Well, I just thought this was great. As a small town teenager of the late ‘90s, it was definitely a nostalgic tale of first romances and first phones. Though we had fewer ghostly killers, of course. This book reminded me a lot of the CW NANCY DREW show (complimentary) with its witty banter, slight spice, and the ghostly killers. Of course. I definitely want to find more of Dennard’s work and would love more Freddie stories!

This was fun! I wasn’t expecting a ya-teen story, though once I saw the little heading next to the publisher, I got it and adjusted my expectations.

I had a great time with this. It was spooky, swoony, mysterious, and fun all at the same time. I enjoyed it!

4.5 stars rounded up.

The Executioners Three is a great young adult horror story with lots of twists and turns, things that go bump in the night, and deadly high school draaaama.

My only real note and curiosity is I would personally say the story falls into a mid-YA age range book (not quite upper with some younger themes, not quite lower due to the horror elements) yet the story is set in 1999. I am curious if the young Gen Z’s and elder Gen Alpha’s will understand all the references to Xena, Nokia, Snake and Lance Bass. Time will tell. I personally found it a bit young for me (35/millennial) but the references also seemed very catered to my generation. Only thing that did throw me for a bit of a loop.

Otherwise, beautiful completed, and I’m just curious if the generational gaps will affect any reception.

Thank you Tor Teen Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

I used to read a lot of horror, but found it to be very repetitive after awhile so I stopped reading them. This was a great book to get back into the genre! I enjoyed all the sleuthing and the twists and turns. Dennard did a brilliant job putting me right in the scene, and a lot of those scenes were very creepy! This could have just been a bit of brain fog as I was finishing the book at 1:00 in the morning, but there was a lot going on at the end of the book and sometimes I was a bit confused. Great read though!

The Executioners Three is The Raven Boys meets Gallagher Girls.

It sounds like a very strange comparison, but Dennard makes it work. The Raven Boys comparison is obvious - rural small town with a rich boarding school, scholarship student, not-quite-forbidden interactions between the locals and the out-of-towners. Add hints of a mystery curse, dead bodies, and something not quite lining up, it sounds very Steifvater. But that's not all that The Executioners Three is - Freddie Gellar's personality screams so loudly off the page.

Freddie is so much fun to read. I'm disappointed that as of now, The Executioners Three is a standalone because I'd love to spend more time in Freddie's head. She's a high school senior - and this is where the Gallagher Girls comparison comes in - she has a best friend, teenage hormones, classmates that suddenly want to be her friend, pretty boy next door, and is connected to her parents, her community, her town. Freddie is what makes this absolute blender of a comparison work.

I couldn't put The Executioners Three down, I enjoyed so much the moments of real teenage joy, angst, and heartbreak. They made The Executioners Three readable - adding pacing, tension, and stakes, without letting The Executioners Three fall into predictable mystery beats. The creepiness factor was intense and all the more believable because life kept on going on. I became a real champion for the romance, and absolutely loved how Dennard kept it going - intertwined with the plot and not in spite of it. It's so rare to have pure teenaged joy in a YA novel these days and I can't wait to read what else Dennard has written.

The Executioners Three is going to absolutely knock this spooky season out of the park.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen Publishing for this ARC. I really enjoyed this story. The friendship between Freddie and Divya was my favorite part. I like the LGBTQ representation as well. The story follows Freddie and her penchant for finding answers to strange happenings in her small town. I found the storyline unique and it kept my attention throughout. I found that once I got about 30% of the way through, I couldn't put it down and needed to finish the story! I give this book 4 stars. Will definitely recommend this book to my followers and friends. I saw someone say it was Stranger Things meets Scooby Doo and I couldn't agree more.

This was such a fun, spooky fall read! It has the perfect level of camp and cheese for a YA thriller/fantasy to give it a classic, almost Nancy Drew, or even Goosebumps, vibe. It also features a great friendship, as well as an adorably fun romance between "enemies" in the midst of a rivalry school prank war. As a millennial, the 90s setting was filled with great throwbacks. And as a fully grown adult, it even had me anxious and on the edge of my seat several times. The pacing was perfect. Some stuff felt a little convenient or far-fetched even within the premise, but it wasn't enough to take away enjoyment of the overall story. I had a blast reading this!

Thanks to Tor Teen/Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for the digital ARC!

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard was a thrilling and intense read that kept me hooked from start to finish. I loved the fast-paced action and the way the characters’ loyalties and motivations were constantly shifting. Dennard’s world-building felt rich and immersive, making the stakes feel real.

I’m not sure how this book remained lighthearted, despite the fact that it was about a murder-y town curse, but it did.

