The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan is an engaging Young Adult Fantasy novel, but breaks away from the YA stereotype for a number of reasons.
This novel is darker that the usual YA fare, and captures the harsh realities of life on the run. Nick and Alan, brothers escaping from evil magicians, have to live in “grimly poor places” while trying to live within their means. Nick also has to make the daunting choice between saving his brother or saving Justin, a boy who has sought his help. There is no pretense of nobility here; Nick makes the choice an ordinary person would make: he chooses his brother.
Brennan also artfully weaves mythology in her book to create a world that is believable and realistic for the teen reader. Relying mostly on traditional satanic tales about demons, the author puts Nick and Alan in a world where demons possess humans, but magicians are humans who work to satisfy their own ends. They are power-hungry, and manipulate possessed humans to do their bidding.
The way Brennan conveys love and trust between the characters of Nick and Justin and between Justin and his sister, Mae, is admirable. In this novel there is are no stronger relationships than familial bonds. This is demonstrated by the time when Alan gave his talisman, which protected its wearer from demons, to Nick, who had been hurt by the magicians. Alan also has unconditional love for their mother, despite her being more of a liability than an aid when Alan and Nick have to face the magicians.
Compared to other books in its genre, The Demon’s Lexicon stands out because of its fresh approach to common motifs. Like the Twilight series, there is the brooding, adolescent male and his love interest, but we soon see that even Nick has his flaws. Unlike Bella, Mae threatens to become a thorn in Nick and Alan’s relationship, but she staunchly refuses to be used as collateral. She is characterised by her determination and fierce love for her brother, and this stands in stark contrast to the feeble and passive females in other YA fantasy novels.
Seeing that this is Brennan’s debut novel, there are inevitably some gaps in the narrative that could have been rectified by further research. The author, however, makes up for this by her lush description of the magical world, and her witty humor that would make even the most cynical teenager laugh. In all, it is a satisfying read that is refreshing in its perspective of characters common to the Young Adult genre.
Sarah Rees Brennan is well known for using social networking services such as Livejournal and Twitter to build a following, and has recently released a sequel to The Demon’s Lexicon, The Demon’s Covenant.
