The Demon's Lexicon (The Demon's Lexicon, #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan

Nov 20, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews

Have you ever been doing something and had a sudden realization that you might just be evil?

And not the wimpy, I-want-to-be-sexy-and-kind-of-emo-looking-evil.

evil?

Like this...

I mean REAL evil like this:

the shining

Or this:

No! No! Oh the humanity!!!!!

Well, The Demon's Lexicon made me feel like I possibly had no soul.

Which was suprisingly refeshing.

Now there's some discussion in the thread below regarding this author's crossover from Fanfiction to publishing. Despite appearances, I don't actually have a problem w...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Sarah added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

I like this book, but I think I'm prejudiced. I mostly added it to my books so I could look at it and smile in its direction...

(edited because on reflection I cannot be unbiased.)

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Jun 15, 2009 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fan fiction fans

Recommended to Annalisa by: Brett

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

I'm not sure I liked Brennan's world of magicians so obsessed with power they barter the lives of innocent victims with demons in exchange for magical powers. Demons as is the biblical sense of rabid creatures who will do anything to enter our world but are so out of control they quickly destroy the bodies they possess. And it isn't regular people turning to satanic ritual but people born this way, as evil magicians willing to sacrifice human life. Plus once a person has been marked by a demon f...more I'm not sure I liked Brennan's world of magicians so obsessed with power they barter the lives of innocent victims with demons in exchange for magical powers. Demons as is the biblical sense of rabid creatures who will do anything to enter our world but are so out of control they quickly destroy the bodies they possess. And it isn't regular people turning to satanic ritual but people born this way, as evil magicians willing to sacrifice human life. Plus once a person has been marked by a demon for possession, often through no choice of their own, they can't detour possession and ultimate destruction. Hmmm. It was a tough world to set up and I wasn't always satisfied with the explanations.

The main character is an unlikeable, big, strong, violent, dyslexic, demeaning to women, unemotional, narcissistic teenage jerk and I was often frustrated with his contradicting range of emotions. I understand why she credited him with so much internal conflict, but just like the story it didn't always feel authentic, and I didn't always feel like I understood him. So I was frustrated. And yet, I found myself caring what happened to him. It's tough to write such an unsympathetic character, and most of the time Brennan did a decent job of getting us inside his head. He made such a fascinating character and point of view that I did like trying to figure him out and decide whether or not I sympathized with him. I hate the cover, but I found myself flipping back to it countless times to get a visual, especially when he was most unlikeable and I wanted to see something vulnerable in him.

My main issue with the novel is the writing. I want to know where this girl's (copy)editor was. With run-ons, dangling modifiers, and pronouns with no clue as to just which "he" or "him" she was referring to, I had to read several sentences and paragraphs over again trying to decipher exactly what she was saying. Plus, there were some scenes that could be quite exciting and expressive and they fell flat because the description is all wrong. I suppose that's what you get from an author with roots in fan fiction. Had the story been better written, I may have been fascinated with her interpretation of biblical demons and the Goblin's Market, but as it was I didn't feel she deserved to twist such iconic literature.

While the writing isn't great and the details of her world rubbed me the wrong way, Brennan came through with the suspense. I knew this story had a big twist at the end and that kept me turning pages trying to figure out what it could be before the big reveal. At times her attempts to keep the mystery secret were frustrating, not because I was anxious, but because I could not figure out what she was talking about. I didn't get all the clues, but I figured out enough that I was not surprised by the ending. And that twisted and evil surprise made the story almost worth it. It's an interesting concept and I like the idea of the conflicted main character, but the delivery of this novel left me somewhat frazzled. This is what literature has come to: shock value is more important than good writing.(less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Janina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, on-my-shelf, read-in-2011, did-not-see-that-coming, male-pov, urban-fantasy, lgbt, series-finished

This book probably isn't going to end up on my all-time favourites shelf, but I did enjoy reading it a lot and am definitely interested in the sequels. It isn’t the strongest in terms of world building, but it definitely is full of suspense, surprising twists and engaging characters. Every one of them actually had a certain something that made him or her stand out. And boy, what an ending. Never ever did I expect something like that. It totally took me by surprise. And that happens rarely. Actua...more This book probably isn't going to end up on my all-time favourites shelf, but I did enjoy reading it a lot and am definitely interested in the sequels. It isn’t the strongest in terms of world building, but it definitely is full of suspense, surprising twists and engaging characters. Every one of them actually had a certain something that made him or her stand out. And boy, what an ending. Never ever did I expect something like that. It totally took me by surprise. And that happens rarely. Actually, for the first half of the book, I thought this would be a solid three star read. Good, but nothing too special. But the second half definitely deserves the extra half-star. I was literally glued to the pages.

Nick certainly is an unusual main character. He doesn’t like people – and he doesn’t pretend to. It was kind of hard to relate to him because he himself doesn’t relate to anybody. The only person he is loyal to is his brother Alan. Everything he does is centred on him. Despite all that, I found myself caring about him. Alan comes across as rather harmless at first, but later on he clearly shows that there is something else in him – both on the positive and the negative side. I liked to see how the brothers’ life was turned upside down by Mae and Jamie. Those two had a great relationship and I loved how Mae stood up for herself and her brother and didn’t let herself be irritated by Nick – at least not too much. Nevertheless, (and this goes for all the characters) I didn’t really feel with them or for them at the beginning. They only grew on me as the story progressed.
The only thing I didn’t buy: Nick is often described as cruel and able to scare others with his menacing look. But Sarah Rees Brennan didn’t really make me buy his badass-attitude. Not once did Nick seem frightening to me although she clearly intended him to be that way. He is more like a boy who has shut himself away because of his past and now tries to scare others off from coming close to him, not letting himself feel anything for them. I felt sad for him because he wasn’t able to make friends or even love, but he did not scare me with his behaviour. Actually, he sometimes came across as a little brat. Nevertheless, I liked him.

