In the Forests of the Night is the second book in the YA fantasy Goblin Wars trilogy by Kersten Hamilton.
I reviewed the first book in the trilogy, Tyger Tyger, last year - and nearly had an overdose of bibliophile book love! If you haven't yet read it, you really, really need to. My thoughts on Tyger Tyger can be found here. And avoid this review unless you've already read Tyger Tyger - it's just too awesome to spoil!!!
I'm warning you - my bibliophile heart will break if you don't read Tyger Tyger before reading the synopsis and review of In the Forests of the Night!
Last chance to turn away...
We rejoin Teagan, Finn, and Aiden at the exact moment we left them. Thank you, Kersten Hamilton! I'd hate to miss even a minute of this fantastic, electric story. To be honest, if you've read Tyger Tyger and loved it like I did (how could you not?), then you really don't need to know what In the Forests of the Night is about. It's just a continuation of the story we began in Tyger Tyger, and everything else is a potential spoiler.
All I'll say is: the story is obviously not over. In Tyger Tyger we met Teagan, an animal-loving, smart, mature seventeen-year-old girl with an awesome and hilarious best friend named Abby. We also met her adorable, singing-machine six-year-old brother, kind and lovable Mom and Dad, and ever irresistible Finn Mac Cumhaill.
Kersten Hamilton breathed life into these characters and made them absolutely beloved to me! The same feeling remains. She reintroduces us without a long, detailed analysis of what happened in the first book (I actually reread Tyger Tyger before In the Forests of the Night - my first reread in this insanely busy year of books - but absolutely necessary in my opinion), and throws us back into this amazing, spectacular Irish mythology come-to-life story.
The revelations near the end of Tyger Tyger still have major consequences, and though they managed to rescue Teagan's father from the Dark Man in Mag Mell (the world of goblins, nightmares, and beauty), the danger is not gone. The Dark Man wants Teagan. He wants Aiden. And Teagan is determined to keep her baby brother safe. In the meantime, she is figuring out where her relationship with Finn stands - their attraction and feelings are clear, but with what they both now know she is... well, it's troublesome.
In the Forests of the Night is exciting, funny, magnetic, romantic, and loving. This is a family of fantastic characters that I adore mixed with a genuinely creepy, suspenseful, breathtaking fantasy plot. It's frightening, gripping, fun, and full of shocks galore - wowza!
This book is accessible to way more than a YA audience. Anyone who just wants to be swept away in an intricate, phenomenal story with characters you invest in and find believable and a mythology of Irish folklore and legends come to life - In the Forests of the Night is the answer!
It's incredibly visual, powerful, and full of twists I didn't see coming! This is reading at its most entertaining, inviting, and escapist best - I LOVED IT!!!!!!
Whoa - what an exhilarating, scary, touching ride Kersten Hamilton takes the readers on! I am NEEDING the third and final book. Now, please.
As you can see, I'm still having a hard time giving away any details. Hopefully that's enough to persuade you to continue the story. My enthusiasm for Tyger Tyger and In the Forests of the Night is hard to explain, except to say that the entertainment value and writing caliber is so strong that it whisks me away and makes me forget I'm reviewing the book. These are the kind of books that keep me a bibliophile, through and through.
For me this book was one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year (along with So Silver Bright by Lisa Mantchev, which I'll be reviewing in a few days) - and I was not even a tiny bit disappointed!
So, what are you waiting for? Go read your copy of In the Forests of the Night!!!!!
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