THE WARRIOR HEIR Review

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 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. Jack's performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he's in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, there are no limits to what they'll do to get Jack to fight for them. . . .

Beginning the book, I was a bit weary. Magicians, enchanters, warriors? Mixed in the real world? With a hidden world of their own? Yes, I know. And, to top it all off, Jack has a high case of special child syndrone. Not only does he have the stone of a Warrior, but he is also one of the only remaining Warriors who is hidden away in the sleepy little town of Trinity, Ohio.

The plot builds slowly, Jack realizing that something is seriously wrong with him. Yes, the build is slow, but once the action begins, it doesn't stop. Between the different plots of his mother, his enchantress aunt, and his trainer Hastings, the story takes on a life of it's own.

The main fault here is the characters. Yes, Jack is written well, but, like I said, extreme case of special child syndrome. His friends? Okay, yes, they are written well. But Ellen, the girl he begins to crush on? Yeah, watch out. She jumps the shark. Big time. I can't go any further without giving away information about the book, but yes, Ellen, you go far away from how your character is written.

Regardless from that, the world of magic comes to life in a realistic sort of way. Yes, some of the writing seems childish, but it is the plot that truly makes the book. not the best that I've read recently, but by far not the worst. I'm looking forward to picking up more from Chima in the future.

Rating: B