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krixel's review against another edition
4.0
The Demon's Surrender is the third and final book in The Demon's Lexicon trilogy, about brothers Nick and Alan Ryves, and the small group of people that get tangled up in their lives. On a larger scale the trilogy is about the people of the Goblin Market versus the Magicians, who summon demons to gain power, and in return give the demons human bodies to possess. Each book in the trilogy is narrated by a different character. The first book is narrated by Nick; the second is told from Mae's perspective, and the third is from the perspective of Goblin Market princess, Sin.
I wanted to love this book, because the first two in the trilogy are amazing. However, while the story line was there, and as an ending The Demon's Surrender proves solid, I had some difficulty relating to Sin. The two previous books drew me in, and I fell in love with both Nick and Mae as characters, and as narrators. I didn't have the same reaction to Sin. While Nick and Mae both came alive on the pages for me, Sin tended to be flat and uninteresting. In the case of the first two novels, I felt like I was experiencing the story, but with The Demon's Surrender I felt like I was simply reading a book.
This isn't to say that The Demon's Surrender is any better or worse than the first two books in the trilogy, because as I said, the plot is still strong, and the ending is satisfying. My biggest complaint with the book is more just a personal issue with connecting to the character. It isn't even that I didn't like Sin as a character, because I always enjoy a strong lead heroine, but for whatever reason I never clicked with her. I am sure there are many other readers who would disagree.
The Demon's Lexicon trilogy is still a wonderful young adult series, and the conclusion delivers a well-rounded and satisfying experience. It remains a series I will happily recommend, because Sarah Rees Brennan is one of the most surprising authors out right now. More than once her books have caught me off guard with their twists, in a very good way. She delivers the most unexpected events with an ease and style that makes them seem like the most natural progression in the world.
I'm sad that this series has ended because I adore the characters in it, but it ended in a way that leaves me content with where things stand. I look forward to reading any forthcoming projects from Ms. Brennan, as she has more than cemented herself on my automatic buy list of authors.
I wanted to love this book, because the first two in the trilogy are amazing. However, while the story line was there, and as an ending The Demon's Surrender proves solid, I had some difficulty relating to Sin. The two previous books drew me in, and I fell in love with both Nick and Mae as characters, and as narrators. I didn't have the same reaction to Sin. While Nick and Mae both came alive on the pages for me, Sin tended to be flat and uninteresting. In the case of the first two novels, I felt like I was experiencing the story, but with The Demon's Surrender I felt like I was simply reading a book.
This isn't to say that The Demon's Surrender is any better or worse than the first two books in the trilogy, because as I said, the plot is still strong, and the ending is satisfying. My biggest complaint with the book is more just a personal issue with connecting to the character. It isn't even that I didn't like Sin as a character, because I always enjoy a strong lead heroine, but for whatever reason I never clicked with her. I am sure there are many other readers who would disagree.
The Demon's Lexicon trilogy is still a wonderful young adult series, and the conclusion delivers a well-rounded and satisfying experience. It remains a series I will happily recommend, because Sarah Rees Brennan is one of the most surprising authors out right now. More than once her books have caught me off guard with their twists, in a very good way. She delivers the most unexpected events with an ease and style that makes them seem like the most natural progression in the world.
I'm sad that this series has ended because I adore the characters in it, but it ended in a way that leaves me content with where things stand. I look forward to reading any forthcoming projects from Ms. Brennan, as she has more than cemented herself on my automatic buy list of authors.
janina_reads's review against another edition
4.0
A satisfying conclusion to a series I've grown to love. Despite my earlier doubts about reading from Sin's point of view, this last installment even turned out to be my favourite.
A series with refreshingly different, diverse and ambivalent characters, full of twist and turns and an ending that is not sugar-coated and sweet, but shows that there is always a price to pay. I love that this series does not only feature romance, but also love between siblings and friends - it is so much more a tale about family ties - in the most unconventional sense - than all the other paranormal/urban fantasy YA books out there.