Creepy things are happening in the forest outside the town (sounds, smells, dead bodies), and it appears the local curse is gearing up again. Set in the late 90’s Freddie is a boy band and X-files loving high schooler and aspiring detective. The more she tries to solve the mystery, the more hot water she gets into. Lots of paranormal fun and a sweet romance.

I really enjoyed book one of the Luminaries and was excited to see Susan Dennard had a new book. The Executioners Three takes place in a small northern town during the Fall of 1999. Main character Freddie is a huge X-Files fan and takes after her deceased birth father, a police officer and detective, and wants to one day solve crimes. She mostly exists under the radar with her best friend. But after reporting strange screaming and noise in the woods, she gets most of the rival high schools student arrested while partying. Her classmates think the report was on purpose and are now including her in the secret prank war that has been going on for decades. Whats starts out as fun, turns to terror when bodies start turning up in mysterious ways. The cops aren't taking her seriously and she thinks something more nefarious is going on. Especially with this weird poem, that ties to the towns dark and mysterious past, that keeps popping up during her research. Freddie will have to take some inspiration from Mulder and Scully and solve this herself, before more people end up dead.
This book was a thrilling page turner that would make an amazing spooky fall read. I will be making sure to purchase this one for my school library and recommending to students. (Thanks to Tor Books and Netgalley for the ARC)

Okay, this book is pure fantasy chaos in the best possible way. Think witches, blood oaths, ancient secrets, and a cursed trio bound together whether they like it or not. The magic system? Sharp and creepy. The characters? Broken and brilliant. And the plot? Constantly throwing curveballs. It’s violent, vivid, and absolutely dripping with atmosphere. If you liked The Witcher or Three Dark Crowns, this has that same brutal, mystical vibe—just with more emotional carnage. Total dark fantasy power trip. You will scream, probably more than once.

The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard follows Freddie, a 17-year-old girl who is obsessed with the X-Files, NSYNC (NOT The Backstreet Boys…never The Backstreet Boys), and finding the truth. When a body is found in the wooded park near her home, Freddie doesn’t believe it’s a suicide as the police claim, and is determined to find the murderer.

I absolutely adored this book. The story and characters were all unique and interesting. Freddie, the prank squad, the prep students, and Theo all had their own motives, and they felt like relatable teenagers, especially as someone who grew up in the 90s. They weren’t adults packed into teenager bodies or acting way too young for their age. Freddie was a perfect protagonist for this story. She’s determined, smart, and loyal. A Very Good Person Indeed. But she is also a teenager and can get distracted by cute boys and pranks. She really felt like a real, complex character.

The plot was very interesting and kept me reading late into the night. It felt very Nancy Drew meets Goosebumps. Set in 1999, Dennard adds a lot of pop culture references that do not feel forced and fit in perfectly with the story being told. Between the prank war and the murder mystery, it was such a perfect balance to the story. I really enjoyed Dennard’s writing style. This is the first book I’ve read by her, and it makes me want to read more of her stories. 

If you enjoy YA thriller/horror novels full of 90s nostalgia and a cute teenage romance, you’ll enjoy this book. I’m looking forward to purchasing a copy for myself when the book comes out on August 26, 2025.

This was such a fun, spooky, autumnal read. The nineties setting was fantastic and makes this book appealing to a much wider audience than a typical young adult book might, because the references bring a strong sense of nostalgia for those of us who lived through and came of age in the nineties.

The main protagonist, Freddie, was the sort of main character you find yourself cheering for. She was intelligent and quick witted, but still had that vulnerability that comes with youth.

The book definitely had very spooky vibes, as can be expected in a story built around a hundreds of years old curse. I appreciated how supernatural elements were woven into the story in such a way that even Freddie herself was questioning them, which added to the central mystery of the story.

This was an interesting book and I’m having a hard time figuring out what I think about it. I like the kids as main characters angle and thought the school rivalry with pranks was an added fun element. The mystery that our FMC was trying to solve was very interesting and creative. However it got boring. I can’t even pinpoint what it was that didn’t quite keep the tension building but it didn’t. Also the magical system and the paranormal surrounding it was not well executed. We don’t really get a lot about it until the end and even then it’s just a tiny bit. In fact at the end there’s a whole government agency dedicated to this like MIB or X Files and yet we just get a couple sentences and that’s it. I feel this really should have been integrated more.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Dennard has done it again. She has given the world an ultra spooky story with flare, and I simply could not get enough of it. The "retro" (Literally just the 90s) was the perfect setting for this book and added so much character to it. It added nostalgia but also gave the perfect level of eeriness to everything.

