The Exiled Queen - Book Review

It is the second book in this series and Raisa is forced to be alone on her journey of trying to save her queendom. Rather than being forced to marry the High Wizard's son, who is being sorely manipulated by his own father, she runs away to live with her father's clan. But before she could get to her clan, her family, she and her best friend (possible lover) and his guard go to Oden's Ford. Not only do Raisa and her new companions go to Oden's Ford in order to train to be the new royal guard, but she ends up running into Han Alister, where he and other wizards in training are learning how to hone their skills. It is from there that the real journey will take place, and while this book only touched upon their meeting towards the end of the book, the rest of their time at Oden's Ford is not completely void of mystery.

Han may still not be completely accepting of his heritage, the one that we learned from the previous book, but he has no choice in the matter. Being the direct descendant of the Demon King means that he has a responsibility of either saving the world, or destroying it. He can learn how to hone his magic all he wants, but whether he uses it for good or evil will depend on him, and the direction that he takes. It doesn't help that he isn't sure of the type of man who is mentoring him during this journey, or if the man who is helping him get better at his magic has any ulterior motives. Will he be able to see the truth before it's too late?

And what about Raisa? She's undercover in this school, where she goes through such a physical and mental transformation that makes her so much stronger than when she started. It might have been better for her that she didn't end up staying with her father's clan, because now she can fend for herself if the occasion ever arose. She is growing into herself, becoming the kind of woman that she needs to be by the time she becomes Queen. With the help of Han, by the time they have to leave Oden's Ford, they will have the opportunity to set things right in their world, and hopefully work together in order to restore balance.

This book I felt was so much better than the first one, which is always great to hear. I love it when the series just get better and better, rather than stay the same or get worse in quality. Sometimes it's hard for sequels to keep up the momentum of the first book and so on, but this one just gets better as it goes on. I took a break from this series to read other books but I can't wait to get back in to this one and finish the last two books.

Rated: 5/5 Stars

The Exiled Queen - Cinda Williams Chima

Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean that danger isn't far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret. 

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden's Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen. 

Everything changes when Han and Raisa’s paths cross, in this epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

The Demon King - Book Review

Magic is prevalent in this world, even if it's not highly liked. The world has changed a lot since the Demon King tried to destroy the world, almost succeeding in his quest. Because of the Demon King's actions, wizards and clans are in a precarious situation, so close to being at war with one another. In this land, we meet two very different people from two very different ends of the spectrum. Han Alister, a former head of one of the city's gangs, comes across a special amulet that has a dangerous history, and brings his world crashing down around him. The amulet he found is supposed to belong to the Demon King, the same one that almost caused the world to end.

Enter Raisa ana'Marianna, the Princess Heir of Fellsmarch, the future ruler of her country. Not only is she royalty through her mother's side (it is a Queendom, after all, and the monarchy is a matriarch), but also through her father's side. Her father is a very important figure in the clans, and she has to somehow combine both sides of her heritage into her life. When she feels like her mother is making her choose between her crown and her father's family, she has to decide where her loyalties lie, and why she even has to choose in the first place.

The queendom is on the brink of an all out war, and Raisa doesn't realize just how bad it really is. She ends up running away when a plot to change the rule of succession is hatched, which also involves her marrying the High Wizard's son without her approval. On her journey across the land, she meets Han, and they find out that their journey together is more intertwined than they initially thought.

This book was so amazing to me, and it is the first book of this four part series. Han never knew who his father was, and when he does end up finding out the truth of his ancestors, it goes to show just how powerful he really is, and the potential of gaining even more. Raisa also discovers just how much she needs to learn about being the next Queen, and how she needs to learn how to trust her own instincts. I especially loved the fact that this is a matriarchal society, something that I rarely see in the books I've read so far. I need more of those in my life for sure. Granted, the current Queen is not doing such a good job, but that doesn't mean that all of them were bad at their job. In fact, it was the first Queen that was able to prevent the Demon King from destroying the world in the first place, and that's saying something.

I know that this is only the first book, and I know that both Han and Raisa have a lot of growing up to do, but I can already tell that their journey is going to be a crazy one. It looks like there's another pair of teenagers that are bound to save the world, and I'm actually very okay with that. I look forward to reading the rest of the series, along with the companion series that takes place after the events of The Seven Realms series.

Rated: 5/5 Stars

The Demon King - Cinda Williams Chima

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell—the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.
One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.
Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her...
The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.

Synopsis provided by GoodReads.