Book Thoughts: The Demon King

Title: The Demon King
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Series: Seven Realms #1

I read this at the prompting of both my roommate and my brother and was not disappointed. It has the air of a typical fantasy novel: small villages and ornate palaces, swordfights (no gunpowder), and a mysterious history riddled with magic. And of course, there are evil wizards (and not-so-evil wizards).

I can't give this book a summary that does it justice (seriously, check out the Goodreads link), but I can tell you that I was sucked into both the lore and the story and very much drawn to the characters. Raisa is an awesome mix of kick-ass and the more typically feminine traits, and Han is a wonderful hero as well.

Fortunately, my brother has the second and third books in the series, so I'll be stealing borrowing those soon!

Book Thoughts: Mistwood

Title: Mistwood
Author: Leah Cypess

This one took me longer than I liked to get into it, but once I did, it was excellent. I absolutely recommend it. Read it.

MISTWOOD is about Isabel. Isabel is the Shifter - the legendary creature formed from mist who can shift into anything and is sworn to protect the royal family. She is anything but human. Loyalty is all she knows. Her life does not matter. Only the safety of the king is important to her.

But all of a sudden, Isabel has emotions. After ten years alone in the Mistwood, not having served the previous king for a reason that Isabel cannot remember, she is called back to her duties by Prince Rokan, and this time, things are different. And when a disputed succession challenges everything she thought she knew about herself and her loyalties, Isabel has to determine what it really means to be the Shifter.

MISTWOOD was very well-crafted, and Isabel's character is so easy to relate to even though she's not human. The perspective was very different from the norm - we get the world through the eyes of someone not human - and it just makes you want to read more. Also, there's a lot of talk about the various relationships between people and what it means to love, but it is in no way a sappy romance novel. Like, at all. This is a great book, you guys.