Review: In the Forests of the Night

Publication Date: November 19, 2011

by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review copy from publisher

Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have made it out of Mag Mell alive.  But the Dark Man's forces have followed them to Chicago and are beckoning Tea to return.  They claim that she will soon join them, as goblin blood is never passive once awoken.  And in the meantime, they are happy to entertain themselves by trying to seduce, kidnap, or murder her family and friends.

Teagan knows she doesn't have much time left, and she refuses to leave Finn or her family to be tortured or 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 Wyllston, 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 Wyllston is not going to let him win.

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I really enjoyed Tyger Tyger and was excited to get to In the Forests of the Night.  I wasn't disappointed, and while I think I prefer the first book, the writing in this one was every bit as good.  Kersten Hamilton has a knack for writing a story that flows.  It's easy to get caught up in her world and want to stay there until the very last page.

My biggest beef with the book was that they didn't get to Mag Mell until over halfway into the book, and that's the most interesting aspect to the story for me.  I love fantasy lands, so I wanted to spend a little more time there than we did.  The parts that were there were fabulous, though.

I enjoy the characters in this series, and like how they all have a distinct voice.  Teagan is a strong female character that teens can admire, and the romance between her and Finn was well done.  No "I must have you or I'll die" type romance here, but a more realistic, typical teen romance, which I really liked.

I would recommend this series to YA fantasy fans, and will be looking forward to reading more from this talented author.  Grade: B