The Demon's Surrender (The Demon's Lexicon Trilogy, #3)

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The Demon's Surrender (The Demon's Lexicon #3)

by Sarah Rees Brennan (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 1,649 ratings · 275 reviews

The Goblin Market has always been the centre of Sin's world. She's a dancer and a performer, secure in her place. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin's place is in danger. Keeping secrets from the market she loves, struggling with a friend who has become a rival, Sin is thrown together with the Ryves brothers, Nick and Alan - whom she's always despised...more

Mass Market Paperback, 394 pages

Published June 14th 2011 by Simon and Schuster (first published June 9th 2011)

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Aug 12, 2011 Vi Vi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've been reading some cookies - but especially the May cookie...it kind of bothers me. I'm not sure I like how Sin, the only woman of color in this book, is aligned with this kind of Western fantasy of tribal, primal, racialized dancing often associated with African and African diasporic populations. Especially when you consider that the tourist industry pretty much preys upon this, turning black female bodies into commodities to be consumed by foreigners attracted to their hypersexualized and...more I've been reading some cookies - but especially the May cookie...it kind of bothers me. I'm not sure I like how Sin, the only woman of color in this book, is aligned with this kind of Western fantasy of tribal, primal, racialized dancing often associated with African and African diasporic populations. Especially when you consider that the tourist industry pretty much preys upon this, turning black female bodies into commodities to be consumed by foreigners attracted to their hypersexualized and racialized dancing, portrayed through their hypersexualized and racialized bodies (which in turn generates profit, inspires buying etc.). The fact that after Sin dances comes the line "Come and buy" just drives that point home. It's basically the black female body as an intersection between racial, sexual/gender politics and commerce/capital exchange in a way that ultimately objectifies it and turns it into both a tool for capital exchange and voyeuristic consumption. Anyone who's read Bell Hooks' Eating the Other should understand the unfortunate implications of this.

I really think that white writers should spend less time patting themselves on the back for writing POC main characters and more time interrogating their own subject positions as well as the construction of their characters (including the problematic constructs and fantasies they rely upon to code these characters). They might be surprised if they put a little more thought into it. As of now, the amount of praise Brennan's getting for writing a book with a black woman as the main character in spite of all of this actually makes me sick.

___

Read it. Huh. (view spoiler).

This entire series was fucking stupid and I'm actually embarrassed I read it. The only highlights were when the author was masturbating over her wit, because it was hilarious to watch. I can't even bother myself to give a proper review this was just such a waste of time and the overwrought fangirls make it all the more annoying. And for the record I find it funny that SRB, who's all about Diversity apparently, used the Goblet Market to talk about inclusiveness and political correctness ONLY in so far as it let White Girls play too. Because if there's anything YA has taught us it that white girls are so oppressed and marginalized we need as many books as we can to teach us about the importance of welcoming them from the margins (so that they can eventually become our leaders). Wow, SRB that earns you a HUGE Fuck you. Sorry.(less)

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Jul 04, 2011 April X rated it 5 of 5 stars

Twill be awesome. I don't think twill is a word. But tis okay.

AFTER READING....

Twas extremely awesome. The story and characters will forever have a place in my heart <3

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Jun 23, 2011 Kaitlynne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: absolute-favorites

I seriously cannot wait for this book to come out!

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May 20, 2013 Trisha de Guzman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my favorite book of the series, but not for any objectively good reasons. The plot is just so-so compared to the Demon's Lexicon and it kind of meanders for most of the book. I didn't enjoy the competition between Mae and Sin to be the leader of the Goblin Market because it would bring me into spasms of anger over Mae, a rich white girl who had only known about the Market a few months, could so easily take away the most important thing from Sin's life. Sin's life WAS the Market; she gav...more This was my favorite book of the series, but not for any objectively good reasons. The plot is just so-so compared to the Demon's Lexicon and it kind of meanders for most of the book. I didn't enjoy the competition between Mae and Sin to be the leader of the Goblin Market because it would bring me into spasms of anger over Mae, a rich white girl who had only known about the Market a few months, could so easily take away the most important thing from Sin's life. Sin's life WAS the Market; she gave everything she had to the Market and it was basically a part of her. I don't know, it just annoyed me that Mae was able to beat her at everything so easily. I'm not completely sold on Mae and her uber specialness.

I DID really like the following things:

1. That it was from Sin's perspective. Having the book written from her POV adds so much depth to her character. I love how SRB shows how much more there is underneath the performance she puts on for the Market. She isn't just a pretty face - it's made clear that there are things that she is willing to fight for no matter what (her brother and sister, Alan) and that beneath her seductive exterior is an intelligent, practical girl. It was really touching when she tried to protect Nick because she knew that he was the person that Alan loved the most.

2. The Alan/Sin romance. I was really surprised this actually became canon; I had been shipping those two since a little before the second book and never in a million years thought it would come true, what with them hating each other's guts. But the fact that Sin was slowly falling in love with Alan meant there was a lot of time spent gazing at him, thinking about him, and enumerating the million ways that he is amazing and wonderful. And Alan is my favorite character in the series soooooo that was pretty awesome. :)

3. That Nick is finally able to acknowledge, and maybe even understand, his human emotions. There was a scene towards the end when he talks to Mae, and she gets him to realize that when he complains about other people's actions and feelings, he is actually projecting his own emotions onto them. I thought it was a nice way to make clear that Nick really ISN'T emotionless, and that his cold demon heart has started to thaw. I have to admit, the part when Alan came back and Nick said, "I missed you," had me tearing up!

So, overall, not a bad end to the series. If I weren't so attached to Alan and Sin, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it a lot less, but luckily, I was. ;) (less)

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Jun 17, 2011 Nandini rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Sarah Rees Brennan's writing almost to a fault. I might be an anomaly among her fans because I never read any of her Harry Potter or other fan fiction - I just know her through her blog, which is awesome. Her short stories are absolutely fantastic, and the first book of the trilogy, The Demon's Lexicon, was nothing short of genius.

But then... The second book of the trilogy, The Demon's Covenant, was so-so and I still held out hope for a great finish since many awesome trilogies suffer fro...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Rushthesea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I loved the first two books and went into this wanting to love it. That didn't happen, though Sarah Brennan's prose is as well-written as ever.

There is one thing about this story I really liked and haven't seen in much YA fiction. It was the way characters understood how people's perceptions of them affected how they acted and thought of themselves. It's been in the other two books, but in Sin's POV, it was more clear because she's such an observant girl, and I really liked that.

I had six main p...more I loved the first two books and went into this wanting to love it. That didn't happen, though Sarah Brennan's prose is as well-written as ever.

There is one thing about this story I really liked and haven't seen in much YA fiction. It was the way characters understood how people's perceptions of them affected how they acted and thought of themselves. It's been in the other two books, but in Sin's POV, it was more clear because she's such an observant girl, and I really liked that.

I had six main problems with the story.

1) First, the competition between Mae and Sin is not just a competition between two girls, it's a competition between a rich, white girl who has been to the Market four times and a poor, black girl who has worked her entire life for the position. I could have even forgiven that if it had been shown that they were evenly matched, but Mae does every task better, according to Merris, and we never see her fail or flounder. Sin is never given a chance to shine on her own home turf, and I think that's a missed opportunity.

2) Second, despite this being from Sin's POV, it wasn't really her journey. She's not the one who rallies the Market, she's not the one who comes up with the plan to save Alan, she's not the one who gets the pearl. I assumed one of two things would happen in this novel: 1) Sin would become the next leader of the Market or 2) Sin would realize that the Market wasn't as important to her as she believed. With the introduction of the father, I thought they were taking path 2 for a while and was okay with that. In the end, though, Sin reaffirms that the Market is her life and she loses the competition to be leader without there being any kind of realization or lesson from in. Instead, in the last 50 pages, Sin just stops caring about the leadership because she has Alan's love now. I found it very unfulfilling.

3) Third, I was disappointed by the Disney love ending, where everyone gets paired off. I especially was thrown by Jamie and Seb, whose previous interactions have been entirely one-sided, romantically speaking. Seb made Jamie's life hell for years. I saw the evolution of Jamie understanding Seb's motivations leading to forgiveness and even the beginnings of an awkward friendship, but nothing on Jamie's end has ever been more than distantly friendly. It seemed as if because they were gay, the narrative just assumed they would be attracted to each other as soon as both of them were "good guys."

