YA?

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud starts with The Amulet of Samarkand. It is supposed to be YA (Young Adult) fiction. It is so only because the protagonist is a 12 year old boy named Nathaniel who is an apprentice magician, able to summon a djinni (Bartimaeus) to do his bidding. Aside from that, however, the book is undoubtedly too mature for teenagers. Set in London, it has certain similarities with the Harry Potter books but it is a much more darker and tragic tome (dealing with the relationship of magic and demons). Death comes early in this series and is much more violent. The writing is very descriptive and quite good, alternating between first person (Bartimaeus, who is portrayed as vwry witty) and third person (for Nathaniel). A gripping read once you reach the later stages of the story. I would recommend it to a much more mature reader rather than teens.