The Demon King

Cinda Williams Chima

Oct 2009 · Sold by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

About this ebook

New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima presents the 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 best-selling author Cinda Williams Chima.

Ratings and reviews

I read quite often and maybe that's made me a jaded reader but this story was ridiculous. This author is incredibly lazy. Instead of actually having meaningful plot progression he has things happen because reasons. He goes out of his way to credit someone's intelligence and then has them make a mistake even an idiot wouldn't make. The plot points are so easy to connect the fact the characters don't means they can't possibly have survived this long in the world they live in. Don't waste your time on this

This review MAY contain spoilers. Read at your own risk. Wow! This was such a great start to this series! This is my first venture into the Cinda Williams Chima world, and I do not regret it! I have to admit that when I first picked up this book I found the pacing in the beginning to be a little slow for my tastes. I wouldn't say that I was bored, but I didn't feel fully invested in the book until several chapters in. The world building was fleshed out really well. The first few chapters had a lot of world-specific lingo and terms to get familiar with and I felt that there may have been too many of those so early on in the book. Apart from that, once you get used to this book's world structure, it is apparent that The Demon King really boasts a colorful fantasy world full of rich details. Plus, this fantasy world has a queendom, not a kingdom, and that is rad to the max! The characters in this were really great. They were fleshed out extremely well and I had a clear vision of each character and the life that they lived. The only thing about the characters that I didn't love was that I didn't feel a strong connection to them. I read about them, I understood them and their motives, but I didn't care as much as I would have liked to. It's strange to see wonderful characters with excellent stories to tell, like them, but feel disconnected from them. I can't put my finger on what exactly they are missing, but perhaps some depth. The plot of this story is fantastic! Some things in the book are fairly predictable, but not overly so. Some things definitely surprised me. There were some twists and turns lying in there and plenty of story growth. I liked the big reveal at the end of the book and I think that it was orchestrated beautifully throughout the developing plot. This book does cover a lot of mature themes in the backdrop of things, which I really liked. Some Young Adult books can shy away from serious issues and flawed characters. This book is very upfront about them. I didn't really care for the romance. Granted, these are teenagers and they aren't tied down to serious relationships, but I expected a little more in that regard. These teens hop from one love interest to another just kissing everyone in sight all willy nilly. I would have preferred a more mature approach to relationships, but maybe I'm just old-fashioned. I never like romance to dominate my books, but I also want some feels when it comes around. Overall, I was quite impressed with this vivid fantasy story. I am so eager to read the next book in this series! I have a feeling that this series is going to be something special. Cinda Williams Chima has gained a new fan and I cannot wait to devour her current library of already published books! If you are a fan of high fantasy, then this is the read for you! Don't hesitate on this one.

I am a high school freshman, and I enjoyed this book. I thought it would be terrible, but I fell in love with it. This is an outstanding book, and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure.

About the author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima grew up with talking animals and kick-butt Barbies. She began writing poetry and stories in third grade and novels in junior high school. These days she writes fantasy fiction for teens of all ages. Her Heir Chronicles contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir, The Wizard Heir, The Dragon Heir, The Enchanter Heir, and The Sorcerer Heir.

Her high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King, followed by The Exiled Queen, The Gray Wolf Throne, and The Crimson Crown; she is also the author of the Shattered Realms series, including Flamecaster, Shadowcaster, Stormcaster, and Deathcaster, among other works. She lives in Ohio with her family, and invites you to visit her online at cindachima.com.