Renegade Red

March 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Noa, a Mortal, ends the first book in the series by jumping into a collapsing Portal after her sister, Sasha. Her hope is that wherever the Portal leads, Sasha will be there-what she does not imagine, however, is that on the other side of the Portal is a confusing mishmash of worlds. Fae brothers Callum and Judah attempt to help Noa not only survive this alternate dimension but also thrive, and in so doing elevate Noa into a fierce warrior. They are all racing against time, as the Portal is open only for a small window-once they are stuck in a particular world, there is no going back. Shattered Blue is a must-read in order to understand this second volume. Fans of Sarah Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses and Alexandra Bracken's Passenger will enjoy this elaborately sequenced fantasy thriller. VERDICT A good purchase for large collections where fast-paced fantasy flies.-Amanda C. Buschmann, Carroll Elementary School, Houston

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017
In Book 2 of Horowitz's (Shattered Blue, 2015) YA fantasy series, The Light Trilogy, a teen's battle with brutal metaphysical forces develops her inner skills. Teenager Noa Sullivan and her two Fae companions, brothers Callum and Judah Forsythe, dive into a collapsing Portal that allows travel between Monterey, California, and the world of Aurora, home to the Fae. They find themselves in an alternate universe where Noa must develop her own innate strengths--human and nonhuman--to rescue her little sister, Sasha. Noa's love for Sasha spurs her to battle mystical forces in Aurora, and the Forsythe brothers' belief in Sasha's paranormal powers, unusual even among the Fae, causes them endless conflict over the best way to keep her safe. The new, cruel ruler of Aurora imprisons Callum and Judah, and Noa persists in her hunt for Sasha, encountering multiple physical trials along the way and assembling a posse of girl helpers. The action is relentless. Noa's physical trials are central to her character development--the tasks hone her latent abilities to master her physical environment and are often grisly. Noa sustains a shattered shoulder, plummets down a chute so violently she assumes she's dead, and is "slammed against one wall and then another" by a flood's rushing waters. The reader may feel as pummeled as Noa as the gore and Fae body count pile up: "The rush of Fae slipped and fell, crashing through the now blood-and-flesh slopped spikes." However, the strong, active storyline and deft worldbuilding help override potential reader fatigue, and YA fans will be hooked by Noa's badassery. A bloody, action-stuffed rescue mission in the supernatural world of the Fae.

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