From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up–Ancient Irish myths and legends mix and mingle with the modern world in this fast-paced fantasy. Teagan Wylltson's got her life in order. She has a great job at the local zoo and is heading toward a college scholarship. She doesn't need boys distracting her from her plan. But then one day Social Services shows up with them, Teagan's 17-year-old cousin, Finn Mac Cumhaill. Teagan's mother is Irish and was brought to the States by a group of Irish Travelers, but she hasn't had any contact with them for many years, until now. After her mother dies of mysterious causes and her father is abducted by truly evil forces, Teagan, her younger brother, and Finn set off on a dangerous and frightening mission to rescue him. Through the events that unfold both in the modern world and in the world of Mag Mel where Fear Doirich rules and the sprites and goblins live, Teagan's family history unfolds, and she is able to make sense of incidents from her past that have always seemed puzzling. 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.–Genevieve Gallagher, Charlottesville High School, VA. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From

Hamilton uses the Celtic saga of Fionn Mac Cumhaill as a basis for this promising new series about goblins and the Travelers who fight them. Chicagoan Teagan has always been too invested in science—particularly animal behavior—to believe in her mother’s Irish superstitions. When Finn is sent to live with them, he brings a dangerously seductive sense of wildness into Teagan’s life. Finn claims to be destined to fight goblinkind, but before Teagan can fully accept his story, goblins attack and force them into Mag Mell, the kingdom of the evil Fear Doirich. Hamilton’s convincingly idiosyncratic characters are the heart of the book, though a focus on dialogue occasionally distances readers from an emotional connection. The setting, too, is barely there, despite seeming important to the story. The romance is more successful, starting off heated but cooling quickly into a mild, but tension-filled, relationship. The hints of a tragic fate will keep romance fans reading, while the promise of more magical thrills involving Irish folklore will draw in others. Grades 7-10. --Krista Hutley