Helpful Score: 2
This book is a fun adventure full of faeries who chose to be evil and are called goblins. The main characters Teagan, Finn and Aiden are very likable. In fact, I just fell in love with Aiden the 6 year old boy. A lot of humor comes from his character and he is able to say things that make you laugh. Teagan, is also a very likable character and she uses her brain to get them out of trouble many times. So, Finn wasn't the only hero in this story and I loved that. Finn is also very aware of his responsibilities and always wants to do the right thing no matter what his circumstances are in his life. He falls for Teagan but doesn't want to break her heart. However, it doesn't stop him from helping her rescue her father in Meg Mell which has befallen an evil spell by an evil enemy. He is aware of the risk, but will risk it without asking anything from Teagan. Makes him a very loveable hero in this story.
I give this book 5 stars. I so recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a fun paranormal adventure book. Quite honestly the blurb above and the cover don't do justice to the book. It exceeded my expectations and I can't wait for the next installment (which I hope there is going to be one).
I give this book 5 stars. I so recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a fun paranormal adventure book. Quite honestly the blurb above and the cover don't do justice to the book. It exceeded my expectations and I can't wait for the next installment (which I hope there is going to be one).
Talk about a wild and fun supernatural read! Goblins are dangerous creatures in this imaginative new series from an author who also knows how to write awesomely unique characters.
My favorite part of TYGER TYGER by far were the characters. Yes, pretty much all of them. I feel like this doesnt happen often in lots of YA speculative fiction that Ive read: sooner or later youd come across a stock character. But in TYGER TYGER, all of the characters are just so memorable. I loved Tegans family, from her parents intelligent banter to her little brothers, well, little-boy dialogue. Finn didnt feel like just another perfectly enigmatic love interest character. Everything from his speech to his behavior marked him as troublethe most alluring kind of trouble. If Tegan didnt fall head over heels for the guy, I certainly did. He is a bad boy without the clichés, a fire barely contained in the body of a teen boy. Cooooool.
In fact, I enjoyed the characters so much, particularly Tegans family, that I was absolutely devastated when tragedy struck. Unfortunately, for me, the story took a dive into the implausible and poorly plotted when the goblin conflict came to the surface. The characters movement into this new other world felt choppy; whatever interest I originally had in the characters trickled away as the book moved deeper into supernatural territories.
But that was totally just me and probably my mood at the time, which was not feeling very patient with rough plots. I think that the uniqueness of the premise, the appeal of the adorably quirky characters, and the promise of simmering danger will make TYGER TYGER a keeper for many readers. Definitely recommended if you like your paranormal fare, but want something different from the usual vampires and werewolves.
My favorite part of TYGER TYGER by far were the characters. Yes, pretty much all of them. I feel like this doesnt happen often in lots of YA speculative fiction that Ive read: sooner or later youd come across a stock character. But in TYGER TYGER, all of the characters are just so memorable. I loved Tegans family, from her parents intelligent banter to her little brothers, well, little-boy dialogue. Finn didnt feel like just another perfectly enigmatic love interest character. Everything from his speech to his behavior marked him as troublethe most alluring kind of trouble. If Tegan didnt fall head over heels for the guy, I certainly did. He is a bad boy without the clichés, a fire barely contained in the body of a teen boy. Cooooool.
In fact, I enjoyed the characters so much, particularly Tegans family, that I was absolutely devastated when tragedy struck. Unfortunately, for me, the story took a dive into the implausible and poorly plotted when the goblin conflict came to the surface. The characters movement into this new other world felt choppy; whatever interest I originally had in the characters trickled away as the book moved deeper into supernatural territories.
But that was totally just me and probably my mood at the time, which was not feeling very patient with rough plots. I think that the uniqueness of the premise, the appeal of the adorably quirky characters, and the promise of simmering danger will make TYGER TYGER a keeper for many readers. Definitely recommended if you like your paranormal fare, but want something different from the usual vampires and werewolves.
Tyger Tyger is a great new addition in the fantasy world. Planted firmly in Irish lure, this book pulled me in from the very beginning. I really enjoyed the way the goblin world was created and how it was told in pieces through-out the book by the characters telling old Irish tales. It was a unique spin on the sidhe for me. I saw a lot of similarities to other sidhe lure, but a lot of new takes on it as well.
I really think the characters and their relationships was what made this book so great for me. I loved that Teagan was such a put together young lady. Very focused on her future and goals. It was great to see a happy functional family, which is something I've been missing a lot lately in the YA genre. This is a kid who actually likes her little brother instead of thinking of him as a constant pest, and enjoys spending time with her parents. I think one of my favorite parts was when the family would work out the schedule after dinner where one of them reads out loud to the others while they cleaned up the kitchen. It may be something I pick up with my family!
