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Larbalestier, Justine
9 Reviews
(2)
YA
Che's ten-year-old sister Rosa is a "ticking bomb." Then a tragedy strikes that centers on Rosa, and Che learns the depth of his family's culpability. Larbalestier's novel is moody and tense, with just the right amount of creep factor and a casually diverse cast of characters. Che's journey toward self-awareness is enlightening and devastating; the threat of violence from Rosa is truly terrifying.
Reviewer: Sian Gaetano
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2016
(2)
YA
It's 1932. Kelpie is an orphan in a violent Sydney, Australia, neighborhood ruled by mob bosses--one of whom is brothel madam Gloriana Nelson. Kelpie's caught up in a murder and befriended by Gloriana's "best girl," Dymphna, who shares Kelpie's ability to speak with ghosts. Yoking paranormal thriller, roman noir, and historical fiction, Razorhurst teems with precise period details and unsavory characters.
Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2015
(2)
YA
Creating an original vampire story is a challenge, but these authors team up successfully with a new twist that retains the essential elements--romance, suspense, and danger--as Mel investigates the suspicious disappearance of her best friend's father. Stamped with Mel's distinct brand of sarcastic humor, this book is fearsome and funny, a fresh entry in the popular genre.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2012
(3)
YA
Twelve short stories by authors including Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Libba Bray seek to settle an ostensibly age-old debate. Humorous commentary by the editors introduces the stories, which are funny, disgusting, touching, and frightening--and sometimes all of the above. Icons ensure "no unwary zombie fan [accidentally reads] a unicorn story or vice versa," but fantasy fans will eagerly devour them all.
Reviewer: Katie Bircher
(2)
YA
In recounting the gruesome death of her boyfriend, Micah (a compulsive liar) informs us that she wants to finally tell the truth--which begins with her being a werewolf. Larbalestier takes the unreliable narrator to the extreme; readers follow the faintest of trails to figure out what really happened. Micah's story makes addictive reading, and the ambiguous ending will haunt readers.
Reviewer: Lauren Adams
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2009
(2)
YA
In fourteen-year-old Charlie's world ("perhaps a little in the future"), most people have their own personal fairy. Charlie's is a good-parking-spot fairy, and she detests it. Her efforts to ditch it make an utter mess of things as she's trying to make the basketball team and snag new-boy Stefan. Larbalestier's half-fantasy, half-sci-fi setting is fully realized and strikingly original.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 2009
(3)
YA
When Reason develops the ability to harmlessly excise the magic from her fellow modern-day magic-bearers, she frees them from the impossible choice between using it or going mad. Each must then face how much magic defines his or her sense of self. Vibrant relationships and complex choices make this fantasy, the final volume in the Magic or Madness trilogy, engrossing.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
(3)
YA
The sequel to Magic or Madness hits the ground running, raising the stakes by introducing a new villain (or is he a savior?) who may hold the key to escaping the impossible choice between madness and early death. Teens Reason, Tom, and Jay-Tee are distinct and sympathetic, and the juxtaposition of their youthful energy and bitter mortality creates a powerful emotional thrust. Glos.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
(3)
YA
Fifteen-year-old Reason has spent a peripatetic life with her mother, Sarafina, who claims she was abused by her own mother, Esmeralda, a believer in magic. When Sarafina has a mental breakdown, Reason must go live with Esmeralda--and finds out that magic really does exist. Australian author Larbalestier's promising first novel in a planned trilogy is complex and original.
Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander
9 reviews
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