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book review! finally
I really should have made this post while the book was still fresh in my mind, but here we go!
Fahye's thoughts on The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
1) SHIPPING COMES FIRST
Some words on Seb, to begin with: no, I didn't call any of the twists related to him. For ages I had no idea what the hell he was doing in the book, though I appreciated him as a symbol of Mae's independence from normal narrative tropes, and her awareness of the fact that she didn't have to be involved in any damn story, romantic or otherwise, if she didn't want to be. I liked that Jamie shut him down with good reason. For a while I thought he'd die, and that wouldn't have sat quite right with me. But -- I don't know. I didn't quite buy him as a coherent whole.
Now, let's talk about Mae and the Ryves boys! I've thought a bit about this since I finished the book and despite my initial trepidation, I really like where the book took her relationships with the both of them. Why? Lexicon was all about how falling for the tall, dark and dangerous boy is really not a good idea. The great thing is that in Covenant we find out just how dangerous Alan is, and guess what? Falling for the tall, dark and dangerous boy is still not a good idea, even if he geeks out over ancient languages and walks with a limp. The reason Mae can be in love with Nick (who, let's face it, still deserves all three of those adjectives) and this series can still retain its internal logical consistency on this point is because of the person Mae is, and her priorities and values.
Honesty comes through again and again as being massively important to Mae: she hates having to lie to any of the boys in her life, especially her brother, and she is deeply hurt that Jamie is keeping things from her. Alan -- Alan is a liar. Alan lies automatically and perfectly and unapologetically and constantly, and although he is a wonderful person in many ways, he will always be a liar.
The absolute most telling quote in the book, as far as Mae's feelings for Nick are concerned, is the one about compliments coming from someone who is incapable of lying being the best compliments to receive. Mae knows that Nick is deeply flawed, she knows what he is and what he's done and what he could do, but he won't lie to her. To be honest (ha!), I really loved the way their snarky and delightful friendship was going throughout most of the book, and would have been happy for them to just keep it on that level. I don't ship them strongly. But I adore Mae and I want her to have whatever she decides she wants, so if they wish to snark and also make out (and, um, hello, that scene on the roof was SMOKING HOT) then I am DOWN WITH THAT.
I want to now quote something that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bookelfe said because I think it's very smart:
the most dangerous thing about Alan, I think, is the way that he will never believe that anyone except possibly Nick actually loves him. Because it simultaneously makes people want to prove him wrong, even though he'll never believe it, thus making them easier for him to manipulate - I can see very clearly how very easy a trap that would be to fall into - and it means he has no brakes; he is pre-emptively not afraid of losing anyone's trust.
We have never seen Alan's point of view, and we never will. But while the same is true of Jamie, Jamie is -- for the most part -- a transparent character. He keeps his own secrets and his own motivations, sure, but we as readers generally have a fair idea of where he's coming from. However, the Fiendishly Tricky Schemes Of Alan Ryves have provided backbone and driving force for books 1 and 2 and by now we -- and Mae -- know that he can't be trusted.
The only other thing I have to say about shipping is that I wanted Sin and Mae to make out SO MUCH but whatever, that's what the third book is for: SIN/MAE/NICK, AM I RIGHT?
2) LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE EVERYONE
Alan: ALAN. Yeah, I love his character the most. I love the very real unpleasantness that sits alongside his world-defying love for his brother. He's a torturer, but not a sadist; he's a mastermind, but not a megalomaniac. He's stronger than anyone else in the books. He's absolutely human but, unlike Nick, he has a broad and depressingly complex idea of what humanity actually means. When you get right down to it, a lot of my meh-ness regarding Mae/Nick stems from the fact that I identify more with Alan than any other character in these books, so I don't want him to lose things that make him happy. But if there's one thing SRB is good at, it's pointing out that You Can't Always Get What You Want, even when you're officially on the side of good. You know. Relatively.
Nick: He will never be my favourite, but I adore him anyway. The way he always talks about swords and how good-looking he is! His fears and affections and the way they manifest themselves. Learning to be human, gah.
Mae: Our daring narrator! Her self-awareness sometimes felt a bit heavy-handed -- yes, yes, she's subverting such-and-such, maybe she doesn't need to spell it out for us quite so clearly -- but let's face it, I'd much rather have someone like Mae who narrates and considers and owns her story, than someone who lacks her agency and guts. She's admirable but she's not over-the-top about it; her love for the Goblin Market is that of everyone who's dragged into a magical world and doesn't let the danger ruin their initial sense of appreciation and wonder. All through the first book Nick was thinking insulting thoughts about 'tourists', but in this book we can recognise that there's nothing silly about Mae and her ambition.
