Hellraisers

Gr 9 Up—Fifteen-year-old Marlow Green is a Staten Island native and nothing but trouble. While attempting to avoid the police after his latest expulsion from school, Marlow accidentally stumbles into hell on earth. Demons with bodies made of concrete and car parts have appeared in an underground parking garage, and the most beautiful girl Marlow has ever seen is trying to fight them off with what seem to be super powers. The girl, nicknamed Pandora, is part of an army of Hellraisers who receive their powers by making deals with an ancient machine known as the Devil's Engine; the Engine can grant any wish, for just the price of your soul. Marlow is a coward, so his first instinct is to run, but now that he knows too much, that may not be an option. The first in a trilogy, this volume is fast-paced and gritty. Marlow isn't a likable character, but he is relatable and fits perfectly into the setting. Chapters told from the teen's point of view highlight loyalty among friends, the importance of family, and the difficulty that is growing up, while chapters from the view of veteran Pandora—although she is only a couple of years older than Marlow—flesh out the details of life as a Hellraiser.