The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
Book 1 of the Seven Realms series
YA/High Fantasy
Summary:

One day Han Alister catches three young wizards 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 belonged to the Demon King, who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece so powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battle to fight. She’s just returned to court after three years of riding and hunting with her father’s family. Raisa aspires to be like Hanalea, the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But it seems that her mother has other plans for her—plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.

On Goodreads | On Amazon | On Book Depository

5 out of 5 Stars 

I've also done a video review, if you'd like to watch & listen instead of read.

 This was a book that came highly recommended by numerous people who insisted that I would adore this series. They were right, at least, in as much as I can judge from only reading (and loving) the first installment of the quartet. Before even finishing the book, I was worried about what I would say in my review... because I couldn't think of anything to really complain about. Everything had a natural greatness, which is something that will end up being repeated in various ways throughout my review. Ultimately, I had no complaints - unless you count my need to continue on with the series... now.

The cast of characters in The Demon King was perfectly done for a fantasy novel. In some fantasy series we have an overwhelming amount of characters. This can cause confusion for a lot of readers, and is one of the reasons some book-lovers avoid the genre altogether. In YA fantasy, however, I have often experienced the opposite of this - the amount of characters is underwhelming. We end up focusing on the main character, maybe two dudes from a love triangle, and perhaps an evil king or something of that ilk. Neither of these problems relate at all to The Demon King. There was never a character whose name and purpose I'd forgotten, or who seemed extraneous in the overall plot. Several people were pivotal to the plot, even if in small ways, and they were allowed to be more than just flat, background characters. 

The world-building also felt presented in a similar way. There wasn't any information dumped on the reader that you weren't made to anticipate - clawing your way through the pages to figure out this missing piece of information on the world and how the characters & the plot fit in with it. Because of the multiple POVs, we also get to see locations and cultures through slightly different lenses. While the world wasn't anything ridiculously original, it was easy to sink into and intriguing to learn about. The intertwining of world history and the plot unfolding in The Demon King was endlessly interesting.

In terms of plot, this wasn't an entirely predictable novel. I didn't really know where the story would climax or have much of a solid guess of what was going to happen in the end, which is a plus for me. I struggle with the predictability of a lot of other books, and this one didn't give all of its secrets away too early. This is, of course, aided by the fact that this is the first book in a series, and some plot points will inevitably bleed into the sequels, but nonetheless it was a nice experience. Things felt wrapped up at the end, but there was also a sense of a new beginning - one in which readers will have to wait until the next installment to fully explore its path. 

As I said, I really enjoyed this novel. There are only so many ways to profess my love before I descend into bumbling-fangirl status.

While the readathon is technically a 7-day-commitment, I'm not planning to read much of anything at all today (day seven), so I'm just going to wrap-up my readathon results for the first six days. First, we'll start with what I read on day six.

Day 6 Progress

Finished The Exiled Queen - read 147 pages (of 586)

Started and finished The Giver by Lois Lowry - 179 pages

Day 6 Total: 326 pages

Books Read During This Readathon

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Contributed 308 pages to my total

I started The Demon King the day before the readathon, and regretted it slightly because of its size. 500+ page novels are probably not the prime choices for a readathon, but I managed to finish this on day two. I awarded this book 5 stars and will have a review (a written version for my blog and a video version for my channel) up tomorrow. This was the first book on my TBR list for the readathon, and was my favorite of all the books I read.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

Contributed 296 pages to my total

I started V for Vendetta at the same time I started The Exiled Queen, because I couldn't choose between the two for which book to start next. I ended up finishing V for Vendetta first, which isn't surprising because it's almost half the size of The Exiled Queen. I awarded this book 4 stars, and was really intrigued with the differences from the movie (which I had seen prior to reading the graphic novel). This was the second book on my TBR, so success on following through with my plans!