Jamie: OH JAMIE <3 He is, of course, the vehicle for all the magnificent sarcasm that characterised Sarah's fanfiction, and in the first book there was so much going on that I think he struggled to be more than that vehicle. But if the second book was nothing else, it was the book of Jamie Crawford's awesomeness coming to the fore; he's unapologetic about who he is, and he's got a steely sense of his own worth. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he gets up to in the third book when he's relying on his own initiative.
Sin: Femme fatale extraordinaire! Like everyone else in the book, she's driven by family concerns, and she's that rare beast of a strong, intelligent woman who's comfortable with her sexuality and femininity but isn't defined by them. The first time I heard that she was the POV character for the third book, I was a bit nonplussed, but now I'm really excited to hear her history and get to know her from inside her own head. She's clearly living quite a different story to that of the Ryveses and the Crawfords, and I want to know what it is.
3) FAMILY IS EVERYTHING
God, god, if I can ever write family relationships the way SRB does, I will die happy and go to the heaven reserved for heartbreakingly amazing authors. Daniel's diary was a satisfying illustration of that (though holy shit, I may never recover from baby-Alan and his quiet, fiery-eyed protection of baby-Nick FROM ALAN'S OWN FATHER), but let's talk --
RYVESES: Is that how you pluralise Ryves? Do I care? No. I really can't find words for how much I love Nick and Alan and their ruthless prioritising of each other. It's the same thing that made me like Supernatural in the face of my deep antipathy for the horror genre. Alan's bargains. Nick's bargains. The terrible lengths they'll go to to help each other and prove how much they need each other. Mae's central misunderstanding of what Nick fears most was a deftly handled emotional blow, but the afterburn was glorious.
CRAWFORDS: Jamie and Mae. And their matching shirts. And how well they know each other, and their protectiveness and self-reliance which is no less fierce than that of the Ryves brothers. (If you'll forgive a brief excursion into selfishness: I find it interesting to compare them to my self-reliant siblings who feel abandoned by their parents, and it's certainly true that Agatha and Julian map onto the Crawfords in terms of some of their interpersonal dynamics and their approach to the extrapersonal world. Though Aggie is...very, very different to Mae.) The dancing game made my heart ache terribly, because I've never been that close to my brother, and private jokes are my favourite.
And now for the Addendum of Annabel, who sprang out of nowhere with her fencing abilities and suddenly became one of the best things about the book! Mae reconciling her opinions of her mother with new information (Mavis is a beautiful name) was a really good counterpoint to Nick's discoveries about Daniel's emotional journey. But I agree with Becca that her death left me feeling bitter, because the Crawford family unit was just beginning to expand in interesting ways (fuck yes, fighting mothers!), and now...it can't. And now every single main character including Sin is suffering from Dead Mother Syndrome. Yay.
I SHOULD MAYBE STOP TYPING NOW
This post has been basically character analysis, huh. I did appreciate the plot! With all the magic and the scheming and the nightclubbing and the DANCING and the demons (more demons in the third book, I hope!) and the SURPRISE ZOMBIES hahahahah. I loved the use of London as a setting -- truly, the USE of it, the landmarks and the city-sense, and the fucking swordfight on the fucking Millenium Bridge! But the characters and the dialogue are what I really read this series for.
Bring on book three :)
Fahye's thoughts on The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
1) SHIPPING COMES FIRST
Some words on Seb, to begin with: no, I didn't call any of the twists related to him. For ages I had no idea what the hell he was doing in the book, though I appreciated him as a symbol of Mae's independence from normal narrative tropes, and her awareness of the fact that she didn't have to be involved in any damn story, romantic or otherwise, if she didn't want to be. I liked that Jamie shut him down with good reason. For a while I thought he'd die, and that wouldn't have sat quite right with me. But -- I don't know. I didn't quite buy him as a coherent whole.
Now, let's talk about Mae and the Ryves boys! I've thought a bit about this since I finished the book and despite my initial trepidation, I really like where the book took her relationships with the both of them. Why? Lexicon was all about how falling for the tall, dark and dangerous boy is really not a good idea. The great thing is that in Covenant we find out just how dangerous Alan is, and guess what? Falling for the tall, dark and dangerous boy is still not a good idea, even if he geeks out over ancient languages and walks with a limp. The reason Mae can be in love with Nick (who, let's face it, still deserves all three of those adjectives) and this series can still retain its internal logical consistency on this point is because of the person Mae is, and her priorities and values.
