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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I should have DNF'ed this book. But I bought the audiobook along with it so I felt obligated to read it. I will put a disclaimer on my review by stating that I USED to not like YA novels (YA has stepped up its game since I was a teen), however, I had recently read some very good ones, so I let my guard down a bit with this one, especially since I'd heard good things about Chima.
My review will be spoiler free.
First of all...why was everyone so h**ny??? I understand the characters are teens but my god. Every time our MCs were around someone of the same age and opposite gender, they thought about kissing them or their body.
I may have been able to take the "romance" in this book more seriously if the characters just focused on a single love interest, or maybe two for a character such as Raisa. But they were all checking out everyone (except Amon, bless him) so I honestly could not care less about their feelings towards anyone because it all felt meaningless.
Second of all...I might have liked this book if Raisa hadn't been in it. She started off OK but I began to dislike her more with each chapter. Every guy in her presence immediately fell for her. For obviously no reason other than her appearance because she has no personality. And her appearance was mentioned several times, reminding us of how small and dainty her frame is. One page described her "small, perfect body". Um...yeah. Hello trigger warning, especially for young teenage girls??
If you're thinking of DNF'ing this book because you sigh and roll your eyes every time the book switches to Raisa's POV, take my advice and do it!!
More reasons I detested Raisa:
- Wanted to kiss almost every boy she saw
- If she didn't want to kiss that boy, she treated him like sh*t
- Treated her friend Missy like sh*t for no reason
- Had "I'm not like other girls" syndrome
Her only good quality was that she cared for her people and was trying to improve their quality of life and preparing to be a good queen. The negative aspects of her character could have been forgiven if she had more than one redeeming quality, but she didn't.
Plot
I've read middle grade less predictable and with more world-building and depth. The plot AND world-building felt hollow.
I may have decently liked this book had focused solely on the clan and Demonai. Fire Dancer was EASILY the most interesting character and he was barely in it. If the book had followed him, Han, Bird and Willo and Raisa's plot had been discarded, it would have had a chance to be a decent book.
My review will be spoiler free.
First of all...why was everyone so h**ny??? I understand the characters are teens but my god. Every time our MCs were around someone of the same age and opposite gender, they thought about kissing them or their body.
I may have been able to take the "romance" in this book more seriously if the characters just focused on a single love interest, or maybe two for a character such as Raisa. But they were all checking out everyone (except Amon, bless him) so I honestly could not care less about their feelings towards anyone because it all felt meaningless.
Second of all...I might have liked this book if Raisa hadn't been in it. She started off OK but I began to dislike her more with each chapter. Every guy in her presence immediately fell for her. For obviously no reason other than her appearance because she has no personality. And her appearance was mentioned several times, reminding us of how small and dainty her frame is. One page described her "small, perfect body". Um...yeah. Hello trigger warning, especially for young teenage girls??
If you're thinking of DNF'ing this book because you sigh and roll your eyes every time the book switches to Raisa's POV, take my advice and do it!!
More reasons I detested Raisa:
- Wanted to kiss almost every boy she saw
- If she didn't want to kiss that boy, she treated him like sh*t
- Treated her friend Missy like sh*t for no reason
- Had "I'm not like other girls" syndrome
Her only good quality was that she cared for her people and was trying to improve their quality of life and preparing to be a good queen. The negative aspects of her character could have been forgiven if she had more than one redeeming quality, but she didn't.
Plot
I've read middle grade less predictable and with more world-building and depth. The plot AND world-building felt hollow.
I may have decently liked this book had focused solely on the clan and Demonai. Fire Dancer was EASILY the most interesting character and he was barely in it. If the book had followed him, Han, Bird and Willo and Raisa's plot had been discarded, it would have had a chance to be a decent book.
Ta seria fantasy ewidentnie w Polsce nie dostała takiego hype'u jaki powinna.
I had no idea what to expect from this book when I picked it up. I had not read Cinda Williams Chima's other books so I had no idea even what her writing style would be like so I just kind of went for it. I love the cover with the ginormous amulet with the scenery in the back.
This book was a slow start for me. Mainly because it starts off with naming multiple place after place and I was completely confused there for a bit. After maybe the first hundred pages I really started getting into the story of Han and Raisa. Although it took me a little while to get through the first part of the book, The Demon King was well worth the read even though I needed to trudge through the first couple chapters. I enjoyed how this book had so many twists and turns that I didn't know exactly what was going to happen next. I did enjoy reading about Hans story a little more than Raisa but I did love them both as amazingly strong willed characters who would do anything to protect others less fortunate and those they care for. Overall there weren't any characters in this book that didn't all have a back story that wasn't present in the story which I liked a lot. There isn't a lot of "fluff" in this story. There was always something happening which kept the story interesting.
Disliked only that it took a while to get into the story line.
Favorite Quote: "Well, then, what's your position on multiple wives? If you have two or three, can your wife have multiple husbands?"
This book was a slow start for me. Mainly because it starts off with naming multiple place after place and I was completely confused there for a bit. After maybe the first hundred pages I really started getting into the story of Han and Raisa. Although it took me a little while to get through the first part of the book, The Demon King was well worth the read even though I needed to trudge through the first couple chapters. I enjoyed how this book had so many twists and turns that I didn't know exactly what was going to happen next. I did enjoy reading about Hans story a little more than Raisa but I did love them both as amazingly strong willed characters who would do anything to protect others less fortunate and those they care for. Overall there weren't any characters in this book that didn't all have a back story that wasn't present in the story which I liked a lot. There isn't a lot of "fluff" in this story. There was always something happening which kept the story interesting.
Disliked only that it took a while to get into the story line.
Favorite Quote: "Well, then, what's your position on multiple wives? If you have two or three, can your wife have multiple husbands?"
I loved the characters, the world, and the magic! The plot was so captivating, I started the sequel right away!
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Enjoyed the interplay of new and interesting characters along with the mysterious history. Great cliffhanger for the next book.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I cannot stress enough how much potential this series has. Cannot. Stress. Enough. I have read the first three books in the Seven Realms series, because it IS good and I liked the characters and enjoyed the setting. There was such great build up to an amazing conspiracy/twist/surprise that I could just not put the book down for hours on end. Until I realized that the author completely missed the chance to do something amazing with the story line she was creating. I'm not sure there is anything more disappointing than loving a story only to be let down by lack of follow through. I do advise you to try the series (or first book) out for yourself, you may find it to be vastly more thrilling than I did by the end. However, I am almost positive you will understand what I am saying when I say this could have gone somewhere amazing. Please give it a try though, it is worth the plunge!