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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
WOW. Definitely adding this to my favorites list.
I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to read this...
If you love fantasy... READ THIS.
Full Book Discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H8PNsCSn3Zk
I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to read this...
If you love fantasy... READ THIS.
Full Book Discussion on YouTube: https://youtu.be/H8PNsCSn3Zk
I absolutely loved The Demon King. The worldbuilding is so intricate and it's as sofisticated as any YA or adult fantasy I've read so far. At the same time, the narration is written in such a way that I feel younger readers can enjoy the story as well. It's been a long time since I've read a story that feels like it has such a wide reach for audience, and I loved it. I am fully invested in the characters' stories and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Also, I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a fantastic job.
5 Stars!!!! My New Favourite Book!!
Im just overwhelmed by how much i loved this, don't get me wrong this begun really slow because i had to get into two completely separate stories. But around about the 150 Page mark i was sucked in and it only got better. By the end i had to keep taking breaks to calm down with all that was happening. Even though i figured out both the big surprises i still felt them all the same which shows the amazing writing on Cinda Williams Chima's part. The writing was amazing and the world and characters where just so beautiful written.
One thing i will say is if you don't love High Fantasy don't read this because this book was not written for everyone, but any fantasy lover should love it.
Bravo *slow clap*
Im just overwhelmed by how much i loved this, don't get me wrong this begun really slow because i had to get into two completely separate stories. But around about the 150 Page mark i was sucked in and it only got better. By the end i had to keep taking breaks to calm down with all that was happening. Even though i figured out both the big surprises i still felt them all the same which shows the amazing writing on Cinda Williams Chima's part. The writing was amazing and the world and characters where just so beautiful written.
One thing i will say is if you don't love High Fantasy don't read this because this book was not written for everyone, but any fantasy lover should love it.
Bravo *slow clap*
Exciting!.. Cuffs and Raisa are not the usual type of main characters and their portrayal is good
A relatively standard fantasy with the requisite bad guys influencing the royalty and vying for more power while the scrappy princess strives to protect her country with the help of a band of loyal misfits, but it has more going on under the surface. The princess has several occasions where she comes face to face with her own privilege (not always addressed in books, even if this one overcomes the issues very easily), there is a lot of racial mistrust and even hate, and a lot of not being entirely sure whom to trust.
There were some flaws that irritated me, such as a scene where one character says something like, "whoa, I hope he doesn't recognize us; he could totally recognize us" then a few pages later is astounded that they were recognized. And there is a lot of "this whole thing is my fault; that person is dead because of me; I'm the cause of all of this", but that's also typical teenage thinking, and the main characters are all under 19. Which then gets a little icky feeling when several of them get married, but that's my issue, not the book's.
A pretty good series that I am reading all the way through (although skimming a few places).
There were some flaws that irritated me, such as a scene where one character says something like, "whoa, I hope he doesn't recognize us; he could totally recognize us" then a few pages later is astounded that they were recognized. And there is a lot of "this whole thing is my fault; that person is dead because of me; I'm the cause of all of this", but that's also typical teenage thinking, and the main characters are all under 19. Which then gets a little icky feeling when several of them get married, but that's my issue, not the book's.
A pretty good series that I am reading all the way through (although skimming a few places).
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Okay. I held off on writing this review until after I had finished the series, because, right or wrong, where this book leads, ultimately weighs on my opinion of each book. I'm going to attempt to separate these reviews accordingly.
I went into this book without any preconceived notions or expectations. I had very nearly chosen this at random because I had just finished a book I really did not enjoy, and I wanted an immersive YA fantasy-type book. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
This first book in the series had a little bit of a slow start. There were a lot of characters to introduce, and a lot of world-building (done successfully) to accomplish, along with the major story arc. The major characters are all over the place (literally and figuratively) at first, but as the story progresses you can kind of see where the lines will cross. That said, these are fully-fleshed out characters, with wonderful writing to stand them up and have them walk about on their own. Chima's writing is marvelously straightforward and lyrical at the same time. It was a solid 3-star book for me, and that was all I needed to dive, willingly, into the second book.
I went into this book without any preconceived notions or expectations. I had very nearly chosen this at random because I had just finished a book I really did not enjoy, and I wanted an immersive YA fantasy-type book. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
This first book in the series had a little bit of a slow start. There were a lot of characters to introduce, and a lot of world-building (done successfully) to accomplish, along with the major story arc. The major characters are all over the place (literally and figuratively) at first, but as the story progresses you can kind of see where the lines will cross. That said, these are fully-fleshed out characters, with wonderful writing to stand them up and have them walk about on their own. Chima's writing is marvelously straightforward and lyrical at the same time. It was a solid 3-star book for me, and that was all I needed to dive, willingly, into the second book.
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 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.
3.5 stars: Overall I enjoyed it. It wasn’t the most amazing story, but it’s building and I’m interested in seeing how it goes. It is different than many other fantasy books, so I do appreciate that. I felt like the timespans between events was confusing and not sure Cuffs Alister being a streetlord before the age of 16 to the degree that he was was believable.