As I said before, the world building isn’t too strong; the reader only gets thrown little pieces of information every now and then. Basically, we have this setting: Evil magicians are able to call demons and make them possess humans, being granted powers to conjure up strong illusion in return. I didn’t really understand why all magicians were supposed to be evil – the reason given is that the demons’ power is addictive and they can’t live without getting more at some point – but it felt weird to me that no one should be able to counter this addiction.
But the world is based on an original idea and the premise does make for an interesting story with a lot of twists, secrets being revealed and battles being fought. Also, I loved the atmosphere of the Goblin Market; it had something very engaging and colourful, yet mysterious and dangerous about it.

The writing sometimes read a bit awkward to me, especially at the beginning. There were passages where it flowed extremely well, but then there would come a sentence that would make me frown and that didn’t really fit. Also, when past events were retold, the narrative felt very distant, almost like the narrator didn’t care at all about what happened – it had this grocery list feel to it that didn’t really go well with traumatic experiences. And – seriously – the name Nick was all over the place. I didn’t count, but there were a few paragraphs that made me wonder: Why doesn’t the author use a personal pronoun every now and then?
But, I have to admit, after the first few chapters, it got better. Maybe also because I had become engrossed in the story and didn’t feel like nit-picking anymore.

All in all, not a book I regret spending money on (Although the cover is beyond ugly. I was always trying to hide it from peoples’ glances when reading on the train.) Will be checking out the sequel soon.
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Dec 26, 2010 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Demon’s Lexicon tells the story of 16-year-old half-orphan Nick who is on the run from a circle of evil magicians. He lives with his older brother Alan, who practically had to raise him all by himself due to the fact that 1) their father has been killed by said evil magicians and 2) their mother’s deep dislike of Nick. She resents him and makes it perfectly clear that she has absolutely no love for him. She doesn’t want to see him or talk to him and so she hides out in her room basically 24/...more The Demon’s Lexicon tells the story of 16-year-old half-orphan Nick who is on the run from a circle of evil magicians. He lives with his older brother Alan, who practically had to raise him all by himself due to the fact that 1) their father has been killed by said evil magicians and 2) their mother’s deep dislike of Nick. She resents him and makes it perfectly clear that she has absolutely no love for him. She doesn’t want to see him or talk to him and so she hides out in her room basically 24/7. A nice lady, really.

The atmosphere Brennan creates in The Demon’s Lexicon is extremely dark. Imagine the bleaker side of London, with rundown brickwall houses and factories, a world full of dark magicians who sacrifice people to demons in order to gain more power, the mysterious Goblin Market where all sorts of magical objects can be purchased and dancers sway to the beat of drums in order to summon demons...

I have to say that I’m actually surprised at how much I liked this book. I really wasn’t sure at first because the main protagonist Nick definitely takes some getting used to. He’s rough, he’s rude and void of any feelings. Everything he does has the sole purpose of keeping himself and his brother save. Alan is the only thing that means anything to him. By that I mean that Nick is 100% loyal to Alan but to say he loves him would be quite a stretch. Nick doesn’t know what love is. He’s a bad boy through and through and I don’t mean in a I’m-so-though-on-the-outside-but-I-really-care-for-you-on-the-inside kind of way. No. He’s a I’m-though-on-the-outside-and-on-the-inside-and-I-couldn’t-care-less-whether-you-die-or-live bad boy. Nick.Doesn’t.Give.A.Shit. Period. At first, all this makes it a little hard to relate to him but Brennan does an awesome job of letting the reader see the world through Nick’s eyes and get a thorough understanding of why he is the way he is.

Even though we’ve been off to a rocky start, Nick grew on me more and more and I developed a fierce protectiveness of him. And a little crush, I guess ;-)

If you’re looking for something sweet and fluffy like this I can only recommend you to stay away from The Demon’s Lexicon because what you’ll get is more like this. There’s a little bit of romance in this book but not too much because, as I said, Nick isn’t really the cuddly type. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading this, the plot was gripping, the secondary characters (like Jamie for example) made for a good laugh here and there and those twists and turns...seriously, I never saw it coming.
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Jun 12, 2010 Ash rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ash by: Cara

I usually don’t trust books with pouty lipped guys on the cover (No offense guy on the cover. For any other reason I’m sure you'd seem attractive, but right now you’re on a cover and I don’t trust you). My theory has yet to be debunked. It was really hard to finish reading this. I debated just stopping, but I had some guilty conscious issues. Luckily I did eventually get to the end, which was definitely the best part of the book.

Quick Overview: Nick and his brother Alan with their half crazy mo...more I usually don’t trust books with pouty lipped guys on the cover (No offense guy on the cover. For any other reason I’m sure you'd seem attractive, but right now you’re on a cover and I don’t trust you). My theory has yet to be debunked. It was really hard to finish reading this. I debated just stopping, but I had some guilty conscious issues. Luckily I did eventually get to the end, which was definitely the best part of the book.

Quick Overview: Nick and his brother Alan with their half crazy mother have been on the run from magicians their whole lives, and have been on their own since their father died. The most persistent magician is Black Arthur, the man who drove their mother mad. He's after a charm she took and is willing to do anything to get it back. Things get even more dangerous when Mae and her brother Jamie come for their help after he's marked by a demon. Nick doesn’t care about helping people and doesn’t care much for them bringing their problems too. He’s only interested in keeping him and his brother safe. The always caring Alan insists on helping them though, and as a result is also marked by a demon. Now instead of running away from magic Nick and Alan, along with the useless tag-alongs, must go looking for magicians to take off the marks. Nick has always seen Alan as the only constant thing in his life, but as secrets slowly start being revealed he realizes Alan has been lying to him, and begins to wonder what else he’s been hiding.

