Review: Finn Finnegan

Feb •  10 •  2013
Title: Finn Finnegan

Series: Finn Finnegan # 1
Genre: Young Adult-Fantasy
Author:  Darby Karchut
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Book: ARC sent by author

“Finnegan MacCullen: a thirteen-year-old apprentice with the famous Irish temperament.
Gideon Lir: a legendary Celtic warrior with a bit of a temper of his own.
Secretly, these blue-collar warriors battle the hobgoblins infesting their suburban neighborhood…when they are not battling each other.
Finn (not bleedin’ Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.
Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn’s survival.
Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of “fighting Irish.”

Putting all the right elements into a fantastic story, I really enjoyed this book. 
What I really like the most are the elements of a redeeming character as well as fantasy  The reader meets this you lad, who is well…different. He has been sent away for his training and his “family” are just waiting for him to fail. All his life he has been told that he will amount to nothing, but I know that this kid will prove them wrong. I like Finn determination. Though he has been treated horribly, he is striving to do his best. He still has lots of fears and anger to over come. Finn has a great mentor who is helping him break all the bad habits that he has. 
The love interest is not quite developed just yet but a wonderful friendship has. Finn has made some new friends and I know that these two will help him in any way that they can. They give him courage and don’t treat like an outsider but as an equal. I’m interested in seeing where the love interest will go with Savannah. (Yes, I love that she has my name!)  Finn finds himself at odds between his loyalty to his apprenticeship as well as finding who he is. After all, he is still just a teen and is still learning.
Finn Finnegan is a great start to an awesome series. I feel that this book carries everything you need in a story to be satisfied. My only gripe is that it is short. I wanted more story, but I’m willing to overlook it. Redeeming and wonderful, Finn Finnegan is great!
 I give it 4 BITES!
Happy Reading!

Posted by on Feb 10, 2013 in 2013, Darby Karchut, Review, Young Adult | 4 comments

4 Comments

  1. Jen Ryland/YA Romantics
    Feb 10, 2013

    This sounds really different and unique. Great review!

  2. Lauren Elizabeth
    Feb 11, 2013

    I’d never heard of this, but Finn sounds like a wonderful character. I love when characters are determined to overcome poor expectations and succeed on their own terms. Fabulous review!

  3. Darby Karchut
    Feb 11, 2013

    Savannah has always been a favorite name for me, so I was excited to use it in Finn’s tales.

  4. Wendy Darling
    Feb 11, 2013

    I love “academy” type books! And a romance that starts in friendship is always something I love, too. 🙂

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden