The Demon's Lexicon

Upon opening The Demon's Lexicon, I was greeted with this intriguing first line: The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink.Attention getter huh?And things just took off from there. Nick and Alan have been on their own and on the run for their entire lives. Numerous groups of power-hungry magicians would love to get their hands on a powerful talisman their insane mother Olivia stole; only problem is that the talisman is the only thing keeping her alive. So over the years, they've learned to run fast and defend themselves when necessary: Nick with his physical strength and deadly sword (knew we were getting back to that, didn't you?) and Alan with his show more brains and a deadly shot. This picking and up and moving constantly has seemed to work until a brother and sister come to Nick and Alan requesting their aid in removing a demon's mark placed on Jamie. Alan has always been a pushover for people in trouble and will stop at nothing to help Jamie and his sister Mae. Frustrated and confused with his brother, Nick has always trusted him with their lives, but as Nick begins to discover secrets his brother has kept for many years, the bond between the brothers begins to unravel, threatening to tear them apart.Boiled down, this really is a story about two brothers and the bond between them. Good, bad and often ugly. Since Alan practically raised Nick, they know precisely which buttons to push to inflict the most hurt and pain even though they are intensely different people. Ouch. I've got a close sister, I know the truth in that. At different times I intensely disliked or mistrusted each and everyone one of the characters in this book - I also loved every character too, just at different moments. It made me a bit uncomfortable at times since I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but there is such a unexpected 'reveal' that once explained, I nodded my said and just said "ooohhhh" [insert lightbulb turning on over my head:]. All the seemingly weird scenes made sense and were totally understandable because, dang it, it finally clicked. Pretty impressive, since there was only slight foreshadowing and I had no idea what was in store for Alan and Nick. I'm a big fan of when that happens. I really enjoy urban fantasy in general, but this dark and often creepy book contained so much character development and interesting secondary characters that I couldn't tear myself away. show less

Brilliant. I loved this book. It's Rob Thurman for teens. Although I figured out what was going on fairly early in the book, I don't know that the target audience, who haven't read the dozens of urban fantasy books I have, would figure it out as quickly. the pacing was perfect, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. She showed rather than told, revealing just enough to keep me interested and not confused but not so much as to bore me or ruin any surprises. The characters are all distinctive and real to me and there's a gay boy which always pulls my heart strings. (Of course he's witty, too.) The stage is clearly set for the rest of the trilogy and I can't wait to read the next one.

A very good, surprisingly different urban fantasy. I really like Brennan's boldness in so many aspects of this story; it's unusual to see an author take so many metaphorical "risks" in writing.

Nick and his brother Alan never get any rest. They move incessantly from one place to the next, on the run from the demons and magicians who relentlessly pursue them and their insane mother. But Alan and Nick couldn't be more different. The former is compassionate, sensitive, and bookish, the latter cold, dangerous, and angry. And when the plight of brother and sister Jamie and Mae ends up in their hands, the two brothers find their already dangerous life is about to get downright deadly.

While demons and magicians are a staple of dark fantasy, I show more personally have never seen them done quite this way before, which is no mean feat. I found the demon marking and demon dancing elements of the story especially fascinating. But better even than the concept are the characters. Each of the four main characters comes vibrantly alive, even the hard-to-like Nick, whose perspective runs the story. Jamie is funny and likable (I laughed several times at his comments), Mae is fiery and independant, and Alan is hands-down one of the absolute nicest, sweetest, most selfless people I have ever met between pages. The entire book I was torn between giving him a high-five and a huge hug. But it is with Nick's character that the author really shines, using him to pull off one of the most strikingly brilliant twists I've ever seen, and definitely did not see coming because it was hiding behind another twist. Wow. I won't spoil, but it's one of those twists that makes you mentally review the entire novel and gasp when you realize where all the clues were planted. And it makes you realize how good an author Brennan has to be to write an entire novel the way she did.

Extra points for having a climax arc that had me holding my breath and made my eyes mist up. Definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for something different. show less

Nick loves his brother but finds most other people incomprehensible. That seems the least of his troubles -- he defends himself from demons with his sword, his brother was crippled in a magicians attack (that killed their dad), two annoying kids from school show up and attract danger, his insane mother hates him.

"You get the magician," Alan whispered. "I'll take the demon."
"I'll get them both," Nick said roughly, and shoved Alan for emphasis.