Dennard truly knows how to craft a story to keep the reader hooked from start to finish. From the characters being a little too relatable to the mystery of it all being at a perfect pace, she has once again shown her mastery of the craft. From the friendships to the romance to the teenage angst, everything is so amazingly spun into one storyline that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Get your hands on this book in time for fall, you will not want to miss out!

This book is a quirky, campy, gorey Goosebumps-meets-X-Files whirlwind of a mystery! When Freddie Gellar, an NSYNC obsessed photography-lover who is a proclaimed Answer Finder, gets involved in a prank war that gets out of hand, she is thrown into a deadly mystery. People start dying in grusome ways, other people start acting strangley, and ominous signs start appearing all over town. Freddie is not one to back down from a mystery! This is a story about friendship, rivalry, the paranormal, murder, and romance that had me laughing throughout.

I loved the premise of the book! Some things I didn't quite understand - like how Freddie thought Justine was related to Justin by first name similarity alone - and I wish it was clearer how people became possessed / why it happened every 12 years. If you didn't know the story took place in the 90s, then you will remember every time you read one of the many pop culture references . . . I thought they were a little overkill. I normally hate pop culture references in stories because it dates the story, so it took me a while to get over this and understand that the story is supposed to be dated. I appreciated the 90s Halloween vibes! I also really liked the relationship that grew between Theo and Freddie over the course of the book. This story had a few very memorable scenes. Freddie's inner monologue was silly, ridiculous, and cringey at times, but overall, I had fun reading this book and would recommend for nostalgic Halloween/autumn reading!

This was a really fun book that bordered on the edge of fiction and fantasy.
Our main character Freddie is kind of a nobody until she accidentally calls the police on a party in the woods hosted by her rival school (she thought the screaming was someone in trouble). A lot of the students get in trouble and Freddie is now accepted among the popular students of her own school who have been holding a prank war with this rival school's students for decades. The day after Freddie calls the cops on the party, a dead body is found and Freddie is convinced it was a murder, not a suicide like the cops want people to think. She is now tied up in this prank war as well as trying to figure out who murdered this person.
I liked Freddie as a character. She was sassy and smart and loyal. She brought her best friend Divya into the popular group with her which I loved. Freddie and Divya had an amazing friendship. I loved that the popular students were not mean or bullies. They just wanted to prank this rival school, and were happy to let Freddie take the reins. Freddie started having a relationship with one of the rival school students, Theo even though she was convinced she was in love with popular boy from her school, Kyle. Freddie and Theo had such a great rival to lovers storyline. There were a lot of other characters that really rounded out the story and created a lot of suspects.
The plot kept me interested throughout the whole book. I loved the dual storyline of the prank war and the murder(?) and how they ended up coming together. There was a lot of funny parts and banter, but there were a lot of spooky and scary parts too, especially towards the end when things started being revealed. I was wondering for a very long time why this book was classified as fantasy, but the ending really brought out the fantasy elements in such a creepy way.
This book took place in 1999 and there were a lot of references to that time that made the nostalgia hit strong. The atmosphere was great as it was, but I could really imagine this being set in 1999. Freddie has just gotten her first cell phone and the fact that she forgets the ringer at the worst possible moment had me cackling (but not really because it was scary!).
I believe this is a standalone, but I would be more than happy to read any other books set in this world!

Great book that is reminiscent of Dennard’s Luminaries trilogy. The nostalgia is strong with the 90s references. The romance draws you in and then you can’t put the book down because you have to find out how everything unfolds. The magic is intriguing and the vibe will make any paranormal fan happy.

5/5⭐
Thank you to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!
Not only was this a book full of 90’s and Y2K nostalgia, but it felt like I was transported back in time to my high school days. I genuinely felt like I had a connection to Freddie – having come from a small town and constantly quoting my favorite media, Freddie and I would have definitely been good friends.
This book draws on the spooky yet whimsical vibes of The Nightmare Before Christmas, with a sprinkle of Sleepy Hollow and a dash of Clueless. Those three things might not sound like they go together, but you’d be surprised. The Executioner’s Three perfectly combines young high school romance with spooky fall and even a murder mystery. I absolutely loved every moment of this book and really felt like the characters came to life. If Susan Dennard decides to continue writing in this world, I will definitely be reading more!

The cover and blurb definitely intrigued me as I was looking for small-town autumn vibes and this totally delivered on that. I really enjoyed the us-versus-them mentality between the town and the prep school. It felt very nostalgic which I was happy with.

My biggest disappointment was that the fantasy/magic element was barely touched on, especially when considering the inclusion of a government department that specializes in magic at the end.