2020 EDIT: 'The Demon's Lexicon' is a well paced, exciting, horrific, funny and original YA urban fantasy. Unfortunately, I realise now that its female representation isn't good. At all.
You have Mae, a mostly useless poseur, tool, pawn and load; who is an object in a twisted and effed up love triangle between the two lead, feuding brothers, Nick and Alan. I don't think they consider her feelings about being sexualised and used once. She's the only girl in the supernatural hunting group, so of course she's the emotional support, is the only one who cries (this is seen as a feminine weakness), and she's attracted to a boy, Nick, who is dangerous and calls her an idiot and a useless waste of his time. He emotionally abuses and blackmails her, but she says it's not him she's upset with, it's herself. Being with these toxic and manipulative men means effectively gaslighting herself, and this is never addressed. Yeah, fuck that. Mae is like a parody of a punk teenage girl who is in way over her head - not as interesting or entertaining as that sounds - and she has no idea what she's doing and that she's merely a pawn in the brothers' schemes. She has no magic of her own but the men around her do. Whoop-dee-doo. It's all very 'Twilight' for an otherwise original YA fantasy.
On the subject of Mae's appearance - she has dyed pink hair and wears flashy, gothic clothes; how manic pixie dream girl-ish - the book suggests that teens only dress and act "rebellious" - i.e. take an interest in the goth aesthetic and anything to do with witchcraft and the occult - because they want their parents' attention. Really?
We also have the mad woman in the attic trope, in the form of Nick's mother Olivia, who is another load and tool. She is constantly dismissed as "crazy", even when her deep trauma is revealed (hint: she's an abuse victim, but receives no sympathy therewith, and is even blamed for it). I swear, her apparent beauty is presented as her only redeeming quality. Olivia, like nearly every female in the book, is disposable and becomes a fridged woman.
Even Merris Cromwell, the head honcho of the Goblin Market, gets blackmailed by one of the leading males in her final appearance around the middle of the story. No woman and girl is allowed to develop into her own character. Demons passing off as female just want sex, apparently. Any agency that the female characters possess are either undermined or nonexistent. They exist either on the sidelines, or as sidepieces, mouthpieces or exposition fairies for the men and boys to use and abuse as they see fit. Some are dead before the book begins. And all are pretty and sexy.
It's urban fantasy, what did I expect?
There's no POC rep, either.
One more thing: Mae's cursed brother Jamie is blatantly queer-coded. He's never explicitly queer, which is kind of a cop out for a dark and dramatic story like this. Heteronormality reigns supreme.
Compelling action and mystery aside, 'The Demon's Lexicon' could also be an interesting look into the mind of a teenage boy sociopath - and intentionally so. It's just a shame that its female presence is so problematic.
Final Score: 3/5
Original Review:
This review contains very minor spoilers which are not as well-placed as the clues to the mystery in this novel, but oh well.
For some strange reason, I felt drawn to 'The Demon's Lexicon' almost the instant I heard about it on Goodreads. My curiosity just peaked at its premise of two brothers either fighting or running away from demons while trying to remain a family. And the boy on the cover... no that's not a reason. I just knew I had to read it sooner or later, not caring if it was good or bad so long as my curiosity was satisfied. I had no high expectations for this one, weird as it sounds.
Not only did this book turn out to be better than I thought it would be, I'd go so far as saying that 'The Demon's Lexicon' is one of the highest quality YA novels I've ever read.
Seriously, the worldbuilding and the way magic is used and implemented in the story is brilliant. It gets the reader into the action right away and knows when to slow down when need be, such as for character interactions. Good pacing I'd say. It doesn't read like 'Harry Potter' or any fanfiction entry at all, suggesting that Ms Brennan has learned a lot about writing from that field. And there is originality here. I'm only speculating, since I haven't read any of her fanfiction, but it shouldn't matter anyway. Brennan's imagination and how she writes character relationships is superb - the brotherly connection between Nick and Alan is deep and complex.
The main character Nick is not a conventional "hero". He is in a sense heartless and uncaring of others, and yet he trusts Alan. He wants to trust the only family member he knows who isn't either dead (his father) or who hates being near him (his mother). I like how he doesn't take crap from anybody, not even his big brother.
Nick doesn't seem able to feel much emotion and he is distant; and that is usually irritating in any character, let alone a protagonist. But Brennan somehow makes you care for him. Maybe it's because he's still written as being vulnerable, like with having seasickness, and looking up to Alan and becoming jealous of his relationship with Mae and Jamie. I could tell, whilst reading, when Nick is feeling something that he himself cannot understand. I kept discovering more and more about him, and by the time I reached that magnificent and draw-dropping climax, I came to completely understand his character and the reasons for why he's the way he is. The plot ends up tying towards him.
So I like Nick. Also, he's broody but in a cute way, not in a bad boy archetypal way. You want to get to know him and hope he gets the answers to the many questions he has about himself. Makes sense? Well, that's just how complex Nick is.
As for Alan? He's a secretive and lying guardian for a good reason (a huge plus there). While Nick doesn't deliberately conceal his emotions, Alan does, but with the best of intentions for others. He loves his brother, which is an almost certain truth on his part. That's all I'll reveal about him.
The demons and magicians and what they do to innocent humans is truly horrifying (even as far as possessions go). The mystery is clever, well thought-out with foreshadowing, and is not obvious. Not for me anyway.
Of course people read things differently, and maybe this book isn't for everyone. But it's entertaining enough that any weaker elements or parts are easily overlooked by the wide range of creative ideas and awesome action-packed moments.
But the one thing I did mind about 'The Demon's Lexicon', and why I marked it 4 stars instead of 5, are the characters Mae and Jamie. I don't know, I found Mae to be a whiny and shallow child - even when she was standing up to Nick and worried about her brother - and Jamie to be boring, especially compared to the other characters in the rich magical world. Of course they are meant to be ordinary teens in contrast to the demon-slaying sibling pair of Nick and Alan, but their dedication to protect one another and their fear of the unknown and terrible could have been written better and more believably. Despite a few moments of bravery (leaning towards stupidity), I thought they were a nuisance a lot of the time. I didn't connect with them that much.
I've also heard that the sequel will be about Mae, or it will mostly be told from her point of view, so I am reluctant to read it. Sorry. But you never know, I might try it anyway in the near future.
This is only my opinion, and it shouldn't discourage anyone who hasn't yet read the book.
I'm afraid to add anything more due to huge spoilers. I highly recommend 'The Demon's Lexicon' and believe everyone should give it a try. It is an enjoyable, dark and moving read about self-realisation and human nature. It gives me faith in the YA market.
Final Score: 4/5
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