Review: Finn Finnegan

Happy Book Birthday Finn Finnegan!!

• Title: Finn Finnegan
• Series: The Adventures of Finn MacCullen
• Author:Darby Karchut
• Reading Level: Middle Grade
• Genre: Urban Fantasy
• Source: ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
• Fave Quote(s):

~"...Words are powerful magic."~

~"'Tis often that a person's mouth breaks his nose.'"~

More on Finn Finnegan on Goodreads.

I first became interested in Finn Finnegan when saw it on Spencer Hill Press's website or Facebook page and Finn was being compared to Percy Jackson. Well, I'm a Percy fan, so I knew I'd want to read Finn. And I'm certainly glad I did! This book has action, humor, tragedy, everything a good book should have!

To begin, Finn Finnegan could not have come out at a better time. While there is no mention of St. Patrick's day in the book, Finn is certainly Irish. The whole time I was reading it, I just kept thinking about the perfect timing of this book. In fact, I painted my nails to go with the "luck of the Irish" theme!

See, I have plaid tips & a little shamrock on my ring finger! :)

(Design inspiration: Cute Polish on You Tube.)

Along those same lines, I thought it was cool how the author wrote Gideon (Finn's mentor) and Mac Roth's (Gideon's friend and fellow warrior) dialogue in Irish Brogue. That seemed to lend a greater level authenticity to the story.

I really liked how the author used Finn and Gideon's journaling to give us insights on the characters' inner thoughts. I found that this method helped keep the story progressing while also allowing us glimpses of what was going on inside the characters' head.

I got a strong impression from Finn. He is a flawed character and admittedly has a bad temper and he likes to be creative with rules. But he seems like he is really a good kid. He wants to be a great, strong De Danaan (warrior) to honor his father and to make Gideon proud. He is willing to stick up for his friends even if it puts himself in danger. And he is fairly tender-hearted when it came to someone he didn't care for very much personally. He has all the makings of a fine hero. 

And Finn's mentor Gideon Lir is the perfect adult counterpart to Finn. Gideon is strict but not without cause. He truly cares about Finn and offers Finn the close parental relationship he's been missing. Also, Gideon is flipping hilarious and a kick butt warrior. 

I give Finn Finnegan 4 out of 5 stars. It's an action packed good read. I literally laughed out loud at some scenes and shed a few tears at others. If a book can elicit that kind of emotion, then I think it's pretty awesome! 

If you are fan of Percy Jackson or Jack Templar (see my review here) I think you'll really enjoy Finn too!