Kat with a K

Demon's Lexicon Discussion: Chapter Two

(No one has responded about chapter one yet, but onward I press, full of blind optimism!)

If you've finished chapter two, keep reading . . .

Chapter Title: "Demon's Mark"

We started learning about this in chapter one, but in this chapter we learn more about Nick and Alan's division of labor. Alan cooks and makes nice with the outside world. Nick does the Mr. Fix-It thing and gets rid of bodies. They both kill things, but Nick likes swords and Alan likes guns. This splitting of duties is such a normal family thing, but the actual duties in question are a wonderful mix of the mundane and the fantastical. I love it. (Also, I would cook for Nick any day if he would fix things around my house.)

In this chapter, we also learn a little more about how the world is set up: demons and magicians and Circles. It's helpful that the boys are explaining things to Mae and Jamie, of course, but I like that it's not too much of an infodump, and there's still stuff to figure out. One big thing that's not explained is why the Circles are after the Ryves family. Theories?

When Nick tells the Crawfords some awful things about demons, Mae protests that he isn't helping. Nick: "I am helping. I'm telling you the truth." Nick is in favor of all truth, all the time - except he also wants to hide his real life from his schoolmates. Interesting.

The first chapter and a half look like we're being set up for one type of plot: people come to Our Heroes in distress and must be saved. But then Mae and Jamie (and us) get the dire news - Jamie can't be saved. Marked for death. That's it. Game over. From this, we learn that a) this story is not going exactly where we expected and b) this book is Pulling. No. Punches.

And then, oh, poor Alan, Alan of my heart, gets demon-marked as well, because he'd given his talisman to Mae. This gives Nick yet another reason to resent the Crawfords, but it also gives him and Mae something in common, as they both want to save their brothers. It will be interesting to see if and how he reconciles that.

Favorite Quotes:

"Of course Nick was expected to get rid of the body."

"She was just the type to like them tall, dark, and carrying a lethal weapon."

"Parents, bosses, animals, and children, they all liked Alan.
Girls liked Nick. He felt it was a fair trade."

"Alan, however, could never be stopped from talking by any power of God or Nick."

"Many people think I'm a blueberry scone." - Nick

"The doomed ones always upset Alan."

"Does mist generally strike in this house? Is it attack mist?" - Jamie