The Demon's Lexicon (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–In this riveting debut novel, 16-year-old Nick and his older brother, Alan, are accustomed to life on the run. Since their father was murdered, the boys have been forced to slay demons set on them by magicians seeking the powerful charm stolen by the boys' mother. Nick is furious when Alan receives a first-tier demon mark while saving a neighborhood boy. While seeking to remove it, Nick begins to suspect that his brother is lying to him about the reason for the magicians' attempts to kill them and about why their mother screams whenever Nick touches her. Fans of the Supernatural television series will be hooked from the novel's opening lines (The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink.). Even teens who don't consider themselves genre buffs will appreciate the solid writing, fast-paced plot, and sense of authenticity that Brennan gives to the shadowy world between ordinary, modern-day London and the otherworld of demons and magicians. Though Nick and Alan's story is mostly resolved with Nick discovering the truth behind his father's death and his mother's fear of him, readers will no doubt clamor for the next book in this planned urban fantasy trilogy.–Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD
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From Booklist

What if the bad-boy hunk in your class was actually a sword-wielding demon slayer? That’s the enticing scenario offered up in Brennan’s debut, and although the results are periodically workmanlike, they will satisfy the legions currently clamoring for this brand of dark fantasy. Nick (the aforementioned hunk) lives with his empty-shell mother and older brother Alan, but they’re constantly on the move as they hunt—and are hunted by—evil magicians and their conjured demons. Their brutal routine is interrupted by the arrival of two teen siblings in need of help, one of whom has been “marked” by a demon for certain death and the other of whom fosters a growing desire for one of the brothers. Though unique, the mythology has some holes and feels needlessly convoluted. That said, Brennan excels when she dwells upon her characters’ more human emotions (desire, loneliness, loyalty), and hits her stride in the final stretch, creating several scenes of unexpected horror and piling on some truly surprising twists. Stick with it, and you’ll be glad you did. Grades 9-12. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1 edition (June 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416963790
• ISBN-13: 978-1416963790
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #205,543 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice departure from the norm, May 1, 2009

By	The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Nick Ryves is used to running. Ever since he was young, his family has been on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of the deadly Magician's Circle that is bent on retrieving the talisman Nick's mother stole from them. Nick has always relied on his older brother Alan to make the right choices and protect them, but when it becomes evident that Alan may be keeping secrets from him, Nick is set on a path that will lead him to the startling truth about his family and himself.

Quite imaginative and unique, The Demon's Lexicon is a nice departure from the norm of YA supernatural fiction. Brennan tells the story in Nick's point of view, highlighting his struggle to trust others and control his emotions, which is an interesting complication. The book moves rapidly, and some readers may find Brennan's brisk style a little hard to make sense of in the very beginning, but it doesn't take long before the story evens out and clicks into place. The paranormal world and the way magic works in The Demon's Lexicon is unique in the sense that any and all magicians are corrupt, and Alan, Nick, and their friends can only protect themselves using magical objects and their own wits, creating a stirring and intriguing mystery with a startling twist that will ensure Brennan's status as a talented new voice in YA lit.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 29, 2009

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Nick and his brother, Alan, have been on the run for Nick's entire life - and when they're not running, they're fighting the vicious magicians pursuing their mother and the powerful charm she stole. Magicians who trade lives for power. Who killed their father and left Alan with a permanent limp. And who show up yet again as soon as Nick has started to get comfortable in their new home.

This time, everything's different. A demon marks Alan, and Nick can't rest until he knows his brother is safe. Especially after one of the most powerful magician's circles delivers a warning that leaves Alan more shaken than Nick's ever seen. But the harder Nick tries to protect him, the more he realizes how many secrets Alan's been keeping from him.

No longer able to trust the one person he thought he could count on, Nick sets out to find the truth.

Unfortunately, this truth is more dangerous than most...

THE DEMON'S LEXICON is a dark, fast-paced story filled with equal parts of action and emotion - and incredibly difficult to put down once you've started. The narration, from Nick's point of view, is stark but comes with plenty of biting humor.

All of the characters have more to them than it appears at first glance, and it's easy to believe the vivid world of magicians and the Goblin's Market could truly exist amidst our own. The many twists will keep readers guessing and glued to the page, but ultimately the story rests on Nick and Alan and the intense yet tenuous bond between them. It's this relationship that gives the novel its heart, and raises it above the many other paranormal and urban fantasy offerings hitting the shelves.

Highly recommended to all!

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Wanted to love it, but it didn't happen..., June 15, 2009

By	Ryan Kelley "Professional Shark Tamer" (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

(What's this?)

The Demon's Lexicon is a really well-paced, entertaining debut novel that will definitely appeal to fantasy/YA novel fans. Lexicon follows brothers Nick and Alan. They are magician killing, demon slaying teens with polar opposite personalites. Nick, our main voice in the story, is honestly not the most likeable character. He's the typical bad boy type that all the girls swoon over and his attitude never really progresses much past his nonchalant hard glares and his dry, sarcastic, low-blow comments. His brother Alan, on the other hand, is a kind, sensitive, shy boy who is far more relatable and easy to like.

The story takes off with a demon marking a local teen named Jamie whose pink-haired goth-like sister, Mae, has caught Alan's eye. These marks ultimately mean Jamie's body will soon be taken over by a demon. Mae and Jamie go to Alan and Nick (Not sure how they knew to do this) for help, much to Nick's shock and anger. Mayhem ensues, leading to Alan getting marked also and a massive struggle to save both boys begins. The teens wind up journeying across England to track Magicians they can slaughter in order to remove the demon markings. It sounds a little complicated, but it's really not.

The book was well paced and fun. It gave me a strong 'SUPERNATURAL' vibe because of the two demon-hunting brothers (kind of like Sam and Dean!) and that was pretty cool.

The only problems I had with the story would be the actual character dialogue and the lack of personality in our protagonists. I had no idea the book was set in England until about 40 pages into it when the boys commented on possibly driving to Scotland. I was a little confused since there was no hint of Brit-slang and the author didn't really give off much of a European "feel" to the characters...but, that is a minor concern. Teen readers will probably thrive on the fact that the lyricism is easy to understand. The BIGGEST issue would be the characters. I despised Nick. He was a prick. Alan was nice, but was never really in the forefront of the story. Mae was as wooden as wooden as pinnochio and you never really got to know much about her besides the fact that she was wealthy, had pink hair and had enough talent to dance with Nick in a circle to summon a demon. Other then that, she was as flat as an ironing board. Jamie was confusing and should have been brought into the story more. His akward, nervous, bumbling habits brought a little humor to the book and he was a small bright-spot in the dark world that Nick and Alan were fighting in. I was also a bit unsure of his sexuality. I think that might confuse some teens a bit, but I'm guessing most won't care.

Overall, fun book...easy to read, lots of action and adventure, fast paced and interesting. Biggest issue with it would be the mean main character and the lack of development in the supporting characters. I would read more from this author though!