Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

Eleven years ago your friends performed a ritual where they purposefully sent you to Hell. Once there you were forced to fight monsters, demons, and anything else Hell could throw at you. You survived. Then one day you escaped back to Earth.

If you were Sandman Slim you would want revenge on those so-called friends. Unfortunately you just can’t go around slaughtering people like you can in Hell. First of all it draws unwanted attention. Plus there is the fact that you have been out of touch with the world for eleven years. You don’t even know how to work a cell phone, or navigate the world in the 21st century. Fortunately you have a few remaining friends who will help you through the transition to this new world; friends like an immortal alchemist or the disembodied head of an enemy.

Sandman Slim is a great mashup of urban fantasy and detective stories along the lines of the Dresden Files. Fans of supernatural action will not want to miss this beginning of an awesome new series.

Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 16 and up.

The Demon’s Covenant

Mae has killed someone in order to save her brother Jamie. Her victim was an evil magician who tried to feed her brother to demons, but he was still a person. She has tried not to think about it and move on. But then she discovers her brother, who has a gift for magic but not the knowledge or skill to use it, being harassed by the school bullies. Before she can intercede she finds herself frozen. A magician has spelled her. He then scares away the bullies and helps Jamie out. Jamie is relieved and treats the magician like a good friend. But Mae knows who this magician is; he is the leader of the circle of magicians who threatened she and Jamie mere months before. His name is Gerald and Jamie should be very afraid of him, but he’s not. Once Gerald and Jamie leave together, the spell on Mae is broken. She immediately seeks the aid of Alan and Nick, the brothers who helped defend she and Jamie from the magicians before.

But things are not easy between the two brothers. Something has happened between them that has strained their loyalty to each other. It doesn’t help that Mae is attracted to both of them. However they are all in agreement that Jamie is playing a dangerous game by hanging out with magicians. As they try to decipher Gerald’s motivations they come across a deeper plot that will change the balance of power between the magicians and all who oppose them. Gerald needs to be stopped because he seeks to expand his power and the only people in his way are Mae, Jamie, Alan, and Nick. Soon Mae will need to make tough decisions again; decisions in which she may have to kill again, or watch allies die. She will have to put her feelings aside and focus on the fight ahead, because if they lose, then the magicians and their demons win.

The Demon’s Covenant is a superior book to its predecessor, The Demon’s Lexicon. If you enjoyed the first book you will definitely be thrilled by the second. This story is shaping up to be a great new series and I am looking forward to the third installment. Appropriate for ages 14 and up; recommended to urban fantasy enthusiasts.

The Demon’s Lexicon

Nick, and his older brother Alan, have been on the run from evil magicians and demons since he was a baby. Although they have no magical ability themselves, they do rely on talismans, and train relentlessly to fight off evil when it finds them.

The magicians are after Nick and Alan’s mother, a magician herself who has been driven insane by the very magic she possesses. She wears a very valuable and powerful talisman. Nick and Alan have sworn to protect her. Even though Nick is only 16 he has fought many magicians and even killed when it was necessary.

The odd thing is that Nick is ambivalent about killing. Alan is tortured by what they have done to survive, but Nick feels no remorse. He even enjoys the thrill of the hunt a little bit. Nick isn’t worried by his feelings, but he knows that something isn’t quite right with him. When the brothers get new visitors, a young boy (Jamie) and his older sister (Mae), Nick feels defensive that his brother Alan can bond with them more easily than his own brother.

Jamie needs help, he has been marked by a demon. Nick wants to ditch them so he can keep Alan away from the beautiful Mae.  But soon demons attack and Alan is marked himself. Now the four of them will have to find the magicians who are hunting them and get the marks removed.

But something is nagging at Nick. He can’t seem to relate to their new friends. He becomes suspicious and starts snooping into the history behind one of his brother’s favorite books. Soon he discovers a horrible secret; a secret that tests his loyalty. Will he stay true to his family or will he turn his back and join the horde of magicians and the demons they employ?

