The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

The Warrior Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #1) Reviews

• 
  Maureen

  This was enjoyable but not the best. It's hard not to compare this to Chima's other series which is PHENOMENAL and more strictly fantasy than a mix of fantasy and urban fantasy.
  I liked the characters but felt like they lacked depth and development. Jack did grow and change a bit, but not a ton in the area of character. It was also pretty predictable but I kind of expected that. I really enjoyed the overall plot - it was different than anything I've ever read and I loved that about it. Ultimately I feel like a lot more could've been explored, which it probably is in the other books in the series!
• 
  Jesse (JesseTheReader)

  (3.5 bumped up to a 4, because goodreads is lame and won't give us half stars.)
• 
  LastMonk

  The Heir Trilogy, which received great reviews, but somehow never entered the national consciousness, is Chima's first published work. Another story that really gets me excited with inventive concepts and clear imagery, these are really a great read.
  
  The Warrior Heir is the first novel of the trio. We open on a very dramatic prologue, but let's skip that. Now, we meet Jack. (Hi, Jack!)Jack is a pretty nice guy. Good for Jack. But you know there's more than that. Turns out, our hero has some special secrets--secrets that could get him killed, enslaved, or at the very least lose him his girlfriend. Starting small-scale in a little town, The Warrior Heir quickly lives up to the dramatic title--we finish off in an unbelievably intricate world of magic and politics. With gladiators, no less! (It's like Rome, with kilts instead of togas.)
  
  The players come off remarkably well, especially considering the great distance from which Chima is writing about her teenage characters. I've been dying since I read this book, trying to hunt down the sequels as soon as they were released. Luckily, my library does a good job at staying current.
  
  This books is immensely satisfying--it could almost stand alone, without companion books. An excellent alternative for those who, like myself, are not fans of the Twilight series. So go, give it a shot. I liked it, and I'm not easy to please.
• 
  Anne

  I'm re-reading this series, and while I enjoyed this book, I'm not sure how to describe it.
  
  
  
  It's not that Chima isn't a good writer, it's just that it seems (to me) that the plot is better than the storytelling.
  Does that make sense?
  
  
  
  Ok. Well, I guess what I mean is that I'm more invested in seeing what happens in the end than I am in the characters. Sure, they're ok, but nothing about the way the dialogue is written reaches out and grabs me. It's a cool story, though!
  
  Jack finds out that he's a wizard who had a warrior stone implanted in his chest. <--Long story.
  Anyway, it turns out, that is just the beginning of his problems...
  
  
  
  I have to admit, even though I'd read this already (6 years ago), I couldn't remember the first thing about what was going to happen next. I didn't even remember any of the characters. It was like reading a brand new book.
  What can I say?
  Getting older has its perks!
  
  
  
  Would I recommend this one?
  Ehhhh. *shrugs*
  I wouldn't not recommend it...
  If you're looking for a decent young adult urban fantasy, then you could do a lot worse.
• 
  Christine Riccio

  My review is more like 3.67 but I've rounded up because with perspective I have a lot of faith in where this series can go and I'm excited to pick up the second book - here's my full booktalk/ discussion :
  http://youtu.be/MOM6KgtUFbs?list=UUOk...
• 
  Flannery

  3.5 stars.
  
  I liked this book despite reading lots of books that have the same basic plotline:
  
  Hey! I'm a teenager. I've just found out that I'm a __________. People are after me! I better figure out to use my (insert cool weapon and/or power) so I can take down the (insert bad guys)!
  
  So, really, the author must've done a pretty good job of writing a good story and a fast read or I would not like it as much as I did/do! I will read the next two in the trilogy.
• 
  Robin (Bridge Four)

  Sale Alert: Kindle Deal May 4 – May 10
  $1.99
  
  “Just remember who you are... The world will try to change you into someone else. Don't let them. That's the best advice anyone can give you.”
  
  “The Warrior Heir is a contemporary fantasy and coming of age story. It is the classic tale of boy who finds out he has a gift and learning how to hone that gift. Jack is a likeable character, he is kind and a good friend. His family and friends have kept him safe his whole life but now he has to learn how to use his gift before he is discovered and possibly killed.
  
  “You look like a boy who has eaten the fruit of the tree of knowledge and doesn't like the taste.”
  