Honesty comes through again and again as being massively important to Mae: she hates having to lie to any of the boys in her life, especially her brother, and she is deeply hurt that Jamie is keeping things from her. Alan -- Alan is a liar. Alan lies automatically and perfectly and unapologetically and constantly, and although he is a wonderful person in many ways, he will always be a liar.
The absolute most telling quote in the book, as far as Mae's feelings for Nick are concerned, is the one about compliments coming from someone who is incapable of lying being the best compliments to receive. Mae knows that Nick is deeply flawed, she knows what he is and what he's done and what he could do, but he won't lie to her. To be honest (ha!), I really loved the way their snarky and delightful friendship was going throughout most of the book, and would have been happy for them to just keep it on that level. I don't ship them strongly. But I adore Mae and I want her to have whatever she decides she wants, so if they wish to snark and also make out (and, um, hello, that scene on the roof was SMOKING HOT) then I am DOWN WITH THAT.
I want to now quote something that
bookelfe said because I think it's very smart:the most dangerous thing about Alan, I think, is the way that he will never believe that anyone except possibly Nick actually loves him. Because it simultaneously makes people want to prove him wrong, even though he'll never believe it, thus making them easier for him to manipulate - I can see very clearly how very easy a trap that would be to fall into - and it means he has no brakes; he is pre-emptively not afraid of losing anyone's trust.
We have never seen Alan's point of view, and we never will. But while the same is true of Jamie, Jamie is -- for the most part -- a transparent character. He keeps his own secrets and his own motivations, sure, but we as readers generally have a fair idea of where he's coming from. However, the Fiendishly Tricky Schemes Of Alan Ryves have provided backbone and driving force for books 1 and 2 and by now we -- and Mae -- know that he can't be trusted.
The only other thing I have to say about shipping is that I wanted Sin and Mae to make out SO MUCH but whatever, that's what the third book is for: SIN/MAE/NICK, AM I RIGHT?
2) LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE EVERYONE
Alan: ALAN. Yeah, I love his character the most. I love the very real unpleasantness that sits alongside his world-defying love for his brother. He's a torturer, but not a sadist; he's a mastermind, but not a megalomaniac. He's stronger than anyone else in the books. He's absolutely human but, unlike Nick, he has a broad and depressingly complex idea of what humanity actually means. When you get right down to it, a lot of my meh-ness regarding Mae/Nick stems from the fact that I identify more with Alan than any other character in these books, so I don't want him to lose things that make him happy. But if there's one thing SRB is good at, it's pointing out that You Can't Always Get What You Want, even when you're officially on the side of good. You know. Relatively.
Nick: He will never be my favourite, but I adore him anyway. The way he always talks about swords and how good-looking he is! His fears and affections and the way they manifest themselves. Learning to be human, gah.
Mae: Our daring narrator! Her self-awareness sometimes felt a bit heavy-handed -- yes, yes, she's subverting such-and-such, maybe she doesn't need to spell it out for us quite so clearly -- but let's face it, I'd much rather have someone like Mae who narrates and considers and owns her story, than someone who lacks her agency and guts. She's admirable but she's not over-the-top about it; her love for the Goblin Market is that of everyone who's dragged into a magical world and doesn't let the danger ruin their initial sense of appreciation and wonder. All through the first book Nick was thinking insulting thoughts about 'tourists', but in this book we can recognise that there's nothing silly about Mae and her ambition.
Jamie: OH JAMIE <3 He is, of course, the vehicle for all the magnificent sarcasm that characterised Sarah's fanfiction, and in the first book there was so much going on that I think he struggled to be more than that vehicle. But if the second book was nothing else, it was the book of Jamie Crawford's awesomeness coming to the fore; he's unapologetic about who he is, and he's got a steely sense of his own worth. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he gets up to in the third book when he's relying on his own initiative.
Sin: Femme fatale extraordinaire! Like everyone else in the book, she's driven by family concerns, and she's that rare beast of a strong, intelligent woman who's comfortable with her sexuality and femininity but isn't defined by them. The first time I heard that she was the POV character for the third book, I was a bit nonplussed, but now I'm really excited to hear her history and get to know her from inside her own head. She's clearly living quite a different story to that of the Ryveses and the Crawfords, and I want to know what it is.
3) FAMILY IS EVERYTHING
God, god, if I can ever write family relationships the way SRB does, I will die happy and go to the heaven reserved for heartbreakingly amazing authors. Daniel's diary was a satisfying illustration of that (though holy shit, I may never recover from baby-Alan and his quiet, fiery-eyed protection of baby-Nick FROM ALAN'S OWN FATHER), but let's talk --
RYVESES: Is that how you pluralise Ryves? Do I care? No. I really can't find words for how much I love Nick and Alan and their ruthless prioritising of each other. It's the same thing that made me like Supernatural in the face of my deep antipathy for the horror genre. Alan's bargains. Nick's bargains. The terrible lengths they'll go to to help each other and prove how much they need each other. Mae's central misunderstanding of what Nick fears most was a deftly handled emotional blow, but the afterburn was glorious.
