Book #27: The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan

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A book about boys, set in England, magic is a bad thing, maybe they're all just misunderstood, not Supernatural but kind of like it.

Yes, I read a book about boys. rj_anderson put it in my hands fewer than five hours after meeting me, and I like that kind of trust, so I read it. There were a couple spots in the middle where I nearly STOPPED reading it, but when that happened, I'd just set it down for a couple hours and then come back later.

The thing that made me want to STOP reading the book was Nick's apathy. Sometimes it was even worse than apathy. I hate it when people are mean for no reason. Also, there was quite a bit of moaning, and I am not a fan of that.

The thing that made me want to KEEP reading what that Rees Brennan wrote in such a way that I knew she had a reason for Nick's behaviour. And once I'd figured that out, it was relatively easy to theorize about what that reason was. And once I'd figured that out, the book became quite a bit more fun.

Also, Jamie was hilarious.

I liked the connection between Alan and Nick quite a bit at the end, for all it failed to resonate with me at the beginning. The bit where we find out about Alan teaching Nick to talk, and how Nick's bond to that particular memory brought him back.

To me, "Lexicon" means book. I felt weird that there was never a book, because I was waiting for it to show up, but I got it at the end, so it's okay.

Mae had better get super powers in the sequel, is all I'm saying.

So 8 out of 10. I know. I'm as surprised as you are. ;)

Comments

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I TOLD YOU. DID I NOT TELL YOU?

Also, the next book is even more awesome. I have two copies of that as well, and would give you one, except that the one copy has fifty pages missing and the same fifty pages repeated in its stead and when I got to that point on the first reading I had to e-mail Sarah Rees Brennan and beg shamelessly for a PDF of those missing pages because if I had to stop and wait for a complete copy I WOULD DIE.

And it is probably some deeply disturbing insight into my character that I love Nick. Not in the "ooh I dig bad boys" way, in the "I feel for you, poor lamb, I really do" kind of way. Though I don't think I would be able to feel that way if Alan and Mae (and even in his own way, Jamie) weren't so capable of dealing with Nick's extremes as they are.

Anyway, Mae is fabulous in Book Two, and she has the super power of being a great narrator, which is good enough for me.

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I think any sympathy I felt for Nick was definitely channelled through Alan and maybe Mae. Jamie seemed to take everything pretty well, all things considered.

Yeah....you told me. ;)