4) The ending of this trilogy was very much 'have your cake and eat it too.' Brennan wanted this story to be dark, and at the same time, she wanted an ending where everybody held hands and worked together towards a brighter tomorrow. These things are not compatible. Mae's idea to let magicians into the Market is treated like this revolutionary brilliant idea. It's not. It's a horrible idea. Magic in this world is not like race or religion or gender. It's like drugs. Really, really bad drugs. It's one of the fundamental tenets of the story that magic makes the user crazy.

Letting magicians into the Market is like letting a crack addict have access to your family while you're sleeping. A really dangerous addict who believes if he shoots you, chocolate coins will come out, and he really wants some chocolate. There is a reason the Market was created to oppose magicians.

Oh, right now they have Nick to provide them with their daily fix, but what if something happens to Jamie or Nick and upsets this delicate balance? None of the magicians in the book are willing to forgo drawing power from demons. They're just fine with not killing people as long as the power keeps flowing through other means.

5) This ties into the fourth point, but all the murders the magicians have committed are hand-waved away at the end with the explanation that they're all someone's child or sibling, so they deserve a second chance. As if that platitude means they should never be held accountable for their actions. Serial killers and pedophiles have families too. That doesn't mean they shouldn't go to jail for their crimes. There's a reason why former members of the Ba'ath Party cannot take part in politics in present day Iraq. I do not like the idea that magicians can just be welcomed into the Market forgiven for those people they killed, just because the reader never knew them.

6) This final contention ties into the third and fourth points. In order to have the happy Disney ending where Mae and Nick can get together without any worry of coercion, Mae has to get the pearl. But the pearl could have been put to much better use: saving Alan. Rather than giving Anzu a magician and then promising to feed more magicians to it forever (Oh, they say they'll only throw "bad" magicians to the wolves, but what happens if every magician follows Jamie's rules? Anzu will still need fresh bodies.) which is immoral and far more dangerous than anything magicians have done in the books, they could have just tricked/forced Anzu to put on the necklace and then Alan could have taken control. Problem solved. Except then Mae and Nick would have to work out their relationship without a magic fix-it.

There are other plot holes I could nitpick, but that's not really the point. The point is that narratively and thematically, I felt this was a let down. Still, if you've read the previous two books, I would recommend finishing the series as it is still enjoyably written. (less)

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Aug 11, 2011 Nicole rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, first of all, if I had been able to give this 2.5 stars, I would have. It's a decent read, but I had some major issues with it. *SPOILERS ALERT*

- I never cared who was going to lead the Goblin Market, so that whole plotline seemed like a distraction for me throughout.

- I'm not sure I like the book being in Sin's POV. On one hand, Sarah Rees Brennan demonstrates her great ability to create characters, because I like Sin a LOT more at the end than I did going into the book. Yet, even with th...more Okay, first of all, if I had been able to give this 2.5 stars, I would have. It's a decent read, but I had some major issues with it. *SPOILERS ALERT*

- I never cared who was going to lead the Goblin Market, so that whole plotline seemed like a distraction for me throughout.

- I'm not sure I like the book being in Sin's POV. On one hand, Sarah Rees Brennan demonstrates her great ability to create characters, because I like Sin a LOT more at the end than I did going into the book. Yet, even with that consideration, there were so many times when it was felt she was too far distant from the action or didn't truly know the other characters well enough to describe the action in the best way for readers.

- Jamie's transformation. Sigh. I just flat-out didn't believe this one - that he would 1) be comfortable with knives, 2) betray Nick (even in a small way, when he really didn't mean it), 3)be as tough as he seemed in this one. I missed his scared and witty repartee, and it's completely gone in this book!

- Too much ideological angling. Sarah Rees Brennan did an awesome job in the first two books of this series of conveying characters with "alternative lifestyles," but sadly it felt forced in this one. I didn't like that she hinted Sin's race could be an issue for relationships, because I never felt it was to begin with, so I didn't like explicitly being told that. I also usually love what Sarah does with Jamie's relationships, but I just didn't get Seb in this one. It felt like the only reason he was in the plot was to fulfill Jamie's "happy ending." Also, the random reference to Matthias' two moms at the end felt totally staged - it wasn't really supported by the story.

