A teenager discovers her family’s supernatural legacy in this debut YA novel.

Noel Ledeaux is almost 16 years old as her family moves from Orlando, Florida, to Blakesville, Georgia. The family, including her 13-year-old brother, Bry, drives to Archeron Manor, a furnished Victorian home left by Noel’s grandparents. When the clan arrives at the Manor, Noel is stunned by the library filled with medieval weapons and artifacts. Her mother reveals that their lineage not only was royal, but also possessed psychic abilities. For dinner, the family orders from Mulligan’s Pizzeria, and Noel is quickly smitten with Cassian Mulligan, the delivery boy. On her way to Blakesville High the next day, she also meets Peter Graves, a gorgeous soccer star. But it’s Cass who saves Noel from an actual troll during the lunch break. Cass eventually explains that he’s a Bane Reaper, hunter of demonic “Banes,” from the planet Seroxis. Noel and her parents are Bane Reapers, too, and must help Cass track down and eliminate Balthazar, a powerful former Bane Reaper who’s turned evil. Further weirdness in Noel’s life is a house full of leathery, gremlinlike beings called Toothpix; talking pet guardians, like Sapphire the cat; and the disaster of Peter being possessed by a demon. Thankfully, Croteau and Cauthen give Noel plenty of supernatural helpers, creating a gleeful Buffy the Vampire Slayer–style atmosphere in their book. There’s a ghoulish twist to most people and places in Blakesville, including the cheerleading witch Sable, whose parents run the “Scent-sational” herb shop. While the hunt for the Staff of Apophis provides dramatic thrust, readers will most enjoy the camaraderie among the teen cast. The authors delight in raunchy cursing, as when Sable calls a succubus a “one-dollar, bitch.” But as fun as the story is, a strong editor would have caught typos and improved the prose (“Peter thinks this room looks strangely familiar and thinks to himself ‘I think this is where they exorcised me’ ”). By the end, not everyone has survived, and though the heroes catch their breath, a mystery cliffhanger presents itself.

A shining fantasy with bizarre creatures and an appealing teen cast.