The book is set in present day and as usual, magic is going on right under our stupid noses, we just don’t see it because…well, we’re stupid. The characters bothered me the most. You hear a lot about how hot Nick is. You’d think the author would trust you to understand the first five times within 100 pages it was said. The book is told in third person, but you’re only told Nicks thoughts, which don’t differ much from either anger or… oh wait, that’s about it. Nick is constantly annoyed, angry, or completely void of feelings at any given moment. It’s just tiring to see nothing else but rage page after page. Most times though, I felt Nick had a point, and his logic made sense(maybe not a good sign). Alan was my favorite, but whenever he did something particularly self-sacrificial I’d just want to slap him. I’d probably hate Mae and Jamie too if I were Nick. Actually I just hate Mae. She’s pushy and naïve and was a HUGE pain in my behind. She reminded me of those girls who smoked in the bathroom, drawing scary pictures on their hands and saying they are witches hoping that if they believe it enough then it might actually be true and thus making them the ultimate bad-a**. Jamie was witty and funny, but didn't sound authentic most of the time. It's like he was used as the designated comic-relief-gay-guy. Same with Mae (not the gay part, the not sounding authentic part). Mostly though I was annoyed: Alan protects everyone and has a crush on Mae, who doesn’t deserve him. Mae is missing sections of her brain so she flirts with both Alan and Nick. Nick hates Mae, but she’s kinda hot and he knows no girl can resist his hot bod, but wait that’s not okay because Alan likes her. Hold up, Nick is pissed at Alan so maybe he doesn’t care. Jamie cracks a joke. Nick remembers he hates everyone. Especially Jamie. And Mae. And his crazy mom. Repeat.

I’m a huge sucker for action scenes and this book had enough of those to satisfy me. What I really liked seeing though was the relationship between Alan and Nick. They both want to protect each other and sometimes you see how one does a better job than the other. I feel like I should point out that I thought the whole cheek kissing thing was weird. I know their brothers. They’ll hold hands on the others death bed, and touch their head if the other is unconscious, but under no circumstances have I ever known a male over the age of 12 to kiss another male relative on the cheek. Maybe that’s just me, but moving on. The actions of the characters make sense at the end. Not to sound like a smarty pants but I guessed at the “big secrets” pretty early on, as I think a lot of people did. I admit, some stuff I didn’t guess ahead, but it wasn’t mind blowing. The villain was a bit disappointing at the end too. Still, how all that stuff eventually played out was smart and original. The description was done well; you get a real feel for the characters feelings and the atmosphere.

So in all, the book was hard for me to get through, but the end tied it up well. The whole brotherly bond thing was nice to see. You don’t read many books that depict that. The title is pretty cool and smart. If you’re someone who usually reads books with these types of characters then I’m sure you’ll love it. I admit that I’m kinda resentful at how many and pep talks I had to go through to finally convince myself to finish it. Not sure if I’ll finish the series seeing as I still hate Mae. Maybe if the next cover doesn’t have a pouty lipped boy. We’ll see.
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Aug 07, 2012 Elena rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: I would not recommend this book. Interesting premise, terrible execution.

Recommended to Elena by: E. S.

Shelves: fiction, hated-it, paranormal, demons, ridiculous, good-premise-terrible-execution

I am plodding through this book because I spent money on it. The scenario facing the main characters is at first very, very similar to some others I know and love (namely Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural), only this book is set in England and there are occasionally swords.

I figured, hey, cool, let's see how she does with making her book stand apart.

First, let me say that there are some interesting aspects to the book. The dialogue is primarily good and I enjoy the interactions between t...more I am plodding through this book because I spent money on it. The scenario facing the main characters is at first very, very similar to some others I know and love (namely Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural), only this book is set in England and there are occasionally swords.

I figured, hey, cool, let's see how she does with making her book stand apart.

First, let me say that there are some interesting aspects to the book. The dialogue is primarily good and I enjoy the interactions between the two brothers, which keeps me reading so far.

Unfortunately, this book leaves a lot to be desired. There are large, unnecessary blocks of exposition. The descriptions are for the most part overwrought. Everything shines extremely bright or is composed of bizarre combinations of colors which don't make sense but apparently lend an air of magic to the object(s) in question. Physics does not apply properly; the main characters' mother's hair can float and makes strange noises when it... lands. We are also reminded in every single paragraph featuring the mother that she has black hair.

I suppose that if handled deftly all of these elements might have come together to form an interesting world. As it is, I find myself saying, "Oh, something else that shines! I see!" It's a case of too much of a good thing not really working.

In short, with better prose this book would remain interesting to me. As it is I am only finishing it because it was not free or a library book.

EDIT (8/7/12): This review was originally written in 2009. I did actually finish the book, but it was hard going. I didn't see the twist coming, mainly because I didn't care enough about the plot anymore while slogging through nigh unreadable prose in the head of a character I couldn't relate to at all in the end. I'm sure that Brennan has some interesting concepts in the rest of this trilogy, but her writing is unreadable to me. I just can't care. Even with the twist, this book gets one star. I hated it. (less)

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May 03, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pn-demons, young-adult, boys-who-are-jerks, read-2011

2.5 stars The first chapter in Demon's Lexicon is extremely misleading. The riveting opening scene starts off with two boys bantering in a kitchen until they're suddenly interrupted by an attack. Someone has sent a magical flock of ravens to destroy their home, and Nick and his brother Alan manage to ward them off in an exciting, action-packed scene. During the aftermath, Mae and Jamie, two kids from school that the boys know slightly, show up asking for help with their own terrible problem--Jam...more

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Jun 01, 2013 Mike rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: not-so-good-ya, death-by-prose, guilty-not-pleasure, fantasy, what-the-hype, all-tine-least-favorites, bad-books-have-good-covers, magic, why-did-i-finish-this, action, quiltbag, british, warlocks-wizards-witches-ect, demons, rewritten-reviews

So, I originally only had a brief, badly written review for this book, because I read it right as I came to GoodReads, and I was still adjusting to everything. That was fine at first, but I'm so far in the minority, and I'm having so much trouble understanding the positive reviews that I think I'm going to have to write that one-star review, just to get my thoughts together.

