The Lightening Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a series with 7 books so far. I've made it to book 5 and am still going strong. This is a many-layered story with Gods, Goddesses, and much more. Percy finds out, at age 12, that he is a demi-god- half-human and half-immortal. As the son of Poseidon (ruler of the sea) he is an extremely powerful half-blood, just as soon as he can get a handle on his powers. This is definitely a young adult read, but an excellent and fun take on Greek Mythology. Join Percy as he defends himself against a Minotaur, Ares, and many other mythological creatures in his quest to prove his innocence in the theft of Zeus' lightening bolt.

Rampant

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns . . .
Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they've been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.
This is about a girl, Astrid, who comes from a seemingly normal life, and ends up being sent to Rome during her junior year in high school to train as a unicorn huntress. Similar to the goddess Diana. Extremely intriguing, completely new spin on what I considered a white, precious, animal-- the Unicorn.
The characters are engaging and each one is integral to the story, very imaginitive.
I was hooked from the beginning, definitely a well-written story with plenty of adventure to keep you hooked from start to finish.

The Alchemist (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)

He holds the secret that can end the world.The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.The records show that he died in 1418.But his tomb is empty.The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Cody and I are reading this together right now, first time we've ever tried this and we are on chapter 2, which I like to think of as the chapter where it gets really good. Definitely a good read.