Review: Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: Shadowcaster (Shattered Realms #2)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima 
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: April 4th 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of Flamecaster - here

Alyssa ana'Raisa is the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of Fells, a queendom embroiled in a seemingly endless war. Hardened by too many losses, Lyss is more comfortable striking with a sword than maneuvering at court. After a brush with death, she goes on the offensive, meaning to end the war that has raged her whole life. If her gamble doesn't pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even ascends to the throne.

Across enemy lines in Arden, young rising star Captain Halston Matelon has been fighting for his king since he was a lýtling. Lately, though, he finds himself sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of witches and wolfish warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series, this is a thrilling story of the unfathomable costs of war, the allure of dark magic, and two principled and conflicted characters, drawn together despite everything they stand to lose.

Shadowcaster is the second book in the series Shattered Realms, which is the spin-off of the Seven Realms series and takes place 25 years after the end of the series.

The main character is Alyssa ana'Raisa (Lyss), Princess of the Queendom of the Fells and youngest daughter of Raisa and Han (main characters of the Seven Realms), little sister of Adrian (MC of Flamecaster) and due to the continuous war that they had have against the Kingdom of Arden for the last 25 years, she´s in the militia and is a soldier at heart, she doesn´t have time for the frivolities of the court, she´s a warrior known as the Gray Wolf, just a few know her true identity and the Gray Wolf is feared by her enemies.

Halston Matelon is a captain of Arden, his post is in Delphi, a city that is located near the border with the Queendom of Fells and because his father is a noble, whom is having disagreements the King of Arden, the life of Halston is constantly in danger, since he have to take care of threats from his enemies from the Fells and from Arden alike.

Lyss is the princess heir and future queen of the Queendom of Fells, but due to the war she has received a more militarized education since she was young and for that reason she´s a tomboy, she feels more in her element in a uniform than in dresses, she´s less feminine than the ladies at court, and she doesn´t see in herself as a future queen.

Shadowcaster is told from several points of view, but being the main ones been of Lyss and Halston. And most of the book happens almost at the same time as the events that happened in the first book of this series, for this reason the time lines of both are almost parallel, but there are some chapters of Jenna (the main character of first book), but her chapters takes place shortly after the end of Flamecaster.

On this occasion, there are many things happening at the same time, the war between Fells and Arden, betrayals in both kingdoms, besides that we know a little more about Carthis and Celestine her empress and why she´s interested in the Seven Realms, when before she didn´t have any interaction with them, nor had intervened in the war. And although I was a bit disappointed that we did not see Adrian Sul'Han from Flamecaster, I did liked that I got to know Lyss and the other new characters, in addition to expanding their world a little more. Shadowcaster is a MUST READ for fans of epic fantasy novels.

Review: Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release date: April 5th 2016
Source: Edelweiss
Format: eARC

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

A burning vengeance.

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?

A blood-based curse.

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.

Destiny’s fiery hand.

Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

Flamecaster is the first book of the Shattered Realms series, which is the spin-off of the Seven Realms series and takes place 25 years after the end of the series.

One of the main characters is Adrian sul'Han, Prince of the Queendom of Fells and son of Raisa and Han, to whom they refer to as Ash. Ash is a wizard like his father, but specializes in healing magic. Due to an important event at the beginning of the story, Ash wants to seek revenge and his target is the cruel King of Arden, which had been at war with the Queendom of Fells for the last 25 years.

Jenna Bandelow who lives in Delphi, a mining town, she had been forced to work in the mines since she was a child and because of an incident with the cruel King of Arden, she joins a group called patriots trying to cause damage against King and his guard. Jenna has a strange mark on the back of her neck called magemark and also has visions of the future.

For different reasons the paths of Ash and Jenna intersect at the court of Arden, and the attraction is almost instantaneous, The romance is almost instant-attraction unlike in the previous series.

This book is action-packed, there´s never a dull moment, it build slowly the plot and is full of intrigue, revenge and has some unexpected twists and turns. I can not wait to read the next book in the series. Flamecaster is a epic fantasy novel and can be read without having read the previous series, but I do recommend you first read the Seven Realms series.

Review: The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release date: October 23rd 2012

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Demon King - here, The Exiled Queen - here & The Gray Wolf Throne - here

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed-Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love.

Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana'Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells' inner turmoil, Raisa's best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she's falling in love.

Through a complicated web of lies and unholy alliances, former streetlord Han Alister has become a member of the Wizard Council of the Fells. Navigating the cut-throat world of blue blood politics has never been more dangerous, and Han seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it?

A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series. 

The Crimson Crown is the fourth and final book of the Seven Realms series and as usual in this series (at least for me), I liked this book more than its predecessor. I really loved it!. I highly recommended it for those who like to read YA epic fantasy.

Queen Raisa is constantly struggling to keep her Queendom she has many opponents, in addition to several enemies who want her dead and she´s only 17 years old and she´s responsible to try and unite her people and see for the sake of it, within which she must marry with someone suitable for her Queendom and not necessarily for love as she wishes.

Meanwhile Han Alister is already part of council of wizards, as part of his plan so he can help Queen Raisa. But as he had become accustomed to being always alone and he keeps many secrets from Raisa, which could endanger him, since he may be seen as a villain in the eyes of his allies.

Throughout the series Alger Waterlow had been mentioned repeatedly, he´s better known as the Demon King, a character that 1000 years ago kidnapped Queen Hanalea with the intention of marrying her and gain power, as a result he almost destroyed the world, or at least that's what the history says, but in this book it was finally revealed what really happened, who was the one who betrayed him and how all of this changed the laws that governs the wizards.

The Crimson Crown is an emotional roller coaster, where there is betrayal, friendship, forbidden love, romance, lots of action, mysteries and unexpected twists and turns. It is an excellent conclusion to this wonderful series. I highly recommended this series.

Review: The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Gray Wolf Throne (Seven Realms #3)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release date: August 30th 2011

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Demon King - here & The Exiled Queen - here

Han Alister thought he had already lost everyone he loved. But when he finds his friend Rebecca Morley near death in the Spirit Mountains, Han knows that nothing matters more than saving her. The costs of his efforts are steep, but nothing can prepare him for what he soon discovers: the beautiful, mysterious girl he knew as Rebecca is none other than Raisa ana’Marianna, heir to the Queendom of the Fells. Han is hurt and betrayed. He knows he has no future with a blueblood. And, as far as he’s concerned, the princess’s family as good as killed his own mother and sister. But if Han is to fulfill his end of an old bargain, he must do everything in his power to see Raisa crowned queen.

Meanwhile, some people will stop at nothing to prevent Raisa from ascending. With each attempt on her life, she wonders how long it will be before her enemies succeed. Her heart tells her that the thief-turned-wizard Han Alister can be trusted. She wants to believe it—he’s saved her life more than once. But with danger coming at her from every direction, Raisa can only rely on her wits and her iron-hard will to survive—and even that might not be enough.

The Gray Wolf Throne is an epic tale of fierce loyalty, unbearable sacrifice, and the heartless hand of fate. 

The Gray Wolf Throne is the third book in the Seven Realms series and the plot gets better with each book, since identities are revealed, romances begin, romances conclude, friendships are strengthened, and enemies and betrayal everywhere.

Poor Raisa, she´s the Crown Princess of her Queendom, but she had to flee to the academy Oden´s Ford and had to use the alias of Rebecca,because she was escaping a forced marriage, but after a year in exile she returned to her Queendom, but there are many people that want her dead so that she would not come to inherit the throne, since due to politics many would prefer that she died and her younger sister Melony inherited, while the clans will do everything to prevent this from happening, because it´s beneficial for them that she become Queen. So if things do not improve her people will go into civil war. So Raisa will do everything possible with the help of her allies to return alive to the capital.

Meanwhile Han is bound by the deal he made with the clans to help them in what they need, and when they do call him back after a year of study at the Academy of wizards at Oden´s Ford, he must return. But when he comes back home, he also intends to search his girlfriend Rebecca, which mysteriously disappeared from the academy and when he finally finds learns her true identity, he will have to decide what to do with this new knowledge.

Another highlight in story, is that finally is revealed the true identity of Crow in this book, he´s Han´s tutor that he meets in Aediion.

