Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

Series: The Rising World #2
Author: Martha Wells
Publisher: Tor Books
Released: October 7, 2025
Received: Own
Find it on Storygraph | More Fantasy | Martha Wells

Book Summary:

Kai may be the Witch King, but that doesn’t make him immune to the chaos the world can bring to muster. That’s the whole reason he’s in a new body, facing off against potential foes in the darkness. His biggest concern is the potential return of the Hierarchs.

Many years ago, Kai and his companions helped to rally the forces against these Hierarchs, and they gave nearly everything to see the light of day. They know how dark the world can become, should things cycle around again.

My Review:

You know how you read a book that you love so much, you’re almost afraid to read the sequel? It feels irrational, but that is a bit of what I experienced with Queen Demon. I loved Witch King, and so I was both excited and terrified for Queen Demon. I knew it would live up to my expectations (Martha Wells always does), but still.

So, I finally sat down and read Queen Demon this week. Not only that, but I forced myself to pace my reading, so I could really enjoy (and prolong) the experience. I’m already craving more, and hate that I have to wait for any news about the third installment of the series. Fingers crossed we’ll hear something soon!

Let me take a step back and focus on my review of Queen Demon. As with the previous novel, Queen Demon is split into two distinct timelines: the present and the past. The past is marked by the war against the Hierarchs, a long, storied, and complex conflict. The present is equally complicated, thanks to politics, betrayal, and potentially terrifying new (yet familiar) concerns. Generally, the chapters rotate back and forth between these perspectives.

Right from the beginning, I was trying to piece together how the details revealed in the past would affect the present. Likewise, I was busy trying to figure out what some of the secondary characters were up to and how it would all come together.

I was not disappointed with the big reveal. Holy cow, that finale was a whirlwind to read. It does border on a cliffhanger ending, so the wait for the next novel is going to be truly brutal. I have been dealing with a book hangover from the moment I turned the final page of Queen Demon.

Highlights:

• High Fantasy
• Complex World
• Friendship & Betrayal

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