Helpful Score: 2
I expected to enjoy The Wizard Heir after devouring its prequel, The Warrior Heir, earlier this year. Once again, Cinda Williams Chima did not disappoint.
In the second installment of her Heir trilogy, the characters I fell in love with in The Warrior Heir are still present, but this story focuses on Seph McCauley, an untrained young wizard with incredible untapped power.
Seph knows he's a wizard, but as an orphan, knows nothing about his parents, his Weir lineage or how to develop his magic skills. Until age 16, he's made it through on his good looks, trust fund and the "persuasive" personality inherent to wizards. Unfortunately, Seph loses control after being drugged at a party one night, and causes a tragic warehouse fire. As a result, he is sent by his trustee to Havers, a small, elite school for boys isolated in the Maine wilderness.
Instead of being just another boring prep school, Seph quickly learns that the staff and alumni of Havers are wizards of the worst kind, bent on tapping into Seph's power and exploiting it for their own political gain. The story revolves around Seph coming to understand and control his own power, as well as finding his family and himself in the process.
I absolutely adored this book. Chima writes beautifully, and as a reader, it's very easy to care about her characters. One of the things I enjoyed most was the local northern Ohio flavor that permeates her stories. "Trinity" (a fictionalized composite of Port Clinton and Catawba Island, from what I can gather) is basically where I actually grew up, and the book is peppered with regional references to locations and attractions such as Lakeside, the western Lake Erie basin, well-known public beaches and "Second Sister Island" (probably West Sister island, actually). Those familiar elements made me enjoy the story more, although you don't have to be from Ohio to love Chima's stories. They stand on their own.
I can't wait to finish the trilogy with The Dragon Heir soon. The Wizard Heir laid a solid foundation and helped advance the story well, but I'm very anxious for the conclusion and to find out what happens to Jack, Ellen, Seph, Maddie and the rest of Chima's colorful characters.
In the second installment of her Heir trilogy, the characters I fell in love with in The Warrior Heir are still present, but this story focuses on Seph McCauley, an untrained young wizard with incredible untapped power.
Seph knows he's a wizard, but as an orphan, knows nothing about his parents, his Weir lineage or how to develop his magic skills. Until age 16, he's made it through on his good looks, trust fund and the "persuasive" personality inherent to wizards. Unfortunately, Seph loses control after being drugged at a party one night, and causes a tragic warehouse fire. As a result, he is sent by his trustee to Havers, a small, elite school for boys isolated in the Maine wilderness.
Instead of being just another boring prep school, Seph quickly learns that the staff and alumni of Havers are wizards of the worst kind, bent on tapping into Seph's power and exploiting it for their own political gain. The story revolves around Seph coming to understand and control his own power, as well as finding his family and himself in the process.
I absolutely adored this book. Chima writes beautifully, and as a reader, it's very easy to care about her characters. One of the things I enjoyed most was the local northern Ohio flavor that permeates her stories. "Trinity" (a fictionalized composite of Port Clinton and Catawba Island, from what I can gather) is basically where I actually grew up, and the book is peppered with regional references to locations and attractions such as Lakeside, the western Lake Erie basin, well-known public beaches and "Second Sister Island" (probably West Sister island, actually). Those familiar elements made me enjoy the story more, although you don't have to be from Ohio to love Chima's stories. They stand on their own.
I can't wait to finish the trilogy with The Dragon Heir soon. The Wizard Heir laid a solid foundation and helped advance the story well, but I'm very anxious for the conclusion and to find out what happens to Jack, Ellen, Seph, Maddie and the rest of Chima's colorful characters.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Sixteen-year-old Seph (Joseph) McCauley is a double orphan. His parents died in a tragic accident so long ago that he doesn't remember them. (At least that's what the paperwork says; Seph's pretty sure it's fake.) Not too long ago he lost Genevieve, the woman who raised him and cared for him. Since then he's been shipped from town to town, from school to school. The only thing that stays the same is the reason he keeps having to leave. Weird things happen around Seph--birds attacking, explosions, fires--and the last time, somebody died. Seph knows that if he could find someone to train him, he could control, or harness, or even use his magic. If it doesn't happen soon, he might just self-destruct. Literally.
His latest prison is an all-boys school in the middle of nowhere on the coast of Maine. Seph expected that the other students might be a bit different from what he's used to, but these kids are beyond weird. And the teachers, well, that's a whole other thing. Wonder of all wonders, the headmaster, Gregory Leicester, is a wizard, and wants to train Seph! It seems his prayers have been answered. But something still feels - off. The way the students behave towards the headmaster, the way the other teachers treat him, the "research students" in the special dorm... Leicester seems to want more than Seph is willing to give. A battle of wills, of frightening proportion, begins. The more Leicester wants him to do something, the less Seph is willing to give in. The only answer is escape or death. But what if escape is just the beginning?