I highly recommend The Seven Kingdoms series, it´s a MUST READ! It´s an excellent epic fantasy series.

Review: The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Exiled Queen (Seven Realms #2)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release date: September 24th 2010

Rating: 5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

You can read my review of The Demon King - here

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 Exiled Queen begins shortly after the end of The Demon King, Han Alister and his best friend Dancer head to Oden's Ford, to begin their training as wizards in the Mystwerk House and there they will learn to use and control their magic, so that in the future Han can fulfill the deal he made with the clans. But once there he encounters with the Bayar twins, Micah and Fiona, being Micah the one that he should be more careful to be around because Micah will do everything to recover the amulet that Han took from him. That´s why he accepts the help of a mysterious tutor, an enemy of the Bayars that offers to teach him defense and offensives spells.

For their part, Raisa and Amon along with their group of cadets also they travel to Oden's Ford but they stay at Wien House, which is the school that trains military cadets and where Raisa is introduced as Rebecca Morley, because she´s hiding from the people that want to marry her against her will. Once there she begins to study to become a better leader of her people.

And it´s at Oden's Ford  where Han and Raisa (under the name Rebecca Morley) meet again and they strike up a friendship that could turn into something more.

I really liked Han´s and Raisa´s interactions, but it took a while for them to meet even though they are in the same school (different house). I also liked to see that Han is not blinded by revenge and is determined to do everything in his power to learn to control his magic, but he still does not trust many in regard to his amulet. Meanwhile Raisa becomes stronger, but finds several obstacles in her path.

The Exiled Queen is a high fantasy novel told from the point of view of Han and Raisa, it´s longer than the previous book, as this has 586 pages, so it isn´t a light read, but it´s very entertaining and it has magic, betrayal, romance, friendship and likeable main characters. I loved it!

Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Demon King (Seven Realms #1)
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release date: September 7th 2010

Rating: 4.5/5

Buy on: Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

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. 

I finally read The Demon King! For years I´ve heard about this series and the first time I saw it ¿was on an In My Mailbox where they talked wonders of it, I do not remember if they were talking about The Gray Wolf Throne (third book in the series) or The Exiled Queen (second book in the series), but I remember that it caught my attention and I added in my wishlist, and soon after I began to see it in booktube and other blogs which also said that it was an amazing book series, so I decided to buy them...... and I own the four books that make up the series, but as always there are more books to read, and I left them on my bookshelf for years, but this 2016, Flamecaster is going to be published, the first of the Shattered Realms series consisting of four books, that take place 20 years after the events in the Seven Realms series, so I need to catch up on my reading.

Han Alister is a 16 years old boy, he used to lead a gang of thieves, but at the beginning of the story he had already retired from that life and is trying to make a living in another way for the sake of his younger sister and mother, so he sells medicinal herbs and transports liquor for other, in order to get money for his family. In the streets he´s known as cuffs - for the silver bracelets he wears on his wrists that had been there since forever and although he had tried, he had never been able to remove them - in the clan of his best friend he´s called Hunts Alone and the rest of the people know him as Han Alister.

The problems of Han Alister begin when he takes a magic amulet from Micah Bayar, the son of the High Wizard and the queen´s adviser and since this amulet is a powerful and forbidden Micah wants it back, because it belonged to the Demon King, a dark wizard who tried centuries destroy the world.

The story is told from two points of view, Han Alister and the Crown Princess Raisa ana'Marianna who recently returned home after spending a few years training in her father's clan, but now she must return to her responsibilities as a crown princess and apparently that include to find a good alliance through marriage and so one day she can lead her queendom. But Raisa's dreams are bigger, as it aims to be a great queen as it was Hanalea, the warrior queen who fought and defeated the Demon King, and Raisa wants to somehow achieve something great and not just be a pawn of her family.

The Demon King is an introductory story to the Seven Realms series and the main characters Han Alister and Raisa ana'Marianna and what I liked more that we get to know them  in their own environment, with their families and friends, there is no romance (among them at least, as normally is expected in YA fantasy novels). The lives of the main characters do come across in this story, but everyone has their own separate plot (which I liked). I really really enjoyed it! the book is very well written and the story flows swiftly, so no boring moments and is quickly read. I can not wait to read its sequel.

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