Friday, December 30, 2011

The Warror Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

 
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
ISBN-10: 0786839171 0 Paperback
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; First Edition edition (February 27, 2007), 448 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

The blurb:
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-school students.  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 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.  The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre magical 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.

Review:
The only problem with The Warrior Heir was that it ended too soon.  As I put it down,  I just had to read the next two books in the series.  Am so thankful for my kindle and that it takes less than a minute to order and download the next book.

What is it about The Warrior Heir that I found so engrossing?  Cinda Williams Chima's world building, the complexity of her characters, the unusual and difficult predicaments that she throws them in, and the way that these heroes maintain their sense of honor and integrity despite life threatening odds and the strangest situations.

The Warrior Heir gives you a hero whose world has fallen apart in front of him.  He fights back his own way as he tries to make sense of these changes.  (SPOILER ALERT!) As he struggles, learns, and invariably succeeds, he becomes someone to care about, cheer for and a character that we want to read about.

About the Author (courtesy of her website):
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima grew up with talking animals and kick-butt Barbies. She began writing poetry and stories in third grade, and novels in junior high school. Her Heir Chronicles young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and The Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming.   Chima’s best-selling YA high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King (2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) and The Gray Wolf Throne (August, 2011.) The Crimson Crown is scheduled for fall, 2012.

Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists. Her books also appear on numerous state awards lists. Both series are New York Times bestsellers.
Chima was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine Interesting Person 2009. She lives in Ohio with her family, and is always working on her next novel.  Read more about Cinda Williams Chima, her novels, her writing and advice to writers on her website at www.cindachima.com

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