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The Demon's Lexicon

The Demon's Lexicon
This edition: Hardcover, 336 pages
Ages: 14 and up
List Price: $21.99

Awards and Nominations

  • ALA Best Books For Young Adults
  • Kirkus Best Young Adult Book

Description

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 desperate 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.

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    1. Announcing Demon's Lexicon
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How did you come to write this book?

I've always been fascinated by demons, which are creatures of fire in Sumerian myth and creatures of air in Shakespeare's plays. Then I went rambling through England on a walking holiday and heard a lot of scary stories, and saw a documentary about wolves. Demons, wolves and scary things happening in the ordinary-seeming modern England - I had a book! I just had to write it.

Learn more about Sarah Rees Brennan
"The Demon's Lexicon is full of shimmery marvels and bountiful thunder."
-- Scott Westerfeld
"Sarah Rees Brennan crafts a twisty tale full of surprises."
-- Holly Black
"Witty, dark, and moving, this novel will keep your eyes glued to the pages."
-- Cassandra Clare
"From the pitch-perfect opening paragraph to the heartbreaking final pages, the narrative peels back layers of revelation, deftly ratcheting up the tension and horror to a series of shattering climaxes. Delicious."
-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
This debut urban fantasy, set in an England where magic is real, the first entry in The Demon's Lexicon Trilogy, starts with a bang. One minute Nick is fixing the sink in the kitchen while his older brother cooks. The next mintues the two are fighting for their lives, Nick with a sword and Alan with a gun, against an unkindness of ravens and a powerful magician. Killing the magician stops the attack, but it is a temporary respite. The two teens are demon slayers, in hiding to protect their ailing mother, an escaped magician. Now that Black Arthur has found them, flight is their only hope; however, before they can flee, a teenage girl asks for their help. Her younger brother has a three-tiered demon mark, a sentence of death, unless it can be removed. Nick's priority is to protect his brother, who has looked after him since their father was killed by demons. But Alan decides to share the demon marks, leaving Nick no choice but to find the magicians responisble. Until then, Mae and Jamie will have to flee and fight beside them.

Nonstop action, nail-biting supsense, clever rapartee, and a knockout secret involving the two brothers will keep readers on the edges of their seats. There is resolution at the end, but it is just the first stage of the battle. More dangerous challenges await these two intrepid fighters in The Demon's Covenant. Fans of the paranormal and the Supernatural television series are going to enjoy the adventures of these demon-fighting brothers, but so will aficionados of sharp writing, complex characters, fast-paced plots, teen angst, and the struggle between good and evil.

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-- VOYA April 2010
Houston Chronicle, March 25, 2010
...classroom surprises.' Simon & Schuster's 2009 participating authors included Mac Barnett, author of The Brixton Brothers series, Sarah Rees Brennan, author of The Demon's Lexicon trilogy, Jon Scieszka, author of the SPHDZ and Trucktown ...