- The solution to saving Alan? Put demons into "bad" magicians!? What happens when there are no more bad magicians and the demons still want bodies? I couldn't believe that was the best solution!

- Alan and Sin. They grew on me, I have to admit, but I still don't really like them as a couple. Maybe it's just that I didn't have enough time to see how Sin could really KNOW and UNDERSTAND Alan. Nick and Mae get three books to come together, and Alan and Sin are just kinda thrown together at the last minute. I guess I just wanted more here before I embrace them as a couple. :)

- WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE GO SAVE ALAN!!! I saved the worst for last. It drove me nuts that all the other characters scurry around worrying about stupid, mundane stuff like who's going to rule the Goblin Market and whether or not Seb really likes Jamie when Alan is POSSESSED!!! It took so many pages for them to help him! This was clearly the high point of the series, the big test of Nick's "feelings" that we'd all been waiting for, and it simply felt glossed over to me. In a different POV, I think this story arc and the brothers' emotions could have been heightened to levels of sheer awesomeness.

Not a bad book, but not quite what I was hoping for to wrap up the series.

Write Me A World
(less)

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Oct 28, 2012 Keertana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*If you haven't picked up SRB's Demon's Lexicon Trilogy, you probably won't understand too much of this review. In my opinion, the spoilers are minimal and not likely to affect your reading experience, but if you prefer not to know anything about the rest of the trilogy before picking up this series, I suggest you skip this review.*

I hate to say it, butThe Demon's Surrenderis my least favorite of all Sarah Rees Brennan's work. Brennan first blew me away withThe Demon's Lexicon,a novel with such...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just one year ago Cynthia Davies thought her place at the Goblin Market was assured. The darling of Market's leader, a talented dancer, Sin Davies is Market royalty in every possible way. Sin had thought that made her the obvious choice as the heir to the Goblin Market. Sin actually thought it made her the only choice.

Then Mae Crawford showed up and usurped Sin's rightful place, forcing Sin to fight desperately for her place as the Market's heir.

Good thing Sin is used to fighting for what she wa...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Victoria Durm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-of-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 13, 2011 Katya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, favorites, good-pnr, lgbtq, teen-lit, warm-cuddlies, the-ya-project

June 9th? As in... next month?

*hyperventilates* I WAAAAANT!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay... I've been reviewing now for a little less than a year, and what I discovered may not shock you, but there are quite a few prejudices against certain authors out there. I'm not necessarily talking about prejudices against the author's books because of their opinions (OSC, for example, or Brandon Sanderson), but more about the genre they write in... or didn't wr...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Wealhtheow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: feypunk, fantasy, queer-characters, ya, urban-fantasy, disabled-character, pocmaincharacters

The Demon's Lexicon introduced us to Alan and Nick Ryves, brothers who had been on the run from power-hungry magicians all their lives. The Demon's Covenant brought their friends Mae and Jamie to the fore, one of whom was tempted by magic, the other by the Goblin Market. And in The Demon's Surrender, the best dancer of the Goblin Market, Sin Davies, takes center stage. Despite numerous truces, victories, set-backs, and maneuvers, the war between ordinary humans, magicians, and demons has never e...more

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Jun 22, 2011 FreakChiq rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-release

3.5 Stars

If someone would ask me which my favorite book series is, I would have a really tough time choosing between The Mortal Instruments and The Demon’s Lexicon. But after much thoughtful consideration I would choose the later. The love between the brothers is so unique and special it immediately captivated my heart. And while I enjoyed Sin’s POV (at least most of the time), I still think it wasn’t the best idea to center the third and final book on a previously secondary character.

When I fo...more 3.5 Stars

If someone would ask me which my favorite book series is, I would have a really tough time choosing between The Mortal Instruments and The Demon’s Lexicon. But after much thoughtful consideration I would choose the later. The love between the brothers is so unique and special it immediately captivated my heart. And while I enjoyed Sin’s POV (at least most of the time), I still think it wasn’t the best idea to center the third and final book on a previously secondary character.

