wars? Well I reviewed Tyger, Tyger and In The Forests of the Night. Are you saying you didn't read my reviews? No that couldn't be it. You must have just forgotten. So brief recap--SPOILER FREE RECAP----here you go!
Teagan Wylltson wakes up a normal teenage girl following her plan, study hard, go to her job at the zoo to study the animals (she might want to be a vet or an animal behaviorist or something along those lines) and NO BOYS! Then Finn walks into her life and her world changes for better and for worse. Circumstances change in the Wylltson family and a social worker starts nosing around. Abby, Teagan's best friend has been dreaming of goblins, shape shifting monsters and unearthly beautiful creatures and they are all after Teagan. What's worse she hates Finn and he's not real fond of her. But they both know about the monsters. And Finn is The MacCumhaill, born to fight those monsters. And finally, there is little Aiden, Teagan's brother with the voice of an angel who is scared of Elvis impersonators and the Tooth Fairy. Together the three of them go on an incredible journey in Tyger, Tyger.
In The Forests of the Night the journey continues with more characters and even more danger. Angels and Mab and other creatures from various folklore appear as Teagan and Finn have to travel back to Mag Mell. There is a lot of dry humor in the novel and a swoon worthy romance to die for. Finn can kill someone will a spoon, but he doesn't get all protective over Teagan unless she needs help which isn't often. If I was picking best friends, Abby would be number one on my list! She has Teagan's back and then some. And if she can't do it, the Turtles, cousins Rafe, Leo, Donnie, and Angel can find a guy!
There is a lot of Celtic folklore and with the addition of Yggdrasil as Mr. Wylltson explains, "A Nordic tree in a Celtic World. I always told your mother that was a literary drift." (p.50 In The Forests of the Night). Mamieo, Finn's "grandmother" is very present in this novel and she has really great conversations with "The Almighty". Very funny! This is a great second book in the trilogy. The characters are amazing, which makes a book for me. I love these characters. I would be friends with them, help them in their adventures, lay down my life if needed. The titles of the books follow William Blake's poem The Tyger.
Oh, here's great interview with Teagan, Finn and Abby HERE.
End of RECAP*******
So there are so many characters in this novel I can't even begin to list all the main ones. What I will say is that there is even more depth to the characters than ever before. Secondary characters become primary characters and Abby, Teagan, Aiden and Finn become much more to each other. "People will die" is true and you just have to brace yourself. The first time is shocking and I cried. I've come to love these characters. I know their histories, their life stories and it took a little bit of me every time I lost one of them. But some people had to die and the ones that did made sense. As Teagan and Aiden's mother always said, "The Irish don't have happy endings."
The electricity between Finn and Teagan is like lightning. Sparks fly. Mountains move. The world holds it's breath. I'm telling you, these two have chemistry! And I might have a slight crush on Finn. He's Irish for one so he's got that accent thing going on. He's never out of his comfort zone no matter where he is. He just kind of always lands on his feet. Oh and he goes nowhere without duct tape. He's pretty sure it can fix anything. Teagan is still focused on her plan after she kills Fear Doirich of course, but she needs to fit Finn in her life now.
The world in this one is complicated. The world where Teagan lives with her family is also inhabited with scary creatures and good creatures that only those with the sight can see. So her dad can't see them and talks to walls when he thinks he's talking to a cat like creature. Mamieo isn't exactly tolerant of these creatures since a goblin killed her husband who was The MacCumhaill. But Mag Mell, which is very hard to describe, is filled with creatures, good and bad and sometimes humans. Mag Mell itself isn't evil, it was just overrun with evil creatures. And Teagan can "hear" the trees of Mag Mell calling to her asking for help because they are dying.
The story is simple but complex. Easy- kill Fear Doirich. Hard- get back into Mag Mell which is sealed. Sneak in so that no one knows they are there. Getting into the heart of the city without being detected and then killing Fear Doirich, not an easy thing to do even if they get that far. And above all, Teagan wants to save Mag Mell.
My thoughts- This was way more than what I expected! I was not expecting an even better novel than the last two. I wasn't expecting to be completely floored by the losses. The story didn't go exactly as I thought it would. Actually, I had no clue how it would work out. Fear Doirich can be anywhere at any time and anybody can work for him so being caught in Mag Mell is a constant danger. So I commend Kersten Hamilton for figuring out this complicated plot. I wouldn't know how to save my favorite characters! The story is complete. No loose endings. There is a little humor as the book wraps up. Even though it sounds dark and the story does have some dark parts, there are some lighter moments, a couple of romances and possibly a happy ending for some of the Irish.
I absolutely recommend this complete series but if you've read the first two and were thinking of not finishing the series, don't do it. This book is easily the best in the series even though I've loved them all. I think Kersten Hamilton put her heart into this one and it shows. It's absolutely a worthy finale to a fabulous fantasy series!
Contact Kersten
I received an e-arc from the publisher for review. I was not compensated for my review in any way. The opinions expressed are my own.
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