THE CLADDAGH

An Irish journey of friendship, love, and loyalty.

The Leprechauns of the Kelly Clan are traveling across the Irish countryside to meet for their annual festival, during which the clan reunites, games and contests are held, and, this year, the next Keeper of the Clover will be chosen. Dune, nearly 16, hopes he might be selected, even though he feels that his dad, the current Keeper, doesn’t respect his potential. The family must travel carefully, using his mother’s rune magic to help them hide, since human hunters could capture them and either force them to work or turn them into gold. On their way, they receive word that another family, the Greenapples, has already been caught. In an effort to prove himself (but also feeling called to this mission), Dune sets out to rescue them, along with Kyna, a transplanted clan member from Appalachia, and on the way meets pony Cairdeen, who’s run away from an abusive farmer. Animals can talk when they’re within faerie rings, and Cairdeen’s chapters are told from her point of view. The Leprechauns are human in appearance, but their magic and what it grants them distinguishes them from ordinary mortals. This series opener tries to set up a lot of elements, but the execution leaves a fair amount to be desired; most of the pieces of the story drop into place like so many clunky bricks.

Lacking in polish.