When I focused only on Sin, her voice and the story she’s telling, then seeing everything through her eyes wasn’t bad at all. I liked it. Sin is a strong, interesting and likable character, a mix between Mae and Nick. But as soon as she slipped out of my focus, I remembered Nick’s and Mae’s authentic voices in the 1st and 2nd book, and it became all too clear that she just cannot deliver the raw feelings and emotions I was used to from the first two novels, and was also hoping to find in the last installment. She doesn’t know Nick and Alan like Mae or Jamie do. She doesn’t know Mae or Jamie like Nick and Alan do. She had to spy on private, intimate conversations so I could hear (or rather read) them too. And whenever she didn’t feel like prying and therefore left the room, she dragged me with her even though all I desperately wanted was to stay in that room, to stay with Nick, Mae and/or Alan.

However, I do also know that if Sarah Rees Brennan would have chosen to write the last novel from Jamie’s or Alan’s POV, I still wouldn’t be 100% pleased. Why? Because the Goblin Market leadership war between Sin and Mae wouldn’t be told properly. Plus, Alan’s or Jamie’s spying on Mae and Nick’s private conversations would have been even creepier than Sin’s. Yeah, my Mae + Nick shipper heart would still be making a sad face.

I really wished the last chapter would have been told from Mae’s POV again, but as the Germans tend to say: “Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof.” You just can’t have it all.

The Demon’s Surrender is a good, action packed and fast-paced read that does give the trilogy a solid ending, but sadly, and you probably have no idea how much it pains me to say this, it’s not as fantastic, witty and emotion-filled as the previous two books.

Oh, and FYI, despite everything I would still choose The Demon’s Lexicon Trilogy if someone would want to know which my favorite book series is. Can’t. Resist. The brothers.

(less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ugh, another POV change. Sin was okay, not nearly as entertaining as Mae. Also, I ended up being quite interested in how Nick/Mae would develop (since Nick claims he is emotionless) and with Sin as the narrator, we only get dialogue that Sin overhears instead of thoughts. The romance between the characters was all over the place but ended tied up in a nice little bow. I will admit Ms. Rees Brennan writes great kissy scenes.

Overall, I enjoyed the trilogy and am glad I read it. I wish I would hav...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Adrienne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In many ways this series took the place of Harry Potter for me: these were the books I devoured in a matter of days, trying desperately to ration myself to a few chapters a day just to make it last longer, to postpone the breathless wait, counting the days until the the next book (always preordered months in advance) arrived on my doorstep. I can't believe the series is over. But the last volume gave me everything I've come to expect from this series: I laughed, I cried, I exclaimed outloud, I c...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Christine (AR) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen, sff, urban_fantasy, loaned-out

Final book in the trilogy. Still love how Brennan writes, still love the wry dialogue -- but the plot was all over the place. Confining the POV to Sin meant that in order to wrap up the other storylines -- including Nick's, who is the demon in the title -- Sin had to spend a lot of time in hallways or outside of doors listening in on other people's conversations. Also, the way Brennan so very carefully tried to address all current fandom hot-buttons started to get funny by the end, even though I...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Stacey O'Neale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review was written by Camille Morales, guest reviewer with the Fantasy Book Addict.

The Demon’s Surrender is my favorite book in the Demon’s Lexicon trilogy. It’s fast-paced, beautifully written, funny, and just an overall amazing book. I loved the characters, the plot, the romance, the action, the humor, and I just adored this book.

This book is told from Sin’s point of view. Sin is a girl who lives in the market and is a dancer (a very good one!) and the market is absolutely her favorite pl...more

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Jun 27, 2012 stephanie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, paranormal, young-adult

i like sin the best, and therefore i liked this book the best out of the trilogy, but i still couldn't love it because i couldn't love the other characters. which was weird. but. there it is. i also had a hard time caring about the plot and how the fate of the market rested on getting one thing - and how that remained the whole thing! what about the market people!? why was dual leadership never possible?? i was sure that was going to happen.

also the fact that sin is so obviously a COC just kind...more

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May 02, 2012 Andrea rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Right. So I'm going to write the review of the whole trilogy in here because I think the review must be made as a whole and not part by part. First of all, I believe it was a decent trilogy and I liked it, but it was not that fulfilling as other books I've read. I really liked Book 1 and Book 2, mostly book 1, for I think Nick's version of the story is more interesting. It is also a new way of seeing things, not the usual good-hearted guy that wants to do everything right, but someone who really...more Right. So I'm going to write the review of the whole trilogy in here because I think the review must be made as a whole and not part by part. First of all, I believe it was a decent trilogy and I liked it, but it was not that fulfilling as other books I've read. I really liked Book 1 and Book 2, mostly book 1, for I think Nick's version of the story is more interesting. It is also a new way of seeing things, not the usual good-hearted guy that wants to do everything right, but someone who really doesn't understand or care about the sentimentalism us humans have and still manages to inspire sympathy on the reader. Book 2 had a great ending and I really loved the passion that characterized Nick and Mae, although they were always fighting over something, I think they just found a way to understand each other through arguments.
Now, Book 3 proved to be a serious, serious disappointment. I hated Sin's point of view of the story. I hated that I was intently desperate to know what Mae, or Nick, or even Alan, thought about anything. I could just know what Sin thought, which I must confess, I didn't really care at all. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Sin, but I really don't think she was the appropriate character to be used as a point of view. I continuously felt everything important was going on somewhere else, while I got disturbed with Sin's thoughts of jealousy and/or ego.
Anyway, I loved Nick I even liked Jamie and Mae. But Alan... Oh dear, I really have some things to say about Alan. YOU ARE A LYING MTHRFCKNG SON OF A BTH. He's just lies and lies and I hate that. He just does it as an impulse, and I feel that's very immature and infers he has a terrible psychological problem. I do. Alan, you are sick man. You wanted to betray your brother, that although a demon and an asshole, tried his best to please you. Yeah, yeah, he might be a demonic creature with no sense of goodness or whatever, but he really tried and I think that is worth a LOT, considering that in real life we wouldn't be so lucky. SO yeah, you lied till the very end of the story and I think I made my point.
To conclude, I like the trilogy and I gave book 1 and book 2 a four-star rating. The two-star rating I gave to book 3 was because it was seen by Sin's point of view and I detested it. But, beyond that, I liked the story. Done. (less)

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Apr 27, 2012 Melani rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy

This book had so many problems. I'm mostly giving it two stars on the strength of the last two. First, Sin was absolutely the wrong narrator for this novel. She had only ever been tangentially connected with the story and this book didn't change that. It's still not her story, it's Nick's story or Alan's story or even Mae's story, but not Sin's story. And since you've got a black woman narrating the story of white people it gets extremely icky. Particularly since Mae's story reeks of colonialism...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, random-and-awesome

I need to reread this so I can give it the proper review it deserves. I went to great pains to read this immediately before giving birth to my daughter (literally - I was so miserable at the end there that even sitting and reading a book was uncomfortable!) and didn't get a chance to review while it was fresh in my mind.

A wonderful, wonderful conclusion to a trilogy that has just kept surprising me. There is depth here, and a sense of coming full circle, and yet another narrator to give us a kee...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: major-female-character, favorites, female-author, made-me-cry, reviewed, fantasy, young-adult, paranormal

The third and final story in the Demon's Lexicon trilogy is from the point of view of Cynthia "Sin" Davies, a dancer at the Goblin Market who is cautiously allied with Nick, Alan, and Mae to stop the magicians, while also competing with Mae for leadership of the Market. While she also has to take care of her younger brother and sister and deal with financial worries, the others have problems of their own—Mae with her brother (Jamie, who sadly had a much smaller role for much of this book, althou

...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, horror, magic

I disagree that the point of view ruined this book. It didn't, not completely. I liked Sin alright, she was dynamic and interesting, but compared to Alan, Mae, Nick, and Jamie, she can't win. Taking this point of view was a challenge, mainly because in order to include all the facts that are needed, Sin does a lot of creepy stalking in the shadows. More often than not, there's an entire scene in which Sin is watching interactions from outside a door without voicing a thought in her head and you...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Josie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I thought this was a strong end to the trilogy, with better writing and a tighter plot. I really enjoyed reading from Sin's POV! I warmed to her character a lot more than I did to Mae's in Covenant. I also loved how the romances/pairings worked out. It was wonderful to see a softer, more vulnerable side to Sin.