I think my biggest problem with the book was the focus on the plot twist. There's nothing wrong with a big surprise - it's...more

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Feb 24, 2009 Dorcas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alert: This is a 'read-till-3AM' book. There's the love of brothers and dysfunctional families, crazy fights with swords and knives and guns, and hilarious dialogue that pops up and surprises you.

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Apr 25, 2011 Ashleigh Paige rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-decent-shelf-of-meh

Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

Alan and Nick Ryves are no strangers to sudden moves with their unbalanced mother, who carries a charm the magicians want and constantly pursue the family for. While staying in Exeter, the brothers are approached for help by two local teens. Pink-haired Mae and her little brother Jamie have a problem--one related to demons, the very beings Nick and Alan regularly fight. Jamie has been marked by demons and Mae is willing to do anything to save him. Nick doe...more Also appears on The Screaming Nitpicker.

Alan and Nick Ryves are no strangers to sudden moves with their unbalanced mother, who carries a charm the magicians want and constantly pursue the family for. While staying in Exeter, the brothers are approached for help by two local teens. Pink-haired Mae and her little brother Jamie have a problem--one related to demons, the very beings Nick and Alan regularly fight. Jamie has been marked by demons and Mae is willing to do anything to save him. Nick does not plan to help them, but reluctantly agrees to do so after Alan is given a demon's mark too. After discovering that Alan has been lying to him, Nick will stop at nothing to uncover what's been hidden from him and may find more than he wants to know.

I have serious love for the characters in this book. All four main characters in this book have great characterization and are the kind of memorable that most other authors never achieve. First there's Nick, the bad boy who is actually a bad boy and has difficulty connecting to anyone around him. This peek inside the head of a bad boy. Alan's love for his brother knows no bounds and his lies are near-perfect, unrealized sometimes by even the people closest to him. (I normally don't take sides on this kind of stuff, but I know which boy I like better.)

Mae was a great female lead, spunky and brave and willing to give anything for others. The whole reason I read this book was so I could get to The Demon's Covenant, the second book in the series and a book she narrates through third person point-of-view. Jamie is less memorable than his counterparts, but his easy interactions with Nick and the revelations about him near the novel's climax make me want to see more of him.

The plot, while it wasn't able to grip me at first, did eventually get me interested as the four sought out magicians to cure Alan and Jamie of the demon marks, going everywhere from the Goblin Market to a house for possessed humans. This may sound a little strange, but my favorite part of the plot was the contrast between Nick and Mae during the efforts to find magicians and cure Alan and Jamie. One character is almost emotionless; the other is overly emotional at points, even without Nick's narrative bias. Despite this, they share the same single-minded determination to cure their brothers of the demon marks. I have no clue why it did this, but that little thing stuck out to me as one of the strongest points of the book: how two people, different as they are, become the same through how much they care for their family.

The plot and characters may have been strong points, but they were not enough to keep me glued to the story. You know some books capture you and make you finish reading it in one sitting, or how they may at least make you think about the characters when not reading and then sneak away to read about them when you have the chance? The Demon's Lexicon was missing that essential spark. I planned to finish it on a certain day and I put it off for three more days. There was literally a moment where I said to myself, "I have to stop reading this book." And not because it was too much for me--I just got so sick of reading it. Good books aren't supposed to make you do that, right?

The writing had its weak points, too. Some of you may know of Cassandra Clare and her unusual similes. I ,for one, remember hair being compared to the startled tendrils of an octopus in the half of City of Bones I could stand to read before I gave it back to my friend because I got bored. It appears that her writer friend Brennan picked up this penchant for similes, though hers did not leave me asking "what the hell?" the way Clare's did. Simile overdoses happened to me a few times in the course of The Demon's Lexicon where there seemed to be a simile for at least every other description! Simile haters will want to avoid this book.

The final flaw may be a subjective one that is influenced to all the research I did before picking up this book, but I just have to mention it. I came into the book with the ending twist spoiled for me, but I feel that if I had come into the book unspoiled, I may have been able to call that twist early on. I know how to connect two and two. Considering Nick's narration and... I wish I could talk further about it, but I don't want to turn this into a spoiler review and I may have given away too much already.

With such feelings for The Demon's Lexicon, I'm not as sure I want to read its sequel The Demon's Covenant anymore, though Mae narrates that one and I love Mae. I guess I'll keep it in mind, but it won't be a priority read. So many delicious threads left hanging, but the fear of another book that will lack the ability to keep me reading...! Oh, what a dilemma! Something tells me that fans of Supernatural might enjoy this book and demon fans would too.(less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

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...more

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Jul 14, 2009 Merrin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, read-in-09

Oh this book. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. First, the writing was so godawfully bad in parts it made the whole thing a struggle to get through. The main characters were fine, but all other secondary and tertiary characters were so badly drawn as to be characitures of themselves, place holders for the final product the author clearly meant them to be.

The surprise ending was indeed that, a surprise, but even managing to fool me with her plot twist doesn't make the book itself any be...more

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Feb 20, 2009 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Sarah Rees Brennan's quirky writing style and it made this book an extremely enjoyable read. It helped that the book was a seat-of-your-pants roller coaster ride of awesome, too. I loved Nick and Alan, the demon-fighting Ryves brothers (Team Nick!). And I want Jamie to hang around my house and spout hilarious one-liners ALL THE TIME. I have to wait a whole year for the sequel?

