Pages: 322
Favourite Quotes: "Get down", he whispered. "I'm way ahead of you", Jamie said from the floor.
On the morning of the fourth day, Jamie tipped a switchblade out of his box of cornflakes. "I think these promotional campaigns have really gone out of hand", he said, freezing with his hand on the milk carton. "One shiny free knife with every packet of cereal bought is not a good message to send out to the kiddies."
Nick and his brother Alan are on the run with their mother, who was once the lover of a powerful magician. When she left him, she stole an important charm - and he will stop at nothing to reclaim it. Now Alan has been marked with the sign of death by the magician's demon, and only Nick can save him. But to do so he must face those he has fled from all his life - the magicians - and kill them. So the hunted becomes the hunter... but in saving his brother, Nick discovers something that will unravel his whole past.
Now this is not the kind of narrator you often get, ladies. Cassandra Clare was on to something when she described this story as "Witty, Dark and Moving". Nick, is your typical bad boy: moody, witty and sarcastic with handsome features and dark thoughts. Oh, and he happens to have a hobby of killing demons too. Bonus points for swords wielding *wiggles eyebrows*.
But really, Nick is a unique cup of narrator tea (aside from the part where, every second page, we are reminded of his unbelievable attractive appearance *rolls eyes*). He's negative, angry, rude and downright hateful towards everything but his brother Alan. He has absolutely no problem with threatening others and cares little about other people's welfare, including his own mother's... And then there's Alan, who appears to have gotten all the kindness and care and overall niceness for both of them. You wouldn't think they'd make this relationship work... but you'd be surprised.
The relationship between these two characters is unparalleled. There is nothing Nick would not do for Alan and, by the end of the book, you'll easily see that the feeling is mutual. In this aspect, they remind me a lot of the Winchesters... with one key difference that I won't dare mention.
Brennan has this fantastic way of making characters come alive and developing them in the middle of a hostage situation (literally). From the very beginning, it is all hands on and practical, in a pack your shit we're going adventuring theme. Even as a reader, you don't get a break. This book, you don't put down until it's done or otherwise fear that it might go on without you. And let's talk about the way she lets those brilliant characters interact:
The drab brown front of the house made it look as if it had been built from rusty spare parts. Someone always put lace curtains in the windows of dreary houses, and Nick was unsurprised to see the curtains making their attempts in every window of this place. There was a china garden gnome on the doorstep, wearing a desperate, crazy smile.
"It's not so bad", Alan said.
"You never take me nice places anymore, baby", said Nick, and was mildly gratified by Alan's ring of laughter, like a living bell that had been caught by surprise when it was struck.
The author also goes all out on three dimensional secondary characters, which is about the biggest thumbs up I can give to an author. Mae and Jamie are both well developed, in their own clearly defined sibling relationship and personalities. It is very refreshing to find a book that has not only an interesting world, but also strong, interesting characters. Now don't get me wrong; they're not all bad-asses with a license to kill tons of demons. In fact, Jamie is quite the opposite. However, his representation is incredibly strong. He might be easily intimidated and spends an unhealthy (well, probably healthy considering) amount of time curled up on the ground being protected by Nick, Alan or Mae, but he nevertheless is a very strongly written character. Kind of like a geeky version of Neville that becomes more adorable in the same way that Neville gets hotter; slowly and then all at once.
What I loved most about this book though, is the witty dialogue. It's never out of place, yet it always takes you by surprise and never fails to elicit a laugh, at the very least, a smile. It's the most charming aspect of Nick's personality, actually and he pulls it off well.
"You're dressed for dancing", she said in her throaty stage voice.
"Being undressed for dancing occurred to me, but I didn't think Merris would like it."
Of course, we are not going to forget the undeniably unforgettable plot. I won't go into details, since I don't want to spoil the surprise, but let me tell you: this book has one book slamming ending that will send you straight into the line for its sequel (Demon's Covenant, if you're interested).
For the love of witty banter and cantankerous narrators, get on this book. Just try to skip the constant mention of the narrator's incredibly hot appearance, and you'll love the reading experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment