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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
It's disappointing, somehow, to lose Nick's POV. But Mae's is distinctive and interesting too - and we have the added advantage of viewing the characters through the eyes of a near stranger. I couldn't put it down. Let's just say I was hoping for stoplights to turn red. This author is clever, witty, and strikes just the right note of humor in the context of horrifying danger. I will now read everything she has written. Yay!
I'm not surprised that I enjoyed this more than The Demon's Lexicon, because a lot of my issues with that was the detachment of Nick's narration, which, of course, is explained at the end. But I knew I would like Mae's POV much more. I still feel like some of the big moments and twists could be explained more or executed with more followthrough, but I love the characters and the snappy dialogue, and I do want to see how it all ends.
The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010
440 pages
YA; Paranormal
3.5/5 stars
Sequel to The Demon's Lexicon
Source: Library
Spoilers for The Demon's Lexicon
Summary: Picking up a month after the first book ended, Mae thought things might be going back to normal. But then she finds out that her brother Jamie has been sneaking out at night and interacting with another magician Gerald from the Circle that had originally tried to kill them. So she calls Alan and Nick again as her only resource into the magical world. Nick knows the truth about himself and something has happened between the brothers that causes a great deal of tension.
Thoughts: This is a switch as it begins in Mae's perspective and is in fact told from Mae's perspective; this makes me wonder if there will be subsequent books told from Jamie/Alan's POV. I think I liked this book more, possibly because Lexicon is told from the point of view of a demon and that can be difficult for a human to understand. It also ended up being a lot funnier with many quips. More of Alan/Nick's brother relationship is highlighted and I loved that.
I think my problem (and this is most definitely my problem and one that may not afflict you) is anxiety as I try to figure out the angle each person is going to play: Alan, Nick, Jamie, Mae, and the various magicians all have their own agendas and Mae is the only one we have some insight in to. The tension was awful. I mean my stomach was tied in knots; it is not a feeling I like. Will one of them betray another? Will they all survive? Also sometimes the action was confusing and I had to reread several parts.
I also didn't like Mae's romantic entanglements as she has interactions with three different guys, none of which I can see turning out okay as all will cause her a great deal of trouble and/or heartbreak.
Overall: I liked it more than the first book but I just don't love it.
Cover: That seems more like Sin than Mae, which is weird as Sin doesn't play that big of a role.
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2010
440 pages
YA; Paranormal
3.5/5 stars
Sequel to The Demon's Lexicon
Source: Library
Spoilers for The Demon's Lexicon
Summary: Picking up a month after the first book ended, Mae thought things might be going back to normal. But then she finds out that her brother Jamie has been sneaking out at night and interacting with another magician Gerald from the Circle that had originally tried to kill them. So she calls Alan and Nick again as her only resource into the magical world. Nick knows the truth about himself and something has happened between the brothers that causes a great deal of tension.
Thoughts: This is a switch as it begins in Mae's perspective and is in fact told from Mae's perspective; this makes me wonder if there will be subsequent books told from Jamie/Alan's POV. I think I liked this book more, possibly because Lexicon is told from the point of view of a demon and that can be difficult for a human to understand. It also ended up being a lot funnier with many quips. More of Alan/Nick's brother relationship is highlighted and I loved that.
I think my problem (and this is most definitely my problem and one that may not afflict you) is anxiety as I try to figure out the angle each person is going to play: Alan, Nick, Jamie, Mae, and the various magicians all have their own agendas and Mae is the only one we have some insight in to. The tension was awful. I mean my stomach was tied in knots; it is not a feeling I like. Will one of them betray another? Will they all survive? Also sometimes the action was confusing and I had to reread several parts.
I also didn't like Mae's romantic entanglements as she has interactions with three different guys, none of which I can see turning out okay as all will cause her a great deal of trouble and/or heartbreak.
Overall: I liked it more than the first book but I just don't love it.
Cover: That seems more like Sin than Mae, which is weird as Sin doesn't play that big of a role.
I think I liked this one better than its predecessor. The characters are more fleshed out, you can see some motive behind the actions. Also, I <3 Mae/Nick.
Fantastic, Accelerating! This story just keeps getting better and better! I couldn't possible imagine how Sarah Ress Brennan was going to be able to top "The Demon's Lexicon"...but she did!
Get ready for more demons and magicians and the fantastic journey there in.
P.S: There is some Major twist and changes going on in this book! and if I might Add. I had a Heart Attack on page 380!!
Get ready for more demons and magicians and the fantastic journey there in.
P.S: There is some Major twist and changes going on in this book! and if I might Add. I had a Heart Attack on page 380!!
This is the best book in the trilogy. The heart strings get a a major strumming. Told from Mae's point of view, the story still revolves around Alan and his attempts to make his demon brother more human. Mae and the reader get more of the backstory of the two brothers when Mae reads his dad's journal to Nick. There is plenty of action and sexual tension, yet the relationship between siblings, Alan and Nick, is the more powerful element of the story.
So there was a lot of what-the-fuckery of character behaviour and a bit too much of a sense that far more action was going on behind the scenes than Mae was privy too but other than that I very much enjoyed her pov. There was very little Alan though, I missed him!
Couldn't put it down. I loved the switch in narrators.
4.5/5
I loved the first book in the series and the sequel was not at all disappointing. Rees Brennan is extremely impressive because she's not afraid to set consequences in her world and let her characters experience them. The magic they trade isn't free and comes with a price, even for those characters who only ever had magic forced upon them. She also embraces the anti-hero and actually follows through-- Nick is supremely dangerous with the capacity for great evil and Brennan never lets the reader, Mae, or Nick himself forget it.
I did miss Nick's voice in DC, but getting an expansion on Mae's character was really important and really well done. I'm as messed up as her though and always ready to be on Nick's side and searching for attempts at humanity (as hopeless as that may be). I'm hoping Alan and Sin might get together in DS- he deserves a real love story.
I can't wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy and see how it all ends!
I loved the first book in the series and the sequel was not at all disappointing. Rees Brennan is extremely impressive because she's not afraid to set consequences in her world and let her characters experience them. The magic they trade isn't free and comes with a price, even for those characters who only ever had magic forced upon them. She also embraces the anti-hero and actually follows through-- Nick is supremely dangerous with the capacity for great evil and Brennan never lets the reader, Mae, or Nick himself forget it.
I did miss Nick's voice in DC, but getting an expansion on Mae's character was really important and really well done. I'm as messed up as her though and always ready to be on Nick's side and searching for attempts at humanity (as hopeless as that may be). I'm hoping Alan and Sin might get together in DS- he deserves a real love story.
I can't wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy and see how it all ends!