CRAWFORDS: Jamie and Mae. And their matching shirts. And how well they know each other, and their protectiveness and self-reliance which is no less fierce than that of the Ryves brothers. (If you'll forgive a brief excursion into selfishness: I find it interesting to compare them to my self-reliant siblings who feel abandoned by their parents, and it's certainly true that Agatha and Julian map onto the Crawfords in terms of some of their interpersonal dynamics and their approach to the extrapersonal world. Though Aggie is...very, very different to Mae.) The dancing game made my heart ache terribly, because I've never been that close to my brother, and private jokes are my favourite.
And now for the Addendum of Annabel, who sprang out of nowhere with her fencing abilities and suddenly became one of the best things about the book! Mae reconciling her opinions of her mother with new information (Mavis is a beautiful name) was a really good counterpoint to Nick's discoveries about Daniel's emotional journey. But I agree with Becca that her death left me feeling bitter, because the Crawford family unit was just beginning to expand in interesting ways (fuck yes, fighting mothers!), and now...it can't. And now every single main character including Sin is suffering from Dead Mother Syndrome. Yay.
I SHOULD MAYBE STOP TYPING NOW
This post has been basically character analysis, huh. I did appreciate the plot! With all the magic and the scheming and the nightclubbing and the DANCING and the demons (more demons in the third book, I hope!) and the SURPRISE ZOMBIES hahahahah. I loved the use of London as a setting -- truly, the USE of it, the landmarks and the city-sense, and the fucking swordfight on the fucking Millenium Bridge! But the characters and the dialogue are what I really read this series for.
Bring on book three :)
Re: oh i don't know if we're warning for spoilers but SPOILERS
*facepalm* that sentence up there should have had an ending ("without getting distracted by SLASH!").
Haha, I think that what we will lose in offscreen Nick/Jamie totally-not-dating interactions we'll have in onscreen Jamie-and-Nick-bickering-over-when-Nick-gets-to-come-rescue-him-from-the-magicians-already interactions, for which I will HAPPILY SETTLE, especially when switching to Sin's POV also means MORE SIN, more gorgeous hot strategic action-ready Sin; MORE DEMON'S MARKET (i think that's basically everyone's favorite setting from these books when they're not BATTLING ON THE MILLENNIUM BRIDGE), and more Sin assessing all of Mae's assets. *bats eyes* I love Sin/Mae so much, I am just like BRING IT ON PLEASE. But I also am not really invested in all of the pairings so much as I'm just like PLEASE ALL BE HAPPY FOREVER AND DO NOT DIE. God if Jamie dies I will mourn for a year. :(
I have so many conflicted feelings about Alan but I don't think that I really am at a point where I can articulate them easily, so mostly I just don't try. I think that I would like to see him in a healthy relationship WITH HIMSELF first and foremost. :( Oh, Alan.
re: Nick's sociopathy, I kind of equate my reading of him to the way I read Yagami Light from Death Note, since they both reminded me a whole lot of sulky, sullen, silent teenage boys I have known over the years--where I think the tendency is to automatically read them as purely sociopathic, something distanced and separate from the viewer, but this is really undermined by the fact that real boys act exactly like this too and often feel exactly like this. Which is not to say that I think they are the same character at all, but rather the way the text invites us to read them initially is similar. Daniel Ryves acts, I think, as a signifier for the labels and the assumptions we place automatically on things and people who aren't like us; I think the series is basically in the process of breaking down all those assumptions about Nick the same way Daniel's own assumptions were broken down. So naturally we all start from the place where we see Nick as cold and inhuman, and I certainly think he himself starts from that place, and I know Sin does! But by the end, I have great hopes that we'll have had our assumptions about him broken down into something more complex and accessible. I mean, we're already on that journey. I'm just excited to see it happen.
Re: oh i don't know if we're warning for spoilers but SPOILERS
Re: oh i don't know if we're warning for spoilers but SPOILERS
A messy and unfinished happy ending is exactly what I hope for! I neither wish nor expect for everything to be wrapped up in a tidy bow. Moves towards emotional healthiness for all, that is all I ask. And nobody more dead (although I know this is unlikely. I still kind of think Seb at least is marked for doom, but I am sort of okay with that if it means everyone else will be spared.)
Re: oh i don't know if we're warning for spoilers but SPOILERS