A series with refreshingly different, diverse and ambivalent characters, full of twist and turns and an ending that is not sugar-coated and sweet, but shows that there is always a price to pay. I love that this series does not only feature romance, but also love between siblings and friends - it is so much more a tale about family ties - in the most unconventional sense - than all the other paranormal/urban fantasy YA books out there.
hollybg's review against another edition
4.0
Bring It
Can I just say that normally I am not a fan of real people on covers? They always look so boringly normal and all I usually see is some tarted up 16 year old doing her best Facebook pout. But I don't see that here, this cover is gorgeous. That girl is totally Sin (look at her smoldering defiance and tremble!) and the burning London background is so very dramatic. And for a Super Bonus Cover Prize, this actually happens in the book! It is so rare these days that YA covers represent the story inside so well and look awesome at the same time.
The Nitty-Gritty
Sin loves the Goblin Market, it's been her home since she could crawl and, apart from her little siblings Todd and Lydie, dancing there is the most important thing to her in the world. She was all set to inherit it from Merris, the current leader. But now Merris has offered the place to Mae as well, a girl who is no more then a tourist and who only ever discovered the market because of Alan and Nick Ryves, Sin's allies in the Goblin Market's war against the Magicians. Now the Magicians have set their eyes on completely destroying the Market and everybody Sin loves. Reluctantly she turns to the Ryves brothers for help, which is less then ideal as she already feels like she owes Alan everything for saving her little brother life, and Sin hates owing debts. Especially to know-it-all, charming liars like Alan Ryves.
Bullseye!
So this is the last book in a trilogy and I can't really go into how good this book was without giving away some small spoilers. So if you haven't read The Demon's Lexicon and the The Demon's Covenant go do that now and you can thank me later.
Where to start? How about the fact that this book followed Sin, a character I hadn't really paid much attention to in the first two books. Mainly because she didn't feature as much as the others and also because she always came across a little prickly and cold. So I was a little surprised when I found out the final book followed Sin, and perhaps a little disappointed? Surely, I thought, the third book should have followed Alan? Nick then Mae and finally Alan, this made sense to me because I liked Alan and he was such a main character. But I needn't have worried, Ms Rees Brennan has clearly saved the best character for last. Sin is amazingly likable, admirable even. I may have developed a small girl crush (not unlike Mae) on Sin because she's just so awesome. She loves her little brother and sister and takes care of everything for them while still going to school and dancing at the markets all while dealing with the fact that Merris (a woman she has looked up to all her life) has invited a demon to share her body and is slipping away from Sin day by day. Oh and the fact she is now in direct competition for the leadership of the goblin market with Mae, a girl who has only been to the market four times.
Despite this Sin and Mae still maintain their easy friendship and I was so glad the story never got bogged down with misunderstandings or unaired suspicions. When Sin has very good reason to suspect Mae is actually a danger to the Market, she doesn't keep it to herself letting mistrust fester between them, she lays it out for Mae and asks for the truth. Which was so refreshing! The dialogue in this book is, at times, a little quippy for my tastes. But then I'm not a super master with twin blades or a sword so who knows? Maybe if I was I'd also have time to lay out some comedy gold between taking out enemies.
"She hadn't heard Nick move, but suddenly he was pushing past her, blade in hand, running towards the sound of the gun. Sin hesitated and then ran after him, through the pathways round the wagons to the other side of the hill. She was pulled up short by the dead body at her feet.
Nick was already kneeling by he body, his hand against its chest. He looked from that dead thing up at Sin, and he smiled a wild smile that made him look handsomer than she'd ever seen him.
'You can't be sure it was Alan'
'A shot in the dark, through the heart?' Nick asked. 'I'm sure.'
With some people it was a voice they would recognise, with some people a step in the hall. Sin guessed it was fitting that Nick could look at a corpse and see his brother's skill."
The action is as exciting and fascinating to read as before, it whips along so fast but Ms Rees Brennan writes such detailed explanations that you don't ever feel lost or confused while devouring the pages. In fact I think she writes some of the best fight scenes I've ever read and whatever she goes on to write next I hope she fills it with her awesome brand of fisticuffs.
