Richard the Lionheart returned from the Crusades with the gift of magic and changes the course of History. His absence was long and his kingdom changed therefore he relented to bringing the gift of magic to everyone and instead to those who believed only nobility should wield it. In time magic became a way of life that was shared and a short time of prosperity reigned. After the signing of The Magna Carta in 1215 commoners regained rights and now had access to magic. Descendants of Richard made desperate attempts to return power to the royalty and those common that were caught utilizing magic were executed. By the time Richard the Third took the throne the country was being sieged by Henry Tudor and his forces. What did it really cost Richard the Lionheart to bring magic in the first place? No King before had dared to ask, until Richard the Third.

Fast forward 100 years where The Plantagenet family rules and all magic is illegal. Inquisitors track down all those who practice magic and condemn them to death in the name of Richard V whose time has come to pay the price. Mattias and Tagan each bearing innate gifts of magic are magically transported to Germany while fighting for their lives against the sudden and unexpected arrival of the Inquisitor, Weaver who personifies everything you have ever read about the Inquisition. This is the start of a quest to locate the magi, Warin the Shapeshifter, Eyja She Who Sees, Giradlo De Luna the Pirate King and Akhgar Ibn Atash the Wanderer over land and sea while being chased down by an unrelenting Weaver in a world of magic they have just realized existed. With every step they take, training and growing under the tutelage of the powerful magi they finally understand how important they are to saving the world from the true ultimate evil....no matter what the price.

HEIRS OF THE DEMON KING: UPRISING held my interest from the start. The historical fantasy had a magical twist that started me down the path where I had problems putting down the book. The depth of each character and the way Sarah Cawkwell brought each of them to life was quite good. I felt the growing love between the troupe and the raw hatred of the inquisitor. There were laughter and tears and better yet the opening for the sequel!