Early thoughts on THE DEMON'S COVENANT

I'm neck-deep in The Demon's Covenant and enjoying every minute of it.  You know how some books come across as sloppily written, flabby and unfocused, and others seem exceptionally tight and clean?  Well, TDC is as taut as a bowstring.  The prose is so lovely and expressive at points that I can't help being jealous of Sarah Rees Brennan's control.  Her description of the Goblin Market and Liannan in Chapters 9 and 10 is so alluring as to draw you in, much like the way Mae is drawn to the fairy lights and magic of the market.  It's like a dark fairytale, one so twisted and enchanting that you can't help but wish it were real.

It's obvious that Brennan doesn't just sit down at her computer, bang out a bunch of words, and call it a story.  Thought and deliberation went into this scene, as they do in all of her scenes.  Her characters are so well drawn as to be almost lifelike, in the sense that you can't predict what they'll say or do.  Their reactions are always surprising and genuine, like real people.

And they way she plays with words, it's almost magical itself.  The idea of Nick losing his words, or Liannan literally going down in flames, are just delightful to read.  

There's something almost circular or self-contained about each scene, as if they were constructed with as much thought and care as the whole story.  Each one feels important, reveals something new or furthers something only briefly hinted at before.  Not one line of the novel feels out of place or unnecessary, and yet it feels full and rounded as good writing should. 

Another reviewer described the plot as a series of layers, cleverly peeled away one at a time to reveal the mystery lurking at its core.  But it's so much more than just a well-written mystery with well-developed characters.  There is real depth at the heart of this story, real questions about what it means to be human, to be a family, to love.   

I'm only about halfway through the book, but I want to savor every clever sentence and characterization.  Already I see the set-up building for the final book in the series, The Demon's Surrender, and I can't wait to see how a certain pair of characters develop romantically (and no, I'm not talking about Mae and Nick).

Of course I read the last pages of TDC first and so already know how it ends, but my enjoyment remains undiminished.  Simply reading Brennan's prose is a pleasure, and I can easily say that this is one of the best-written books I've read this year, if not one of the best stories.   

I just thought I'd share my early thoughts with you, my dear Imaginary Reader.  Until we meet again...