I was also glad to see that the relationship between the brothers was just as strong in this installment as in the others, they don't have as much page-time together as before, but they're still scene stealers. Especially Alan who spends much of the first two books lying so convincingly to everyone you never really know what he's ever actually like. But Sin (or Cynthia as he insists in calling her) is more then a match for him when it comes to fibbing and together they both begin reveal more of themselves to each other through their lies, so much so that I became rather attached to the pair of them, which was a sneaky underhanded thing for Ms Rees Brennan to do as this book is the last in the series and now I want more!
Can I just say that normally I am not a fan of real people on covers? They always look so boringly normal and all I usually see is some tarted up 16 year old doing her best Facebook pout. But I don't see that here, this cover is gorgeous. That girl is totally Sin (look at her smoldering defiance and tremble!) and the burning London background is so very dramatic. And for a Super Bonus Cover Prize, this actually happens in the book! It is so rare these days that YA covers represent the story inside so well and look awesome at the same time.
The Nitty-Gritty
Sin loves the Goblin Market, it's been her home since she could crawl and, apart from her little siblings Todd and Lydie, dancing there is the most important thing to her in the world. She was all set to inherit it from Merris, the current leader. But now Merris has offered the place to Mae as well, a girl who is no more then a tourist and who only ever discovered the market because of Alan and Nick Ryves, Sin's allies in the Goblin Market's war against the Magicians. Now the Magicians have set their eyes on completely destroying the Market and everybody Sin loves. Reluctantly she turns to the Ryves brothers for help, which is less then ideal as she already feels like she owes Alan everything for saving her little brother life, and Sin hates owing debts. Especially to know-it-all, charming liars like Alan Ryves.
Bullseye!
So this is the last book in a trilogy and I can't really go into how good this book was without giving away some small spoilers. So if you haven't read The Demon's Lexicon and the The Demon's Covenant go do that now and you can thank me later.
Where to start? How about the fact that this book followed Sin, a character I hadn't really paid much attention to in the first two books. Mainly because she didn't feature as much as the others and also because she always came across a little prickly and cold. So I was a little surprised when I found out the final book followed Sin, and perhaps a little disappointed? Surely, I thought, the third book should have followed Alan? Nick then Mae and finally Alan, this made sense to me because I liked Alan and he was such a main character. But I needn't have worried, Ms Rees Brennan has clearly saved the best character for last. Sin is amazingly likable, admirable even. I may have developed a small girl crush (not unlike Mae) on Sin because she's just so awesome. She loves her little brother and sister and takes care of everything for them while still going to school and dancing at the markets all while dealing with the fact that Merris (a woman she has looked up to all her life) has invited a demon to share her body and is slipping away from Sin day by day. Oh and the fact she is now in direct competition for the leadership of the goblin market with Mae, a girl who has only been to the market four times.
Despite this Sin and Mae still maintain their easy friendship and I was so glad the story never got bogged down with misunderstandings or unaired suspicions. When Sin has very good reason to suspect Mae is actually a danger to the Market, she doesn't keep it to herself letting mistrust fester between them, she lays it out for Mae and asks for the truth. Which was so refreshing! The dialogue in this book is, at times, a little quippy for my tastes. But then I'm not a super master with twin blades or a sword so who knows? Maybe if I was I'd also have time to lay out some comedy gold between taking out enemies.
"She hadn't heard Nick move, but suddenly he was pushing past her, blade in hand, running towards the sound of the gun. Sin hesitated and then ran after him, through the pathways round the wagons to the other side of the hill. She was pulled up short by the dead body at her feet.
Nick was already kneeling by he body, his hand against its chest. He looked from that dead thing up at Sin, and he smiled a wild smile that made him look handsomer than she'd ever seen him.
'You can't be sure it was Alan'
'A shot in the dark, through the heart?' Nick asked. 'I'm sure.'
With some people it was a voice they would recognise, with some people a step in the hall. Sin guessed it was fitting that Nick could look at a corpse and see his brother's skill."
