*Before starting the review, I would like to apologize for the long and unexplained absence. Truth is, the world came to a perfect storm between my job, my travels and other unforeseen events. Sadly, I didn’t have enough time to read and write. However, I am now free (at least until school starts) and we should go back to the weekly programming! Thank you for bearing with me, and get excited for more book reviews and fun content. Xx. The Heir Chronicles #1 The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams China 3,75/5 Awards: VOYA Editor’s Choice Book (2006), VOYA Perfect Ten (2016), VOYA’s Best Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror List (2005-6), American Library Association Popular Paperbacks List (2008), Lonestar Reading List — Texas Library Association (2007-8), South Carolina Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2009) Français: Aucune traduction n’a été annoncée. Summary 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. My thoughts I am definitively late to the Cinda Williams China fan club, but you know what they say, better now than never! By now, you all know that fantasy isn’t my favourite genre so I have always been hesitant to try this one, but after years of hearing Reagan from Peruse Project on YouTube pushing for Chima’s books, I had to cave in. I bought The Warrior Heir over a year ago in the hopes of diversifying my bookshelves and since I knew Reagan loved that author, I just went for it. When I finally picked it up, I was surprised to find a summary that reverberated with me: magic, Harry Potter vibe and politics. Turns out, this is not High Fantasy* at all! Although there are some elements, The Warrior Heir is truly an Urban Fantasy meaning that the story happens in modern times even if The Game remains an ancient traditions. For people looking to approach Fantasy, Urban Fantasy is a lot less intimidating than a thousand pages of Brandon Sanderson or J.R.R Tolkien. My greatest fear with Fantasy is that I will not be able to understand the complexities of the world since there is often too many characters and nuances to their individual powers. However, Chima is the queen of world building. While all these details definitely slowed down the pace, all of the intricacies were perfectly explained and clearly set up the next novels. There was no confusion whatsoever about who was working for who even if the clan-based dispute could easily have turned chaotic. Since there was so much explication, the writing did feel like a middle-grade novel. While that is not inherently a bad thing, if you are looking for something denser, this is not it. While I have a feeling this is going get fixed in the sequels, the first volume does feel a little juvenile. The chapters, although long, read incredibly fast and you quickly get addicted to our characters even if they lack a little “oomph” and individuality, especially Jack’s friends and family. The same comment can apply to the plot. The Warrior Heir is by no means a groundbreaking novel. We have seen stories like this since the beginning of time. Although there were attempts at plot twists, it is still quite predictable. However, this took nothing away from the addictiveness and the strength of the universe. I did wish I could be surprised, but maybe it’s just that after reading over 300 books, you get the drill. I do believe that someone who hasn’t read all the classics like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson could feel excitement and surprise, but for me every time a plot twist arrived, I was just happy I guessed it right. There is only one word that comes to mind when talking about The Warrior Heir: potential. The plot and the structure have all the elements to make it into a classic for children and personally reminds me strongly of Harry Potter: boy discovers he has powers, boy goes to “school” to learn about his powers and how to control them, boy fights evil with his friends. These similarities are what push me to think that the story will only get more intricate as the novels progress, there are five in the series after all. While The Warrior Heir might seem a bit immature for a teen novel, I do see the potential for growth and for the development of a storyline that stands apart from Harry Potter et compagnie. After all, according to the summary of the next novel, we follow an entirely different protagonist. Are they going to meet with Jack and his friends? Are they different storylines? Either way, I can’t wait to find out. *High Fantasy is a category of the more general genre of Fantasy which specially creates an alternative world. Think Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings. If you like The Warrior Heir, you will love (assuming you’ve already read Harry Potter): The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater
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