The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: The Demon's Lexicon

Author: Sarah Rees Brennan

Published: June 2009

Source: The Library

Synopsis from goodreads.com:

Nick and his brother, Alan, have spent their lives on the run from magic. Their father was murdered, and their mother was driven mad by magicians and the demons who give them power. The magicians are hunting the Ryves family for a charm that Nick's mother stole -- a charm that keeps her alive -- and they want it badly enough to kill again.

Danger draws even closer when a brother and sister come to the Ryves family for help. The boy wears a demon's mark, a sign of death that almost nothing can erase...and when Alan also gets marked by a demon, Nick is des-perate to save him. The only way to do that is to kill one of the magicians they have been hiding from for so long.

Ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse, Nick starts to suspect that his brother is telling him lie after lie about their past. As the magicians' Circle closes in on their family, Nick uncovers the secret that could destroy them all.

Wow, what a book! I'd have to say that it's the best book that I've read lately. Reading from Nick's point of view was very refreshing. It was like being inside the head of the ultimate bad boy, the one that all of the girls swoon over and who you know that you should stay away from. It was nice to not see the story as the swooning girl. Though sometimes I really didn't like Nick at all, but that was okay, in those places you're not supposed to.

All of the characters in this book are extremely complex and real. I don't know how she did it, but I felt like I knew all of the characters. The imagery is really good too. I could see certain scenes, such as the Goblin Market, like I was there. And the plot...

The book starts out relatively straight forward: Nick and Alan are running from magicians with their crazy mother because she has an amulet that they want and if she takes it off she dies. Jamie and Mae come to them for help because weird things have been happening to Jamie. Some things happen and they figure that they have to go hunting for some magicians. By then I figured that the rest of the book was going to be all about the problem presented in the first few chapters. I was way off base. So much more happens. The drama, the mystery surrounding Nick and Alan, the action. It all adds up to an awesome book full of everything that you could ever ask for. I devoured it.

Characters: 10/10

Plot: 10/10

Originality: 9/10

Writing: 9/10

Ending: 8/10

Overall: 46/50 A

Cover/Title: 3/5 I like the title, it shows that the book is the beginning, the explanation. I'm not a big fan of the image. The colors really don't do much for me, and the guy isn't how I picture Nick. I like the font though, and the amulet around is neck is true to the story.

I was hooked: by the fourth chapter

Recommend to: Fans of The Mortal Instruments. There are a lot of similar elements.

Sequel: The Demon's Covenant, coming in May.