The Demon King
Ratings62
Average rating4
15
Ratings62
Average rating4
Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell. For as long as Han can remember, he’s worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off. While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back. Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai camp – riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for. The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.
Featured Series
4 primary booksSeven Realms is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2009 with contributions by Cinda Williams Chima.
Reviews with the most likes.
I had stopped reading series books, too much reading for not enough return. But This. Was. Wonderful. So wonderful that I wasn't even irritated by the joke name of one of our two protagonists.
Got some free time on my hands, might as well write a review.
Sometimes it's difficult to put yourself in the shoes of sixteen-year-old heroes. Especially if you don't really have the experience of living in the same world as characters and seldom can really understand them. So, here is the author's purpose: not only to tell a story but make the reader feel for the characters.
There are different kinds of first books in the series. The Demon King is essentially an introduction to the story that takes all book. We meet the characters, get to know their life and aspirations, their fears. After a couple of days, the only thing that I can remember is that the plot felt very smooth. There were literally no moments that made me excited or scared (except for a couple where I was irritated with Raisa, the Princess Heir).
I don't want to read the second book right now. Actually, I don't even know if I will pick it up later.
Now this was a story that had me glued to the pages. Thank-you to my friend Reeshe for giving this and its sequel (The Exiled Queen) to me for Christmas because as soon as I had picked up the first and read it I had moved on to the second.
This book excelled in my two loves - great characters and great word-building. Cinda Williams Chima has a boundless imagination and she knows how to use it to make a fantastical adventure story.
The Demon King is told from two very different POVS that of Hans Alister reformed thief lord and that of Raisa ana'Marianna princess heir to the Queendom. Both Han and Raisa are obviously two characters raised in very different settings but they were both characters that I had grown to like very quickly. Han is a charming former criminal trying his best to make an honest living while taking care of his sister and mother while Raisa is quickly approaching her sixteenth birthday where she will be required to choose a husband. What I liked about Raisa though was that she wasn't moping around at the prospect of having to get married. She sees it as a duty and she considers each option not with her heart but with who would be best suited to help her rule her kingdom and make it prosper, it also doesn't stop her from flirting with the occasional guy and having a bit of fun because she knows that it will have to end when she turns sixteen.
Both characters are brave and smart and by position and circumstance their lives are pulled into great danger and towards each other.
There are wizards, royalty, street gangs, and clansmen all swirling around in the world of The Seven Realms and although there were certain parts of the plot that were entirely predictable the way the story was written made me not care in the slightest.
This was very good and a fast read after a few pages. The story was engrossing. The fantasy element hasn't really kicked in much yet.
The characters were all amazing.
List of morons - The Queen, The High Wizard, Micah Bayar.
Loved: Amon, Hunts Alone, Dancer, Averill Demonai.
I liked how the stories entangled to bring the characters together. I also liked how the story didn't shy away from romance either.
Things I liked:
- The way the Clans lived.
- The Clan names.
- Raisa and her father's relationship was so nicely portrayed.
- Raisa always finding a way out!
- Poor Amon
