Kings and Daemons

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Kings and Daemons

A huge thank you to Marcus Lee who sent me a copy of Kings & Daemons!

Daleth the Witch-King is slowly bleeding the countryside and its people of life. But with the death of the land and its people, his eternal youth is beginning to slip. Daleth sets his eyes on the Freestates, a land teeming with life ready to be concurred and drained. But what he doesn't expect is a young girl born with a power to combat his own. When Maya's power forces her to come out of hiding, she will embark on an unexpected quest. One that will pit her against the Witch-King's gifted soldiers, and force her full potential.

Kings & Daemons isn't your typical good versus evil storyline. Readers will certainly see which characters strive to bring life back to the kingdom, but the road is full of choices. And not all of those choices will allow them to walk away with a clean conscience. Kalas is the perfect example of a good character who struggles against the uncertainty of his actions.

The concept of the daemon possessed soldiers was fascinating. Marcus Lee eases in a good deal of history by introducing Kalas and his past. Readers will follow the daemon possessed soldier and watch his constant battle with the creature inhabiting his body. And for all Kala's good intentions, the daemon is a manipulative and powerful entity.

All the characters throughout Kings & Daemons had solid foundations and arcs throughout the story. There was even a bit of romance blossoming as the story progressed. Though at times I thought the humor certain characters used didn't quite fit their personalities or the situations they were in. I still enjoyed watching each of them develop and discover more about themselves

Marcus Lee also puts little details into his writing that really brought it all together for me. There were certain challenges each character faced that seemed so normal, and yet would cascade into something more challenging. This brought a healthy dose of realism to the writing amidst all the fantastical elements.

Fans of traditional high fantasy will be swept up in the world-building and characters in Kings & Daemons. Magic, romance, mystery, and more can be found within its pages.