Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read the entire Seven Realms series and loved it, so then I read the Shattered Realms series. I liked Alyssa, Adrian, and Jenna, and their storylines, but I never got invested in Breon, Evan, and Destin. Even some of the other characters and plotlines I started to care about in previous books like Hal Matelon and weren't developed enough in this one. Add to that that many characters had multiple names and aliases, it was work to read this. I mean, I'm not crazy, this is crazy: http://www.cindachima.com/Demon_King/.... And yes, I realize that many of the characters listed here were well-known and well-remembered Seven Realms characters, but that's part of my point, the characters in Seven Realms were much better developed and interesting.

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Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The best. If you like the fantasy genre and/or YA or joy, just drop everything and start with The Demon King by this author. Read all 7 books and then sit with me impatiently while we wait for the 8th book to come out. You’re welcome.

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Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This one was pretty good. One thing that kind of bothers me is that despite the name of this book, it didn't really feel like Shadowcaster was an important or developed character. Also, his name is weird and doesn't really tell you anything about his power. I did enjoy the other main characters Princess Heir Alyssa and the Arden soldier Hal.

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Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first book of the Shattered Realms series, but it's also a continuation of the Seven Realms series. I just finished Seven Realms, so as a continuation of that perfect story, I kind of hate it. But as the beginning of a new series, I like it a lot and I'm excited to read the next one! (Also you don't have to read the first series to understand this one, but I recommend it anyway.)

One of the two main characters, Ash is the second child of Hans and Raisa. We follow his challenging story and the people he meets and cares about on his journey. The other main character is Jenna, an underage coal miner in Arden turned revolutionary against the King of Arden. (Remember the super evil King of Arden from the first series? He hasn't developed any nuance in this one either.)

Solid start!

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The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Best fantasy book series ever. This was the fourth book in the series and it was perfection.

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The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don't let my one missing star fool you, I loved every minute of this book and I FLEW through it. The only reason I held back one star is that it was a "middle book." The second book is also in the middle of the series, but I got so much more from it than from this one. (I want to go study at Oden's Ford.) I"m super excited to read the last book in this series and Chima's other books.

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The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am really enjoying this fantasy series. It’s like a cleaned up, vastly more enjoyable, and less repetitive Game of Thrones. Or maybe it’s like Harry Potter crossed with Game of Thrones. That the one. I pretty much love all the characters even the bad guys, except of course Lord Bayer, who really doesn’t give us much to work with except a bunch of murderous sprees.

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The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this! It's solidly YA genre fantasy and there's nothing especially new here but it was fun. I like the main characters a lot: Raisa ana'Marianna, princess heir of the Fellsmarch, and "reformed thief" Han Alister. It has a lot of the stuff that makes Game of Thrones fun without all the painful stuff that bogs it down. Royalty, soldiers, and wizards vying for power.

I love the world building. The world has a specific though somewhat unclear history. Hanalea was a legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world, except maybe that's not what happened at all. My favorite part of the world building is the lifestyle of the clan. The clan characters are also particularly interesting especially Han's clan friend, Dancer, and his mother the potions maker. Raisa's father and grandmother are also from the clan and add a lot to the story once they appear.

A lot of it is predictable, and it's a bit slow at the beginning but it's just really fun. I'm excited to read the next book and see what happens now that all the characters are finally in motion.




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