Thanks to Simon & Schuster US for being awesome and letting little old me have an advance copy. It was worth t...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Marysia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I lived in utter terror that this wouldn't be as awesome as I wanted it to be, because I am paranoid that way. But it is awesome and it's deep and it's dark and it's moving and it's funny (though not quite as funny as I expected, but it makes up for that by being way more intriguing than the first few chapters might imply).

So, what's it about? I can't tell you, I am sworn to secrecy. Well not really, only about info that hasn't been released yet. Cause the book doesn't come out till the 1st of J...more

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May 10, 2013 Jana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Demon’s Lexicon

So I tried to catch up on ‘Geek and Sundry’ instead of attempting to write a single review as I had planned to do. Luckily, I need the pressure of someone actually wanting to hear my thoughts on a book. Thanks Sam and Kerry for providing that. :) So, here are my unedited ramblings that deal less with The Demon’s Lexicon and more with my current troubles enjoying this particular kind of books.

I’m sure that most everyone will like The Demon’s Lexicon. Really like it. Unspoken wa...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Bern rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, emotional-rollercoaster-let-me-out, loved-it-to-bits

CAN I GIVE THIS BOOK SEVEN STARS?

NO?

UGH

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Jun 20, 2012 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: what-modern-fantasy, what-ya-and-children, why-favorites, what-male-protagonist

Brilliant. I loved this book. It's Rob Thurman for teens. Although I figured out what was going on fairly early in the book, I don't know that the target audience, who haven't read the dozens of urban fantasy books I have, would figure it out as quickly. the pacing was perfect, I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. She showed rather than told, revealing just enough to keep me interested and not confused but not so much as to bore me or ruin any surprises. The characters are all dist...more

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May 10, 2013 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those books where I wish I could give it 3.5 or 3.75 instead of rounding to a full star. I wanted to like the book more than I did, although I did still enjoy it.

There are 4 main characters-Nick and Alan, who are brothers, and Jamie and Mae, who are brother and sister. Nick and Alan have been on the run from magicians and demons their whole lives, although Alan, the older brother, still tries to get Nick to have as close to a normal life as possible. And then Jamie and Mae show up...more This is one of those books where I wish I could give it 3.5 or 3.75 instead of rounding to a full star. I wanted to like the book more than I did, although I did still enjoy it.

There are 4 main characters-Nick and Alan, who are brothers, and Jamie and Mae, who are brother and sister. Nick and Alan have been on the run from magicians and demons their whole lives, although Alan, the older brother, still tries to get Nick to have as close to a normal life as possible. And then Jamie and Mae show up. Jamie has been marked for death by a demon, and the siblings were sent to Nick and Alan for help. Nick wants nothing to do with them. Alan wants to help, but there is nothing that he can do. But when Alan gets marked by a demon as well, the brothers end up taking Jamie and Mae along to get help.

The story is told from Nick's point of view. The only person in the world he cares about is his brother, but he doesn't really understand love and affection at all so he doesn't make for the nicest person, even toward his brother. The one emotion he seemed to feel was anger and he felt it often. I liked seeing a bad boy who truly doesn't care about others and doesn't suddenly learn how to love by the end of the book. I'm not sure if that changes in later books, but at least in this one I can appreciate the change of pace.

Alan was another great character. He's the seemingly nice guy who has a lot more going on in his head than you're originally led to believe. And he's a really caring big brother. His relationship with Nick was my favorite part of the book.

Jamie was funny and amused me. He tries to lighten the mood whenever he's nervous or uncomfortable, which is often.

The character I disliked was Mae, which was unfortunate because I wanted to like her. But she reminded me too much of a nosy little kid who wants to be involved in everything, even when she really shouldn't. Early on, the group goes to the Goblin Market, a special market that takes place once a month where one can buy magical items. At the Goblin Market, Nick intends to perform a ritual dance to summon a demon so that he can remove Alan's demon mark since it is at an early stage and can be easily erased, unlike Jamie's mark. Mae and Jamie go with them so that they can ask the summoned demon if it is possible to remove Jamie's mark. The ritual dance that Nick is going to do is stressed as being incredibly dangerous, and just one misstep can result in the demon being unleashed. Nick has done this many times, and he still uses a spell so that Alan can talk to the demon for him while he does the dance because saying the wrong thing can result in a promise with a demon that you really did not want to make. So the entire dance is very dangerous, and you have to be incredibly careful. Mae says she wants to dance too. Nick is understandably against this. The leader of the Goblin Market decides that this is a great idea though and lets Mae do the dance. Not only that, Mae is allowed to speak directly to the demon. If this ritual is supposed to be very dangerous, I do not think having the girl who has never even seen a summoning is a good idea. Nor is letting her speak to a demon for the first time ever while under the influence of the special food they have to eat to perform the ritual which lowers their inhibitions.

And Mae's attraction to Nick was frustrating. He was purposefully horrible to her multiple times because he wanted her and Jamie out of his and Alan's life. He's not a good guy and never pretended to be one. Despite this, she kept trying. I wanted her to realize that he was not a good candidate for a romantic relationship, and that it was a bad idea. I really do not think a romantic relationship was even needed in this story. The familial relationships were what I would have liked to have been the sole focus. They were the driving force behind the story, and I liked that.

