The Sugar Skull. The Sugar Skull, #1

The secrets hidden within the Sugar Skull have the power to protect. or destroy. 17-year-old Ricky Luna is trapped in a home that feels more like a prison than a refuge. Each night, he dreams of escaping, of finishing school, and skipping town with the girl he loves. But each morning brings him crashing back to reality. Life seems hopeless - until a mysterious midnight visitor arrives and opens Ricky's eyes to the magic surrounding his world, leaving him with only a warning of dark things to come. Days later, Ricky comes into possession of an enchanted sugar skull. Desperate for change, he opens himself to the dark powers lurking inside the sugar skull. Objects begin to move, untouched. Bad luck follows Ricky wherever he goes. And a mysterious death divides his family. As the evil inside the sugar skull grows, it threatens to consume everything.
Ricky must uncover the truth behind the sugar skull's power before it destroys everything he cares about. The Sugar Skull is the first book in Manuel Ruiz's The Sugar Skull series.