Book Review – Queen Demon by Martha Wells

I’m a big fan of Martha Wells’ work in general and Witch King was one of my favorite books of 2023, so I was very excited when a sequel was announced, doubly so after I was offered a review copy through NetGalley. It did not disappoint.

In Queen Demon Wells seamlessly picks up past and present plot threads from the previous book and further explores the series vibrant world. The parallel narratives play off each other thematically while not having explicitly mirrored plots; it’s a neat trick and worked for me really well. Benais-Arik, Enalin, and some other locations are fleshed out more fully, and the world building balances giving these cultures a weight of history while showing the ways they were changed by the war against the Hierarchs. I really like the way magic was approached in this series, with a largely soft approach to magic systems, while still having clear rules that the magic of the world operates by. Queen Demon explores this in depth, and adds an additional magical tradition to the mix. As always, Wells’ prose is impressive. This is a book that feels introspective, emotional, and rich with detail, without bogging down in excessive set dressing or angst. It’s a difficult trick to pull off, but it’s executed really well, keeping both plot lines moving in a way that results in a pretty breezy read.

Queen Demon remains primarily character focused, delivering further development of Kaisteron and his family, and in my opinion delves deeper into his thoughts than Witch King, as Kai examines some of his past actions more closely. We also get a deeper look at Dahin and Tahren Stargaard, and I especially enjoyed Dahin. I have a soft spot for rogueish scholarly characters and he fits that archetype perfectly. The reunion at the finale of Witch King also allows for Kais relationships with his family to be explored further, and the past plotline continues the development of his relationship with Bashasa and his accent to a position of leadership within the revolution against the Hierarchs.

One of the things that resonated most with me was the hope that a better world is possible, best exemplified by Bashasa as he leads the revolution against the Hierarchs. In the present portions of the narrative the glimpses of how the Rising World Coalition operates and the world that they have built after the fall of their oppressors, it’s a powerful look at what a society that uplifts the many rather than elevated the few could look like. This hit me especially hard in a moment when where Kai and Dahin encounter a prison built by the Hierarchs, which has been converted into homes. It’s a brief passage, but for me it was a great encapsulation of the world Kai and his family are fighting for. That optimism is in tension both with the sacrifices and risk needed to make a better world, but also the struggle after it is won to keep it that way. That tension runs through much of the book in both the past and present narratives and gives the whole a great thematic through line, alongside the anti-imperial and anti-colonial themes from Witch King.

Queen Demon is a worthy sequel to Witch King, carrying forward all of what made that book so compelling while adding further complexity, and left me anxious to see what comes next for Kaiisteron. Pre-order it or make sure your local library is getting a copy, you’ll enjoy every page.

Queen Demon releases October 7, 2025. Thanks again to Tor and NetGalley for the review copy.