The book was a good read, but it isn't one I loved. If you want to read a story featuring a hero who has the mindset of a villain, then this is a good one to look at.(less)

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May 10, 2013 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't know why it's so hard for me to review this book. Is it because it's my first review ever? No, I guess that's not the only reason. I guess it's because my feelings about this book ar so mixed up; on my left shoulder, there's a little angel telling me: 'Oh come on, you loved it, you thought it was a good book, what's the problem?'. But on my right shoulder, there's a little devil telling me: 'You know it had quite a lot of flaws, and you only started liking it after the first 100 pages......more I don't know why it's so hard for me to review this book. Is it because it's my first review ever? No, I guess that's not the only reason. I guess it's because my feelings about this book ar so mixed up; on my left shoulder, there's a little angel telling me: 'Oh come on, you loved it, you thought it was a good book, what's the problem?'. But on my right shoulder, there's a little devil telling me: 'You know it had quite a lot of flaws, and you only started liking it after the first 100 pages...'

The thing is, I missed something from the very start. I barely got to know the characters before they got attacked for the first time. To me, the attack felt like it came way too soon. It felt rushed, like the author thougth: I have to do things quick, or else the reader will lose interestI didn't know the characters well enough, and the story kept racing on while my mind was yelling: SLOW DOWN AND GIVE ME SOME MORE INFORMATION!
But then, as I kept reading (and eventually found the information I was looking for), I slowly started to lose myself in the Goblin Market and the rest of Nick and Alan's crazy but amazing world.
I came across a lot of surprises and I loved the way magic is used in this book. No wands, no fairy powder, no, nothing cute and fairytale-like, but demons. Dangerous, treacherous demons...

While all this felt new to me, the characters didn't. The were a little ordinary, there wasn't much that made them stand out from the huge crowd of characters that I've encountered on my journey through the world of books.
I didn't like them, nor disliked them, except for one- sorry Mae, you annoyed me from the moment you opened your mouth.
But the real problem was the narrator, Nick. He felt so... flat. It seems like he has almost no feeling at all, except for anger. At first I thought it was a flaw in the writing, but it actually turned out to have a purpose, which totally surprised me.

And the, the twist at the end. MIND BLOWN. 'Didn't see that one coming' is an understatement.
It totally took me by surprise and it explained so much! The plot didn't feel like building up to such a twist, it came out of the blue, but in retrospect, it only seems logical. All through the book there've been hints and I still didn't see it coming!

The book feels misleading (Nick's nature, the plot) and that's why my feelings are so mixed up about it. But in the end, it turned out so awesome that I didn't even notice the flaws anymore. Because of these flaws, I can't give it any more than three stars, but if you're tired of all the dystopian fiction and vampire novels that are flooding the market, you should definitely try this one!(less)

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Sep 14, 2011 Sami rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Dear Diary,
So today I found out my brother is THIS close to becoming a demon's meat puppet so I tracked down these brothers who I hope will help. One keeps a sword under the sink and the other could shoot a bullseye through the O of an alphabetti spaghetti. I think I want to see them naked. ~Mae" (not actual dialogue)

Sarah Rees Brennan is an author that really knows her way around her characters. The best parts of this book series are in the dialogue scenes. The banter is what makes this serie...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Isabel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Isabel by: Zoë Marriott

Shelves: books-i-own, reviewed

*Spoiler Alert*

Okay, first of all, I just wanted to make it clear that I LOVED this book. The writing was incredible, especially for a first novel, and the characters were so real and convincing… I can’t begin to comprehend how she wrote Alan so well. I mean, (and nobody shoot me) sometimes I love this guy, but for some reason I also really really hate him at times. I know, right? I’m impressed with Brennan’s ability to make me feel so strongly about her characters. This book held so many surpri...more *Spoiler Alert*

Okay, first of all, I just wanted to make it clear that I LOVED this book. The writing was incredible, especially for a first novel, and the characters were so real and convincing… I can’t begin to comprehend how she wrote Alan so well. I mean, (and nobody shoot me) sometimes I love this guy, but for some reason I also really really hate him at times. I know, right? I’m impressed with Brennan’s ability to make me feel so strongly about her characters. This book held so many surprises and I was just so shocked that Nick is actually a demon… it makes SO MUCH SENSE, and I felt SO SAD. I was depressed upon finishing this book.

But that’s just the thing. I feel as if in stories the reader should really be able to connect with the main character, and even if they ARE a jerk, you should still be able to sympathize with them in some way. The fact that Nick is not even a even a human… that he is a demon—a creature without feelings—kind of threw me off. The main character in this book… HE DOES NOT FEEL. I don’t know how I’m supposed to connect with a main character that doesn’t feel fear, empathy, sadness, happiness, or love. All he feels is this grim determination to win. How is he supposed to fall in love, if he can’t feel it? He was a consistent character, and well written, definitely, and I realize that this is something personal that isn’t really a flaw with the actual story. So I’m not saying there was something wrong with the way Sarah Rees Brennan wrote this character. And I’m actually fairly sure that this character will probably undergo some changes in the next two books in his struggle to become more human. It’s just that because I am not entirely satisfied with the main character, I couldn’t possibly give this book a full five stars.

However, I will read The Demon's Covenant, and I am very excited about it. And when I’m finished I will most certainly be anxiously awaiting the third book. Really. To all the outraged fans of this book—it was AMAZING, and I am going to recommend this to all my friends. I can’t wait to read more!(less)

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Feb 18, 2011 Kelly Leigh rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary-fantasy, demons

I'm attempting to tap into my inner Zen monk just so I can be kind and tranquil in lieu of going off on a tangent about my dislike for The Demon's Lexicon. :: inhales deeply:: Okay. Here goes . . .

I R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted to like this book. Right off the bat, I love the book's title. Damn you title for reeling me in. And damn you jacket cover description for piquing my interest but can't say it was entirely accurate. (spoiler alert: it lies) Don't get me wrong, I can see why this would be a popular...more I'm attempting to tap into my inner Zen monk just so I can be kind and tranquil in lieu of going off on a tangent about my dislike for The Demon's Lexicon. :: inhales deeply:: Okay. Here goes . . .

