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.
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.
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.