The Demon’s Lexicon is a pretty good read. It starts off extremely rough. It took me at least 150 pages to get into a groove with it. But it finishes strong and I look forward to reading the sequel. The book is appropriate for ages 14 and up and recommended for those who are fans of Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

Fablehaven Book 5: Keys to the Demon Prison

This is the epic conclusion you have been waiting for. Kendra and Seth are on the search for the last artifact the Sphinx needs to open the demon prison. If Sphinx succeeds life as we know it will end. This will be a difficult journey, one where Kendra and Seth will need to go on separate journeys in order to save the world. Seth will need to learn some hard life lessons, discover his courage, and most of all trust in himself in order to do his part. Kendra on the other hand must make a stand and protect not only the artifacts but the people she cares for, even if it means fighting back.

This is a thrilling action/fantasy series that is a satisfying conclusion to the Fablehaven series. Highly recommended and appropriate for all ages.

The Mortal Instruments Books 2 & 3:
City of Ashes/City of Glass
By Cassandra Clare

Clary, Simon, and Jace are back in the exciting concluding chapters of the Mortal Instruments trilogy. Clary and Jace’s father, Valentine, is still hellbent on destroying the Clave and killing all downworlders. In the first book Valentine captured the Mortal Cup. He needs the next two Instruments, the Mortal Sword and the Mortal Mirror, to conclude his dastardly plan of recreating the world in his image.

To complicate matters Simon is turned into a vampire, but not your ordinary vampire. Simon is a daylighter, a child of the night who can walk during the day. Also there are new friends, like the mysterious Sebastian who woos Clary’s heart while she sets out to save her mother’s life.

Overall this is an action packed trilogy that has everything: romance, evil doers, demons, sword fights, faeries, and lots of destruction. It is sure to please anyone who likes fantasy/horror. Appropriate for ages 14 and up.

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

It is the late 19th century and Lia and Alice are twins who are from a wealthy family in New York. They have also just lost the last remaining parent in their lives, their father. With his passing Lia has discovered that the twins have fallen into the hands of fate in the form of an ancient prophecy.

The prophecy is simple; one twin will defend mankind while the other will aid an ancient evil in destroying the world. But which twin is good and which is evil?

And then there are the strange dreams that affect Lia. She is flying in her dreams, but there are also monsters who seek her ill will. Soon she learns that they aren’t dreams at all and that she is actually exploring the many worlds of the astral plane, the places between life and death. Then she encounters the remnants of a strange occult ritual performed by her sister. She is almost certain that Alice is the evil sister and she vows to stop her. In order to do that she must learn all she can about the prophecy that binds them, but to gain the knowledge she needs she will need to make friends outside of her sheltered life. But the more she trusts people the more she endangers them because Alice is there and is just biding her time before she strikes.

This is the first book in a new Gothic horror series.  As with every first book of a series it is slow to start. But other than that Prophecy of the Sisters is a dark and spooky horror story of not just supernatural evil, but the true evil that lies within us. Recommended for those who like horror or are looking for an intriguing tale that isn’t the typical Twilight fare that is being published right now. Appropriate for ages 14 and up.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Clary thinks she is just an ordinary girl with an over protective mom. She thinks her weekend visit to her favorite all ages club will go according to plan, that she will be able to relax and hang out with her best friend Simon.

But for Clary the world isn’t as it seems. Tonight will be the night she first glimpses the Shadowhunters Jace, Alec and Isabelle. And her world will never be the same.

Shadowhunters are humans blessed by the angel Raziel and who use the magic of runes to fight demons and other creatures of the underworld. And when they hunt they use runes of invisibility. Despite these runes Clary can still see them. And that makes her a threat.

Next thing Clary knows she is witnessing the Shadowhunters execute a demon who looks human. She wonders how these angel/human hybrids can be the good guys. But once she has stumbled into the world of the supernatural she can’t escape. Soon her mother goes missing, and monstrous demons are left to attack Clary in her own apartment.