I R-E-A-L-L-Y wanted to like this book. Right off the bat, I love the book's title. Damn you title for reeling me in. And damn you jacket cover description for piquing my interest but can't say it was entirely accurate. (spoiler alert: it lies) Don't get me wrong, I can see why this would be a popular book. Hot brooding guy, check. Always on the lam for fear of being tracked and killed, check. The main character is 16, so the potential for drooling and swooning by certain readers is set up nicely, check. Alas, said checks weren't enough to hold this reader's attention.

I expected magic to be rampant because of, oh gee, I don't know, could it possibly be all the magicians running amuck? It wasn't folks. There were magicians, but not so much of the magics being cast. Although, the reader was told how powerful they were. Wow, thanks for that. There could have been a Harry Potter-worthy spell cast or two, or three, but I might have missed those (doubt it!), what with all the skimming I partook in. Speaking of skimming: The only reason I skimmed instead of closing the book for good - and yes, I skimmed this entire book from page 50 onwards - was because of the big reveal that many reviewers said was the OMG, you're gonna die for it's the best part of the book. ::sighs deeply:: Yeah, I don't know, if felt lackluster at best. Maybe I was expecting the book to be something more than it was. I didn't feel anything for the characters. Maybe this was due to the 3rd person POV. And the story itself wasn't enough to hold my interest. Again, this is purely my opinion. Not enough imagery described, perhaps.

Also something else felt odd about the main character, Nick. He would mention quite a few times how he doesn't feel things/emotions. If you're pretty much a cold and unfeeling sociopath whose sensitivity chip is missing, in other words, you don't really have emotions, then why do you mention it or them? It shouldn't be mentioned because you don't feel it, or even understand, cognizant of what emotions are in the first place. Trackin? It is my belief that it was more thrown in there so the OMG-ending would make sense. So that was a huge problem for me. I felt like those repeated admittances didn't fit with the main character.

And I felt as if there were many build ups that never quite panned out to be exciting. And the market, ugh. It so had the potential to be exciting, but only translated to be a cozy flea market situated in a highly inconvenient area on the outskirts of town. It was so boring. And so dull. And just plain strange.

This book felt like a soap opera for the simple reason where even though you miss Monday through Thursday, you can get caught up with all the happenings by watching Friday's episode. That's what happened with this book. I skimmed the whole damn thing and was still able to get the gist of what was going down. Strange but true. So in case I wasn't clear, this book was not the one for me. It might be the one for you. But you'll never know unless you try it for yourself. (less)

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Jan 20, 2012 Warnie B. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, fantasy, young-adult

Several of my friends have really enjoyed this one, so I really expected that I would too! But...I honestly couldn't even get going on it. The first time I picked it up, I made it to page 10 and then put it down, figuring maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it. I picked it up again a few books later and did the exact same thing. And then a third time, and it happened yet again (only this time I actually made it to page 55). I'm not sure why, but I just can't seem to connect to anything enough to...more

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Apr 19, 2013 lin-lin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, demon, my-favorite

Ini buku fantasy kedua yg saya baca yg bercerita mengenai penyihir dan demon, yg pertama apalagi kalau bukan TBT. Dan kesan saya selesai membaca buku ini, adalah, saya sangat suka. Tapi kalau ditinjau dari unsur fantasy, sebenarnya fantasy dalam buku ini ngga terlalu banyak. Penjelasan mengenai demon ada, tapi kalau yang terbiasa nonton serial sejenis Supernatural, tidak ada hal yang terlalu baru, tapi apa yang saya suka dari buku ini adalah karakter-karakternya dan hubungan antar karakter dalam...more Ini buku fantasy kedua yg saya baca yg bercerita mengenai penyihir dan demon, yg pertama apalagi kalau bukan TBT. Dan kesan saya selesai membaca buku ini, adalah, saya sangat suka. Tapi kalau ditinjau dari unsur fantasy, sebenarnya fantasy dalam buku ini ngga terlalu banyak. Penjelasan mengenai demon ada, tapi kalau yang terbiasa nonton serial sejenis Supernatural, tidak ada hal yang terlalu baru, tapi apa yang saya suka dari buku ini adalah karakter-karakternya dan hubungan antar karakter dalam buku ini.

Dua karakter utama dalam buku ini adalah Nick & Alan. Mereka berdua adalah kakak beradik. Cerita diambil dari sudut pandang Nick sang adik. Awalnya karakter mereka sangat stereotype. Alan sang kakak mempunyai sifat baik hati, sabar, ramah dan suka dengan buku-buku & penelitian, digambarkan kurus dan berkacamata, stereotype gambaran pemuda geek/nerdy.

Sedangkan sang adik, Nick, yang juga protagonis utama adalah khas badboy. Dia kasar, dingin dan lebih suka mengandalkan kekuatan otot sedangkan fisiknya yang kekar dan tampan membuatnya disenangi oleh para gadis-gadis.

Sedangkan tambahan karakter lain dalam cerita adalah Mae & Jamie yang juga kakak beradik. Garis besar cerita berputar dalam upaya Nick menolong kakaknya dan Jamie yang mendapat tanda iblis ditubuh mereka. Namun saat saya selesai membaca buku ini saya baru sadar, kalau cerita ini mengenai jati diri Nick.

Yang saya suka dari cerita ini adalah bagaimana pengarang meceritakan tentang hubungan persaudaraan yang kuat. Walaupun Nick selalu bersikap dingin dan cuek, tapi dia sangat sayang dan peduli sama kakaknya, semua yang dia lakukan selalu untuk kakaknya. Bagi Nick, Alan adalah satu-satunya keluarga yang dia miliki. Dan saya merasa hubungan persaudaraan itulah yang menjadi kekuatan di buku ini dalam menyajikan ceritanya.

