The Goblin Wars trilogy is unlike anything I've ever read before, and that's a fantastic thing. Hamilton's writing is a little addictive, pulling you into the story in a way that you cannot escape. When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears was an unbelievable ending to the trilogy, giving series fans the answers they were dying for, complete resolution, a little heartbreak and a deeper appreciation of Irish mythology.

The title is a little cumbersome, but heck, so was In the Forests of the Night. ( )

This is one of those series that I am truly sad to see go. I truly fell in love with The Goblin Wars... the characters, the story, the mythology. I am sad that it is over, but it ended beautifully.
I really have enjoyed the writing style the author used for these books, especially in the dialogue. I realize that the same thing that I love about it is something that often annoys others. There is a bit of a frenetic pace to it, with seemingly random bits flying back and forth. But I think this fits perfectly with a household that is chock full of people and Mag Mell creatures. That doesn't make for a calm, quiet, and ordered household and the dialogue adds flavor to the chaos that that must be.

The characters in these books were especially vibrant and unique in their own ways. Even those that you didn't necessarily love, they had their good points. And the opposite was true as well, making them all a bit more relatable. The Turtles, somewhat Mafioso in their lifestyles, were among my favorites of the supporting cast of characters. They were often hilarious and their matter-of-fact Mafioso ways applied to the paranormal was really fun. And Jing, Jing who was not so secretly crushing on Abby. I loved his acceptance, his humor, his willingness to help. He provided some great down-to-earth humor.

There was sadness in this book, more so than in the others. Characters we weren't supposed to like died, but so did some we hav come to love. There were also times when feelings about various characters began to change... starting to care about those we hadn't and starting to dislike those we previously loved.

Things to love about When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears...

--The characters. As I said before, there were some for whom, over the course of the book, my feelings changed. That kept it interesting.
--The deep dive into the mythology and characters of Mag Mell.

My recommendation: A beautiful ending to a wonderful series! A must read! ( )

This is it. And I probably would still be sitting on it if the e-arc didn't expire back in June. That's how I am about series that I love. I hate for the last book. I want to know what happens but I don't want it to end. But there was something different with THE STARS THREW DOWN THEIR SPEARS. There was so much story left to be told. Not just loose ends to be tied up, but another journey into Mag Mell, a love story to finish, one way or another, and a story to be told. This was no wrap up book. This was a story within itself. And I was so blown away by this book it made me want to start the series all over again.

So, what? You haven't heard of The Goblin Wars? Well I reviewed Tyger, Tyger and In The Forests of the Night. Are you saying you didn't read my reviews? No that couldn't be it. You must have just forgotten. So brief recap--SPOILER FREE RECAP----here you go!

Teagan Wylltson wakes up a normal teenage girl following her plan, study hard, go to her job at the zoo to study the animals (she might want to be a vet or an animal behaviorist or something along those lines) and NO BOYS! Then Finn walks into her life and her world changes for better and for worse. Circumstances change in the Wylltson family and a social worker starts nosing around. Abby, Teagan's best friend has been dreaming of goblins, shape shifting monsters and unearthly beautiful creatures and they are all after Teagan. What's worse she hates Finn and he's not real fond of her. But they both know about the monsters. And Finn is The MacCumhaill, born to fight those monsters. And finally, there is little Aiden, Teagan's brother with the voice of an angel who is scared of Elvis impersonators and the Tooth Fairy. Together the three of them go on an incredible journey in Tyger, Tyger.

In The Forests of the Night the journey continues with more characters and even more danger. Angels and Mab and other creatures from various folklore appear as Teagan and Finn have to travel back to Mag Mell. There is a lot of dry humor in the novel and a swoon worthy romance to die for. Finn can kill someone will a spoon, but he doesn't get all protective over Teagan unless she needs help which isn't often. If I was picking best friends, Abby would be number one on my list! She has Teagan's back and then some. And if she can't do it, the Turtles, cousins Rafe, Leo, Donnie, and Angel can find a guy!
There is a lot of Celtic folklore and with the addition of Yggdrasil as Mr. Wylltson explains, "A Nordic tree in a Celtic World. I always told your mother that was a literary drift." (p.50 In The Forests of the Night). Mamieo, Finn's "grandmother" is very present in this novel and she has really great conversations with "The Almighty". Very funny! This is a great second book in the trilogy. The characters are amazing, which makes a book for me. I love these characters. I would be friends with them, help them in their adventures, lay down my life if needed. The titles of the books follow William Blake's poem The Tyger.

Oh, here's great interview with Teagan, Finn and Abby HERE.
End of RECAP*******

So there are so many characters in this novel I can't even begin to list all the main ones. What I will say is that there is even more depth to the characters than ever before. Secondary characters become primary characters and Abby, Teagan, Aiden and Finn become much more to each other. "People will die" is true and you just have to brace yourself. The first time is shocking and I cried. I've come to love these characters. I know their histories, their life stories and it took a little bit of me every time I lost one of them. But some people had to die and the ones that did made sense. As Teagan and Aiden's mother always said, "The Irish don't have happy endings."

The electricity between Finn and Teagan is like lightning. Sparks fly. Mountains move. The world holds it's breath. I'm telling you, these two have chemistry! And I might have a slight crush on Finn. He's Irish for one so he's got that accent thing going on. He's never out of his comfort zone no matter where he is. He just kind of always lands on his feet. Oh and he goes nowhere without duct tape. He's pretty sure it can fix anything. Teagan is still focused on her plan after she kills Fear Doirich of course, but she needs to fit Finn in her life now.

The world in this one is complicated. The world where Teagan lives with her family is also inhabited with scary creatures and good creatures that only those with the sight can see. So her dad can't see them and talks to walls when he thinks he's talking to a cat like creature. Mamieo isn't exactly tolerant of these creatures since a goblin killed her husband who was The MacCumhaill. But Mag Mell, which is very hard to describe, is filled with creatures, good and bad and sometimes humans. Mag Mell itself isn't evil, it was just overrun with evil creatures. And Teagan can "hear" the trees of Mag Mell calling to her asking for help because they are dying.

The story is simple but complex. Easy- kill Fear Doirich. Hard- get back into Mag Mell which is sealed. Sneak in so that no one knows they are there. Getting into the heart of the city without being detected and then killing Fear Doirich, not an easy thing to do even if they get that far. And above all, Teagan wants to save Mag Mell.

My thoughts- This was way more than what I expected! I was not expecting an even better novel than the last two. I wasn't expecting to be completely floored by the losses. The story didn't go exactly as I thought it would. Actually, I had no clue how it would work out. Fear Doirich can be anywhere at any time and anybody can work for him so being caught in Mag Mell is a constant danger. So I commend Kersten Hamilton for figuring out this complicated plot. I wouldn't know how to save my favorite characters! The story is complete. No loose endings. There is a little humor as the book wraps up. Even though it sounds dark and the story does have some dark parts, there are some lighter moments, a couple of romances and possibly a happy ending for some of the Irish.

I absolutely recommend this complete series but if you've read the first two and were thinking of not finishing the series, don't do it. This book is easily the best in the series even though I've loved them all. I think Kersten Hamilton put her heart into this one and it shows. It's absolutely a worthy finale to a fabulous fantasy series!
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