The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Release Date: June 2, 2009
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
Pages: 336

Nick and his brother Alan have been on the run from magicians and magician's circles ever since they were young. They haven't stopped since their father was killed by magicians who were after their mother's charm, which happens to be keeping her alive.

Their mother has been disturbed ever since Nick can remember, but Alan insists on taking care of her. Nick is not entirely happy with their mother since she seems to hate him, but Alan has always cared for Nick and is very devoted to him. Just when their life got a bit more comfortable, Nick and Alan are attacked again. After defeating their ambush, Nick and Alan find that their battle with the magicians had an audience of two.

Already annoyed by all the trouble the pursuing magicians and the demons they command give them, Nick hardly wants to help Jamie and Mae, the pair who witnessed the latest attack Nick and Alan had to fend off. But the ever-compassionate Alan agrees to help them when he finds that Jamie has a third-tier demon mark on him. The mark condemns Jamie to death, but Alan agrees to take them to the Goblin Market to see if there is any help available.

With Jamie and Mae joining their party, Alan and Nick have more even more people to look out for, and the magician's circle are still relentlessly pursuing them. Can Alan and Nick continue to stay on step ahead of the magicians for the rest of their lives? Is there any way to end this eternal chase?

Nick hopes that Alan will be able to help them best the magicians as they have been doing for the past few years, but then the unthinkable happens--Alan sustains a first-tier mark during a magician and demon attack. Nick is desperate to get the mark of his brother, but Alan seems more concerned with helping Jamie and Mae. Why does his brother suddenly care so much for two strangers? Nick has always depended on Alan to guide him and help make decisions, but as his brother's behavior is getting more erratic, Nick is beginning to wonder if the one person he could always trust has been lying all along.

Will they ever be free of the attacks? Should Nick delve into the past and search for answers? Or should he just trust Alan as he has always done?

The Demon's Lexicon was amazing!! I loved the plot! It was quite well paced, well written, and captivating! I couldn't put it down--I had to know what would happen next! The story is well-spun and has great flow and detail. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages late into the night!

One thing that bothered me a bit was the fact that some of the characters seemed a bit flat. If Jamie and Mae got a little more of the lime-light and were better developed, I would enjoy the book even more. Quite a few of the characters, both protagonists and antagonists alike, weren't quite as developed as they could have been. There personalities seemed a bit shallow, and I would have really liked to learn more about them.
However, Nick's character was pretty strong, but his interaction with his brother was even better. It's realistic, even it's a bit cold sometimes. Alan's unceasing compassion and care for his brother tugs a few heart-strings and he is also a great character.

Although a few twists really surprised me and made me enjoy the book all the more, but it didn't quite work entirely for me. I don't want to spoil anything, but it was an interesting twist, but I find it hard to accept completely, since there was some parts in the book that made me believe otherwise. But other than that, I'd definitely recommend The Demon's Lexicon! I really enjoyed reading it!