(2) 4-6 When her storm-beast egg hatches into a dragon-like lightning beast, Mina's family thinks there must be a mistake--introverted Mina is nothing like the reckless, impulsive children who usually hatch lightning beasts. The political ramifications of Mina's discovery--that her society's weather manipulation has dangerous effects on those outside the community--are laid out straightforwardly, allowing readers to come to their own moral conclusions.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019

(3) 4-6 Girl Mayka and her animal friends are living stone figures, but with their creator long dead, they're beginning to lose the magic that keeps them alive. In search of help, Mayka ventures down from their mountaintop home to the world of men. Durst has created a compelling fantasy world; this quiet novel's emphasis on storytelling, bravery, challenging assumptions, and friendship should have middle-grade appeal.

Reviewer: Janet Daniels

(4) YA Sky Hawkins's mother has disappeared and her fellow wyverns (were-dragons), headed by Sky's boyfriend Ryan, have shunned her once-privileged family. Sky is determined to carry out her first heist--a wyvern rite of passage--and to pursue the truth about her mother, but in the process discovers a huge secret in the wyvern community. Ebullient narration and rich world-building offset simplistic characterization in this standalone fantasy.

Reviewer: Ariel Baker-Gibbs

(3) 4-6 Twin princesses travel through enchanted forests to reach a sacred place, and their trusty winged lion helps them navigate through the treetops. As they encounter abandoned villages and adversaries, they realize their ritual journey--and its destination--are not what they thought. The pair's funny banter makes the imaginative story memorable.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) PS Illustrated by Ben Whitehouse. Dragon Roar is not looking forward to summer ending; he's nervous about starting school ("what if my teacher is a knight in shining armor...?"). With reassurance from big sister Sparkles, Roar has a great first day and even makes his sister a special picture. Illustrated with goofy cartoons, the story cleverly riffs on typical school goings-on: the dragons play "hide-and-seek-the-princess" in gym, etc.

Reviewer: Kari Allen

(2) 4-6 Sophie's parents run a secret shop beneath their bookstore selling dreams. One night Sophie, who can't dream, steals one and discovers that she has the dangerous power to bring dream-creatures into the waking world. Sophie's dream-friends Monster and the delightfully arrogant unicorn Glitterhoof keep the story merry with their precocious quips, but the adventure does take some turns through dark and perilous territory.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(4) YA Kayla uses her power of telekinesis for shoplifting. When she's caught by a teenage boy gifted with teleportation, he blackmails her into helping him find his vanished mother and some magical stones. Their quest becomes a teleportation-tourism adventure, dependent on action, exotic locations, and predictable romance for its momentum.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker

(2) YA Not only is Eve unable to remember her former life, but every time she uses magic, she blacks out. The U.S. Marshals running her witness protection program are determined to retrieve Eve's memories: they're sure she has vital information about a teen-murdering, interworld criminal. This unusual blend of magical worlds, psychological thriller, and teen romance offers tight suspense and satisfying mystification.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2013

(3) YA Raised as the human "vessel" for a goddess to inhabit, Liyana is exiled by her clan when the possession fails. She and three other empty vessels, accompanied by embodied god Korbyn, rush to find their missing deities. A strong, multifaceted heroine, Liyana taps into her own magical abilities and considerable courage to save her people from environmental, supernatural, and imperial threats in this fresh fantasy.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(2) YA After being impaled by a unicorn, sixteen-year-old vampire Pearl is delighted to discover she can withstand sunlight. "The Family" makes use of her ability by sending her to high school to procure refreshments (i.e., students). The novel oozes ironic humor as Pearl's subterranean society crashes up against the high school scene. Fierce, smart, and sarcastic, Pearl is a lively antihero.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2012

(4) YA Magic and academia collide when Lily Carter sits for a top-secret Princeton University entrance exam. With help from a mysterious boy--and hindrance from many other people and creatures--she must save both the magical and the real Princeton from all-out war. Durst incorporates some imaginative fantasy elements into the book, which is more concerned with setting than characterization.

Reviewer: Bethany Templeton Klem

(4) YA In a world where the North Wind's daughter is held captive by trolls and polar bears can talk, eighteen-year-old Cassie lives an arctic fairy tale. All is upset, however, when a broken promise sets her on a wild adventure. Though the characters' relationships could be better developed, fans of romance and fairy tales will appreciate Cassie's sweeping saga.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) 4-6 Rapunzel's daughter Julie Marchen (Into the Wild) and her long-lost prince father flee across the country as the Wild, the mystical, sentient forest where fairy tales grow, swallows everything behind them. A treat for fairy-tale lovers, just as fast-paced (and convoluted) as the first, this sequel further explores the nature of storytelling through the characters' uneasy relationship with the Wild.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(4) 4-6 Julie, daughter of Rapunzel, is the keeper of the Wild--a sentient tangle of vines that embodies the fairy-tale world. When the Wild takes over Julie's present-day Massachusetts town, she must figure out how to stop it before she becomes a fairy-tale character herself. The confusing premise is never adequately explained, but readers unconcerned with continuity will enjoy the ride.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz