The Demon King: A Seven Realms Novel

A fantasy world is new, interesting, and magical. There are places you can never go to, evils that you never want to encounter, and wonders you can only dream of. A good fantasy can transport us to an entirely new realm. In Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series, she starts the journey for us with The Demon King to a land we can't help but get sucked into. Raisa is the princess heir of the Queendom, the next in line for the throne. In a land where queens and wizards are bound to one another but forbidden to marry to avoid the power corruption that happened with the Demon King, Raisa knows the seriousness of her post. At the same time, she can't help but feel suffocated by the yoke of her destiny. Han is a reformed thief who gave up easy money and his gang in order to protect and care for his mother and sister. Now he scrounges for work wherever he can, but it is harder to make money the honest way. Both live in the same realm, but they couldn't live more different lives if they tries. Raisa is plagued with suitors and princess from other realms vying for her hand in marriage, but she is content flirting and kissing with no thoughts of the future. When she learns of the corruption on the streets at the hands of the queen's guards in the name of the Queendom, she has to see for herself. In disguise, she becomes the brief hostage of Han who is wanted for multiple gang murders he did not commit. Meanwhile, the wizards continue to test their boundaries and the High Wizard has clearly corrupted the Queen, Raisa's mother. While Han doesn't hurt Raisa, he releases her quickly and inspires her to see the true nature of the streets of her queendom. Her discoveries not only lead her to the corruption lying beneath, but also the danger she herself seems to be in. Raisa and Han might live completely different lives, but they are fighting against the same evils in order to protect the one thing that truly matters: the realm and the line of queens that protect its people. I really love fantasy, but sometimes it takes me a while to get into the new world which is so foreign and unknown. Once I do, though, I can't pry myself from the story. The Seven Realms have an amazing backdrop in a magical but almost medieval land full of wizards, amulets, ancient feuds, and destinies. Not only is the world building by Chima pretty amazing, we finally find ourselves with an awesome, strong, willful princess and, by golly, a matriarchy! I love the Queendom! And Raisa is the strong woman you want her to be. I loved how she dresses in disguise and goes to investigate the rumors that their guards are horrible and corrupt by herself. She doesn't send someone to do it for her, she goes on her own! And when her childhood friend, a new guard, protests, she tells him if he doesn't escort her, then she is going with or without him! When Han lets her go and she learns of his former gang members being held prisoner for crimes they didn't commit, she marches right into the guardhouse as a vagrant child and takes hold of the guardhouse from the inside with the evil guards as her prisoners! Even better is when she takes all the jewelry her suitors lavish on her and donates it to the Speaker (priest) to feed and clothe the starving people of the realm! I loved this princess and can't wait to see her assume more of her role as a queen. At the end of the story, we are left with the Queendom uncertain, but if this book says anything about Raisa, she is going to prevail (and kick some serious butt in the process!). I think this is a magnificent series for any person, adult, young adult, or middle reader, who likes fantasy, but it would also appeal to people who don't often read fantasy novels. I think it is similar to the world building in the Graceling series, where it feels like medieval Europe, but has a wonderful fanciful, magical element as well. Enough "normalcy" exists to appeal to both the hard-core fantasy readers and those who like realistic fiction as well. There is no real violence or sexual content to speak of, so this book is great for any kid who can handle the reading level (probably 5-6 grade strong reader and up). The beauty of the story is the strong female role and the matriarch. In world full of patriarchy and a country that has never had a female president, I love the idea of a world for our students to read about that has strong women at the helm! (Too bad it is in the "fantasy" section!). I can't wait to carry on with this story and hope you will check it out too. It is a magnificent start to what looks to be a fantastic series!

The Demon King was a wonderful beginning to this series. Chima's last Heir series was fantastic (i'm in my 20's and read them twice)! She is a great writer and i love this imaginary place i go; when i read her books. As for some details on the Demon King: It's the first book in a series of i believe 4, so prepare yourself to want more after the end of book 1. The ending is sufficient, but you still feel like you need more. The characters are written incredibly well, each of them with such independent qualities that you are drawn to. I appreciate that this writer doesn't make her characters idiots. The main characters may not know what we do as readers, but they aren't daft imbeciles like some other writers make their characters. We are given a Gangs of New York meets an upscale Indian reservation meets evil Harry Potter- esque setting. The story involves wizards, royalty, gangs, warriors, traders, pirates and i assume the next books will bring us more. We have poor versus royalty, wizards versus warriors, family versus duty. There are 2 stories that go back and forth from chapter to chapter. We have Han (also known as Hunts Alone) and Raisa (the Grey Wolf Princess heir). They both are located in the same city, living opposite lives. Princess Raisa is turning 16 and is coming into her own. She faces the ordeal of marrying young, what's proper for her royal status, and the treachery of politics and wizardry. She has a great view on how she wants to rule as a Queen, but it seems as though the important people in the castle aren't supporting her. Han lives the street life trying to make a buck to help his mom and sister survive while they try to make it through life living upstairs from a barn in the middle of the dreary city. Han also is very close with a "clan" outside his city who has donned him with his clan name of Hunts Alone. They foster him while he's in town and true friends belong there. Throughout the story, we wait for these 2 characters to meet and we are not disappointed when they do... The roles of the characters are somewhat predictable, but it didn't change anything for me. I still loved the story, the writing, and the characters. I definitely recommend this book. If you're interested in young adult, fantasy, sci fi; then this won't be a waste of your time. I didn't give it 5 stars because i can be a tough critic...and there are other books i've read that i enjoyed more.

I got the audiobook from my library's website. It was a daunting 10 hours long. But, two trips up to Idaho and a couple commutes to work did the trick. The world building in this novel was phenomenal. I haven't read The Warrior Heir or its series yet, but if this is what all of Cinda Williams Chima's books are like, then I'm hopping on board. This was a complex environment with court intrigue, wars, political feuds, gangs, and a bit of native spirit. Han was a fantastic protagonist in all his reformed bad boy charm. I don't like bad boys, but if they have reformed, I can get on board. Han had a rough life and it seems that no matter how hard he tried to stay out of trouble, it keeps finding him. I loved how incidents at the beginning of the story that were almost skipped over at the beginning became very important to the story. Now, about Raisa. I loved her, hated her, and then loved her again. I could not understand her fascination for Micah. What a little snake (Micah, not Raisa). But, she has a good heart, which tells me that I may like her a little better in the sequel. She was spoiled and extremely naive, which is why I hated her. However, as time went on, she definitely grew. I suppose it is unfair to hold Raisa accountable for her actions at the beginning of the book since she really was sheltered by no fault of her own. She has conviction, and while many of her actions were selfish, she does acknowledge that later in the book and even makes penance! My favorite characters in the book were Aman Burn, Corporal Burn, Willow, and of course Averil Demoneye. Some may find the sheer number of characters overwhelming, but maybe because I was listening to the audio version, the different voices made it a little easier to tell them apart. Here is my one complaint about the book. Many of the major climactic events in the story had several pages/minutes of dialogue leading up to them. After about 2-3 minutes of dialogue I knew exactly what was going to happen. This wasn't a bad thing in itself, but it was a little lengthy. At one point I yelled at the audiobook, "Oh just get on with it already!" It, of course, did not respond. The book could have been a little more succinct and just gotten to the point a little faster. The ending of this novel was PERFECT! I do not like cliffhangers. Catching Fire may be the only book I've ever actually thrown, and it was for this reason. The Demon King wrapped up beautifully. Many of the main conflicts in the story were resolved, but there is definitely more to the story. I am kind of reminded of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. At the end of that book, you knew there was more to the story. Voldemort was not defeated. It was only the first leg of a journey. This is how a good series should be. I can't wait to read The Exiled Queen when it is released in September. Until then, I have many more Cinda Williams Chima books to keep me company.

I wasn't sure about this book at first, but then easily came to love it. It's one of the few High Fantasy books that is completely based on character. The Demon King takes two very different perspectives; one of Han, an ex-street lord who must find a way to feed his mother and sister without going back to crime. And Raisa, the Princess Heir of the Fells, whose biggest problem lies in her broad choice of suitors. Despite this, the tension builds due to several factors. The ending made me hungry for more and I immediately went out for the sequel, which I then devoured in a night. I love Han the more I read about him. And Raisa, despite the slightly cliche rebellious princess character is very well developed, although I liked her more in The Exiled Queen. She is one of those that grow on you. My only warning is that it starts off slow, and I've heard of many people who gave up on this book prematurely. To read this book and properly get into it, you have to read to the midpoint. If you get to the midpoint and you still haven't fallen in love, then by all means, drop it. Maybe it's not for you. But please READ TO THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK. Ideally, when Raisa and Han meet, because by that point I couldn't put it down no matter how hard I tried. Overall, I would definitely recommend this series twice over. It's the best series I've ever read. Yeah. It's THAT good.

The Demon King The Seven Realms Book #1 By Cinda Williams Chima KU: NO Non-KU Price: $8.99 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Book Summary: Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell—the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off. One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han 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 freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. 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 her mother has other plans for her... The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards. My Review: In this world villains aren’t always evil and heroes aren’t always good. Demon King is a wonderful blend of world building and mythology couched in histories. The book also serves as an introduction to two main characters, Han “Cuffs” McAlister and Raisa ana’Marianna, and a host of side characters. Each one fully developed with layers of backstory, strong emotions, flaws, and desires. Ms. Chima has built a world so rich in background and enriched with characterization that you feel immersed after reading only a few pages. She’s pulled in pieces of real world cultures and spun them into a fantastical realm, with amazing results. Long ago there was only one realm, broken by the famed Demon King in his quest for magical prowess. Now there are Seven Realms. Fells is a small mountain kingdom ruled by the blooded queens of Hanalea’s bloodline. The Clans, the wizards, and the humans inhabit the Fells under an uneasy truce because of the Naeming, enforced by the blooded queens of the Fells. Something subtle is trying to shift the balance of peace, hoping to topple the Fells into civil war. Caught in the center of the shifting powers are Han and Raisa. Han is a former street thief and gang leader. He’s trying to evade wizards who are killing in an effort to find something they think he has, only to be blamed for those murders by the Queen’s Guard. Stuck in a no-win situation, all he wants to do is survive. Raisa is a headstrong princess who is hungry for real world experiences. She’s tired of being cooped up in a gilded cage and wants to change the world for the better. One chance encounter may well change the fate of both of their worlds. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Demon King. What I got was a read worth devouring in a single sitting, characters that lived with their flaws and it made them richer. I craved the next book. Heck, I read all three in less than a week. While I want to give Demon King 5 stars, I have a serious problem doing that for any book with a cliffhanger ending. If I was reviewing the entire series, I would, but I’m only reviewing one book. I give Demon King 4 out of 5 stars. If you want an immersive read, pick it up and prepare to lose sleep.

So, this is a book many of my middle school readers have been pushing me to read. They can't say enough good things about it. Based on their recommendation (and my enjoyment of Chima's previous work) I've been book talking it since it came out but never actually read it. Note to self: when your middle schoolers tell you to read something... do it! I absolutely loved this book. Cinda Williams Chima does an amazing job world-building. Like, "I can't even begin to tell you here because I would ramble on and on and on" amazing. As a reader I felt I had all the details I needed to get a feel for the world without getting bogged down lengthy descriptions. The beautiful maps on the endpapers helped too ;) I am in love with the characters that Chima introduces us to. Please don't make me pick who I love most. Han tries so hard and is so quick and clever. Raisa knows her mind and wants to be a good queen for her people. Micah is such a contradiction. Dancer is... well, Dancer. And Amon... sweet honorable Amon. I love you all! I especially love that the chapters alternate between different characters. I am super nosey and want to know what is happening with EVERYONE. It's so totally my business right? ;) Seriously. Be smarter than me. Read this book ASAP! Random Things I Loved: *The names of the characters and places *The fact that The Fells is a queendom *"Cuffs" *Speaker Jemson *The way I felt drawn in to the world as well as the characters lives *Pretty much everything about Raisa *Chapter titles! I LOVE chapter titles! I really loved that there was no list of chapters so I had to be nosy and flip through the book. It made me try to predict what would happen. Apparently I suck at that! *The kissing :)

I am always reading fantasy novels but find very few authors that really grab me. For over twenty years, my favorite author has been Terry Brooks, but look out Terry, you might have competition.... I bought the Demon King on a whim when it was suggested to me. It actually took me a few weeks to get into the story. Admittedly, I thought the book started out way to slow, and it threw me for a moment getting used to names like "Hunts Alone" so I wasn't for sure I would finish the book, because it seemed overly-detailed. After a few weeks of boredom, I picked the book back up, and gave it a second chance. I read a few chapters and I was hooked. I realized that Cinda Williams Chima's attention to detail was purposeful; she wasn't finger painting, she was drawing a masterpiece. Every detail began to jump off the page and pull me in further. I know it's been said that everything has already been written, and there will be people who argue that she's pulled from greats such as Lord of the Rings, (or as you read the second novel in the series) Great Expectations, or even Harry Potter, but the story stands on its own, with turns and twists that you wouldn't expect, even death of the most innocent. All in all its a story of the beginning's of a young man rising to greatness as I believe we will see in the end of the series. Please Cinda, don't let this series end in a third installment, Han has a lot he can do, and I think it'll take at least 7-8 books, haha. If you love authors like Dickens, Tolkien, or Rowling, and George R.R. Martin, you'll thoroughly enjoy the Demon King.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima YA/Fantasy Audio Politics, the history of legends, and wealth, and the lack of, weave this story around Han, a teenager trying to make enough to feed his mother and litter sister in the city of Fellsmarch without going back into the world of violence and thievery, and Raisa, the princess of the Fells who is naive to the reality of how her mother rules the people, and the corruption the high wizard is orchestrating, growing his power even though it is forbidden. The two MCs only meet once in this story, but it's obvious that their paths have to cross again as are some of the plots this first book of the series announces, and their two worlds of rich and poor will twist throughout the series. Some of the events were expected, and a 'who' was a given as soon as the story started, but there was one event that was a surprise, though the character's reaction was lame. Sure an excuse was given why they didn't show a lot of emotion, but I felt less love for the character after that, and I stopped 'respecting' them because they didn't act as if they cared, even though it was preached about before that they did. A little more in that part and I would've given it one more star, but... 3 Stars

I pre-read this book first to see if it would be appropriate for my advanced sixth grade readers, and found myself drawn into the world. Before I knew it I'd read the entire series. Chima has some of the tightest writing and most likeable characters I've ever come across. The one drawback to the first book is that because we are following two distinct character story lines it takes a long time to get into the meat of the book. The story has a slow start but it's worth the wait. An engrossing story in a vivd, imaginative world.

A slow start in the series that could’ve easily been shortened in the following books. However, the story gets better in the next book

The book came in a shabby condition.

Für junges Publikum, aber für jedes Alter trotzdem sehr fesselnd. Charaktere so ausgestaltet, dass man sich identifiziert. Absolut zu empfehlen.

Please, note that my review is exactly what I have on Goodreads. But talking about the quality of the book, it came in perfect shape. I always use Amazon for this kind of books, since I love to read in the original language! _______ GOODREADS REVIEW: The Demong King is an entertaining reading and the beginning of a book series that promises to be more than just a fantasy story. We have two different POVs, one is the princess Raisa, heir to the Queendom, and the other is Han Alister, a guy of many faces whose past might become his new identity. I must admit this first book is a slow burn, but I think that it was a good decision since the world building is taking us in the events of the present, but also, it explains what happened in the past with Hanalea, the Demon King and the Breaking. It explains bonds, oaths, the people living in different countries and their ambition; also magic around them, some spelled objects and of course, the true identities of our main characters –how they will fulfill their destiny. It took me a little while to understand this world, since I had just finished Tower of Dawn (a book I did not enjoyed for the most part), but I’m glad I picked this up. At the end of the book I cared so much for the characters that I wanted them to be out of the trouble they were in. I liked the interaction between Raisa and Amon and even though they cannot be together as a couple, I find that they’re important to each other and that’s beautiful either way. And oh my God, the sweet moments between Mari and Han are so damn beautiful! I wish she had another ending, or at least, that he would mourn her like she deserved. Last but not least, this is the first book in the fantasy genre I read about a Queendom. So I was surprised by that treat! But, honestly, I hope things get a little bit more exciting, since I think Raisa and Han are gonna meet again.