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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
The Demon King is, admittedly, a book that might lose your attention in the first two hundred pages. No one wants to be bored for that long. Generally, I give a book a hundred pages to catch my attention, and if nothing is striking me then I put it down. Thankfully, The Demon King was one of those books that I thought had enough interesting elements and characters that it might get better, and on the advice of a friend I ended up diving back in to the book a month or so later. I finished the last 3/5 in two days time and didn’t want to put it down. If we hadn’t gotten off to such a slow start, this book might even have made my favorites list, as I suspect that future books in the series will.
One of the strongest parts of the story is its characters. The cast is varied but Chima does not scrimp on the development of her large ensemble. Nearly every character is fleshed out and we see different sides of supporting characters like Amon Byrne and Micah Bayar. We visit the clans and come to love Willo and Mother Elena and Bird and Dancer and Averill Demonai. The only characters I would say were not sufficiently developed were Raisa’s mother and sister, but that made sense given Raisa’s need to hide from them herself, and there’s always room for that in the later books if necessary. With such a wide and involved cast of characters I think Chima did a great job balancing them all. I also love that there are some POC in the story (including Raisa!) because sometimes authors write as though we’re living in a world filled with people of one color, which obviously isn’t the case. I respect any author who includes diversity in their cast, and even more so one who so clearly gives us a main WOC heroine to root for.
Of course, I can’t mention characters without commenting in more detail on our two main heroes, Hunts Alone and Princess Raisa. I grew to love both perspectives equally. Hunts Alone is a former gang leader who still sometimes thinks as if he is the leader of the gang, making decisions others would see as bad, but are decisions that make sense to him and allow him to protect and provide for his family. I loved that we were given such a gray area character in Hunts Alone. It’s not often that authors give us a character to root for who has murdered and thieved for a good portion of his life. I thought Princess Raisa was a little less unique, she is your typical princess trying to break out of the shell of what everyone expects of her, but at the same time she was also deeply flawed and incredibly selfish, which gave her a more interesting personality and lots of room to grow throughout the series. I really liked Raisa’s bold and oftentimes inconsiderate personality and am looking forward to watching her develop as the story takes her further away from where she needs to be.
The plot itself is also wonderful. I can’t say too much without giving things away. It’s very involved and very intense. The plot moves in all different directions which keeps it fresh and exciting. It reminds me of the Song of Ice and Fire series in that way, but obviously for a younger audience. I can actually say that I have no idea what direction the story is going to go in, which is rare these days when so many books seem to follow a certain formula, and I cannot wait to read on to the other chapters in this story.
One of the strongest parts of the story is its characters. The cast is varied but Chima does not scrimp on the development of her large ensemble. Nearly every character is fleshed out and we see different sides of supporting characters like Amon Byrne and Micah Bayar. We visit the clans and come to love Willo and Mother Elena and Bird and Dancer and Averill Demonai. The only characters I would say were not sufficiently developed were Raisa’s mother and sister, but that made sense given Raisa’s need to hide from them herself, and there’s always room for that in the later books if necessary. With such a wide and involved cast of characters I think Chima did a great job balancing them all. I also love that there are some POC in the story (including Raisa!) because sometimes authors write as though we’re living in a world filled with people of one color, which obviously isn’t the case. I respect any author who includes diversity in their cast, and even more so one who so clearly gives us a main WOC heroine to root for.
Of course, I can’t mention characters without commenting in more detail on our two main heroes, Hunts Alone and Princess Raisa. I grew to love both perspectives equally. Hunts Alone is a former gang leader who still sometimes thinks as if he is the leader of the gang, making decisions others would see as bad, but are decisions that make sense to him and allow him to protect and provide for his family. I loved that we were given such a gray area character in Hunts Alone. It’s not often that authors give us a character to root for who has murdered and thieved for a good portion of his life. I thought Princess Raisa was a little less unique, she is your typical princess trying to break out of the shell of what everyone expects of her, but at the same time she was also deeply flawed and incredibly selfish, which gave her a more interesting personality and lots of room to grow throughout the series. I really liked Raisa’s bold and oftentimes inconsiderate personality and am looking forward to watching her develop as the story takes her further away from where she needs to be.
The plot itself is also wonderful. I can’t say too much without giving things away. It’s very involved and very intense. The plot moves in all different directions which keeps it fresh and exciting. It reminds me of the Song of Ice and Fire series in that way, but obviously for a younger audience. I can actually say that I have no idea what direction the story is going to go in, which is rare these days when so many books seem to follow a certain formula, and I cannot wait to read on to the other chapters in this story.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Decent enough. Will probably get the 2nd book in the series :D
This was really lovely to read; I devoured it quickly! I was impressed by the amount of world-building that she got into this book, but I wish more had happened and it wasn’t so much set up. (And for a matrilineal Queendom, the gender roles were pretty antiquated and rigid.)
This is another book Goodreads thought I should read. I have to say I'm impressed. I don't even know where to start with this review. It's probably easier to start with the things I didn't like because there are a lot fewer of those than the things I did like.
It seemed to take a really long time to set the story. I know this is the first book in this series, but sometimes the plot development took forever.
I would have liked to see more intertwining of Raisa and Han.
That's about it for stuff I didn't like.
Now the things I did like:
Speaker Jemson and Lucius. Both characters keep it real.
Elena and Averill Demonai. Again, keeping it real.
Raisa's discontentment with the status quo. Always love a spunky Princess.
Willo and her innate calmness.
The good Raisa does for the Southbridge Temple. It's not often in YA novels that the spunky princess who is dissatisfied with court life does something that bears her name, even if that wasn't her initial intent.
Lots of other things that would give away the story.
I would recommend this book to students who enjoy epic series, dystopian novels, paranormal novels, and high fantasies.
It seemed to take a really long time to set the story. I know this is the first book in this series, but sometimes the plot development took forever.
I would have liked to see more intertwining of Raisa and Han.
That's about it for stuff I didn't like.
Now the things I did like:
Speaker Jemson and Lucius. Both characters keep it real.
Elena and Averill Demonai. Again, keeping it real.
Raisa's discontentment with the status quo. Always love a spunky Princess.
Willo and her innate calmness.
The good Raisa does for the Southbridge Temple. It's not often in YA novels that the spunky princess who is dissatisfied with court life does something that bears her name, even if that wasn't her initial intent.
Lots of other things that would give away the story.
I would recommend this book to students who enjoy epic series, dystopian novels, paranormal novels, and high fantasies.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Williams Chima writes very well, and there are some interesting bits to the book (the tribes and the political intrigue between wizards and the monarchy), but ultimately this book gets bogged down in yet more young-adult love triangles and horniness.
i enjoyed this one. the world is an interesting one and the action was compelling. the romances were clumsy at times, though. but, the characters were relatable and engaging, so I'm willing to overlook the sometimes adolescent love triangles that developed then disappeared then reformed with different characters. and, in a way, this was true to the characters as written in that they're young and would be easily swayed by a pretty face or someone who showed interest. i'm looking forward to continuing the series.
This book is definitely the setup for a series. We are introduced to the main characters and the central conflict is revealed. We meet princess Raisa who is that in here to the throne. We also meet Amon who is the son of the captain of the guard and Raisa's childhood friend. Our other main characters are Hanson a street ruffian and Dancer budding wizard of the clans. Their stories intertwined and at the end of the book they are all on their way to the same place. They are all seeking refuge from the imagination of the Bayer wizards who want to control the kingdom.
I enjoyed this book and really enjoyed this four main characters. However not a lot happened in the book. Everything is being set up for the next books. We do you learn a lot about the character and what is happening in the Seven Realms. I can't wait to see how this series turns out.
I enjoyed this book and really enjoyed this four main characters. However not a lot happened in the book. Everything is being set up for the next books. We do you learn a lot about the character and what is happening in the Seven Realms. I can't wait to see how this series turns out.
Where did I get this book?: I got it from the local library;)
How did I find out about this book?: TheNightBookmobile was reading it, and I thought the premise looked interesting, so I decided to give it a shot.
Quote: “A vocation is not something you slap on, like a coat of paint, and change whenever you want. A vocation is built into you. You have no choice. If you try to do something else, you fail.”
Positives: There was so much I really loved about this book. I think Chima did a good job of world-building, and though there were some info-dumps, they felt like they were integrated into the story well. I think she did a good job using some fantasy tropes to her advantage, and she created an interesting world with plausible conflict. I like that the information she gave the readers was important to the story. It was important to know about the queendom and the politics between the clans and the wizards. I also loved Raisa. I think that Chima did a good job of creating a realistic girl who is going to come into power. I liked that she didn’t really realize what was going on in her kingdom, and that she could sometimes be stubborn and haughty and selfish. I liked that she was imperfect, but that she wanted to be a better person, and she wants to be a better queen.
Negatives: This is one is definitely a slow build. I think that is the main negative here, though if you can manage to hold on, its definitely worth it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wizards
Recommend: Normally I hold off on recommending a series until I finish it, but I think I’ll go ahead and say yes for this one.
How did I find out about this book?: TheNightBookmobile was reading it, and I thought the premise looked interesting, so I decided to give it a shot.
Quote: “A vocation is not something you slap on, like a coat of paint, and change whenever you want. A vocation is built into you. You have no choice. If you try to do something else, you fail.”
Positives: There was so much I really loved about this book. I think Chima did a good job of world-building, and though there were some info-dumps, they felt like they were integrated into the story well. I think she did a good job using some fantasy tropes to her advantage, and she created an interesting world with plausible conflict. I like that the information she gave the readers was important to the story. It was important to know about the queendom and the politics between the clans and the wizards. I also loved Raisa. I think that Chima did a good job of creating a realistic girl who is going to come into power. I liked that she didn’t really realize what was going on in her kingdom, and that she could sometimes be stubborn and haughty and selfish. I liked that she was imperfect, but that she wanted to be a better person, and she wants to be a better queen.
Negatives: This is one is definitely a slow build. I think that is the main negative here, though if you can manage to hold on, its definitely worth it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wizards
Recommend: Normally I hold off on recommending a series until I finish it, but I think I’ll go ahead and say yes for this one.