The Demon’s Lexicon (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Demon’s Lexicon Kate McDowell Brennan, Sarah Rees. The Demon’s Lexicon. McElderry, 2009 [336p]. ISBN 978-1-4169 6379-0 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7–10 Since their father died, brothers Nick and Alan have lived alone with their mentally unstable mother, formerly a magician. Now Black Arthur and the other magicians who killed the boys’ father have tracked the family down again, so they’re moving from the West Country into London. There they find new troubles when two kids from Nick’s school, Mae and her brother Jamie, come to them for protection from the demons that have marked Jamie as prey. The foursome head to the Goblin’s Market and the demon dance, where they hope that Nick’s uncanny ability to dance up demons will avert the fate that threatens Jamie—and now Alan as well. This story of teens on the run from evil forces swerves into psychological-thriller territory when Nick realizes that Alan is hiding family connections that prove that the boys aren’t really brothers, and the writing generates maximum eeriness from Nick’s cold and logical narration. Nick’s emotional emptiness first seems to be related to his learning disabilities, then to the possibility that he may be a magician, but in the end his almost inhuman detachment indicates something much more sinister about his nature. Brennan is skilled with suspense, slowly revealing that none of the characters are who they seem, and the clever plot twists effectively misdirect the reader enough times that the final revelation of Nick’s identity is breathtaking, rewriting all that came before. Give this to fantasy and horror fans alike, but don’t give away the surprise ending. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois