Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Juliann

In The Demons Lexicon,
all of the characters have depth, secrets, and agendas. Nick and Alan are loyal
and affectionate brothers. Their family is constantly on the move as they hunt
and are hunted by evil magicians and demons. Alan, 19, is the slight-built
older brother with a limp who fills in for their emotionally distant mother.
Nick, 16, is the tall, muscular, and brooding protector. Alan is an expert
shot, while Nick prefers swords and knives. Teenage siblings Mae and Jamie
interrupt their secret life when Jamie is marked by a demon. Mae is a strong
sister who will do anything for her bother.

 

The first two-thirds of the book is unsettling in the sense
that something is not right with the Ryves family, beyond hunting demons.
Brennan subtly layers clues throughout the book.  The twists in the last third of book (many truly surprising)
bring clarity. It all makes sense in the end, even the books title.

 

Brennan creates a unique, and, at times, complicated
mythology. She excels at sarcastic, and funny, teen banter.

 

The Demons Lexicon,
the first in a trilogy, is on the high school end of the young adult spectrum.
The story is artfully concluded as a standalone, but leaves enough questions
for the sequel.