The Demon King

by Cinda Williams Chima

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1423121368
• ISBN13: 9781423121367
• Release Date: August 2010
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 9

Customer Reviews

All time favorite series

The characters are personable and the story line makes it hard to put down. 10/10

this was attention grabbing from the start

This book had a lot of ups and downs that lead to wonderful character development and was an amazing start to this series. i could not stand the high wizard in this book at all. I hated to put the book down and the two main characters were amazing. The writer developed every character very good. i recommend anyone who reads this to read the whole series

Brilliant high fantasy right here!

THE DEMON KING was a perfect maelstrom of practically everything I love in a book. Court intrigue, captivating characters, intricate plotting, enticing romances, and brilliant world building coalesce to deliver the best high fantasy story EVER. The characters in Chima's story are extremely well developed; each had their own unique personality that distinguished him or her as an individual entity, subsequently allowing me to easily love or hate them. In the case of Han Alister- LOVE. Han is a reformed streetlord who has a hard exterior but a heart of damn gold on the inside. It's cute. Trust me. Princess Raisa ana'Marianna is headstrong and independent and occasionally annoying in her tendency to want things her way, but then again- she is a princess. And because she is a princess, there are duties aplenty that await her when she comes of age and strict rules everywhere to prevent her from ever stepping out of line--it is evident that she chafes under these restraints and so therefore when she finds ways to evade these expectations and find adventures on her own or defy the rules, it's extremely satisfying and adds even more excitement to the plot. These are the two main characters but there is also a diverse array of other well fleshed-out characters that give the story greater color and taste. The story is told in the alternating viewpoints of Han and Raisa, with an occasional insertion of the viewpoint of other, slightly less major characters. If I had to describe the story in one sentence, I couldn't. The subplots merge and diverge; they tell separate stories of Han and Raisa and the hardships they face, and occasionally combine in the chance occasions when their paths meet. Because this is the first of a trilogy, Han and Raisa do not quite get to ah, know each other's true identity yet, but this only adds to the thrill of the story and to my keen anticipation for book 2. One of my favorite parts of the story was the wonderful world building that happens. Wow- this world that Chima has created is so resoundingly real in its descriptions and traditions and people. It is reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's works in several ways, and because personally I am a huge fan of Pierce, this could only add to my love of the story. For example, there is, in this story, the inclusion of street gangs, and thiefs, and temples, and lively and diverse and vibrant cities full of trade and corruption and poverty and splendor and legends, all juxtaposed to forge a unique identity that cement the magnificent world building at work here. If and when you read this book, you will be immersed in this world as you turn the pages and when the story ends, you might very well be reluctant to bid this world farewell and re-enter the real one. I know I was. I've always been a fan of books with court intrigue and other courtly functions, and this book does not disappoint. There are irresistible wizards and gallant soldiers, secret escapades in the night and intoxicating f

Fabulous Fantasy!

After thoroughly enjoying Cinda Williams Chima's Heir Trilogy, I was excited to pick up her newest book, The Demon King. Rather than being a Harry Potter-like YA fantasy grounded in some bits of reality, The Demon King is an epic high fantasy that reminded me more of Robin Hobbs' books or Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series -all of which are long, epic adult fantasy novels. I admit that I find it odd that this book is so lengthy and somewhat complex in context and plot, but still manages to have some YA elements at the same time -at least enough that it can be placed in that genre but honesty, a quick warning to YA readers, The Demon King is less YA-oriented than The Heir Trilogy, and its length and complexity may be difficult for younger readers to get into. As for me, I got really into this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. The Demon King tells the story of Han, a reformed thief struggling to take care of his family without doing wrong, and of Raisa, the young princess heir to the Fells. Raisa, returns home to the palace after spending three months in the mountains and surviving a kidnapping. Raisa must fight an unwanted marriage while trying to navigate the perilous betrayals and politics of court, where she can't even trust her own mother. Chima shows unbelievable growth since The Heir trilogy in plot, character development and world-building. I was truly amazed at the giant leap The Demon King is from Chima's previous novels, particularly with the world-building. The world of The Demon King felt like a real world that was enjoyable and easy to dive into. Combined with multi-faceted characters, in particular Raisa (my personal favorite), The Demon King was a page-turning read that I just couldn't put down. I blazed through all 500 pages in just two days, and I was hungry for the sequel.

Great Book

I recently finished the Heir series. That was a great series, however, a very disappointing outcome. I have read the Demon King and strongly believe that after the first few chapters it becomes better than the entire heir series. I strongly suggest this book to any reader and look forward to the following book.

Demon King

I have enjoyed all the author's fantasy novels so far. In Demon King she shows development and improvement in style and story line. The fantasy world in Demon King is more developed than in the Heir series. The mix of male and female lead characters is a plus. This will hopefully be a new series. If so this will be a great addition to fantsy literature. Action, adventure, strong characters and human dilemnas all add complexity to the story. Many elements of her style remind me of Tamora Pierce. So if Tamora Pierce is one you like (especially the Tickster's Choice, Trickster's Queen duo), then take a serious look at The Demon King.

Diverse and New

The book was written in a fashion that very much reminds me of the Heir series and yet Cinda Williams Chima was able to create a world that is both vastly different and equally as appealing. As some have already said this book has a lot of so called set up in it for the following books of the series. Now, is this a bad thing? Well, to those who can only read a book if its under 100 pages long and has an explosion of fiery death every page or two, yes. For most of us though it is quite the contrary. Chima used her writing prowess to create a world in which there are complex problems with a lot of history to them. She creates several characters with personality's which are very likeable and of course an excellent "bad guy". All this leads up to an ending which is purposefully left open ended. I know that when I set the book down, I was already begging to start the next one. In my opinion is exactly what the author was hoping to achieve. Chima has been dependable in her release dates as well. So if we use the past to look to the future we will hopefully see the next book in a little over a year from now. If you are a reader who has enjoyed her previous books or is a fan of other fantasy novels in the teen genre I would definately recommend this book.