(3) YA Like all teens in her poverty-stricken rural-Kentucky town, Winter Crane determines to leave Reeve's End forever. One day she discovers Lennon Bishop beaten and left in the woods--and with knowledge that something has happened to Winter's friend Edie. When Lennon also disappears, Winter joins forces with Lennon's brother for a dangerous pursuit of the truth. A thrilling mystery in the well-evoked Appalachian wilderness.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(3) YA Age of Legends Trilogy series. Moria, the Keeper, and the man who betrayed her combine forces to save the kingdom; Moria's twin Ashyn, the Seeker, finds herself with a mysterious group determined to use her magic to raise dragons. Frightening creatures and evil spirits help build tension in the concluding volume of a trilogy focused on feminine wisdom and strength.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Age of Legends Trilogy series. In the trilogy's second book (Sea of Shadows), Keeper Moria and her twin sister, Ashyn the Seeker, work separately to quell the uprising led by the emperor's enemy, Alvar Kitsune. Dramatic and tense, this novel features a well-developed world populated with frightening creatures and complex characters. An engrossing and entertaining read.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) YA Every year, the Seeker, currently teen Ashyn, enters the Forest of the Dead to quiet damned spirits. The Keeper, Ashyn's twin Moria, remains in the village as a protector. But things go terribly awry, and the sisters are forced to travel across the Wastes to save their kingdom from the undead. Armstrong's elaborate world is populated with complex characters in this series-opener.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA Darkness Rising series. Maya and her friends (The Gathering; The Calling), all genetically altered part-supernatural beings, are on the run from rival Cabals of scientists and supernaturals. They meet other teens like themselves (including Maya's long-absent twin brother), learn about their abilities, and navigate treacherous Cabal politics. The exploration of Maya's family dynamics adds depth; a love triangle is less successful.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Darkness Rising series. Shapeshifters Maya and Rafe (The Gathering) become separated while escaping the scientists who genetically engineered them. When Maya's helicopter crashes in the wilderness, she and other teen survivors must elude the lab's search party and warn their families. Slowly her friends' own powers emerge. Though this installment is more survival story than paranormal romance, the dangers of Maya's situation are underwhelming.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) YA Protagonists of these sixteen short stories run the gamut from lovelorn ifrits to vampire rock stars to cannibal Girl Scouts. Humor rules Margaret Stohl's "IV League," in which a busload of southern "Drinker" teens embark on a New England college tour; Mary Pearson's story of a captured gargoyle is deeply poignant; Carrie Ryan's zombie dystopia "Scenic Route" is both chilling and hopeful. Entertaining and original.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(3) YA Darkness Rising series. Maya is disturbed by supernatural changes to her body and her senses. Unexpectedly, intriguing new bad boy Rafe has information on Maya's emerging abilities. Together they uncover connections among their small town's laboratory, their own identities, and several suspicious deaths. A cliffhanger ending and unresolved plot threads suggest sequels to follow. Fans of supernatural series will appreciate the suspense and romantic tension.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Darkest Powers series. Fifteen-year-old necromancer Chloe and her friends evade the corporation that imprisoned them. While on the run, the teens learn they can't trust anyone--or their own developing supernatural powers. Chloe's inevitable romantic dilemma and the relentless persecution of the gifted teens, though familiar territory, will attract readers. Erratic pacing somewhat undermines the story's suspense.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(4) YA Darkest Powers series. On the run from the officials at the institution where she and her fellow "supernaturals" were imprisoned, Chloe struggles to harness her ability to talk to and raise the dead while trying to uncover the adults' endgame. The mystery is compelling but gets bogged down in copious info-dumping and an overly meta-conscious narrative voice; complex characters, however, ensure continued interest in the series.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) YA Darkest Powers series. After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts, she's sent to a group home and diagnosed with schizophrenia. There she meets two fellow teen "supernaturals." They convince Chloe that her power is real just in time for her to discover a sinister plot afoot among the home's caretakers. Interesting characters and tangible menace keep the pages turning--right up to the cliffhanger ending.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross