Let’s do some simple math, shall we? Take two brothers. Subtract one father. Add a troubled past and old wounds. Multiply the oldest brother’s brains by ten, and then multiply the youngest brother’s hotness by twenty. The answer: THE DEMON’S LEXICON by Sarah Rees Brennan.

There is a deluge of supernatural fiction coming into the YA market these days, so much so that even a fantasy/sci-fi/speculative girl like myself can get a little jaded. As the advanced reader proofs start stacking up on my shelf, each promising to be “the next Twilight,” I admit I’ve become a bit wary. What I’m looking for isn’t the next anything; what I’m looking for is something different, something clever, something daring. This is why THE DEMON’S LEXICON works for me. It’s more of a family drama, where a mother driven mad keeps all the family secrets, and brothers Nick and Alan divide the meager scraps of her affection as they seek to protect her. They live in a darker reality than ours, where magicians use demons to work their magic, and these magicians have been pursuing their family since their father’s death.

Alan’s the good cop to Nick’s bad cop, and when schoolmates Jamie and Mae show up on their front porch in deep supernatural trouble, Nick wants them out the door. Alan feels an obligation to help Jamie, who has been marked by a demon (which means very nasty, bad things), though a sudden brutal attack by a group of magicians causes him to cross a dangerous line. Suddenly Nick regards his brother anew, and he doesn’t like what he sees. Has Alan been lying to him all along? Who is the woman in the picture he keeps hidden? Why does Nick’s mother hate him so much? When is it time to stop running and face your demons (literal and otherwise)?

Sarah Rees Brennan makes her debut with THE DEMON’S LEXICON, and she writes like someone with a much longer bibliography. I also appreciate that the publisher, McElderry Books, recommends the book for ages 14 and up, as there are some violent moments (demons, you know) and a few sexual references. If you’re looking for kick-butt fight scenes, seriously cool magic, a girl who’s stronger than she thinks, a family twisting under the weight of its own lies, and yes, two (delicious) brothers who might destroy the world in the process, then look no further.