In the Forests of the Night by Kersten Hamilton
Hardcover, 288 Pages
2011, Clarion Books
ISBN: 0547435606
Series: Book 2 of Goblin Wars
Synopsis
The battle against goblinkind continues . . . but which side will Teagan be on?
Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have made it out of Mag Mell alive, but the Dark Man’s forces are hot on their heels. Back in Chicago, Tea’s goblin cousins show up at her school, sure she will come back to Mag Mell, as goblin blood is never passive once awoken. Soon she will belong to Fear Doirich and join them. In the meantime, they are happy to entertain themselves by trying to seduce, kidnap, or kill Tea’s family and friends. Tea knows she doesn’t have much time left, and she refuses to leave Finn or her family to be tortured and killed. A wild Stormrider, born to rule and reign, is growing stronger inside her. But as long as she can hold on, she’s still Teagan Wylltson, who plans to be a veterinarian and who heals the sick and hurting. The disease that’s destroying her—that’s destroying them all—has a name: Fear Doirich. And Teagan Wylltson is not going to let him win.
Review
During In the Forests of the Night, more time is spent in the "real" world, as opposed to Tyger, Tyger where much of the action took place in Mag Mell. I think this was my favorite aspect of the book. We get to experience as close to normal as Teagan's life gets. Her home life, school life, work life and budding relationship with Finn, mixed with creatures that have escaped Mag Mell make for an easily relatable book while maintaining the action and fantasy aspects of the story.
In the Forests of the Night continues in the same context as Tyger, Tyger, meaning it still showcases a rich background in Irish folklore. While I am half Irish, my family hasn't stepped foot in the motherland in generations and I remain rather dim when it comes to Irish culture. Even so, The Goblin Wars series is accessible. It seems intimidating with its (I would assume) Gaelic terms and phrases, but never once have I found myself confused. The language is used sparingly, in understandable context and enriches the feel of the story as a whole.
Teagan and Finn's relationship feels more and more awkward to me as the story continues. He likes her, she likes him, but they don't date - not really. He speaks to her father about having a relationship with her, but the outcome of said conversation feels off for the stage their relationship is currently at. Finn seems to be fast-forwarding towards lifelong commitment, while Teagan uses any excuse to pause the situation entirely, with no one actually trying see if they'd be compatible day to day.
In Tyger, Tyger, Finn was delightfully alpha. In In the Forests of the Night, he's starting to cross the border between alpha and controlling. Things haven't progressed into a bad territory yet, but if the character continues to disregard the actual words Teagan says, preferring to believe she's wrong - even in her own thoughts and opinions, I'll start disliking him.
In the Forests of the Night was a fun adventure with some thrilling moments. The relationship between Teagan and Finn is starting to make me wary, but the goblin action is completely perfect. I really can't wait to find out what happens next.
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