Martyr

Gr 9 Up—Tenn, a teen mage with the ability to use Earth and Water spheres, battles a plethora of ghouls, zombies, necromancers, and his own secrets in this dystopian zombie thriller. Post "resurrection" outposts of hunters try to keep humanity alive despite the work of necromancers to create as many deadly zombies and other monsters as possible. Tenn struggles to keep himself and his boyfriend alive even as he discovers that the most powerful necromancer in the world is hunting him down. Gods, witches, and incubi all tell him that he is more powerful than he realizes, but he has to find out the key to his power before his quest for revenge leaves him at the mercy of darker forces. Martyr has an interesting premise and plenty of action. However, the convoluted backstory and overly complex fantasy elements make the story feel frenetic, instead of exciting. An uneven mix of flowery prose and awkward dialogue will make it hard for teens to relate to the characters. With the sheer volume of more well-conceived and skillfully written zombie, fantasy, and dystopian YA novels on the market, this one is not recommended.—Sunnie Lovelace, Wallingford Public Library, CT