Kelemahan buku ini, mungkin penulisan plotnya yang terasa ngga teratur, kadang kita bingung dan berasa adengannya sering loncat-loncat, tapi yah untuk buku pertama bisa dimengerti :D

Sekarang hal-hal teknis macam cover, sudah ok, walau saya lebih berjarap UFUK menggunakan cover yg versi terbitan UK, lebih dark dan sesuai dengan image Nick, cover versi USA, somehow feel too comercial & more like TV show. Tapi bagaimanapun saya angkat jempol karena UFUK selama ini pintar dengan tidak mengubah buku-buku yang covernya sangat menjual (teringat hush.hush dan City of Bones)

Untuk terjemahan : cukup oke tapi masih kurang mengalir kalau menurutku. Biasanya Mum dan Dad tidak diterjemahkan dan dibiarkan aslinya. Begitu pula istilah-istilah asing yang saling terkait.

Last message : yang ada ebook Demon's Covenant, bagi-bagi donk ^^
(less)

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Oct 04, 2009 Krys rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-thriller, monster-hunting, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, young-adult, demon-themed, series

A solid three. That's about the best I got for this. The reason? I skimmed through the last 70 pages of the climax. Yeesh.

Don't get me wrong... there were moments of this book I quite enjoyed. The Goblin Market was highly entertaining. The premise was enjoyable, even the plot twist at the ending was interesting. So where did it fail to catch my interest? Shoddy writing and too much detail in between action sequences. It's all well and good to world build and have lots of exposition, but you hav...more

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Aug 22, 2009 Amantine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just as I had expected, The Demon’s Lexicon is one of those books that you simply have to read in one sitting (though, admittedly, 4.30 am is pushing it, even for me). Of course, it’s also one of those memorable books that make you want to quit writing because they’re oh-so-epically-BRILLIANT!

I used to follow Sarah Rees Brennan’s fanfiction a while back, and suspected that her original work would be nothing short of spectacular. Well, I’m proud to say I wasn’t disappointed. Miss Brennan has succ...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Mery rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anggia

Masih inget Bartimaeus, jin keren yang jadi kesayangan kita-kita itu? ;D
Buku ini mengingatkan aku ke Barty.
Hmmm let me tell you, Magician who use Demon for their life...
Yup, Magician di sini juga sama. Mereka menggunakan Demon untuk melaksanakn perintah mereka. Dan tanpa Demon pun mereka ga ada artinya.
Mesti menggunakan pentagram juga kalau mau manggil Demon, tapi bedanya di sini mereka harus makan Fever Fruit dan disco dance di atas Pentagramnya ;D

Oke BTT

Buku ini bercerita tentang Demon Slayer,...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, own-print-copy

I went into this novel from a different perspective from some of my fellow book bloggers. I can't say if my expectations for The Demon's Lexicon were higher or lower, given my familiarity with Brennan's writing, only that they were different. And what I can say about The Demon's Lexicon is that not only were my expectations met, they were exceeded.

In a review somewhere (I forget exactly where) someone mentioned that The Demon's Lexicon is a bit like something Joss Whedon would have cooked up. I...more I went into this novel from a different perspective from some of my fellow book bloggers. I can't say if my expectations for The Demon's Lexicon were higher or lower, given my familiarity with Brennan's writing, only that they were different. And what I can say about The Demon's Lexicon is that not only were my expectations met, they were exceeded.

In a review somewhere (I forget exactly where) someone mentioned that The Demon's Lexicon is a bit like something Joss Whedon would have cooked up. I agree with this statement, but on a more specific, yet perhaps less intangible thing. The Demon's Lexicon does not try to imitate Whedon's works, nor does it descend into Buffy Speak. Instead what The Demon's Lexicon remembers (or rather, doesn't forget) that, unlike other novels/TV shows/movies, that even in the darkest moments there can be humour. And it is good humour, too. (Is my British humour bias showing yet?)

About part way through I figured out a plot twist and was a little annoyed by it. I felt like it was like watching an M. Night Shyamalan film - of course there was going to be a twist, and this one was so incredibly obvious and dare I say it?) cliché. And then I reached the end of the book, and discovered that the plot twist I had "discovered" was nothing compared to the ending, which knocked me flat on my back like the Flash had just run me down from behind.

Well done, Sarah, for that. I totally did not see that coming, but now that I know that little secret I was able to see all the little hints and suggestions - all the little things that had niggled me now made shocking sense. I love a story that has an ending that is subtly hinted out throughout the story, and has not been pulled out of the author's behind at the last minute. So many seem to be doing the latter these days, and it was wonderful to see The Demon's Lexicon not succumbing to that laziness.

But at its heart, The Demon's Lexicon is about the characters and about sibling devotion. They are all wonderfully written, and are coloured with many different shades of grey. Their strengths are balanced by their weaknesses and all of them are so alive and real. I can definitely see why girls would fall for the darkly dangerous Nick (who keeps his sword under the kitchen sink) but my preference is definitely for Alan. He can read Sumerian? A man after my own heart indeed.(less)

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Jun 18, 2013 Mizuki Genshou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pretty-good

Although I spent most of the time calling the male lead Nick a fxxking jerkass while I read this book, still the awesome ending is enough to make up for it. Plus the older brother Alan, he really rocks!

But still, ******PLOT SPOILER WARNING****** I can't believe in the middle of the book, the author had dropped SO MANY hints to point out Nick is a demon---or at least a demon who possesses a human body. **********END OF SPOILER****** I can see it coming from miles away.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Spoilers! (who saw THAT coming?!)	11	129	May 22, 2013 11:11am
The Lemon's Lexicon	1	23	Dec 14, 2011 07:56pm
The Lemon's Lexicon	1	12	Dec 14, 2011 07:54pm

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