City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)

by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know...
(summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I'm usually a little wary of trending/popular titles that I didn't realize existed until a year after they came out--because I do live under a rock some days. The biggest question in my mind is: How could they live up to the hype? I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was gripping and fun and a pretty easy read. For young adults who just want a good story, or even for reluctant readers, this series is great.

The Gates (Samuel Johnson vs. the Devil #1)

by John Connolly

Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund, Boswell, are trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating a full three days before Halloween which is how they come to witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Road. The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with the underworld, but when they unknowingly call forth Satan himself, they create a gap in the universe. A gap in which a pair of enormous gates is visible. The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out...

Can one small boy defeat evil? Can he harness the power of science, faith, and love to save the world as we know it?
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I usually have no stomach for anything I even think might be scary, but this book--and it's pair--were incredible. There's a great balance of science and fantasy, funny and scary. Samuel is a wonderfully well-rounded character and the story is very well-developed too. It was also refreshing to see that while there is that child-adult divide that's often present in fantastical literature, there were also times when children and their parents worked together which is pretty rare to see in the genre.