Horizon: Deadzone (book 2) by Jennifer Nielsen book review by Klaudia Janek

Jennifer Nielsen is the 2nd author to continue the Horizon series started by Scott Westerfeld. This is definitely not a stand-alone book. A reader would be pretty lost if they did not start with the first book. In this book, Molly becomes the leader and works on doing what is best for the group. Yoshi reveals some of his secrets and readers will get to know him a little bit better. The group decides to leave the jungle and make the trek across the Blood Sand, which comes with a lot of danger. The group realizes that they are on earth, but they still can’t explain the strange rift. They have technology which helps them alter gravity, which has led the group to survive some dangerous circumstances. The laws of physics are different in what they now think is a purposefully created environment. The story ends on a cliffhanger, but it’s the perfect set up for the third book. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: I’m really glad that I had the 2nd book because I was dying to continue it after the first one. As a librarian, I would just tell my students to check out the 2nd one if they are checking out the first one. There is a little bit of humor sprinkled throughout the story, especially as they come up with trying to name things (like plants and animals). It’s still suspenseful, action-packed and mysterious. Readers will get more insight into the characters. More sensitive readers should be aware that there is grief and loss, but how the characters deal with it may give readers some tools into dealing with their own emotions. I do think this book will appeal to a wide audience of middle-grade readers. It is a good addition to the school library. This book would be a good fit for a “Survival” book display. There are multiple perspectives, so readers will be exposed to that writing style. I like the cover and the attention to detail on the inside pages. It’s kind of like a messy spaceship log. There are not a lot of professional reviews found for this book, which I think happens a lot for series books. Don’t let the lack of reviews stop you from buying this series. This one really is very good and I’ve been enjoying it. I think middle-grade readers will too!


Author’s Twitter: @nielsenwriter 
Publisher’s Twitter: @scholastic 
Author's Website: http://jennielsen.com/ 
Reviewer's Twitter: @kjanek