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The Demon's Lexicon
(The Demon's Lexicon #1)
by
Sixteen-year-old Nick and his brother, Alan, are always ready to run. Their father is dead, and their mother is crazy—she screams if Nick gets near her. She’s no help in protecting any of them from the deadly magicians who use demons to work their magic. The magicians want a charm that Nick’s mother stole—and they want it badly enough to kill. Alan is Nick’s partner in dem
...more
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Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
June 2nd 2009
by Margaret K. McElderry Books
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Start your review of The Demon's Lexicon

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.

Like this...
I mean REAL evil like this:

Or this:
[image error]
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 hav ...more
And not the wimpy, I-want-to-be-sexy-and-kind-of-emo-looking-evil.

Like this...
I mean REAL evil like this:

Or this:
[image error]
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 hav ...more

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.) ...more
(edited because on reflection I cannot be unbiased.) ...more

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

Mar 14, 2009
Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books)
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Fans of dark fantasy with demons, brother theme
Wow. This book really snuck up on me. I wasn't sure at first, because the writing seemed as though a lot had been cut out initially. I didn't think I was getting the whole picture. I honestly think that this book was not written for the YA market, but it ended up as one because of the younger aged characters. I felt as though the author might have been asked to edit some parts out to make it more 'suitable' for younger readers, and I felt that initially. As CS Lewis has expressed, I think that a
...more

I did not set out to love this book; the bar was too high. The word Demon itself, to me, is owned by Jonathan Stroud and Cassandra Clare. Even the main character, Nick, was about as grouchy about starring in the story as I was reading it. (I had half a mind to suggest to him that we both go our separate ways except for the inclination that he would probably have said it to me first…) And then we found each other, Nick and I, and though we were both cross, there was the matter of good-natured Ala
...more

Feb 23, 2009
Annalisa
rated it
liked it
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

Although I spent most of the time cursing the male lead Nick for being 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******
(view spoiler)
**********END OF SPOILER******
I can see it coming fro ...more
But still, ******PLOT SPOILER WARNING******
(view spoiler)
**********END OF SPOILER******
I can see it coming fro ...more

I waited for this book to come out for at least a year, and when I finally got it (tonight!) I started reading it and didn't stop until it was done. It is insanely enthralling.
This is the first paragraph: "The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink." This is our introduction to Nick Ryves, a sixteen year old who has been on the run from magicians his entire life. He and his older brother Alan (with a crippled ...more
This is the first paragraph: "The pipe under the sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink." This is our introduction to Nick Ryves, a sixteen year old who has been on the run from magicians his entire life. He and his older brother Alan (with a crippled ...more

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
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

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.
...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 mo ...more
Quick Overview: Nick and his brother Alan with their half crazy mo ...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. Actua
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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

Oct 02, 2009
E.
rated it
did not like it
Recommends it for:
I would not recommend this book. Interesting premise, terrible execution.
Recommended to E. by:
E. S.
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 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

2.5 stars
I was a tad disappointed in this book. I looked at my status updates and I had seriously wanted to put the book in the “time out” corner for a while. Luckily for the book (hard cover copy), my ereader decided to malfunction, so I was stuck finishing The Demon’s Lexicon instead.
The Demon’s Lexicon is the story of two brothers who are constantly moving to get away from the magicians who seem to want something from the brothers or their mother. Herein lies my problem with this book. I was ...more
I was a tad disappointed in this book. I looked at my status updates and I had seriously wanted to put the book in the “time out” corner for a while. Luckily for the book (hard cover copy), my ereader decided to malfunction, so I was stuck finishing The Demon’s Lexicon instead.
The Demon’s Lexicon is the story of two brothers who are constantly moving to get away from the magicians who seem to want something from the brothers or their mother. Herein lies my problem with this book. I was ...more

so I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting but... wow I loved this it was amazing? I liked it way better than unspoken tbh, my faith in srb is affirmed
I've seen people complain about nick's character but it was one of the best things about the book for me -- if I didn't say that I'm even a little tired of excessively kind and noble and morally righteous heroes whose every action is fueled by the Greater Good I'd be a lying liar who lies. I thought srb did an excellent job at balancing his char ...more
I've seen people complain about nick's character but it was one of the best things about the book for me -- if I didn't say that I'm even a little tired of excessively kind and noble and morally righteous heroes whose every action is fueled by the Greater Good I'd be a lying liar who lies. I thought srb did an excellent job at balancing his char ...more

For a good two thirds of this book, I was frustrated with it. The world building was almost nonexistent and the main characters seemed to be whining teenagers (ok it’s YA, I should expect that). There were some interesting moments, the goblin market for instance but mostly it was just running from one situation to another. Then it all seemed to end with a rush and a lot of the explanations were really interesting. Perhaps the back story would’ve made a better novel!

Nick Ryves and his crippled older brother, Alan, have been running from magicians their whole lives. Magicians are humans who can control limited amounts power. They get this power from sacrificing innocent people as hosts for demons, who have unimaginable abilities. Alan and Nick's mother used to be an evil magician, and she still owns charm which others would kill to possess. When a brother and sister, Jamie and Mare, come to the Ryves brothers for help, Alan is dead set on taking them in, des
...more

Sarah Rees Brennan I love you.
When friends of mine raved about your book, I didn't really pay that much attention. I was hip-deep in revisions at the time, and had sworn off new books (being a naturally lazy procrastinator, if I'm faced with a choice between curling up with a book or getting some hard work done, the curling and reading wins every time). Once those revisions were finished, I have to admit that I forgot about the recommendations I'd heard heaped on THE DEMON'S LEXICON. I am sorry. ...more
When friends of mine raved about your book, I didn't really pay that much attention. I was hip-deep in revisions at the time, and had sworn off new books (being a naturally lazy procrastinator, if I'm faced with a choice between curling up with a book or getting some hard work done, the curling and reading wins every time). Once those revisions were finished, I have to admit that I forgot about the recommendations I'd heard heaped on THE DEMON'S LEXICON. I am sorry. ...more

"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
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

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
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

I didn’t expect to love this book. I thought it would be just okay and perhaps not my type of thing. (I thought the cover was a bit silly) Instead I found myself dropping everything else in order to finish it.
The narrator/protagonist is Nick. He’s not a terribly likeable person. His only interest in life if sword practice. He kills people (evil people who are trying to kill him – but still). He tortures enemies when necessary. He has very little regard for human life and empathy for no one excep ...more
The narrator/protagonist is Nick. He’s not a terribly likeable person. His only interest in life if sword practice. He kills people (evil people who are trying to kill him – but still). He tortures enemies when necessary. He has very little regard for human life and empathy for no one excep ...more

Young adult urban fantasy with teenaged brothers running from evil magicians and demons.
All right, this impressed me. I classified it in the first chapter as 'YA urban fantasy with demons: species generic,' but then the protagonist just kept happening. He's fifteen and a sociopath, not to put too fine a point on it, who would see the whole world burn without a qualm as long as his brother is safe. The close POV on him in all his disfunction, and the emotional nuances he does and doesn't get, is ...more
All right, this impressed me. I classified it in the first chapter as 'YA urban fantasy with demons: species generic,' but then the protagonist just kept happening. He's fifteen and a sociopath, not to put too fine a point on it, who would see the whole world burn without a qualm as long as his brother is safe. The close POV on him in all his disfunction, and the emotional nuances he does and doesn't get, is ...more

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
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

Jun 23, 2009
Roxane
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Shannon, Kathryn
I might as well come out and say it up front: I’m not going to be the least objective about this book or this author. You see, Sarah Rees Brennan AKA Maya is the one who got me hooked on HP fanfiction, slash and more particularly H/D. I’ve enjoyed everything she has ever put up on her lj which I’ve been reading for years now! She’s a gifted storyteller who does brilliantly amazing things as far as characterization is concerned. That’ll do for context.
Her debut novel is marketed as YA and I’m not ...more
Her debut novel is marketed as YA and I’m not ...more

So this book was not what I expected. I expected to like it more. I expected to more grabbed by the plot, the characters, the villains. I expected to read it in less than 2 days and then be running to the library for book 2. Instead it was just meh.
The only character I like was Nick. I loved that he was apologetically cold and basically emotionless. He didn't care for others and didn't understand why he should. I loved that we finally got a character who didn't feel the need to change this about ...more
The only character I like was Nick. I loved that he was apologetically cold and basically emotionless. He didn't care for others and didn't understand why he should. I loved that we finally got a character who didn't feel the need to change this about ...more

That's a hard-earned three stars, there. That is to say, the book came back from a deficit. There were several times when I was pretty sure this was going to be a DNF for me. I figured out the twist about halfway through. By the end, though, the brothers' relationship won me over. I'm a sucker for siblings, I guess.
I'll be interested to see whether I like the second book better, now that the big "secret" is out in the open. And I wonder (but of course, we'll never know) whether this book wouldn' ...more
I'll be interested to see whether I like the second book better, now that the big "secret" is out in the open. And I wonder (but of course, we'll never know) whether this book wouldn' ...more

Am I the only one who thinks that all the hype about Sarah Rees Brennan as a real novelist is just that - hype?
Brennan got famous because she is VERY GOOD at parodying things that other writers actually created. Which is awesome and totally entertaining. But where Cassandra Clare proved that her fan fiction was hinting at immense skill, Brennan...Demon's Lexicon was just boring. Her characters are flat. Her stories are predictable. And...honestly, I just found myself wishing that I enjoyed her ...more
Brennan got famous because she is VERY GOOD at parodying things that other writers actually created. Which is awesome and totally entertaining. But where Cassandra Clare proved that her fan fiction was hinting at immense skill, Brennan...Demon's Lexicon was just boring. Her characters are flat. Her stories are predictable. And...honestly, I just found myself wishing that I enjoyed her ...more

Well.. It took me forever to finish this book but I liked it a lot! But I never had this much trouble to keep reading something that's interesting.
Nick is all kinds of awesome, his brother Alan is a little bit too emo for my taste, but I guess it's normal how protective he feels of Nick.
I can't wait to see what happens between Nick and Mae ^^
It's too damn hot today to come up with a decent review, so this will have to do. ...more
Nick is all kinds of awesome, his brother Alan is a little bit too emo for my taste, but I guess it's normal how protective he feels of Nick.
I can't wait to see what happens between Nick and Mae ^^
It's too damn hot today to come up with a decent review, so this will have to do. ...more
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Elie's Book Club: The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan | 1 | 10 | Mar 27, 2014 10:01PM | |
Spoilers! (who saw THAT coming?!) | 11 | 175 | May 22, 2013 11:11AM | |
The Lemon's Lexicon | 1 | 28 | Dec 14, 2011 07:56PM | |
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Sarah Rees Brennan is Irish and currently lives in Dublin. She's been writing YA books for more than ten years, which is terrifying to contemplate! She hopes you (yes you!) find at least one of them to be the kind of book you remember.
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Other books in the series
The Demon's Lexicon
(3 books)
News & Interviews
Why not focus on some serious family drama? Not yours, of course, but a fictional family whose story you can follow through the generations of...
155 likes · 58 comments
2 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Fear's useless. Either something bad happens or it doesn't: If it doesn't, you've wasted time being afraid, and if it does, you've wasted time that you could have spent sharpening your weapons.”
—
443 likes
“Some magicians are rich, some are famous, some are stupidly good-looking.'
Jamie gave Nick a rather complicated look.
Nick raised an eyebrow. 'Some of us manage to be stupidly good-looking on our own.”
—
97 likes
More quotes…
Jamie gave Nick a rather complicated look.
Nick raised an eyebrow. 'Some of us manage to be stupidly good-looking on our own.”