I've come to realize what I love so, so much about this novel (and series) is that it's 2 books in 1. And both books are *equally* amazing. Each has a dynamic plot, good pacing, excellent character development, and unique world-building facets. I find the characters and the world they live in is endlessly fascinating, and Martha Wells does such a good job of giving you just enough info to keep the world slightly mysterious but understandable as you read. I genuinely cannot wait for the third book to see where she takes the story.

5/5

After the radiant triumph that was Witch King, Martha Wells returns with a sequel decidedly more world spanning that sees Kai and his crew on the road to the Hierarchs’ Well. Kaiisteron, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth, the Witch King, initially endeared me with his demonic nature and violent tendencies. From that first chapter of Witch King, as Kai awakes to his murdered body and a mage trying to control his magic to the “I’m the demon” line, I knew he was going to be one of my all time favorite fantasy protagonists. Uncovering a sinister conspiracy and facing a dark power that would see him enslaved, it is Kai’s inner goodness that manages to shine through the various betrayals, deaths, and even the loss of his family. Martha Wells reassembles our unconventional crew and family in the next installment to her Rising World series, this time embarking on a mission of academic research with disastrous consequences. In this sequel, the dynamics shine and the inner workings of the Rising Coalition and Bashasa’s rebellion are finally unveiled. Queen Demon takes a leap back in time and a step forward in the present, confronting the issues of empire and whether or not true power can be willingly destroyed before it is corrupted.

If you fell in love with Witch King prepare to surrender all the more in this sequel. Queen Demon is everything I wanted after I finished book one, expanding on the world we were initially introduced to, its unique peoples, and struggles. Once a fledgling demon, Kai is now fully instilled in Bashasa’s rebellion against the hierarchs at his right hand and in the present, he faces the dangerous power that fueled their conquest. With all of our characters reunited, Wells is able to further expand upon character dynamics and relationships in an entirely new environment. The found family element is at its height with our characters on the path to destroying the Hierarchs’ Well. Queen Demon is not without its twists, particularly as our crew uncovers a sinister plot amid the hidden well of the Hierarchs. I never put it past Martha Wells to leave you stranded in uncertain territory and Queen Demon frames that in an entirely new light. The Rising World is certainly one of the best new high fantasy series and if nothing else, read it for a demon witch main character on a quest of revenge & academic inquiry with his chaotic found family.