Fun, exciting, non-stop reading. I didn't let it out of my sight until I found the time to finish it. I think I may have a crush on Seph. What can I say; I like the dark, edgy guys.
There is another book written by the author that fits in the timeline before this, called THE WARRIOR HEIR. That book is not at all necessary to read first. I haven't read it yet, and I really liked this book. Although you can bet I plan on devouring that one shortly! For readers of THE WARRIOR HEIR, I believe the main character is Jack, and rest assured he plays a big part in the second half of this book. Which gives me hope that Seph might turn up again.
Sixteen-year-old Seph (Joseph) McCauley is a double orphan. His parents died in a tragic accident so long ago that he doesn't remember them. (At least that's what the paperwork says; Seph's pretty sure it's fake.) Not too long ago he lost Genevieve, the woman who raised him and cared for him. Since then he's been shipped from town to town, from school to school. The only thing that stays the same is the reason he keeps having to leave. Weird things happen around Seph--birds attacking, explosions, fires--and the last time, somebody died. Seph knows that if he could find someone to train him, he could control, or harness, or even use his magic. If it doesn't happen soon, he might just self-destruct. Literally.
His latest prison is an all-boys school in the middle of nowhere on the coast of Maine. Seph expected that the other students might be a bit different from what he's used to, but these kids are beyond weird. And the teachers, well, that's a whole other thing. Wonder of all wonders, the headmaster, Gregory Leicester, is a wizard, and wants to train Seph! It seems his prayers have been answered. But something still feels - off. The way the students behave towards the headmaster, the way the other teachers treat him, the "research students" in the special dorm... Leicester seems to want more than Seph is willing to give. A battle of wills, of frightening proportion, begins. The more Leicester wants him to do something, the less Seph is willing to give in. The only answer is escape or death. But what if escape is just the beginning?
Fun, exciting, non-stop reading. I didn't let it out of my sight until I found the time to finish it. I think I may have a crush on Seph. What can I say; I like the dark, edgy guys.
There is another book written by the author that fits in the timeline before this, called THE WARRIOR HEIR. That book is not at all necessary to read first. I haven't read it yet, and I really liked this book. Although you can bet I plan on devouring that one shortly! For readers of THE WARRIOR HEIR, I believe the main character is Jack, and rest assured he plays a big part in the second half of this book. Which gives me hope that Seph might turn up again.
Helpful Score: 1
Fabulous! Great Story, Part Deux! After reading The Warrier Heir, the first book in this series, I had to buy this book & Book 3, The Dragon Heir, because I am just totally hooked!
The Wizard Heir focuses on young Joseph McCauley, Seph for short, who is orphaned and just happens to also be a wizard. He is not trained in magic, however, and that ends up causing him some problems since he can't always control it.
Seph is a very likeable 16 year old and he meets a lot of other great characters in his quest to figure out who he really is, both inside and through his heritage. Lots of action and plenty of twists and turn make this a terrific read! Enjoy...
The Wizard Heir focuses on young Joseph McCauley, Seph for short, who is orphaned and just happens to also be a wizard. He is not trained in magic, however, and that ends up causing him some problems since he can't always control it.
Seph is a very likeable 16 year old and he meets a lot of other great characters in his quest to figure out who he really is, both inside and through his heritage. Lots of action and plenty of twists and turn make this a terrific read! Enjoy...
Great companion novel to The Warrior Heir. I felt the weight of Seph's emotions at a few points in the book, and was cheering him on at others.
I thought this second book would be a direct continuation of the first book "The Warrior Heir". It is not. A new set of characters are introduced. The main character is Joseph (Seph for short), a teenage wizard, untrained and starting to get out of control with his power. Sent to a private school where he meets the headmaster that promises to train him in wizardry but with one condition. This condition is the main plot line in the book. I mentioned that this was not a direct continuation of the first book but the author does a very good job of bringing the first book characters into this book in away that works. A few surprises along the way that were not anticipated. Looking forward to the third book.
A good book. It kept me reading, and I liked a lot of the characters. I liked Seph, but wasn't a huge fan of the way he dealt with people, i.e. using his magic to get them to tell him things. So, that aspect of his character deterred me from really liking him.
I did like that we got to see the previous book's characters, and how they were doing. I didn't like this book as much as the first, though. Maybe it's because there wasn't any mystery or build up in this one. I guessed pretty much everything, including the ending, long before I got to the ending.
Still, I will be reading the third installment.
I did like that we got to see the previous book's characters, and how they were doing. I didn't like this book as much as the first, though. Maybe it's because there wasn't any mystery or build up in this one. I guessed pretty much everything, including the ending, long before I got to the ending.
Still, I will be reading the third installment.
