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A review by sistermagpie
The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
5.0
Do not be misled by the dreadfully limpid-eyed young man on the US cover who might appear to be looking for love, because he carries a sword and he's not afraid to use it. (The UK cover is better.) Pro-tip especially for potential male readers: Underneath that dust jacket is an awesome cover featuring said sword.
Quick summary, there are two brothers, Nick and Alan, whose lives are regularly disrupted by bands of evil magicians using magic harnessed from demons to harass them in order to get back a valuable amulet stolen by the boys' mother. Nick, the younger brother, considers this just about enough inconvenience for one lifetime. Unfortunately his brother Alan has a soft spot for helping...well, anybody. So when a girl from Nick's class (on whom Alan already has a bit of a crush) shows up with her younger brother for help removing a demon's mark Alan's right away offering assistance, to Nick's annoyance. Not only that, but Nick starts to think Alan might be hiding things from him….
If you read the chapter that was up on her website, you can probably already tell that the relationship between Nick and Alan is central to the story. One of the things that makes me incredibly consumed by jealousy impressed in a healthy way by Sarah's writing is the way she does character. (Must be reading all that Trollope.)
With Sarah's characters you right away you get a sense of what makes these people tick so that once things start to happen (which is right away) you get suspense out of how each person will respond to it. For instance, Nick really doesn't care about anybody except for Alan. He's at best confused and at worst irritated at the idea of being expected to care about anybody. So when Mae and her brother, Jamie, show up at his door and he tells them to get lost, he really wants them to get lost. He's not just snarky on the outside without meaning it. He can't care, so getting help from him is going to be a challenge.
Likewise, Alan cares about everyone. That probably sounds like it's just convenient--oh, the brother who cares about himself is partnered with a guy who cares about difficult people. But in fact, Alan's caring comes across as no less individual, inevitable, and sometimes infuriating as Nick's indifference.
What I mean is, when you look at them together, you're not looking at grumpy brother and lovey-dovey brother. (And not just because both of them can and will kill a man in 3 different ways before sitting down to dinner.) You're seeing one of those long relationships where two people are so close their own growth has been influenced by each other and by the intense situation they're in.
Really all the major characters are distinguished mostly by the way they choose to deal with the world, and the stories and justifications they give themselves for why their way of dealing with the world is the best way and other people are nuts. I'm not explaining this well, but there's something really satisfying about a character who gets into a situation and you just know there's a certain way they have to act because of their personality. Which is not to say, btw, that the characters are one note. It's more like part of what makes their motivations interesting is the way they justify going against their own code. So you wind up with, for instance, the nicest guy in the world who won't hesitate to cut your throat. I feel this is a good combination! In one moment there's surprise at a person's actions, but in the next moment you realize that that surprising action is totally in character.
I mentioned there wasn't much romance--the main relationships are between siblings. Both families are mostly defined by having absent parents, causing the kids to bond tightly to each other in response, usually with the older sibling as protector of the younger (even when the younger is bigger, stronger and carries a big sword).
I've spoken here mostly about Alan and Nick because the book is told from Nick's pov, but Mae and Jamie's relationship is no less important. Also, since I mentioned there was little romance, I thought I should say something about Mae's obvious girl parts being in proximity to boy parts. I thought Sarah did a good job in dealing with the unavoidable sexual attraction that occurs in a situation where two teenaged brothers are forced into close contact with a teenaged girl and her gay brother, especially where one of the brothers (Nick) is ridiculously hot. She neither avoids the conflicts, awkwardness and excitement this can inspire, or lets it take over the story or the characters. Alan already has a crush on Mae because she's exactly the type of girl he would have a crush on. Nick is interested in her in a "You have breasts" kind of way when he's not being embarrassed by Mae's painful attempts to be different. Mae's a girl who appreciates two attractive guys, but finding a boyfriend isn't her priority here, and she's got no interest in getting in between the two of them.
Mae's attempts to be different, btw, were one of my favorite things about her. She dyes her hair pink, wears slogan tee-shirts and funky jewelry and studies "the occult." She's brave and she's bold, maybe because she's more desperately afraid of being ordinary or forgotten than she is of being eaten by demons. There are so many girls like this in the world. In case it isn't obvious, I loved Mae--especially when she was Trying Way Too Damned Hard. I suspect her hard-drive is full of Mary Sue fics she wrote when she was 13.
