The Warrior Heir

The Warrior Heir

A teen from Ohio discovers he's the last in a long line of magical warriors chosen to fight to the death.Before he knew about the Roses, sixteen-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 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 living among us. At the head of this magical society sit 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.As if his bizarre magical heritage weren'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. Can he learn to control his magic and fight off the Wizards who would claim him? Find out in the first book in the epic Heir Chronicles series by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima!From School Library JournalGrade 5-9-An apparently ordinary 16-year-old boy turns out to have magical powers that make him a target of a covert society of wizards, enchanters, and warriors called the Weir. Jack's small-town world in Ohio begins to unravel when he starts to unleash unintentional bursts of wizardry. When he recovers a powerful sword from an ancestor's grave, he begins to realize how different he really is. A battle with a wizard and some magic-laced conflicts at his high school keep the pages turning while the truth about Jack's destiny slowly emerges. The scene switches to Great Britain, where he learns that he must participate in a duel to the death against a mysterious opponent. Many details about the Weir are initially hidden from readers, as well as from Jack, so the gradual revelations about the society are involving and often surprising. Jack makes a fairly convincing hero. He is disbelieving at first and reluctant throughout, but ultimately finds a way to utilize his new powers without sacrificing his honor or basic decency. An appealing mixture of supporting characters includes relatives with various magical abilities, a couple of nonmagical but loyal friends, and an engaging assortment of villains. Occasional plot developments are unconvincing, as when Jack's protective aunt, an enchanter, takes him straight into the clutches of a wizard who clearly wants the young warrior in her power. For the most part, though, the teen's unavoidable involvement in the intricate world of the Weir is suspenseful and entertaining.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, ORCopyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From BooklistGr. 8-11. Sixteen-year-old Jack forgets to take his medicine one morning, and by afternoon is filled with such strength he sends his rival, Garrett Lobeck, sailing into the net at soccer tryouts--without even touching him. Jack soon discovers he is no ordinary teen and his medicine is not what he thought it was. Since the secret insertion of a warrior stone in his chest at infancy, Jack has been dosed with a suppressant designed to hold his powers as a Warrior Heir in check until his wizard sponsor can retrieve him and prepare him to fight in a death tournament for supremacy. With the aid of an aunt, old and new friends, and a magical sword, Jack fights to retain his identity and choose his own path. The magical elements of the story aren't adequately set up, and some necessary details seem hastily inserted, while others are left hanging. Together with loose, occasionally redundant plotting, this is a book