The Kari AnnAlysis

While most 16-year-old girls are texting, dating, shopping and watching America’s Next Top Model, Tegan is teaching sign language to an ape. The most exciting part of Tegan’s life is the work she does with animals. She feels free and like she’s helping. But when she finds out her “cousin” Finn is coming to stay with them, she feels something different the moment she meets him. Ok, so Finn turns out to not really be her cousin, which is good because the steam between them is fogging up the windows.

Things take a turn for the worst when Tegan’s mother has an attack and from there, it just goes downhill. Tegan’s mother doesn’t make it, Finn leaves, Tegan’s father is lost without his wife, Tegan’s little brother shuts down and keeps getting in trouble in school. There is only so much Tegan can do. But when she realizes there is more to this world than humans and animals, things start to make a little more sense, but not much. Especially when her father disappears and it’s up to Tegan, her little brother and Finn to bring him back.

I was hot and cold with a lot of parts of this book. I loved Tegan, love love loved her little brother, loved the history of Finn’s family, as well as Tegan’s. What I didn’t love was some of the explanations of this different world. Until they really got into the world, I have no idea what some of these things are. Maybe that was Hamilton’s point. She wanted me to keep reading. It worked if that was the case.

Although I am really not into goblins, and don’t know much about them, I am a fan of different worlds. While I like fiction that could happen to anyone, I also like the limits being pushed, which I mention in almost any blog about a book that pushes those limits. This one pushed it a little far for me, but I love that Hamilton was able to come up with something completely different. Just the creative work gives it another bookmark on the blog.

I didn’t love this book and am giving it 3 bookmarks. I love the characters and will most likely keep my eye out for the next one because I felt really close to them.

ISBN:  978-0547330082  
Published: November 15, 2010
Author Website
Kari got this book from  NetGalley