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Contributed 586 pages to my total

I couldn't resist reading this after finishing The Demon King. The end of The Demon King was a pretty mellow cliffhanger, but I wanted more of the characters. I finished this on day five and awarded it 4 stars because I had a few issues with it, especially in comparison to The Demon King. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it and the next book I'll be picking up after the readathon will likely be the third book, The Gray Wolf Throne. This was the only book I read that wasn't on my TBR list.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Contributed 179 pages to my total

One of my overall goals for 2014 is to read a few classics, so I decided before the Bout of Books readathon that I would pick a small classic novel to put onto my TBR. The Giver was that novel. This served as a good book to ease the pressures of reading the 500+ page books I'd been reading. Unfortunately, my brother puked while I was about 80% done with The Giver... which definitely affected my ability to enjoy the novel. You know, cleaning up vomit when you were just about to reach the climax of a book is not favorable. I ended up awarding it 4 stars, because while I think it could perhaps be improved, I felt emotionally connected to the story.

The Totals for the Bout of Books 9.0 Readathon Are..

4 books finished

1,369 pages read!

This was a great way to start of my reading for 2014! Hope you all had a productive readathon, if you participated.

xx Paige

Day 4 Progress

Progress on V for Vendetta - Finished the book, read 88 pages (out of 296)

Progress on The Exiled Queen - read 65 pages (out of 586)

My book choices for the readathon must be good ones, because I've finished one 5-star book (The Demon King) and one 4-star book (V for Vendetta)!

Day 5 Progress

Progress on The Exiled Queen - read 312 pages (out of 586)

Total for the Readathon so far: 1,118 pages!

I didn't do any of the challenges for day four or five. xx

My reading efforts were divided today as I was torn between following my TBR and reading V for Vendetta, or following my gut (and Regan from PeruseProject's insistence) and reading The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima. I did both, though my efforts were certainly more focused on V for Vendetta. I'm hoping to finish V for Vendetta early tomorrow so that I can really dedicate myself to The Exiled Queen!

Total Before Today:  380 pages

Progress on V for Vendetta today: 208 pages read (out of 296)

Progress on The Exiled Queen today: 65 pages read (out of 586)

Today's Total: 273 pages

Total for the Readathon so far: 653 pages!

Today's Challenge is...

to introduce books from your favorite genre that you would recommend to readers who want to try it out! This challenge is hosted by doingdeweydecimal and includes a giveaway for those who participate.

The genre I'm choosing is, naturally, fantasy. I've also decided to narrow it down to high fantasy. I'm going to recommend the book I read during day one and two of the readathon, and that is The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima. The cast of characters is neither underwhelming nor overwhelming, the plot isn't too predictable or convoluted, and the fantasy elements are pretty mellow but still intriguing. For a fantasy novel, this isn't too "heavy" for newcomers of the genre. There's no massive exposition dumping or character-confusion, as there can often be in high fantasy novels. This was a book that was highly recommended to me (and rightfully so) and I simply must pass on the recommendation!

Day One - January 6th

I ended up being really busy during day one of the Bout of Books readathon, so I ended up reading 177 pages (35%) of The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima.

Day Two - January 7th

I finished The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima in the afternoon of day two, and didn't get to read in the evening because it was my dad's birthday! The ending of The Demon King has me questioning whether or not I want to continue with my TBR list, because I would much rather read the next book in the Seven Realms series than pick up a dystopian read...

My page total for the day thus far (it's 10pm) is 203 pages. 

(I don't know if I'll read more tonight, but I doubt it will be much if I will.)

My total for the readathon so far is 380 pages! 

Will Paige continue with her TBR plan and read V for Vendetta?

Or will she succumb to the allure of The Exiled Queen? 

Stay tuned to find out...

Today is day one of the Bout of Books 9.0 Readathon! For the next week, I'll be posting my updates here. Tomorrow I'll wrap up how much I managed to read today, but for now, let's look at the books I'm planning on reading this week and some of the daily challenges.

TBR List

1. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

2. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry

Challenges

There are two challenges for the readathon today, click read more to see my responses to them!

Time to take a moment to talk about all of the books I read and LOVED in 2013!

(To make room for all of the awesome books of 2014, of course.)

