Queen Demon
Author: Martha Wells
Reviewer: Sophia Rose
Rating: A-
What I’m Talking About:
Last year, I came to The Rising World series from Martha Wells’ Murderbot series and promptly discovered she was not a one-trick pony. Her fantasy writing has its own voice and a richness of setting, worldbuilding, characters with nuance, and a plot that was nigh unputdownable when it got rolling.
Witch King resurrected my dormant fantasy genre interest, so it was with excited trepidation that I picked up Demon Queen, the ongoing story of Kaiisteron, the genderfluid demon Witch King inhabiting a human body, who prevailed in book one, his misfit band of demon and witch friends and humans seeking to keep the enslaving, aristocratic repressors using demon and witch magic to subjugate all, the Hierarchs from returning to power.
An artifact will do it, and Kai is determined to get his hands on it first. More research in the archives and journeys are to be had while danger is imminent. Notwithstanding the enemies from without, his merry band of friends have secrets and their own agendas so he knows that when it comes down to it, their own priorities might get in the way of his. Meanwhile, things are still there between Kai and Bashasa.
I spoke of my excitement to dive into Queen Demon and this was true, but I confess to needing a refresher into where things were left and some details from Witch King. The book was so packed with details, two timelines, a complex magic and political system past and different in the story present. It was wonderful, but exhausting reading.
Eventually, things came back to me and yes, Queen Demon was more of that dense, detail rich writing. It was also told in dual timelines. The present timeline felt more pedantic and the past when they were rebels and beginning the peaceful coalition that was to become the Rising Word, was more exciting and heart-pounding for much of the story. And, let’s face it, I loved the glimpses of Bashasa and Kai in the past. Tracking clues in the old academic places and political intrigue as the new government trying to establish was interesting to a point. I’m glad there were both.
All in all, while it didn’t have all that first book ability to amaze with a new shiny, Queen Demon was another fabulous fantasy world adventure. It wraps in a good place, but I hope hard there will be more as I am wondering about a few things. And, I want more Kai and the rest, please!
My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot
Sophia Rose
About the Book:
Release Date: October 7, 2025
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: The Rising World #2
Genre: Fantasy
Format(s): hardcover (400 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley