Review: Finn by Angel Martinez

Title: Finn

Series: Endangered Fae: Book One

Author: Angel Martinez

Length: 181 Pages

Category: Fantasy

At a Glance: The story is solid plot-wise and never lagging when it comes to action or pacing. As always, Martinez proves what an excellent storyteller she is by weaving just enough fantasy together with a dash of humor to make the novel entertaining and exciting.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Finn’s been asleep for centuries. He’ll need to catch up fast to survive.

Diego’s impulse to rescue a naked bridge jumper starts as just that—talk the man down and get him to social services. But there’s something odd about this homeless person, more than just his delusions of being a pooka, and something so vulnerable that Diego’s determined to help him stabilize rather than see him institutionalized or deported.

Finn went into the Dreaming centuries ago to escape a heartbreak he couldn’t bear. Now that he’s back, he finds the Veil to the Otherworld closed. The fae courts have abandoned him in a poisoned human world where a displaced pooka has little chance of survival. His human rescuer is kind and compassionate—and shockingly familiar. One thing at a time, though. He needs Diego to believe he’s not human first.

Review: A re-release by Angel Martinez, Finn is the first in a longer series entitled Endangered Fae. Having not read the original, I have no comment on whether this re-release is a better version of that one, but I can say the characters presented in this first installment were captivating and endearing. While it seemed to take a while for the chemistry between Finn and Diego to really establish itself and evolve, the dynamic between the two definitely gave a sense of intimacy and realism to an otherworldly story.

Finn is a pooka, Irish for spirit or ghost, who often wreaks havoc and is not necessarily known for doing good deeds. When Diego discovers him on the bridge, about to jump, he thinks the poor creature has escaped the mental ward of a hospital but soon comes to realize there is indeed something magical about this beautiful man who can shapeshift into just about anything he sets his mind to being. Finn has just awakened after being trapped for over a thousand years, and the city, with its steel structures, acts like a poison to his system. Diego is able to take him to a friend’s cabin in the remote woods well outside the city, where Finn can fully recover and once more commune with his beloved earth. However it’s there, in the forest, that Finn unknowingly awakens something dark and evil, something that wants only one thing—Diego. Now the two of them must do battle against something neither could defeat on their own, and hope that they prevail or risk Diego losing himself body and soul.

As paranormal stories go, I hold to the truth that no one can write them quite like Angel Martinez. While her stories are often marked by clever dialogue and humor, this novel contains a bit of both while also having a darker, more serious bent. For instance, the encounter with the malevolent spirit at the cabin is not reading for the faint of heart as it is violent in nature and rather graphic and yet so well done as to chill one to their very core. But, it’s the lead-up to this climax that really sets this story apart.

Poor Diego is so wounded after being thrown aside by a controlling and judgmental ex-boyfriend. His own family struggles with his being gay and with his chosen profession of fantasy writer, which has yet to really take off and can hardly be labeled successful. His heart is way too big for his body, and he wears it on his sleeve—hence, his lack of fear or reason for not only saving Finn from jumping off the bridge but actually going a step further and taking him home. From there it is a slow build to their relationship, beginning with Diego trusting and believing that Finn is what he says he is, and on Finn’s side, that this human will not ensnare him or harm him.

The story is solid plot-wise and never lagging when it comes to action or pacing. As always, Martinez proves what an excellent storyteller she is by weaving just enough fantasy together with a dash of humor to make the novel entertaining and exciting. There is such a tenderness about Diego that one is immediately drawn to him and invested in his well-being. The romance angle, while more subdued, is still quite lovely and intense as these two learn to open themselves up fully to the idea of loving one another. For Finn this is huge due to the fact that pookas rarely promise their love and fidelity to just one person, and we soon discover that there is more to Diego then meets the eye.

I enjoyed Finn a great deal, and I’m eager to read more about Diego and Finn’s future. I certainly will be pursuing the other novels in this series.

You can buy Finn here:
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