Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Book: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: A
For: the readathon!
From: author's signing at the library

So a few weeks ago I found myself at the library listening to and meeting this author, Cinda Williams Chima. Sadly, I hadn't read any of her books! But when I got to the event, all my enabling book bloggin' buddies said to me, "You will LOVE this books! They are SO SO good! You HAVE to read them!"

So, of course I bought some (the first book of both series) and got them signed and anxiously awaited the moment when I could find out for myself what the big deal is. That moment came during the readathon when I decided this book would win for my choice of the day. I read it all day long (didn't quite finish, but almost!) and yes, you were all right of course, I loved it!

This is the first book in the Seven Realms series, the third of which just came out (The Gray Wolf Throne.) In this book we meet the players of this story which include Han, a street thief who has recently sworn off his wild ways. He lives in the village with his mom and sister, who he fiercely wants to provide for and protect. He has a really good friend named Dancer who lives up in the mountains with The Clan whose past and  circumstances seem very vague and mysterious. Bird, th girl he loves, is from The Clan too and she is on the edge of choosing her life's path and he's not sure how he'll figure into that.

We switch back and forth from his point of view to Raisa's, the princess living in the castle down in town. She is feeling stress because she is now of marriageable age and she is concerned about who her mother (who seems a bit off)  will be choosing for her. At the moment she really likes the son of the high wizard, but that was before Amon, her childhood friend, comes back from cadet school.

When the book opens, Han (also known as Cuffs because of a pair of silver bracelets that he's had all his life and can't take off) and Dancer stumble upon some wizards in the hunting grounds, and after that tense meeting, Han ends up with a magic amulet. From there, everything goes wrong in his life and all he wants to do is get rid of the thing, which he blames for it all!

But it's too late, a whole set of crazy events has been set into motion.

Of course the paths of these two characters cross, under some pretty interesting circumstances and this makes all the other stories we've been following even more intense.

Oh my word, I don't even know how else to describe this one! The story is awesome and so perfectly complicated and fantasy-ish. The characters are real and wonderful and evil and mixed up and clueless. The writing is beautiful and rich. I'm hooked. I want more.

Bottom line: I loved it.

Other Reviews:

Fantasy Cafe
I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
One Librarian's Book Reviews
This Purple Crayon