The action is as exciting and fascinating to read as before, it whips along so fast but Ms Rees Brennan writes such detailed explanations that you don't ever feel lost or confused while devouring the pages. In fact I think she writes some of the best fight scenes I've ever read and whatever she goes on to write next I hope she fills it with her awesome brand of fisticuffs.
I was also glad to see that the relationship between the brothers was just as strong in this installment as in the others, they don't have as much page-time together as before, but they're still scene stealers. Especially Alan who spends much of the first two books lying so convincingly to everyone you never really know what he's ever actually like. But Sin (or Cynthia as he insists in calling her) is more then a match for him when it comes to fibbing and together they both begin reveal more of themselves to each other through their lies, so much so that I became rather attached to the pair of them, which was a sneaky underhanded thing for Ms Rees Brennan to do as this book is the last in the series and now I want more!
tetleytea's review against another edition
5.0
Simply put, I loved it. This one was easily my favourite of the three books. Not only do I feel incredibly satisfied with the way everything played out, I actively wouldn't let myself go to bed, even though I desperately needed the sleep, because I HAD to know what was going to happen to Alan. At the major plot twist, I felt as though I had been stabbed through the heart with a pen. I am so incredibly happy with the main pairing in the book (i'm trying to avoid spoilers) and literally beamed at my book as I was reading all their scenes. Nothing but love for this series, guys.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
3.0
Snappy dialogue, good battle strategy and romance. Love it when the good guys win.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
This is one I'd give 4 1/2 stars to if possible. It is very good, if still not quite as good as the first one, and I give the author a lot of credit for managing a pretty "happily ever after" ending (I'm a sucker for those), considering how bad things looked towards the end.
seeinghowitgoes's review against another edition
4.0
Sin is a much more interesting character to have as a POV, the struggles she goes through on a daily basis are infinitely more interesting than Mae and it made for a much stronger book.
I still regret that we didn't get to spend as much time in the heads of Nick and Alan, but all in all it's a satisfactory ending to the trilogy.
I still regret that we didn't get to spend as much time in the heads of Nick and Alan, but all in all it's a satisfactory ending to the trilogy.
mollymortensen's review
3.0
Sin was the worst choice for the protagonist. I didn't like her and she was 90% left out of the main characters' plots. It felt like a side story. The action was off taking place with the main characters and all we get is what Sin's up to. As a short story it could've worked. Then we could see Sin's character growth and her cute little romance with Alan.
I want another book to actually cover the end of this epic trilogy!
It was annoying that a place like the market who distrusts outsiders would want Mae to be their leader instead of Sin who grew up among them. I agree, Mae is the better choice, but this is Sin's book. She took the back seat roll enough already.
I want another book to actually cover the end of this epic trilogy!
Spoiler
It was annoying that a place like the market who distrusts outsiders would want Mae to be their leader instead of Sin who grew up among them. I agree, Mae is the better choice, but this is Sin's book. She took the back seat roll enough already.
lydiature's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, wow. What can I say? This was such an incredible trilogy, the books getting better as they go. Even though the guy on the cover looks like Percy Weasley. I can overlook that. But to be serious, everyone should read this trilogy.
octagonal's review against another edition
5.0
I was worried that I wouldn't like Sin as a narrator, but I actually liked her a lot more than Mae. Perhaps because there was more Alan. And that is always a wonderful thing.
Alan and Nick just... I don't know whether to cry or hug my book or just flail with feelings now that it's over.
Either way, they are both officially welcome in my Harem of Fictional Men.
LOVED this series. So glad I randomly picked it up. I've been in a reading slump lately and this has more than helped! ghdajkhsgk. Feelings.
Alan and Nick just... I don't know whether to cry or hug my book or just flail with feelings now that it's over.
Either way, they are both officially welcome in my Harem of Fictional Men.
LOVED this series. So glad I randomly picked it up. I've been in a reading slump lately and this has more than helped! ghdajkhsgk. Feelings.