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A review by booksong
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
4.0
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 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.
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 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.