(4) YA Ciara, princess of Mide in the ancient land of Éirinn, has mind-control powers that help her kingdom defeat Northmen invaders but also terrify her father's army. After being banished for believing a dire vision, Ciara works with a captured Northman leader to defeat an even bigger threat to her land. Leake creatively mixes Celtic and Norse mythologies, which elevates an otherwise predictable romance.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) YA Grey Land series. Nessa and Anto survived their Call (The Call), both escaping the horror-filled realm of the Sídhe (wicked fae) both physically altered. The young lovers look forward to a peaceful future, but their romance is stalled by a more terrifying prospect: the Sídhe invading real-world Ireland. Book two of the series continues the page-turning terror and visceral trauma as a desperate nation faces supernatural war.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(3) YA Lady-in-waiting Branwen's devotion to Princess Eseult and to their country, Iveriu, is tested when an enemy from Kernyv washes ashore. Blessed with magical healing, Branwen nurses Tristan back to health. When Branwen later finds herself betrayed, she makes a tragic choice. Pérez's lush reinterpretation of the Tristan and Iseult legend will devastate and delight romance fans. Includes notes on the source mythology and a glossary.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA One by one, the teenagers of Ireland are called to the nightmarish Grey Land of the Sídhe (wicked fae). The teens reappear after only three minutes, but with magically misshapen bodies--or dead. Readers follow a class of fourteen-year-olds, including Nessa, with polio-twisted legs, as they experience the Call in a grisly and gripping plot reminiscent of Battle Royale.

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(4) 4-6 When a unicorn, the embodiment of magic, is wounded with a poison dart, Maddy (The Feral Child) is called upon to re-enter Tír na nÓg and track down the unicorn's attacker. Hostile faeries of the Tuatha de Dannan court complicate her quest. Although the action is slow to get going, Golden breathes life into Irish mythology by highlighting real antagonisms.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Time out of Time series. Timothy, newly crowned Filidh of Time out of Time, must solve a map code and find the Telling Stone to keep Balor the One-Eyed from upsetting the balance of Dark and Light. Timothy's sister Sarah and friend Jessica play roles as well. Though this second volume's slack plot hangs on coincidence, McQuerry's intriguing research and fresh reimagining of Celtic mythology will entrance readers.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) 4-6 Time Out of Time series. Scrabble-loving loner Timothy and his older sister Sarah access an ancient mythological prophecy when Timothy saves his school tormentor, Jessica, from being hunted on Beltane, the Gaelic May Day festival. Heavy reliance on Celtic mythology and symbolism doesn't help an awkwardly disjointed plot, though the strong good/evil dichotomy will attract fans to the new series. A code in Ogham script runs along each page.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) YA Illustrated by Javier Serrano Pérez. A slim illustrated volume, Virgo's poetically written adaptation of the selkie legend traces one family from the mother's mysterious origins to her son's escape into the sea from which she emerged. Pérez punctuates the tale with softly shaded drawings of surreal quality. An attractive pairing, but the unusual book is likely too conceptual for most readers.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(4) 4-6 Mythology Rocks! series. Each of these volumes (revised and with slightly different titles--without "Rocks!") begins with a brief introduction to the title culture. Several myths important to that culture follow; a short question-and-answer section, along with "expert commentary," appears after each story. Stippled illustrations break up the dense texts but otherwise don't add much. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mythology Rocks! titles: African Mythology Rocks!, Celtic Mythology Rocks!, Chinese Mythology Rocks!, Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology Rock!, Maya and Aztec Mythology Rocks!, and Heroes in Greek Mythology Rock!

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) YA As Elizabeth I's troops storm Ireland, fourteen-year-old Maeve O'Tullagh fights to save her mother and sister from a mysterious illness. To do so, she must confront Uria, a vengeful Valkyrie, and the malicious Tom Cavan. Flashbacks, dream sequences, and historical elements combine in this tightly woven Celtic fantasy.

Reviewer: Becca Schaffner

(4) YA Barnes's humorously narrated follow-up to Tattoo fuses a chick-lit chronicle of the friendship between four high school seniors with a fantasy adventure featuring elements of Greek and Irish mythology. The episodes set in the Otherworld are awkwardly plotted, but the girls' bantering relationship, worries about graduation, and schemes to romance the geekiest boys in school are warmly conveyed.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Four friends stumble into a supernatural battle between the Three Fates when they apply temporary tattoos that give them magical abilities. Though the girls' characters rarely rise beyond standard types (tomboy, fashionista, etc.), they are sympathetic players in a layered plot that fuses Celtic and Greek mythology for a sort of supernatural Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Reviewer: Hannah Rodgers Barnaby

(2) 4-6 In this sequel to The Sea of Trolls, Jack's quest takes him underground to the realms of hobgoblins and elves. His companions at various points include his bratty little sister Lucy and the bloodthirsty shield-maiden Thorgil, as they journey through enchanted lands and among astounding peoples. The mix of deep myth and high humor is handled with assurance.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2007

(3) YA Tapestry series. His phantasmagoric vision admits Max to Rowan Academy, a boarding school that trains children with magical Potential to fight evil. Max's startling talent pales only in comparison to that of his roommate; together they uncover a plot to revive an ancient threat. Despite an over-reliance on formula, Neff's stylish prose, deft characterization, and synthesis of Celtic myth make for spellbinding storytelling.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(1) 4-6 Drawing upon history, Norse and Celtic myth, and Farmer's own abundant imagination, this story is long but engrossing, a "cruel tale with a merry heart" about a Saxon boy and what befell him upon his and his younger sister's capture by marauding Northmen (and, later, trolls). The book is effectively sparing in its use of fantasy elements, but when Farmer pulls out all the stops, she does so with aplomb and assurance.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2004