The rest of the cast was great as well. Tea's best friend Abby was a in-your-face, loyal to the very end, kind of girl. She was a lot of fun. Finn MacCumhaill was a super hot Irish boy (accent and all, YUM) who was strong and passionate and quite the gentlemen. Aiden, Teagan's little brother, was a smart and funny little boy. I'm really glad that he was included in the whole book and taken on the adventure too, instead of just left behind like in most stories. This was really great for me since my little brother is my best friend, and I definitely wouldn't have left him behind with some random sitter!!! Mamieo was another great addition, she was strong willed, but soft at heart, and I really enjoyed reading all of her conversations.
Overall, this was an entertaining read that kept me guessing what would happen next. I enjoyed every minute of it and can't wait to see where Kersten Hamilton will take this series with the next installment.
I really think the characters and their relationships was what made this book so great for me. I loved that Teagan was such a put together young lady. Very focused on her future and goals. It was great to see a happy functional family, which is something I've been missing a lot lately in the YA genre. This is a kid who actually likes her little brother instead of thinking of him as a constant pest, and enjoys spending time with her parents. I think one of my favorite parts was when the family would work out the schedule after dinner where one of them reads out loud to the others while they cleaned up the kitchen. It may be something I pick up with my family!
The rest of the cast was great as well. Tea's best friend Abby was a in-your-face, loyal to the very end, kind of girl. She was a lot of fun. Finn MacCumhaill was a super hot Irish boy (accent and all, YUM) who was strong and passionate and quite the gentlemen. Aiden, Teagan's little brother, was a smart and funny little boy. I'm really glad that he was included in the whole book and taken on the adventure too, instead of just left behind like in most stories. This was really great for me since my little brother is my best friend, and I definitely wouldn't have left him behind with some random sitter!!! Mamieo was another great addition, she was strong willed, but soft at heart, and I really enjoyed reading all of her conversations.
Overall, this was an entertaining read that kept me guessing what would happen next. I enjoyed every minute of it and can't wait to see where Kersten Hamilton will take this series with the next installment.
Reviewed by Holly Owen for TeensReadToo.com
Who would have thought goblins could look like Abercrombie models? Certainly not Teagan Wylltson. She'd grown up listening to her father retell Irish tales of fierce creatures and ancient curses, and watched her mother transform canvases into monstrous trees and water goblins who like to drown travelers in bogs. To Tea, goblins were foul, loathsome things.
Apparently, looks can be deceiving.
With boys strictly sworn off and college acceptance number one on her agenda, Tea is unwittingly pulled smack into the middle of a family crisis, bringing her face-to-face with nightmarish ghouls and a dangerous cousin, Finn Mac Cumhaill. Even with the warnings from her best friend, Abby, Tea cannot ignore the magnetic attraction she has to Finn. But Tea needs to stay focused, especially when she suddenly finds herself sole caretaker of her younger brother, Aiden, whose special gifts seem to be making themselves extremely useful.
In TYGER TYGER, you'll find macabre fantasy swirled with the soul searchings of a teenage girl. Crafting each scene with visual details, Kersten Hamilton weaves a complex story, combining legend with modern day. She pulls her readers in with intriguing characters and engaging action, luring us further as she deepens the relationship between our heroine and the reckless yet enchanting hero.
Tea, Finn, and young Aiden, with the help of cunning zombie cats, shadowy soul-stealers, and a green-skinned water goblin, coax us into Mag Mell, the magic world of the goblins, where they walk a musical path and discover long hidden family secrets - one which threatens to smother the fiery connection between Tea and Finn. Your bookmark won't stay long in one place with this dangerously enticing tale.
Who would have thought goblins could look like Abercrombie models? Certainly not Teagan Wylltson. She'd grown up listening to her father retell Irish tales of fierce creatures and ancient curses, and watched her mother transform canvases into monstrous trees and water goblins who like to drown travelers in bogs. To Tea, goblins were foul, loathsome things.
Apparently, looks can be deceiving.
With boys strictly sworn off and college acceptance number one on her agenda, Tea is unwittingly pulled smack into the middle of a family crisis, bringing her face-to-face with nightmarish ghouls and a dangerous cousin, Finn Mac Cumhaill. Even with the warnings from her best friend, Abby, Tea cannot ignore the magnetic attraction she has to Finn. But Tea needs to stay focused, especially when she suddenly finds herself sole caretaker of her younger brother, Aiden, whose special gifts seem to be making themselves extremely useful.
In TYGER TYGER, you'll find macabre fantasy swirled with the soul searchings of a teenage girl. Crafting each scene with visual details, Kersten Hamilton weaves a complex story, combining legend with modern day. She pulls her readers in with intriguing characters and engaging action, luring us further as she deepens the relationship between our heroine and the reckless yet enchanting hero.
Tea, Finn, and young Aiden, with the help of cunning zombie cats, shadowy soul-stealers, and a green-skinned water goblin, coax us into Mag Mell, the magic world of the goblins, where they walk a musical path and discover long hidden family secrets - one which threatens to smother the fiery connection between Tea and Finn. Your bookmark won't stay long in one place with this dangerously enticing tale.
I got a digital copy of this book through NetGalley. I had heard great things about this book and was excited to read it. Overall it was an okay book; there is a bit too much information dumping in the beginning of the book but the second half is more engaging.
Teagan is just your normal girl working at an animal research facility when Finn Mac Cumhaill enters her life. Finn is a homeless cousin that Teagan's parents agree to take care off. With Finn's arrival things start going wrong. Teagan is seeing shadows out of the corner of her eye, one of the animals she is caring for at work is mysteriously killed, her mom dies of some strange fit, and then to top it all off her dad disappears. With things creeping in the shadows it ends up that it may be Finn who can actually save them all and Teagan may be part of a world that she never imagined existed.
The beginning of this story is filled with so many Celtic names and so much folklore that it is hard to keep all the mythological facts straight. With all this knowledge being thrown at you, the beginning of the book felt almost more like a lecture than a story and I had a hard time getting into it. Luckily the second half of the book was a more engaging.
At times the dialogue came off as a bit stiff sounding and a little unnatural; despite this Teagan, Aiden, and Finn are all interesting and likable characters. I loved that Teagan was a practical, smart girl who didn't fall head over heels for Finn, but made her romance (or lack of) part of the background. These characters are refreshing and the world Hamilton has built is intriguing.
I have some complaints though. I was excited to read a story about goblins, well basically Hamilton hasn't created a story about goblins...this is a story about faerie where all the fairies are called goblins. I know Hamilton was trying to stick with Irish myth and stuff, but this seems a bit misleading. Also quite a bit of the beginning in the book is spent telling us about Teagan's job working with Cindy the chimp; they get back to this again at the end of the book but I am still not sure what the purpose of this was. Maybe it was to show how Teagan got some passing medical knowledge? It just took up a bit of page space and didn't seem relevant.
I loved Aiden's magical singing abilities and was intrigued by Finn's superhero like fighting capabilities...but I never could figure out what Teagan's purpose was. She didn't seem to have any really special ability beyond the Sight. It kind of seemed like she was there to direct traffic. I would have liked to see her developed into a more interesting character that took a bigger lead in the events in the book.
Overall I thought it was an okay read. The characters are likable, the world interesting. The dialogue is a bit unnatural sounding and, while I liked the idea of basing the world in mythology, too much is thrown at the reader at the beginning of the novel and it makes the story flow poorly in the beginning. Readers should enjoy Teagan as a teenage lead that thinks with her head not her heart and Finn is a wonderfully moral bad boy. Will I be reading the rest of this series? Probably not, the writing quality and pace of the book was just too uneven for me and Teagan didn't capture my heart as a heroine.
Teagan is just your normal girl working at an animal research facility when Finn Mac Cumhaill enters her life. Finn is a homeless cousin that Teagan's parents agree to take care off. With Finn's arrival things start going wrong. Teagan is seeing shadows out of the corner of her eye, one of the animals she is caring for at work is mysteriously killed, her mom dies of some strange fit, and then to top it all off her dad disappears. With things creeping in the shadows it ends up that it may be Finn who can actually save them all and Teagan may be part of a world that she never imagined existed.
The beginning of this story is filled with so many Celtic names and so much folklore that it is hard to keep all the mythological facts straight. With all this knowledge being thrown at you, the beginning of the book felt almost more like a lecture than a story and I had a hard time getting into it. Luckily the second half of the book was a more engaging.
At times the dialogue came off as a bit stiff sounding and a little unnatural; despite this Teagan, Aiden, and Finn are all interesting and likable characters. I loved that Teagan was a practical, smart girl who didn't fall head over heels for Finn, but made her romance (or lack of) part of the background. These characters are refreshing and the world Hamilton has built is intriguing.
I have some complaints though. I was excited to read a story about goblins, well basically Hamilton hasn't created a story about goblins...this is a story about faerie where all the fairies are called goblins. I know Hamilton was trying to stick with Irish myth and stuff, but this seems a bit misleading. Also quite a bit of the beginning in the book is spent telling us about Teagan's job working with Cindy the chimp; they get back to this again at the end of the book but I am still not sure what the purpose of this was. Maybe it was to show how Teagan got some passing medical knowledge? It just took up a bit of page space and didn't seem relevant.
