Kat with a K

Demon's Lexicon Discussion: Chapter One

Welcome to our first discussion thread! As you can see, I gave up my idea of lumping chapters together and decided to go through one at a time, mostly so the posts wouldn't get too long and also so you all can read them at your own pace if/when you get the book. I'll be posting one chapter about every other day. I've got some thoughts and questions first, and then my favorite quotes from the chapter. Feel free to respond to what I've said and/or jump in with your own opinions!

Chapter Title: "Ravens in the Kitchen"

We jump right into the action and are expected to keep up, even though we're in a somewhat unfamiliar world. I know that some readers like this sort of beginning, while others, especially those who don't read much fantasy, would rather have the world set up and explained first. Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle - this beginning left me a little confused but a lot intrigued, and I ended up really liking the fact that I had the chance to figure out the world for myself as I read. How about you?

Another thing we get right away is the relationship between Ryves brothers Nick and Alan. They banter, even as they're fighting demonic ravens, and their banter is obviously hiding So Many Feelings that they may or may not acknowledge. What do you think of the brothers so far? Do you have a favorite?

Meanwhile, Nick and Alan's Mum is certainly . . . mysterious. And not very motherly. She does little to endear herself to the reader here, and since we're in Nick's head, that's obviously a reflection of how he sees her. Any theories on what's going on with her?

And then, of course, we meet another pair of siblings: Mae and Jamie Crawford. They're adorable, and naive, but Mae, at least, is brave - perhaps to a fault. They seem to think they need help with something "occult," but Nick doesn't really believe that they know what that means. His first impression of them is certainly not very positive, but he agrees to help - for Alan.

Favorite Quotes:

"The pipe under the kitchen sink was leaking again. It wouldn't have been so bad, except that Nick kept his favorite sword under the sink."

"'If we start selling my body to old ladies now,' Nick said, 'can I quit school?'"

"Aristotle can bite me." - Nick

"Let's not argue with the crazy person holding the enormous sword!" - Jamie

"My life was going to flash before my eyes, but it decided to hide behind my eyes and quake with terror instead." - Jamie

Mae's shirt: ROMEO AND JULIET WOULDN'T HAVE LASTED