Landy, Derek -- Skulduggery Pleasant
A teenage girl discovers that there are wizards running around behind
the scenes, and the Dark Lord is returning. Okay, it's clearly
post-Rowling, but it's still enjoyable. Stephanie winds up as sidekick
to the titular Skulduggery Pleasant, a back-alley wizard detective
type who happens to be a walking skeleton (ask him about his curse)
but makes up for it with a truly stylish trenchcoat and a great car.
The author manages to keep the pair balanced -- half the time it
feels like Skulduggery is Stephanie's sidekick, despite his necessary
role as mentor and explainer-of-plot -- and the story remains fun
on top of some genuinely creepy dark magic and monster scenes.
Books I have acquired recently
All the books I own