(4) 4-6 Magisterium series. Illustrated by Scott Fischer. In their final year of magic school, Call and his friends must confront the history of the Enemy of Death, the ancient soul trapped in Call's body. Multiple long-running story lines are resolved as well, sometimes to the detriment of pacing. Outstanding action sequences are satisfying, but the abrupt ending is disappointing.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(3) 4-6 Magisterium series. Illustrated by Scott Fischer. Callum Hunt is now known as the Enemy of Death, his body harboring the soul of Constantine Madden, an evil magician from a past generation. With everyone at the Magisterium living in fear of Call, his hero's journey now depends on controlling the powers within. This dark fourth volume leaves some questions unanswered but will keep series fans enthralled.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) 4-6 Magisterium series. Illustrated by Scott Fischer. Call's third year at the Magisterium (think Hogwarts minus the whimsy) is as dangerous as those previous (The Iron Trial; The Copper Gauntlet). Call struggles with the knowledge that he is the reincarnation of a famed evil mage while dealing with repeated, unexplained attempts on his life. Despite a wheel-spinning plot and an abrupt ending, this installment raises the stakes for book four.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(4) YA Also written by Robin Wasserman. Simon helped save the world in the Mortal Instruments series, but he lost his memories. Ten stories chronicle his time at Shadowhunter Academy, re-learning how to be a hero (and Isabelle's boyfriend); recurring characters appear as "guest lecturers," filling holes in the mythos and dropping hints about future series. Despite the underwhelming plots, some characters do undergo real development, and the school setting offers familiarity.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) 4-6 Magisterium series. Illustrated by Scott Fischer. Callum's second year of magic school finds him pursuing a dangerous artifact and its thief--i.e., Callum's father, who may want to kill him. Callum's worry about being predestined to become an Evil Overlord provides a solid link between the adventure plot and the shifting friendship dynamics, and the story continues to offer smart twists on the familiar "chosen one" trope.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) 4-6 Magisterium series. Illustrated by Scott Fischer. The lone survivor of a horrific massacre as a baby, Callum Hunt is found with a curious note from his mother: "KILL THE CHILD." His mysterious past and inexplicable powers seem to mark Callum as the classic child of destiny, but the authors stand that trope on its head. With a clever ending twist, this series seems poised to attract a loyal following.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt

(4) YA This illustrated companion to the Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series collects eleven short stories about fan-favorite recurring character Magnus Bane. Though the historical settings are intriguing and the stories shed light on the immortal warlock's fabulously checkered past, he doesn't grow or change here. The most interesting stories are those that develop Magnus's relationships with characters from the main series.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA Infernal Devices series. Will and Tessa seek to cure Jem, who may die before he and Tessa can be wed. But the clock is running out for all the Shadowhunters, as the Magister prepares to release his army of infernal devices. In a finale as sodden with passion as with gore (and melodrama), Clare resolves the love triangle with a solution that will likely (if improbably) make everyone happy.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA Mortal Instruments series. Clary joins Team Evil to be near her beloved Jace, who has been bound in body, will, and soul to Clary's demonic brother Sebastian. If her friends can't divide them, can Clary sacrifice Jace to save the world? More a series of incidents than a full-fledged story, the book's main pleasure is in following the continuing adventures of these familiar characters.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(3) YA Infernal Devices series. As she strives to learn the secrets of the villainous Magister and unravel the mystery of her past, sixteen-year-old shapechanger Tessa finds herself caught between two Shadowhunters who love her: sweet, fragile Jem and caustic yet powerfully attractive Will. Dropping references to popular Victorian fiction left and right, Clare's steampunk adventure draws readers in with engrossing romantic drama.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA Mortal Instruments series. Now that Valentine is dead, Shadowhunter Clary and company face a new threat: a demonic cult that's killing human infants. Meanwhile, Jace has violent dreams about hurting Clary, and Simon is having trouble adapting to life as a vampire. The reliance on grandiloquent literary devices and overblown romantic anguish distracts from (and inflates) this otherwise absorbing urban fantasy.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) YA Infernal Devices series. Prim, bookish sixteen-year-old Tessa discovers she can shape-change. Only the demon-fighting Shadowhunters, kindhearted Jem, and cruel, handsome Will, can protect her from the supernatural underworld. Steampunk elements and the gritty Victorian London setting distinguish this prequel from the Mortal Instruments series; some plot elements are unoriginal or recycled. Nevertheless, fans will enjoy this page-turning urban fantasy.

Reviewer: Amy Bennett-Zendzian

(4) YA Mortal Instruments series. Demon-fighting teens Clary and Jace, with a large supporting cast of friends and family, climactically defeat their murderous archvillain father. In this exhilarating trilogy ender, Clare relies less on fantasy clichés and hip banter; instead, her characters drive the breakneck story, as does the love between Clary and Jace (who, luckily, aren't really siblings after all!). A scintillating, if bloated, page-turner.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(4) YA Mortal Instruments series. The breathless adventures of fledgling demon-fighter Clary, her newfound brother Jace, and their friends continue in another battle with Valentine, the child-murdering archvillain who's also the siblings' father. Self-consciously hip banter and florid clichés sometimes take precedence over fully realized individual characters' voices. Clary and Jace's incestuous attraction is the romantic heart of this glittering urban fantasy.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett

(4) YA Mortal Instruments series. Fifteen-year-old Clary Fray's ordinary life turns upside down when she begins seeing demons, her mother is kidnapped, and Clary is taken in by Shadowhunters, demon-fighters as astonished by her newfound abilities as she is. Despite recycled material and purple prose, the snappy dialogue and striking details in this hip, sprawling urban fantasy keep the convoluted series opener entertaining.

Reviewer: Amy Lee Bennett