The Demon King (Seven Realms #1)by Cinda Williams Chima
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Synopsis:
New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima's first installment in a thrilling new fantasy series, in which the lives of Han Alister and the brave Princess Raisa collide in a magical and dangerous adventure.
One day Han Alister catches three young wizard setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet away from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against him. The amulet once belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.
Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana'Marianna has her own battle to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father's family. Raia aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that 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 page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.
Review:
The Demon King was a YA fantasy that slowly unfurled into a fascinating story! With multiple kingdoms, clans, and street gangs, there was so much going on in this story. Throw in some forbidden magic, and so many questions, whelp I was hooked. I loved learning everything and seeing how different groups of people fit together. Two of my favorites, and who we got POVs from, were….
“Don’t ask for the truth, boy, unless you’re ready to hear it.”
Han was a street thug who easily captured my heart. He had a way to make you want to root and cheer him on. I didn’t care about his past, or what he had to do to get to where he was. He was someone who was so charming, you couldn’t help but like him. I wasn’t sure how he played into the bigger picture, but I gobbled up every single one of his chapters!
“You have to take chances, Raisa. What seems safest on its face may not be in the long run.”
Raissa was not what I expected. While she enjoyed kisses and boys, she also spent time outside of the courts with the clan. That gave her such a different view from the others we met. As she very slowly started to realize how much in the dark she was being kept, I had such strong opinions on who she surrounded herself with. I despised Micah even though she liked having him as her friend. And then there was also Amon who was wickedly smart and made me want to steal him from the pages!
“History,” Mari muttered, as if she’d overheard his thoughts. “Why do we need to know what happened before we were born?”
“So hopefully we get smarter and don’t make the same mistakes again.”
I wasn’t sure how Raissa and Han would meet up, but I definitely got nervous because as the time passed I thought they would be perfect for each other. But there was also Micah and Amon swirling around too. As someone who has finished this series, I was extremely happy with how each of the characters’ stories went! It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a YA fantasy that made me want to never put it down and consumed my thoughts, and this series did just that!
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