Book Jacket
Mae always thought she was in control, but in the past few weeks, control has turned into chaos. She's learned that her brother, Jamie, has magical powers, and that Gerald, the new leader of the Obsidian Circle, is trying to persuade Jamie to join the magicians. The same magicians who tried to kill Mae and Jamie last month in London. The magicians who get their power by feeding people to demons.
Mae turns to brothers Nick and Alan to help her rescue Jamie, but they are in danger themselves. Every magician in England now knows what Nick really is--and they all want him dead.
Nick's new power has also caused a rift between the brothers. In the weeks they were gone something terrible happened, something that haunts them both. With Nick as unreadable as ever and Alan making secret bargains with a demon, Mae finds herself attracted to both brothers--though she knows she can't trust either of them. The magicians are closing in on one side, and the dangerous, seductive Goblin Market is tempting her on the other, and Mae has to form her own plan to save them all. She's going to find that the price she must pay is more than she ever imagined.
Review
This is the sequel to The Demon's Lexicon, so do not read this review if you haven't read that first!
More Nick, Alan, Jamie, and Mae! I love them all. And I am pleased to report that while they have all been through more than anyone should ever endure, they are still delightfully snarky, emotionally confused, and intensely loving (in their own, sometimes unusual, ways). They crack me up so hard. Though granted, that is really Sarah Rees Brennan's brilliant dialogue shining through.
The Demon's Covenant has secret plans and plot twists just like the first, but I didn't think any of them were as mind-blowing as in the first novel, for the simple reason that the twists are less personal this time around. Still, it is all very much of the good, and there was one part in particular that made me stop and flip back to see if the twist had been foreshadowed. It totally had, but I fell for it anyway.
This book is narrated by Mae, and while I find her to be awesome as a character, I don't know what to think of her as narrator. Nick's turn was over, granted. Alan can't be narrator because he always has a hidden agenda, and it would be less fun to be in his head and know the end game too soon. Jamie might be good, but probably his head is filled with random and insane thoughts.
Mae is the only option left of the Fab Four, but the problem is that much of the action takes place without her. Several scenes are revealed only because she stumbles across people talking or hangs back and observes a fight. That is fine for her as a character, but not a riveting way to tell the story.
Next book is from Sin's perspective, though, and I think it will be fabulous! I loved her in her small scenes throughout the first and second books. I love her friendship with Mae that is completely devoid of jealousy. Book three will be epic, I am sure.
That is too much nit-picking! Things I loved: Alan and Nick's relationship after the big reveal! It is both harsher and more loving than ever before. I love seeing characters through Mae's more observant eyes. I loved the part when Jamie gets drunk and is absolutely hilarious. I love Jamie and Nick's new friendship! I love Alan being awesome. I loved having more Liannan (and hope for more Anzu in the 3rd).
Four out of five summoning dances.
Release Date: May 2010
Reading Level: Grade 9+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection: YPL BRE
Don't believe me? Check out these reviews of The Demon's Covenant:
The Book Smugglers
The Crooked Shelf
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