This book has been one of my favorites for several years. I love the story line and when I listened to the audiobook, the narrator, Carol Monda, really brought the characters to life. With magic, a diverse cast, and vivid landscapes, this isn’t one you want to pass by.

Before we dive in, here is a reminder of how I rate my books (these will be on a scale of 1-10, 1 being low, 10 being high):

• Plot Structure: How well the story was put together.
• Character Development: Level of growth a character achieves and how well the author makes them feel “real.”
• Language: Level of swearing, innuendos, verbal abuse, and other triggers.
• Violence: Level of fight scenes and gore.
• Sexual Content: Level of physical intimacy.

Also, we can’t forget the disclaimers.

Disclaimer 1: The more I write, the more I critique books harder on plot structure and how the various elements work together. Thus my reviews reflect this. However, if you see a book appear on the blog, it’s because I enjoyed reading and thought you, as a fellow bookie, would enjoy it as well. As always, reading is subjective and what resonates with me may not resonate with you. And that’s OK! We’re in this to discover new books that are family appropriate and worth taking the time to read.

Let’s see how this book shakes out on my scorecard!

Book Description:

New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima presents the first installment in a thrilling new fantasy series, in which the lives of Han Alister and the brave Princess Raisa collide in a magical and dangerous adventure.

One day Han Alister catches three young wizard 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. Raia 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.

The Seven Realms will tremble when the lives of Han and Raisa collide in this stunning page-turner from best-selling author Cinda Williams Chima.

The Review:

In this novel, we follow the lives of Han Alister and Princess Raisa Ana’Marianna. A pair who walk very different paths, but are bound tighter than anyone realizes as their histories unfold.

Han, a former street lord, is doing everything he can to help his family survive without turning back to the street life. His life spirals out of control when the demon king’s medallion comes into his possession.

This character is possibly my favorite. He’s a decisive risk-taker who always looks out for his friends. I also appreciate how he’s realized his choices in the past weren’t good and is trying to change. He struggles against his past the entire series as he goes from street lord, to fledgling wizard to high wizard, always wondering if he’s good enough. A struggle I feel all of us can relate to.

Raisa is headstrong and oblivious to the real needs of her people. When her eyes are opened, this princess takes action and gets into the thick of things, heedless of her own danger. Reisa is smart, willing to accept her mistakes and learn from them, and do what it takes to bring all her people together. A flawed and relatable character, despite being a princess.

One thing I didn’t love about this book, and the series in general, was how sensual it could get. It was usually brief lines of dialogue or descriptors, but as a YA novel, I felt it unnecessary to be included. Especially as the series progress and more steamy scenes cropped up. I’ll admit, I usually just skipped those bits because I loved the story. However, they could be uncomfortable to the unsuspecting reader.

How I rate this book:

• Plot Structure: 8/10; This novel was well paced, plotted, and the dual POV gave nice variety. You felt like you were right in the slums, the forest camps, or the castle right along with the character, and events felt natural in their progression.
• Character Development: 9/10; The characters were well developed. Their goals are clear and make you want to follow them on their journeys. I also felt that there was a character everyone could relate to. It had several different races of people and encapsulated well how such diverse people struggle to work together. But when they do, they accomplish great things.
• Language: 2/10; There is mostly in-world cursing.
• Violence: 4/10; While blood and battle aren’t a huge part of this novel, things can get slightly graphic in the few fight scenes. These scenes are usually brief.
• Sexual Content: 6/10; Promiscuity was prevelent. Characters kissed, shared beds, and had affairs, in addition to sensual descriptions. Use caution here. Usually any actual sex scenes were a fade-to-black, but it had quite a bit of lead up.

I love this book and this series because of the intrigue in the storyline, but do wish I could read it without the sensual content. I felt it was unnecessary and would have made a better story without it. With that said, I would say this book is for a more mature audience. Even though the characters are only 16/17, it felt more like they were 19/20.

If you’ve read this novel, what did you think about it?

Tell me in the comments!