Guide/Reviews Database
To continue reading, please subscribe to hbook.com.
An individual subscription is just $72 and gets you a full year of unlimited access to everything hbook.com has to offer plus tens of thousands of reviews of recommended books published in the United States for young people. Subscribe today!
Our Guide/Reviews Database section is fully searchable by author/illustrator, title, subject, bibliographic data, rating, and keyword. Features include useful, timely, and topical booklists—curated by Horn Book editors and updated frequently—as well as the ability to save all your favorite titles to “My Library.”
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Account?
Register Now
Register Now
Aguirre, Ann
9 Reviews
(4)
YA
After a serious car accident, Olivia wakes up--but discovers that her consciousness survived the crash in the body of her best friend, Morgan. Suddenly submerged in Morgan's privileged life, Olivia discovers unnerving secrets about the girl she thought she knew. The novel's central mystery, although suspenseful, doesn't really pay off, though other elements of this body-swap thriller will satisfy romance and psychological-thriller fans alike.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(3)
YA
Razorland series.
The war between humans and the Uroch has ended, and Tegan, now a ship's doctor, develops a romantic relationship with Szarok, "vanguard" of the Uroch. With natural-feeling third-person-omniscient narration, this standalone companion to the dystopic Razorland trilogy is at its most thought-provoking in scenes where Tegan and Szarok explain their societies' ways to each other.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
YA
Immortal Game series.
After Kian's death in Public Enemies, Edie goes back in time hoping to change his fate, but Kian's younger self is off-limits as a boyfriend. Then the Harbinger shows up pretending to be Edie's boyfriend; can she trust the trickster god's feelings for her? High-school social agonies and the danger of a high-stakes supernatural game with humans as pawns combine for a compelling third installment.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
(3)
YA
Immortal Game series.
With her life owed to Wedderburn, the winter king, for favors rendered in Mortal Danger, modern teen Edie Kramer searches for a way to release her boyfriend Kian from his bargain with Harbinger the trickster--his death for her safety. Romance and supernatural battles keep the action humming in this much weightier sequel, rife with questions of humanity, sacrifice, and the limits of vengeance.
Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam
(4)
YA
Sage's positive attitude masks a horrific secret in her past. She recognizes a fellow wounded soul in hot new kid Shane, and the two embark on a romance with soap opera–worthy ups and downs. Uneven pacing and a lack of suspense weigh down this character-driven romantic story about recovering from the past and intentionally pursuing happiness.
Reviewer: Norah Piehl
(4)
YA
Immortal Game series.
Bullied by classmates, Edie Kramer is on the verge of suicide when a mysterious stranger offers her a chance at revenge--but at what cost? Aguirre builds an intricate world of nightmarish monsters involved in a deadly game with humans as pawns in this paranormal series-starter, but numerous esoteric references and arbitrary rules may frustrate some readers.
Reviewer: LIly Kessinger
(3)
YA
Razorland series.
Deuce's skills from her Huntress days come in handy when a horde of mutant "Freaks" descends upon the humans of her post-apocalyptic world, but trusting some of the enemy turns out to be a worthwhile risk. Relationships, including Deuce's romance with Fade, soften a bloody tale; as in previous compelling installments, readers should suspend disbelief for Deuce's background-belying vocabulary and emotional intelligence.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
YA
Deuce (Enclave), raised in a primitive and violent society underground, struggles to fit into the gentler but more constraining Salvation. She must now defy this settlement's gender roles to fight against the mutant Freaks. Minimally educated Deuce's narration is unrealistically articulate, but readers will fully enjoy the well-paced action made compelling by complex relationships and characters' ever-present fear.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
YA
Razorland series.
Deuce the Huntress understands the need for the brutal order that lets the members of her underground enclave survive in their post-apocalyptic world. But when she is exiled Topside, she learns that everything her leaders taught her is a lie. Dark and unblinkingly bloody, this tough tale relies on the strength of its characters to reach a hopeful ending.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
9 reviews