(view spoiler)...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Jenn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 19, 2011 Kelli Fisher rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I was really engrossed in this series from book one, but unfortunately while I adored the narrator of The Demon's Surrender I have to seriously not recommend this title.

The ultimate reason why I wouldn't recommend this book is because it is a colonialist novel that doesn't engage in and critique the subject. As was left off in Covenant, Sin and Mae are competing for leadership of the Goblin Market. Sin, a character of color from a low socio-economic class, has been a part of the Goblin Market al...more I was really engrossed in this series from book one, but unfortunately while I adored the narrator of The Demon's Surrender I have to seriously not recommend this title.

The ultimate reason why I wouldn't recommend this book is because it is a colonialist novel that doesn't engage in and critique the subject. As was left off in Covenant, Sin and Mae are competing for leadership of the Goblin Market. Sin, a character of color from a low socio-economic class, has been a part of the Goblin Market all her life. She is "native," if you will, to this life, and rightfully desires to take over from her paternal figure. Mae, a rich white girl, has been to the Goblin Market a handful of times, and yet inexplicably wants complete control over the Goblin Market. This wouldn't be as bad if the entire novel wasn't oriented around agreeing that Mae should be leader--through Sin's own voice.

A review of this book that I agree with completely and would suggest everyone reads eloquently states; "The whole thing is incredibly colonialist, and indeed functions as a miniature of the colonial narrative: Mae, the rich, white foreigner comes in and revolutionizes a native's land with "superior" organization and technology. But it's all for the better, and the "native" (in this case, Sin) admits that, and eventually comes to support the usurper."

Because she does. At the end of the novel Sin agrees to let Mae take over the Market* with the condition that, in seven years, the leadership will go to a vote. Great, right? Except it's not; Sin's future chance at becoming leader of the Goblin Market is very much conditional on Mae's performance as leader, of which we have no reason to believe Mae will do anything other than spectacularly as every leadership decision she has made in Surrender (and, to an extent, Covenant) has been textually realized as the correct course of action. Besides that, it is still ultimately unfair and unequal--Mae is given the leadership of the Market, whereas Sin will have to be voted in.

I also found problems with the general absence of the canon LGBT characters and how the hot and steamy make-outs were reserved to the heterosexual pairs, but when the kiss between two gay characters happens it is small, chaste, and quickly over. Throughout the series I had been hoping the two would end up together, but if I, who had been rooting from it from book two, couldn't even believe the way those two characters overcame their respective issues to come together then you have a problem.

Ultimately I also had problems with the characterization and character arcs of several of the characters, and I found the way in which all the good guys were paired up happily at the end both saccharine and unrealistic, but those are more personal issues that others might not share. The above concerns, especially the colonialism one, are things I think are textually present and ought to be appropriately engaged and criticized.

*nevermind that literally everything else about the Market has changed including the main reason the Market was ever formed (to oppose the Magicians and not feed people to the demons) but having dual leadership is too radical a change but okay(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, young-adult

Just as she has in the months leading up to the waging war between the Goblin Market and the magicians, Sin will not falter. Even as everyone congregates in London, the home of the Aventurine Circle, and Nick Ryves enters her school; even if she’s the only one left to raise her siblings, she will not fall. After all as the only heir by default, Sin has the Market - or so she thought. Mae, with her quick wit and passable dancing, is now a competitor, and soon-to-be-former Market leader Merris Cro...more Just as she has in the months leading up to the waging war between the Goblin Market and the magicians, Sin will not falter. Even as everyone congregates in London, the home of the Aventurine Circle, and Nick Ryves enters her school; even if she’s the only one left to raise her siblings, she will not fall. After all as the only heir by default, Sin has the Market - or so she thought. Mae, with her quick wit and passable dancing, is now a competitor, and soon-to-be-former Market leader Merris Cromwell has set a dangerous contest before them to determine who will inherit the Market. Complicating matters further, Alan remains mysterious as ever, Jamie has to remarkable power joined the Aventurine Circle, and deceptive loyalties among both the Ryves brothers and the Crawford siblings abound. How will usually unruffled Sin make headway in a battle so wrapped up in the confusing yet loyal relationship between brothers Nick and Alan and the increasingly deeper involvement of Mae and Jamie? It will take all her cool cunning, lithe maneuvering, and help from friends in unexpected places to unravel that mystery and save the Market and those she loves from the magician’s clutches.

