The Clockwork Chronicles #1: The Brimstone Key by Derek Benz and J.S. Lewis

My name is Max Sumner, and I am the leader of the Grey Griffins. Most of the students and staff at Iron Bridge Academy already know we've successfully battled monsters. However, most of the students also know my father is an evil man, and many of them have lost family members because of him. I haven't seen my faerie in weeks, and changelings have been disappearing from the school. My friend Ernie is a changeling with super speed, and the disappearances have made him even more nervous than usual. My focus has been distracted from the upcoming Round Table tournament where everyone is expecting a big showdown with Xander, the most popular kid in school. I'm not jealous of him... am I? We've discovered the rare Round Table cards we found may hold dangerous creatures, but the greatest terror comes from a man who disappeared a hundred years ago. 

The story jumped right into the action, as the kids were stuck deep underground by page ten. Even though this was the first book in the series, it felt like a sequel. It didn't take any time to describe how the Grey Griffins formed, and it made references to their past deeds without sharing any details. It didn't explain how Max's dad became an evil character or anything else about his life growing up. It mentioned these past events like they'd been covered in an earlier book, but the lack of information became a distraction. It made me ask questions with no answers. With that being said, the premise of the story had potential. There were close friends with unique abilities, trying to solve a mystery, while adjusting to a new middle school. Max was the guardian of the Codex, an enchanted book holding dangerous magical creatures. However in the novel, the Codex was mostly depicted as a magical ring and gauntlet worn by Max as a weapon, but there was no further explanation until near the end. The problem was this book appeared to be a spin-off from a Grey Griffins series. I guess you'll need read that series first to appreciate this one.