The Demon King - Cinda Williams Chima

This is a review of an upcoming book that my brother read. I requested the book for him because he loved her other books and she was so nice and sent over a copy for his birthday. Also I found out that they share the same birthday! What a coincidence is that?!? Anyways here is what he thought of the book. I plan on reading it too but I have a huge pile to read right now...


Summary - Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari. Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can't sell. For as long as Han can remember, he's worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes. They're clearly magicked-as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them. Han soon 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'Helena, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father's family at Demonai camp - riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

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 it seems like 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 new page-turner from bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima.

Review - When I first received this book I was very excited to read it, after completing the previous series by Cinda. To my surprise, at the beginning of the book it was very difficult to get into, usually taking usually only a day to get into it took me five. The characters are very well described and relatable in some ways. The story never strayed from its intended path as some stories do. About half way through the book it became hard to do anything but read and discover what was going to happen next. The story started slowly but once it picked up it remained fast paced through out the remainder of the book, always keeping you guessing what was going to happen next. As the story came to its temporary close there was a very unexpected twist in which grabs your attention and keeps you wondering. It was very well written and a pleasure to read. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Cover - 5 stars

Plot - 3 stars

Characters - 4.5 stars

Writing - 4 stars

Ending - 5 stars + WOW Factor!!!! He wanted to give this one ten stars but my scale only goes to 5.