I am so behind on my reviews but I am working away at getting them all written up and out into the world because authors depend on us to talk about their books. This time, I reviewed The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima.
Synopsis: Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell—the thick silver cuffs he’s worn since birth. They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.
One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han 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 freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. 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 her mother has other plans for her…
The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.
I really enjoyed this book! It was such a fun fantasy book to fall into and I love that the book was told in two perspectives. Han was enjoyable to learn about and follow his path. Raisa was interesting in her own way. I like that she seems like a character that will become a complete badass later on in the series.
The magic systems are really cool in this series. I started off with Cinda’s Warrior Heir trilogy and now jumping into this one, I can already tell that I will like this one even more.
I had the urge to pick up the next book right after finishing this one which means it is a really good book. I liked the setting being placed in a medieval timeframe and I enjoyed the political intrigue of this book because it added an extra level of fun and kept the plot moving at a fast pace.
I would say to pick this one up if you are looking to start a fun fantasy series that you won’t want to put down.
Book Rating: 4.5/5
You can buy this book on Amazon and Goodreads.
Disclaimer: I read this book because I wanted to. I was in no way compensated for my review.
An author and friend of mine recently released another book that you should check out. It is called The Little Breadwinner: War and Survival in the Salvadoran Heartland by Lucia Mann.
Synopsis: FROM 1980 TO 1992, A TURBULENT CIVIL WAR ravaged the Central American state of El Salvador, claiming the lives of approximately 75,000 Salvadorans. The Little Breadwinner is a story of tyrannized, frightened families—mostly poor peasants, indigenous peoples, and child farm workers—whose lives signified nothing to the military death squads.
Lucia Mann, who was in El Salvador at the time, recalls this vivid historical portrait of human rights violations during and after the “dirty” war between the military-led government and left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front. This brutal conflict was backed politically, economically, and militarily by the United States with CIA involvement.
Throughout these pages, you will experience intense trials of courageous survival with unforgettable characters who yearn for peace, justice, and normalcy. One of the brave women you will meet is Estella Godwin Lozano (a Waorani tribe descendant of the Amazon rain forest), who suffered terribly before her brutal demise in Laredo, Texas in 2019. She was a “little person” who became traumatically affected by the abuse perpetrated by National Guard soldiers outside her pueblo home. She heroically joined the Sandinistas (Cuban-backed guerillas) to seek revenge upon the villains of her country.
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I had the pleasure of interviewing George Morris De’Ath about writing in general and his new novella and books that are coming out! I have his book information down below! Let us know what you thought of the interview in the comments 😊! Check out the video below:
