The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
ISBN: 978-1-4169-6381-3
Pages: 448

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.

The covenant is binding. There is no escape.

If you liked The Demon's Lexicon, you'll love The Demon's Covenant. It's got everything that made the first book glow, plus more!

I love the dark and gritty world that has been created in this series. The places you encounter and the groups of people that you meet while reading are just so realistic that you really feel as if you've been transported into the story!

I really felt closer to Nick and Alan in this book. Having Mae's thoughts on them completely re-shaped some of my previous notions. Nick in particular was really interesting to read about from Mae's perspective in this book. I know, I know - he's a demon, he's supposed to be evil, yada yada yada. I am physically incapable of hating him! Quite the contrary, my heart broke for him seeing how hard he tried to be good. I am really looking forward to seeing how he overcomes that barrier (if he does at all, that is) in the next book.

Brennan is an evil mastermind! Once again, she had me frantically flipping the pages to try and work out the tangled plot - it never worked! I was surprised (a lot) but I found myself loving every minute of it.

Finally, the actual writing is spectacular. Everything flows nicely even when the book is shooting off in a million different directions and there's a perfect balance of dark action and relieving humour.

Another heart-wrenching ending! I can't wait for the next book, The Demon's Surrender (Spring 2011).

Cover Comments: Very pretty! I really like the way Mae (or rather, the model that's supposed to be her) holds herself in that pose. It looks very elegant, very real and very ballet. This deep knowledge of ballet, of course, comes from the 4 months I spent teaching it to girls from ages 5-12. Translation? Don't listen to a word that comes out of my mouth about ballet - I have no idea what I'm saying. It's still a pretty cover though!