Same Book, Second Look: Demon's Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan

Published: June 2011

Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books

Pages: 387

Copy: Bought

Summary: Goodreads

The Goblin Market has always been the center of Sin’s world. But now the Market is at war with the magicians, and Sin’s place is in danger. Thrown out of the Market she loves, Sin is thrown together with brothers Nick and Alan—whom she’s always despised.

Alan has been marked by a magician and is being tortured so that the magicians can get to Nick. As Sin watches Alan struggle to protect the demon brother he loves, she begins to see him in a new light—but she and Mae are locked in a fierce rivalry over who will inherit the leadership of the Goblin Market, and a decisive battle with the Aventurine Circle is looming. Mae’s brother, Jamie, is holed up with the magicians, his loyalties in question. And Nick—well, who knows what a demon might do to save his brother? How far will Nick go to save Alan—and what will it cost them all?

First off I have to say how much I LOVED this trilogy.  It is now well up on my list of favourites. I had really enjoyed the first two and went out the day after it was released to get my own copy - then for some strange reason I didn't read it.  Perhaps because Christinabean beat me to it? (Check out her review HERE.) I have so little reading time these days, that it seems foolish to read something and then not review it.  Then a few days ago I started reading Demon's Surrender and found myself totally confused.  It was such a long time since I had read the others that I had almost completely forgotten the story line.  The moral here being, if you haven't already read books 1 and 2, don't start with #3.  You need to read this trilogy from the beginning for it to make much sense.

Thankfully it didn't take too long for it all to come back to me and Ms Brennan's magical story telling captured me completely. It is just so easy to fall into her alternate London and become immersed in the Goblin Market with its myriad different characters. This interchange between Sin, Mae and Nick is priceless - p348

"Mae met her eyes with a level gaze, glanced at Nick, then leaned forward, frowning and suddenly intent, as if Nick was a mathematical equation she was bent on solving.

'What?' Nick said at last. 'Do I have something on my face besides good-looking?'"

That is Mae and Nick in a nutshell, Mae - analytical, focused, absorbed and Nick - careless, blunt, confused, and of course good-looking!

The pictures that develop in my mind of Sin and Nick dancing at the market, or Mae and Alan on the magicians ship, are so clear, I actually found myself imagining it as a  movie and trying to decide who would be best for the characters.  So far I've got Dakota Fanning as Mae - can't you just see her with bright pink hair? - and Eddie Redmayne as Alan.  Not quite sure about the others yet, but I'm working on it!

This time around, Ms Brennan amped up the action even more and I just kept reading faster and faster.  You know when you start to feel your heart race that you have a winner.  Amazing character development, demon possessions, dancing circles, warring magicians, the Goblin Market and so much more, all adding up to an exciting thrill ride with some amazing twists and an extremely satisfying, if surprising, ending.  Things did not work out the way I expected them to and it was wonderful to read.

Thank you Ms Brennan for a very satisfying and enjoyable read.  Now what's next?