I loved Aiden's magical singing abilities and was intrigued by Finn's superhero like fighting capabilities...but I never could figure out what Teagan's purpose was. She didn't seem to have any really special ability beyond the Sight. It kind of seemed like she was there to direct traffic. I would have liked to see her developed into a more interesting character that took a bigger lead in the events in the book.
Overall I thought it was an okay read. The characters are likable, the world interesting. The dialogue is a bit unnatural sounding and, while I liked the idea of basing the world in mythology, too much is thrown at the reader at the beginning of the novel and it makes the story flow poorly in the beginning. Readers should enjoy Teagan as a teenage lead that thinks with her head not her heart and Finn is a wonderfully moral bad boy. Will I be reading the rest of this series? Probably not, the writing quality and pace of the book was just too uneven for me and Teagan didn't capture my heart as a heroine.
Teagan Tea Wylltson has a dream. Finish high school with good grades, work part-time at the town zoo, and win a scholarship to Cornells Veterinary School. Boys and relationships were not part of that plan. Neither were fairy tales come to life and death-defying adventure, but Tea was in for a shocking surprise!
Teas daily life is filled with unique individuals, including a mother who is a brilliant author/illustrator of childrens fairy tales, a librarian father who claims to be a descendant of King Arthurs wizard, Merlin, a younger brother who possesses the voice of an angel and the memory recall for song lyrics of an MP3 player, and a best friend with family ties to the local Mafia and an aunt who named her four sons after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! So when her parents agree to take in a long-lost cousin who had been living on the streets and with a band of Irish Travelers, Tea doesnt even bat an eyelash. Until Finn Mac Cumhaill actually crosses the threshold of her home, that is, because from that moment onward, Teas eccentric but basically ordinary world turns upside down and nothing will ever be the same again!
Being a person of Irish descent, I really looked forward to reading this first installation of Kersten Hamiltons new trilogy based on the Celtic fables that I have always found so fascinating. Tyger, Tyger did not disappoint! Ms. Hamiltons book made the old legends come to life, enthralling me with her vivid portrayal of Mag Mell, and her spellbinding descriptions of all the magical creatures that live therein. Goblins, Sidhe, Storm Riders, Saints, and Guardian Angels all play essential parts in the unfolding drama, which is guaranteed to keep you entertained and glued to your seat as you turn page after page, unable to put the book down!
The only thing I would like to see changed in this fantastic tale is how Ms. Hamilton handles the aftermath of Aileen Wylltsons death. That event is such a pivotal turning point in the story, yet it is glossed over with barely any mention. A few extra chapters inserted at that juncture of the story, further developing key information that is later brought into play, would in my opinion make the entire story feel more cohesive and the story line flow more smoothly between the world of modern-day Chicago and the ancient fantasy world of Mag Mell.
All in all, though, I enjoyed Tyger, Tyger a great deal, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next two installments in this lovely trilogy. I give Tyger, Tyger 4 stars!
Teas daily life is filled with unique individuals, including a mother who is a brilliant author/illustrator of childrens fairy tales, a librarian father who claims to be a descendant of King Arthurs wizard, Merlin, a younger brother who possesses the voice of an angel and the memory recall for song lyrics of an MP3 player, and a best friend with family ties to the local Mafia and an aunt who named her four sons after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! So when her parents agree to take in a long-lost cousin who had been living on the streets and with a band of Irish Travelers, Tea doesnt even bat an eyelash. Until Finn Mac Cumhaill actually crosses the threshold of her home, that is, because from that moment onward, Teas eccentric but basically ordinary world turns upside down and nothing will ever be the same again!
Being a person of Irish descent, I really looked forward to reading this first installation of Kersten Hamiltons new trilogy based on the Celtic fables that I have always found so fascinating. Tyger, Tyger did not disappoint! Ms. Hamiltons book made the old legends come to life, enthralling me with her vivid portrayal of Mag Mell, and her spellbinding descriptions of all the magical creatures that live therein. Goblins, Sidhe, Storm Riders, Saints, and Guardian Angels all play essential parts in the unfolding drama, which is guaranteed to keep you entertained and glued to your seat as you turn page after page, unable to put the book down!
The only thing I would like to see changed in this fantastic tale is how Ms. Hamilton handles the aftermath of Aileen Wylltsons death. That event is such a pivotal turning point in the story, yet it is glossed over with barely any mention. A few extra chapters inserted at that juncture of the story, further developing key information that is later brought into play, would in my opinion make the entire story feel more cohesive and the story line flow more smoothly between the world of modern-day Chicago and the ancient fantasy world of Mag Mell.
All in all, though, I enjoyed Tyger, Tyger a great deal, and I am very much looking forward to reading the next two installments in this lovely trilogy. I give Tyger, Tyger 4 stars!
