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From left to right, books one through three.
Cinda Williams Chima's take on High Fantasy.
A series of novels that take place within the world of the Seven Realms. According to legend, 1000 years ago, an evil wizard known only as the Demon King kidnapped Queen Hanalea of the Fells and nearly caused the end of the world. However, Hanalea escaped. She rallied an army made of both wizards and members of the Spirit Clans, who then defeated the Demon King and restored order to the Seven Realms. The Demon King's reign of terror has come to be known as The Breaking.
Fast-forward a thousand years and we have the events of the main series, following (former) street thug Han Alistar and Princess Raisa anaMarianna (descended from the Queen Hanalea.) Although first independent of each other, as a conspiracy involving the vastly powerful Bayar family of wizards and the the Demon King's amulet, their worlds collide in this epic adventure.
In book one, The Demon King Alistar is having trouble breaking away from his former life as the street lord[1] for the Raggers when one day he manages to steal a strange amulet from the heir to the Bayar family of wizards, and he soon comes to learn that it might have a connection with the evil Demon King of legend. Meanwhile, Raisa is having trouble getting ready to ascend to the throne and her quickly approaching sixteenth Name Day, when she will be of marrying age.
Book two, The Exiled Queen, follows Alistar and Raisa as they attempt to escape the political turmoil in their home by attending the world-famous schools at Oden's Ford. Alistar meets a powerful and mysterious ally that calls himself Crow and offers to teach him how to control his magic. As Raisa and Han eventually meet again, with Raisa still living under a false identity for her own safety, they quickly begin falling in love with one another.
Book three, The Gray Wolf Throne initially focuses more so on Raisa as she travels back home in order to ascend to the throne. All the while, she's pursued by assassins that wish to prevent this. Alistar risks his life to help her, and has to quickly adapt to the cut-throat world of Blue Blood politics.
Book four, The Crimson Crown is slated to be released during October of 2012. The plot focuses mainly on the large tension Alistar's prescience in The Fellsian Court is causing, as well as the fact that he's found a powerful object that could possibly unite the Fells once and for all. But can he do so before he's assassinated?
The Seven Realms Series provides examples of:[]
- Alpha Bitch: Micah[2] of all people fits this trope! At Oden's Ford, when he realizes that his status back home won't get him anywhere with the staff, he quickly adopts a few Bitch in Sheep's Clothing tendencies. With the Wizard students, he takes advantage of Han's past and tells everyone that Han's a street rat and a murderous thug. Albeit this is somewhat true; Han did try to kill Micah's father, but Micah conviniently leaves out how Gavan is responsible for the successful muder of Han's family. This actually works to Han's advantage in the most part since he doesn't really care what other people think about him. Most students leave Han alone, and his past makes him somewhat of a Memetic Sex God in the eyes of the female students at Oden's Ford. Including Fiona Bayar.
- Badass Princess: What Hanalea supposedly was during her youth. Raisa attempts to become one in book two. It works.
- Blue Blood: This term is used in-series. A lot.
- Blue Eyes: Han. Cinda leaps on every opportunity to describe how breathtakingly beautiful they are.
- Bring Him to Me: Eventually, Gavan Bayar insists on having Han brought to him alive. He even travels into the slums himself in order to retrieve Alistar personally. Luckily, Han is very resourceful and still manages to get away with the help of his Power Limiter silver arm bands.
- Chick Magnet: As of book three, Han has has a grand total of six separate named girls hit on him, not counting the many nameless ones, both street rats and Bluebloods alike mentioned in the narration.
- Covered with Scars: Han appears to have a lot of scars from his time as streetlord of the Raggers. Raisa notices one above his right eye often, but all he's said about it is that he "took a risk".
- Crystal Dragon Jesus: Brought to you by the Church of Mathus.
- Fantastic Drug: Silver Leaf.
- Fantastic Racism: And HOW!
- Green Eyes: Raisa.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Micah does this to Raisa at one point in book two.
- In-Series Nickname: Raisa also goes by Rai when with her close friends.
- Lovable Rogue: Han. Definitely.
- Love Dodecahedron: Again, and how!
- Luke, I Am Your Father: Can be considered an inversion as the son in this case (and the descendant in another) are fully aware of their lineage, but the older generation isn't. In a nutshell, Fire Dancer is Gavan Bayar's illegitimate son, conceived after the High Wizard raped Willo. They both work hard to make everyone think that Willo doesn't know who the wizard that raped her was in order to keep Dancer safe. Whilst Han is the descendant of the Demon King, thus bearing incredible magical power.
- Politically-Active Princess: Princess Raisa invokes this trope with the Briar Rose Ministry, a charity she founded and funds.
- Power Limiter: Those silver bracelets Han can't get off? Those actually absorb magic, mainly his.
- Rebellious Princess: Raisa. She's described as this word-for-word by the author in one interview.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: Raisa invokes this in book one with the Briar Rose Ministry, a charity she and her father personally fund. She later brings it Up to Eleven in book three, as a good chunk of the book is her going around, telling off her subjects about serious issues with the government, and helping people out.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Mari
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Raisa and Amon.