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A review by mallorypen
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I got into the plot I was hooked.
The balance between the different people; the history of the queendom; the political strife; and the threat of breaking the covenants that kept order were all compelling concepts. I got A very distinct sense of place from the storytelling, and feel like I could draw a map of the Vale, Marissa Pines and Oden’s Fore based on the novel’s descriptions.
Amon is the GOAT, and I have the sense he will be a bit of a Gale character. Micah is a spineless piece of garbage, but I can’t tell if he’s entirely complicit in the scheme or if he’s just going along with his father’s wishes. Han is a lovable rogue, and I especially loved how he could switch between “boy caught between familial duty and a wish to below” and “dangerous street lord.” And Raisa … my girl Raisa is one tough badass who really loves to kiss all the boys and I respect her for it.
While I’m excited to see where the series goes, there were a few things that bothered me:
The balance between the different people; the history of the queendom; the political strife; and the threat of breaking the covenants that kept order were all compelling concepts. I got A very distinct sense of place from the storytelling, and feel like I could draw a map of the Vale, Marissa Pines and Oden’s Fore based on the novel’s descriptions.
Amon is the GOAT, and I have the sense he will be a bit of a Gale character. Micah is a spineless piece of garbage, but I can’t tell if he’s entirely complicit in the scheme or if he’s just going along with his father’s wishes. Han is a lovable rogue, and I especially loved how he could switch between “boy caught between familial duty and a wish to below” and “dangerous street lord.” And Raisa … my girl Raisa is one tough badass who really loves to kiss all the boys and I respect her for it.
While I’m excited to see where the series goes, there were a few things that bothered me:
- The clan people being VERY OBVIOUSLY modeled after American Indian people. I don’t think it was necessarily an unflattering caricature, but it was a caricature nonetheless and as such, I don’t know if it edged into unsavory or disrespectful territory from the perspective of Native people. From my limited viewpoint, it did feel like it is insulting to have your culture stereotyped and picked from to create a fantasy race of people - even talented and generally “good guy” people.
- Lucien’s being the thousands year-old best friend of the apparently misunderstood Demon King was a big deus ex machina for me that felt a liiiiittle too convenient.
- Really didn’t like Han’s mother and sister getting fridged so nothing would hold Han back from his destiny.
Overall, an enjoyable read! Bring on book 2!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Sexual assault, and Death of parent