Only the Shadowhunters can help her. Soon she will set out on an adventure into the unknown, risking her very life to save her mom. And then there is Jace, and even though he is arrogant and egotistical, she finds herself strangely drawn to him. Clary will have to learn runes, discover secrets locked in her past, and try not to fall for Jace in order to get her mother back. That is, if she is even still alive.

I loved this book. It has everything. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 12 and up.

InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi

Kagome is a young school girl in the present day. One day she falls down her family’s abandoned well. Suddenly she is thrust back through time in to ancient Japan. There she meets the half-demon InuYasha who seeks the Shikon jewel, a special stone that can grant one wish to whoever has it or increase their innate powers. InuYasha seeks to become a full fledged demon and in his previous attempts he has tried anything to get it. The only person who could stop him was a woman named Kikyo, the protector of the Shikon jewel, who magically bound InuYasha to a tree forever. But in doing so Kikyo died. The Jewel was buried with her never to be seen again.

Except, Kagome is from the future, and she unknowingly has brought back the Shikon Jewel with her. Now every vile creature in ancient Japan is after her and her only ally is the disreputable InuYasha who she frees from the tree. Together they fight off demons and gods in order to protect the jewel. But matters take a turn for the worse when during one battle the jewel explodes in to hundreds of small pieces. Now their quest to protect jewel is in jeopardy, for even a small Shikon fragment can give someone enormous power. They will have to rely on one another and new friends they meet on their way in order to restore the jewel.

But can InuYasha be trusted? What is keeping him from turning his back on Kagome and stealing the power for himself? Could it be beautiful Kagome herself, who reminds InuYasha of a lost love?

InuYasha is a great manga for beginners. It has action, romance, adventure, and it keeps a lighthearted tone. Highly recommended and appropriate for readers 14 and up.

Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill

Bug is 18 and is one missed paycheck from living on the streets of El Paso. She has her Cadillac and a job delivering pizzas and that is it. Her rent was due two months ago, and all her money goes to gas. She doesn’t have much of a life. But she is proud of living on her own and won’t take charity from anyone. She has been that way since the only adult in her life, her grandfather, died. That is how she inherited the car.

One day that all changes when she is about to drive to work one morning. There is a dude in her car. His name is Beals and he is a demon. Turns out that her grandfather wasn’t as nice as she thought. He actually put up her soul as collateral for the car loan. Now the demon is here to collect, not just the car, but her life as well.

Bug will need to reach out to her only friend Pesto, a car wash manager by day, but a demon hunter by night. But like I said Bug is a proud young woman and needs to learn that asking for help is okay, especially when your soul is on the line. Plus she can’t really ignore her attraction to Pesto too long (because the dead can’t date).

This is a very funny book filled with madcap adventures. I liked it a lot although it ran a bit long. It is appropriate for anyone 14 and up. Recommended for those who love a good laugh, demons, or just pizza delivery.

Meet Bod. He lives in a graveyard. He has ghosts for parents, friends, and teachers. His whole existence revolves around the dead. The ghosts teach him to read, write, haunt, and scare. They feed him, cloth, and watch him grow. Why do they love him? Because when he was only 1 year old, he was unintentionally fleeing the scene of his family’s murder and he stumbled into the graveyard seeking asylum (whether he understood that or not). The dead obliged.  The man who wanted to kill Bod never stopped looking for him after that night. So Bod was forced to grow up under the protection of the spirits.

Bod goes on many adventures within the graveyard and without. There is a mysterious crypt under a hill that holds an ancient and forgotten secret. There is also a ghoul gate, that leads to the underworld. Bod grows up more ghostlike the boy. But one day a young girl visits the graveyard and begins to play with him. He has found a friend, a real living and breathing friend, and his life is changed forever. Bod begins to understand that he needs to become more alive then dead, and that means going outside the graveyard. But to do that he must one day face the evil that killed his family. Only then will he be safe, and only then will he be happy to be alive.

The Graveyard Book is wonderful. It is appropriate for all ages, and highly recommended. It is the kind of book that happy about life and you will want to read it again and again. And it just won the Newbery Medal for 2009. So read it. Now.