Jamie I don't doubt that readers will love so I almost feel he needs no explanation. Best of all? He's the damsel in distress.
In summary: the book is a lot more fun than what I just wrote about it.
Quick summary, there are two brothers, Nick and Alan, whose lives are regularly disrupted by bands of evil magicians using magic harnessed from demons to harass them in order to get back a valuable amulet stolen by the boys' mother. Nick, the younger brother, considers this just about enough inconvenience for one lifetime. Unfortunately his brother Alan has a soft spot for helping...well, anybody. So when a girl from Nick's class (on whom Alan already has a bit of a crush) shows up with her younger brother for help removing a demon's mark Alan's right away offering assistance, to Nick's annoyance. Not only that, but Nick starts to think Alan might be hiding things from him….
If you read the chapter that was up on her website, you can probably already tell that the relationship between Nick and Alan is central to the story. One of the things that makes me incredibly consumed by jealousy impressed in a healthy way by Sarah's writing is the way she does character. (Must be reading all that Trollope.)
With Sarah's characters you right away you get a sense of what makes these people tick so that once things start to happen (which is right away) you get suspense out of how each person will respond to it. For instance, Nick really doesn't care about anybody except for Alan. He's at best confused and at worst irritated at the idea of being expected to care about anybody. So when Mae and her brother, Jamie, show up at his door and he tells them to get lost, he really wants them to get lost. He's not just snarky on the outside without meaning it. He can't care, so getting help from him is going to be a challenge.
Likewise, Alan cares about everyone. That probably sounds like it's just convenient--oh, the brother who cares about himself is partnered with a guy who cares about difficult people. But in fact, Alan's caring comes across as no less individual, inevitable, and sometimes infuriating as Nick's indifference.
What I mean is, when you look at them together, you're not looking at grumpy brother and lovey-dovey brother. (And not just because both of them can and will kill a man in 3 different ways before sitting down to dinner.) You're seeing one of those long relationships where two people are so close their own growth has been influenced by each other and by the intense situation they're in.
Really all the major characters are distinguished mostly by the way they choose to deal with the world, and the stories and justifications they give themselves for why their way of dealing with the world is the best way and other people are nuts. I'm not explaining this well, but there's something really satisfying about a character who gets into a situation and you just know there's a certain way they have to act because of their personality. Which is not to say, btw, that the characters are one note. It's more like part of what makes their motivations interesting is the way they justify going against their own code. So you wind up with, for instance, the nicest guy in the world who won't hesitate to cut your throat. I feel this is a good combination! In one moment there's surprise at a person's actions, but in the next moment you realize that that surprising action is totally in character.
I mentioned there wasn't much romance--the main relationships are between siblings. Both families are mostly defined by having absent parents, causing the kids to bond tightly to each other in response, usually with the older sibling as protector of the younger (even when the younger is bigger, stronger and carries a big sword).
I've spoken here mostly about Alan and Nick because the book is told from Nick's pov, but Mae and Jamie's relationship is no less important. Also, since I mentioned there was little romance, I thought I should say something about Mae's obvious girl parts being in proximity to boy parts. I thought Sarah did a good job in dealing with the unavoidable sexual attraction that occurs in a situation where two teenaged brothers are forced into close contact with a teenaged girl and her gay brother, especially where one of the brothers (Nick) is ridiculously hot. She neither avoids the conflicts, awkwardness and excitement this can inspire, or lets it take over the story or the characters. Alan already has a crush on Mae because she's exactly the type of girl he would have a crush on. Nick is interested in her in a "You have breasts" kind of way when he's not being embarrassed by Mae's painful attempts to be different. Mae's a girl who appreciates two attractive guys, but finding a boyfriend isn't her priority here, and she's got no interest in getting in between the two of them.
Mae's attempts to be different, btw, were one of my favorite things about her. She dyes her hair pink, wears slogan tee-shirts and funky jewelry and studies "the occult." She's brave and she's bold, maybe because she's more desperately afraid of being ordinary or forgotten than she is of being eaten by demons. There are so many girls like this in the world. In case it isn't obvious, I loved Mae--especially when she was Trying Way Too Damned Hard. I suspect her hard-drive is full of Mary Sue fics she wrote when she was 13.
Jamie I don't doubt that readers will love so I almost feel he needs no explanation. Best of all? He's the damsel in distress.
In summary: the book is a lot more fun than what I just wrote about it.