Book Review: Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut

Finn Finnegan
Author: Darby Karchut
Reading Level: MG/YA
Genre: Fantasy
Released: March 12th 2013
Review Source: Spencer Hill Press
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) 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."

Based on the old Celtic Lore, Finn Finnegan has the basis to be a fantastic book. Good action and plenty of magic fill this book, but a slightly lacks an exciting plot that leaves the reader wondering or thinking of, what could have been. First, I thought the writing and the whole vibe of the story was good. For the middle school level reader, the author really portrays her character’s feelings and also creates a good setting that is easy to understand. The novel includes plenty of action scenes to satisfy the many middle school boys who will probably be the popular audience of this read.

Unfortunately, this story lacks the details in the plot department that keeps a reader hooked from page to page. I believe that the foundation of the book was good, but its depth left me wanting more. By depth, I mean branching out and making a broader world. For example a new mythical type of people was introduced in the story but after a couple of short sentences there isn’t any other mention of them. This is a part of the story that really needed more explanation. However it was not there.

Now for a quick little teaser, Finn Finnegan is about a young lad named Finn who becomes an apprentice to the Knight Gideon Lir. Joining Gideon, Finn learns how to fight their worst enemies, the Amandan. Like any other coming of age story, Finn Finnegan is filled with adventure and a road to manhood. Even with the problem about the plot, this novel was very interesting and was still a good read. The novel also gives way to a sequel that has the possibility to be great.