The plot takes off with the two kids, who stay with Nick and his older brother Alan as they try to sort out the dangers menacing them. Alan is desperately lonely, and sweet, and loyal to his family. Nick is loyal to Alan, but utterly disconnected from everybody else. James, the boy in trouble, is show more timid and snarky and scared, while his sister Mae refuses to let the universe harm her brother, no matter how mad the dangers get.

I loved this book. The bond between the brothers hooked me from the start, and Nick's lack of empathy made him interesting and kept the book on edge -- I was never sure I was rooting for the good guys. Nick's reactions read a lot like autism, if the autistic person was also a knife-wielding killer, and I'm a sucker for autism books. (Elizabeth Moon's _The Speed of Dark_ is a great one.) The ending was spectacular, and I'm delighted to hear there will be a sequel. I don't want to say too much about it, because the ride means more if you don't see what's coming. show less

I waited for this book to come out for at least a year, and when I finally got it (tonight!) I started reading it and didn't stop until it was done. It is insanely enthralling.

This is the first paragraph: "The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink." This is our introduction to Nick Ryves, a sixteen year old who has been on the run from magicians his entire life. He and his older brother Alan (with a crippled leg and a habit of caring about pitiful cases) have only themselves to depend on--their mother is mad, and their father was killed years ago. Desperate to free his family and his friends from demons and magicians both, Alan comes up with plan show more that could kill them all as easily as save them.

Nick has a fascinating POV, and the relationships between characters are believable and drawn with a deft touch. Brennan has a great ear for dialog, and uses humor to great affect. Every character has motivations, moralities, pasts and personalities--the depth therein never overwhelms the action, but makes it feel real, instead. The action scenes feel frantic and alive, and the twists and turns near the end...damn. Worth reading the entire book just for the showdown. show less

(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com/)

So the short version of this review is that if you like the TV show 'Supernatural,' you're pretty much gaurenteed to enjoy 'The Demon's Lexicon.' Which is not to suggest that Sarah Rees Brennan's debut novel is in any way a rip off of the show, it's just that the two share a few key ingredients. Demons and magic and all that but mostly? Mostly, it's about the brothers. Lying to save each other, weapon wielding, monster slaying, angst ridden and really, really pretty brothers.

There are just too few books out there that really explore the relationship between siblings. I'm inclined to think this is because it's just easier to get a reader invested in a romantic relationship. The whole show more will they/won't they thing doesn't really work with siblings, it's a whole different dynamic and it can be hard to do well.

For a start, siblings can do really awful things to each other that would spell the end of most romances. They can lie, cheat, steal and maim and still love each other, because it's family you know? Nick and Alan, the brothers in 'Demon's Lexicon,' are definitely not strangers to hurting each other, but the reader never doubts that they'd do anything for each other.

It's impressive, how effectively Brennan conveys their bond, because her POV character, Nick, is a long tall glass of emotionally stunted. Seriously. The kid is about as caring as a sharp sword, and colder than ice. Which you might think would make for some dark reading, but there is a real warmth to this book. This can mostly be attributed to Brennan's prose, which practically dances across the page and is full of wit and, yes, warmth. There is a larger than life quality to her writing that many books aspire to but few achieve.

And in any case Nick's emotional blankness was my favourite part of the book, weirdly enough. I don't think I've ever encountered another character like him. He's not "evil" or anything, but he's certainly not good either. Mostly, he's just really different. And its refreshing. And Brennan definitely has fun with him. For so long he's only let his brother get close to him, and Alan gets him. But the start of the book introduces two new characters into Nicks life, Mae and Jamie. Watching Nick struggle to deal with these intrusion was equal parts hysterical and moving.

The plot hinges around a magical charm, stolen some years ago from an evil magician by Alan and Nick's mother. I say evil magician, but in this world all magicians are evil and get their powers by dealing with demons. Nick and Alan have devoted their lives to staying one step ahead of the magicians, but then Mae and Jamie (another set of well drawn siblings) came crashing into their lives and mess everything up. I think this is a case of an ok plot being made awesome by the characters. Nick, Alan, Jamie and Mae are so well realised and three dimensional and just so damn fun to read about that any plot meh-ness passed by unnoticed.

And while a lot of people claimed that they saw the ending of this book coming a mile off, I really didn't! For me it was one of those really cool endings which leaves you stunned but when you think about it makes total sense. show less

Love how SRB sneaks in references to legends and myths of various backgrounds. I love how family members can understand one another so well and yet not at all. I fucking love how she slides in this information and later drops these hints that make you think, "Could it be that... No, no way... But maybe..." I admit that it took me a couple chapters to really get into it, but once I was... Do I really have to get up early tomorrow? Maybe just a few more pages...