Book: The Warrior Heir
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Series: Yes
Angst Level: 1
Rating: 3.5 stars
Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.
Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At their helm sits the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.
As if his bizarre heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.
I read Cinda’s Seven Realm series last year and LOVED it.
It’s a brilliant series and I devoured it quickly. I was excited to read more
of her writing. The Warrior Heir was good, much of what I like about her
writing was present and the plot was intriguing. However… for some reason I
just didn’t connect with the characters the way that I did with the Seven
Realms. There is still a lot to enjoy about the book. The main character is a
teenage boy. It is so rare to come across a YA novel with a male MC, and it’s
refreshing. I always seem to be at a
loss when recommending good YA books for a boy, some of them are just too girly
for a teen. I like them, but I’m a girl in her mid-twenties. Big difference. I’m excited to lend this one to my 12 year old
cousin, he will LOVE it.
I’d recommend this to anyone who has read Cinda Williams
Chima’s other books, fantasy lovers, or someone looking for a male MC.
(The ‘Angst Level’ is borrowed from my blog. It indicates
the level of angst in the story, because if you’re like me, I like a fair
warning of how much angsty drama I’ll have to put up with in a story.)