The third and final installment in the Demon’s Lexicon series was both happily more and different than I expected. As should come as no surprise, Sin, who has always disliked Alan and now loathes Nick actually has a sympathetic and nuanced point-of-view that made me love her, Alan dislike aside. She’s confident in her ability to dazzle and seduce to a fault yet she remains brashly unapologetic through situations that would bring most people down or at least provoke the beginnings of self-doubt or embarrassment. No, Sin stands boldly and fiercely against anyone or anything thing between her and her goals and for that she’s earned my ardent admiration. Of course those witty, charming, and unexpected scenes between her and love-of-my-book-life Alan don’t hurt her cause either. How Sarah Rees Brennan does it, I don’t know. Complex, messy, and true-to-life, Nick and May’s exchanges are just as golden. I’m still fondly going over my favorite, giddy-inducing scenes. The character I really missed was Jamie. I wanted more of the funny, lighthearted Jamie I fell in love with and it’s completely understandable why he’s not his old self. The sacrifices he made by joining the magicians are very high. I wouldn’t be honest in my admittance of missing Jamie if I didn’t mention how much I missed the absence of one of the Ryves’ brothers in the last half. It is for these subjective reasons why The Demon’s Surrender will not be my favorite book of the trilogy. Beyond those lamented characters I was also left wondering if the uneasy compromise for the demon’s surrender was worth the steep price. Quibbles aside The Demon’s Surrender is thrilling, suspenseful, witty, and full of that shining chemistry between the characters I’ve come to expect. I wait with bated breath for whatever comes next from Sarah Rees Brennan.(less)

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Aug 10, 2011 Sandy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a fantastic read! I loved how the story was fleshed out in this final volume!

I think, though, my very favorite part of this story was this (minor spoiler): Two strong female heroines pitted as rivals who were both a)smart b)talented c)willing to cooperate with each other rather than back-stab and manipulate. I was really worried when this development happened that we'd have to endure a whole book of back-and-forth bitchery. I was delighted at how SRB handled it. These two ladies wanted the...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Rose Lerner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fantasy, urban-fantasy, paranormal-series

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 27, 2011 Rowan January rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read

Listen, I'm a big fan of Sarah Rees Brennan's writing. The Demon's Lexicon is one of my favourite young adult books. Choosing to write the book from the tall, dark, dangerous stranger is genius and the twist perfectly foreshadowed. However I was less keen on the The Demons Convenant and I feel like with The Demon's Surrender this trilogy ended with not with a bang but with a whimper.

I have to agree with other readers that Sin's POV did not work, especially for the crucial concluding book of the...more

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About Sarah Rees Brennan

Sarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. For a short stint, she lived in New York and became involved with a wide circle of writers who encouraged and supported her, including Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. She has developed a wide audience through her popular blog, mistful.livejournal.com, where she writes movie parodies, book reviews and some stories.

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Books by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon's Lexicon (The Demon's Lexicon Trilogy, #1)

The Demon's Covenant (The Demon's Lexicon, #2)

The Spring Before I Met You (The Lynburn Legacy, #0.25)

The Summer Before I Met You (The Lynburn Legacy, #0.5)

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Quotes from The Demon's Surrender

“Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.” — 32 people liked it

“Nick spoke for the first time. "Can I go to the nurse's office too?"
Ms. Popplewell looked at him It obviously took her only one look to decide. "No."
"I'm traumatized too," Nick claimed, his voice completely flat.
"He's a delicate flower," Alan said under his breath.” — 31 people liked it

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The Demon's Surrender (The Demon's Lexicon #3)

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