The Demon King - Cinda Williams Chima

Young Adult
Pages: 512
Publisher: Hyperion 
Release Date: October 6, 2009

Seven Realms Trilogy:
- The Demon King (#1)
- Exiled Queen (#2)
- Gray Wolf Throne (#3)

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’Marianna, 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.

Warning: I am about to enter in a profound raving mode, which will be peaked in my Exiled Queen review. My love for this series cannot be expressed in words, yet I will do my best. Please note that words like awesome, amazing and love my be uncontrollably repeated within the review of this trilogy.

The Demon King starts this epic story. As happens with any good high-fantasy book, the reader will be a little lost up until you get used to the terms and words and until you feel at ease in this new world. I assure you that when that happens, you will be enthralled beyond belief. The writing was mind-blowing! I would give my soul to that who promises me I could someday write like Cinda Williams Chima. I'm serious.

The Characters, the brilliantly woven plot, the magic in the storytelling, the atmospheric vividness of this wonderful world, and everything within these pages is pure perfection. The cover is also gorgeous and represents the amulet so important in the series. I have to say, I want to live inside this book. It's an amazing read, bound to make realistic fans fall in love with fantasy, and fantasy fans eager and craving for more. I believe it to be a MUST read for every YA lover. An instant classic.

I wish I had written the review for The Demon King before I read Exiled Queen, but I didn't. So, I remember it was a 5-star book, I had added it to my very exclusive list of favorites yet I admit I did not feel this jumpy, daydreaming/fan-girl excitement until I read book 2. Thus, I can't go back to writing a normal review because Exiled Queen was the best high fantasy book I've ever read.

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