The Demon's Lexicon

The Demon's Lexicon

By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Synopsis(From Goodreads)

     Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.
     Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is desperate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.
     Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.
     This is the Demon's Lexicon. Turn the page.

My Review:

     The Demon's Lexicon, a book whose main theme is that of teenage emotional self-discovery, with a fantastic twist of course. Great book, very enjoyable. Character driven, but demons and magicians allow the plot to flourish. Nick, the protagonist is "cold" and views the world in an emotionally detached state. All he seems to care about is the safety of his odd family consisting of him, Alan and their mother. Alan, Nick's brother, is kind, caring, trusting and helpful to Nick and those around him, including total strangers. The two are about as different as you can get physically as well. Nick is large and muscular, while Alan is small and skinny.

     This book is full of surprises; interesting twists and turns that pull the reader into a world of complexity and confusion, that overlaps our own. Only small amounts of the book are predictable, and those small parts are created such as to make everything else less predictable. Nothing is quite what you expect in this book but all of it is believable.

     The author my not be the best at world building, but the small, detailed set she does create, is not noticed much, due to her entrancing characters. In the cast of main characters, we have a woman who is practically insane, a nearly emotionless boy, a very emotional boy, a person hinted at being gay, and a punk-like girl. Quite the unusual cast if you ask me.

     All considered, this is a spectacular first book. The world is not as creative, ingenious and complex as I normally like, and the plot may be a tad linear, but the book was well written with the main character coming to life before your eyes. A book well worth reading.

My Rating:

Profanity: Mild
Sexuality: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Violence: Moderate