Splintered by A.G. Howard
YA/Paranormal/Retelling
4/5 stars
Splintered is a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, following one of Alice's descendants in modern day. The concept of this book is thus - the female descendants of Alice's line are cursed, or mentally ill.. depending on who you ask. This was one of the first books I read in 2013, and one that has stuck with me because of its grotesque and colorful imagery. As retellings go, this was fantastic because you never really know what's going to happen.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

YA/Historical Fiction

4/5 stars

Code Name Verity is one of my favorite books of all time. While I only rated it 4 out of 5 stars, that was because of little reasons that I can let go of in hindsight. CNV is a novel taking place during World War 2, and following two young women who build a devoted friendship. One of the women is captured and taken prisoner by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. In her interrogations, we learn of the history of their friendship and how she ended up in a cell. This book tore my heart into pieces. I have complained in the past about the lack of female friendships in fiction, and this delivers. This is a war story and a love story, and a darn good one.

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

Adult/Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Romance

5/5 Stars

Straight from the summary, "Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation." This was the first book I read of Valente's, but it was not the last. Deathless is written like an extended poem, woven with folklore and the dreadful history of Russia during World War 2. It's a strange novel, as all of Valente's are, and that's part of why I love it so. Anyone interested in Russian culture should pick this up.

In the Night Garden by Catherynne M. Valente

Fantasy

4/5 Stars

After reading and loving Deathless, I had to pick up another of Valente's books. This was what I chose. If I had thought Deathless was strange, I had no idea what was in store for me in In the Night Garden. The structure of this book is most peculiar. In the first chapter, a character (character A) begins telling a story. By the end of a chapter, another character (character B) has been introduced. A new chapter begins with character B telling their story. Another character (character C) is introduced in that chapter, and another chapter begins when character C begins telling a story. This goes on and on, though we return to all of the character's stories which eventually reach a resolution. The stories span over the fantasy world the Valente created, and is a delightfully imaginative book.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

YA/Historical Fiction/Paranormal/Mystery

5/5 Stars

This was the scariest book I've ever read. Such a visual and immersive read! This would be fine if it weren't a book about trying to catch a serial killer who leaves behind grotesque bodies. This takes place during the 1920's in NYC, and Bray does an unreal (in a good way) job of pulling you into that culture. The world-building and creepiness of The Diviners were my favorite parts.

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith/Jo Rowling

Mystery

5/5 Stars

The moment it was revealed that Rowling had published a novel under a pseudonym, I was buying it on my Kindle and reading it. I devoured this book. Rowling's writing style alone kept me excited throughout this book. Her characterization. Her dialogue. Her descriptions. *swoon* Some have complained that this book didn't have enough suspense. I dunno. Maybe I was just having such an adrenaline rush over the fact that Rowling had had a book published for months and I didn't know about it.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Fantasy/Dystopia

4.5/5 Stars

The Bone Season is the first book to have a character that shares my name that I actually like. Yay! But on a more serious note, there is so much world-building in this. I LOVED it. While it can be info-dumpy, especially in the beginning, I was just enamored with everything about this. The Bone Season follows a clairvoyant young woman in a future version of London where being clairvoyant is illegal. Drama ensues.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

YA/Fantasy

5/5 Stars

Holy guacamole. CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, YOU GUYS. If you didn't know, this is the sequel to Throne of Glass. I read Throne of Glass in 2012, and liked it but wasn't in love with it. Crown of Midnight, however, is now one of my favorite books. EVER. All of the feels. All of them. Throne of Glass was more like a foundation for the awesomeness that is to come in this series, and I'm so so so excited to see where this goes. Cool world-building. Cool characters. Great plotting. *hugs book to self*

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Fantasy

5/5 Stars

The cutest book I've ever read goes to Howl's Moving Castle. I've fangirled numerous times about this book on my Booktube channel, and will continue to fangirl for as long as I can. The wizard Howl is one of the most obnoxiously lovable characters, even though he's built on the most annoying characteristics ever. This book is just so much fun and full of laughs. I loved the movie, and I'm glad I decided to read the book because it's even better.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
YA/Fantasy
4.5/5 Stars
WHAT A SEQUEL. Now, this pales in comparison to Crown of Midnight... but this is still one of my favorite reads of 2013. I'm still swooning over Alina's (the main character's) arc and I want the next book in this series NOW. OR ELSE. (But I can wait, honestly. I'll be spending my months theorizing about how badass Alina is going to be in the next installment.) There was a new character introduced in this book that I LOVED. My only complaint would be that there was so much opportunity for cool world-building and Bardugo didn't go for it. PS. this is the sequel to Shadow and Bone.