REVIEW: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Publishing information: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Voyager; August 2010
ISBN 10: 0007321988
ISBN 13: 978-0007321988
Series: The Seven Realms Series #1 (Originally The Seven Realms Trilogy #1)
Copy: Publisher Giveaway
Reviewer: Kathryn

I won't be opening this review with the blurb, as I feel it contains too many spoilers, for example it refers to events that happen over halfway through the book, in one case not becoming apparent until the last fifth of the read. However, I will do my best to spoil the book less than the blurb did. The Demon King is the first book in what is now called The Seven Realms Series, written by Cinda Williams Chima, author of The Heir Chronicles, a trilogy that has since been extended to a quintet. It is a young-adult series, aimed mostly at the early to mid teens.

We follow two protagonists, Princess Raisa ana'Marianna and Han Alister, and from the first few chapters it's clear that their stories will parallel each other and intertwine with some regularity. Both of the protagonists are roughly sixteen years old, and come from two different lifestyles, although they do share aspects of their lives. Han is a reformed thief and comes into the possession of a powerful amulet, whilst Raisa is approaching her name day and as such she's expected to start taking part in the game of courtship. Whilst this is happening, war is brewing in the south, meaning the Queen is pushing Raisa towards a marriage that will have to be political, but also in the near future. However, she's attracted to a powerful wizard, but such a coupling is forbidden by the Naéming, an agreement in place that serves to stop the wizards from gaining too much power and potentially destroying the world.

On the surface it's a fairly clichéd story, but the switch between a princess and a rebellious commoner is carried out with skill, and the way their stories link is quite clever. Whilst any direct interaction is limited to a chapter or two, there's a cast of characters that appears to both sides and they help develop the story, but also give background to the world. I found it interesting just how they were linked, and how those links impacted the story. I also liked the interactions between the three major groups in the book (wizards, clan and royalty), as it was clear to me through the characters that the author had put a lot of thought into how they work with or against each other. However, I did feel that parts of the plot were overlooked quite often. For example, Han comes into the possession of a powerful wizard's amulet, and after some history from another character who links it to the titular Demon King, it fades into nothingness for most of the book, only becoming important again at the end.

But as I alluded to at the start, the book is not all that particularly strong in the writing. It's functional, and it does read fairly well, but the characterisation for both protagonists sometimes falls flat. Both Han and Raisa spend an amount of time thinking about kissing other people, which I found a little bit annoying. Raisa kisses a couple of characters, and she avoids being sexually abused twice, or at least she thinks she does. She also manages to move through the castle in disguise a few times without being noticed, which I did not believe, and at times she seemed to react in ways I felt weren't very realistic for a princess. On the other hand, Han is a well-rounded character, and Chima distinguishes his two sides – thief and son, both of his mother and the clan he wishes he was a part of – rather well, and there is a little internal conflict between the two. The supporting characters are largely interesting, and they are used to great effect in shaping the story and the world around them.

At two points in the book, I felt that the author had perhaps lost track of her style. Each chapter is given a title that hints at what will happen, but one chapter is titled "Name Day 2". Personally, that stuck out like a sore thumb, and it makes me wonder if it was a place-holder that was overseen in editing. Secondly, there is one chapter that opens with a paragraph that uses a list in the text. By that I mean it 1) went like this, 2) totally broke the immersion, and 3) looked out of place and a little bit silly. Both of these make me question just how much effort was put into polishing this book for release, because they feel to me as if they should have been corrected.

As implied above, I noticed a romantic theme to various aspects of the story. We have Raisa practically falling head over heels for every male character her age that isn't royalty, and we are semi-frequently told she kisses, or attempts to kiss, one of a few characters. With Han, early on he became flustered when he tackled his friend Digging Bird into a river, causing her shirt to become see-through. To me, I found these moments to take away from the book because they changed the tone, but also felt as if they were written for the sake of having them. I don't mind romance in books, but I feel that describing a fifteen year-old girl with a wet shirt to possibly be going a little too far.

Overall, I would say The Demon King is a competent read, but one with flaws that I feel will turn many readers off, in particular the more mature or advanced ones. If you can look past the book's obvious flaws, there is the foundation of a potentially great series here. The characters are compelling in their own ways, the world is well built, the history is there, and you're going to find some enjoyment in this read. I don't think it's the best book I've ever read, and until the last hundred or so pages, I must confess I was very unsure how I felt about it, but once I'd closed it I was glad I had read it. Whilst I won't be rushing to get stuck into its sequel, The Exiled Queen, I still took some pleasure from this read.

A tentative recommendation.

Plot 6/10
Characters 6/10
Style 5/10

Overall 5.5/10