  This is a dangerous world for Warriors as they are trained to be used in a battle to the death much like the roman gladiators were. If they win the house they fight for wins control of the land, magical items and the governing counsel, if they lose they die. I liked the idea of this magical almost medieval underworld right in the middle of today’s society. The backstory of why the tournament came to be and the legend of how the guilds were established were new in interesting. I enjoyed a shout out to George R.R. Martin when they ‘Woke the Dragon’ hehe…. Some of the book was predictable, I had already figured out a few of the big reveals long before they happened, especially who the other warrior was. But I was surprised by the resolution of the story overall.
  
  This is a good book if you like fantasy and don’t mind a few lulls to get to the end. Fantasy isn’t my overall favorite genre so while I liked it, it wasn’t the end all be all. I will give the next book in the series a read though because I am interested in the world and want to see what happens after the events at the end of the book.
• 
  jenn

  
  
  DNF at over 50% I'm sorry. I just can't seem to get into this book like the other series. I don't normally DNF anything, I try to get through it... But I was bored to tears. TO TEARS.
• 
  Rose

  Initial reaction: "The Warrior Heir" was a solid YA fantasy read for me. I was engaged in the story from beginning to end, though I'll admit there were a few rough spots and transitions to it. It didn't slow my momentum through this book, though - I couldn't put it down because much of the rolling action and dynamic had me hooked.
  
  Full review:
  
  "The Warrior Heir" has the honor of being one of the first galleys I was approved for on NetGalley (It was back in 2011, around the time I joined), so it feels surreal that I'm backtracking now to review this after finally reading the book. Tangent aside - holy crud, how did I end up missing this book until now? It's a solid fantasy tale that expounds on the life of a boy who was meant to be a wizard, but as a child had a warrior stone placed in his heart and hidden from a destiny that was sure to catch up with him.
  
  The prologue begins exciting enough, but it might be confusing for some readers because it's not from the perspective character's POV. That sets more of the stage for the evil wizards and the establishment of the antagonist through this novel. In the meantime, Jack Swift, your typical 16-year old boy trying to survive high school, forgets to take his heart medication one morning, but can't get back home to take it. As a result, during soccer tryouts that evening, Jack blazes on the field like no one (including himself) has ever seen before.
  
  And he starts questioning what he needed the medicine for in the first place, especially since he feels fine without it and the incident on the soccer field didn't feel like a fluke.
  
  This sets off a chain reaction of events that reveal Jack's medicine wasn't necessarily for his heart, but rather a suppressant for his latent powers to keep him safe from detection. Jack is a part of a traditional battle run between the White and Red Rose houses, called The Game. Yet, since Jack is one of the last remaining warriors, he's getting pulled from both the White and Red Rose teams for recruitment. And nothing's stopping them from using Jack, as well as his loved ones, as bargaining chips to achieve their ultimate goal - for Jack to play for their team.
  
  I really loved the rolling action sequences in this story - they were fluid and engaging. It was also a nice little touch to add some historical elements through the story so that not only Jack could trace his lineage, but also incorporating a bit of history about the War of the Roses.
  
  What kept me from loving this story more in the aftermath, however, were a couple of things: I thought that the characters could've used a bit more fleshing out than they did. I did have to backtrack a few times to keep in mind what character was who among the secondary cast - but I knew Jack, Will, Ellen, Aunt Linda, Hastings, etc. well enough to follow them - I just wish I had a little more connectivity to them. I thought Aunt Linda was rather kick-awesome for her part in the story, probably even more so than Jack himself at times (who seemed a little too comfortable with his powers for someone who knew nothing about his destiny).
  
  The other aspect that kept me from enjoying this more? Some of the turns of the story I saw coming before they hit, so it wasn't that the story surprised me for its progression, but I was hooked on the dynamic and flow of the writing, and that kept me reading the book to see how things would turn out for the characters. It's engaging, and certainly well worth picking up for a YA fantasy story, so I'm eagerly continuing forward with this series to see how it comes across. It's one of the better ones I've picked up as of late and I hope to read more of Chima's work in the future.
  
  Overall score: 3.5/5
  
  Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Disney Hyperion.
• 
  Audrey

  This is an urban fantasy (YA) in which magic is kept secret but the various factions of magic users don’t work well together, with wizards generally bullying the rest. Sixteen-year-old Jack was supposed to be a Wizard but ended up a Warrior, which is pretty rare and starts causing problems for him.
  
  There are a lot of tropes and cliches here, but I still liked it, if that makes sense. I loved the action scenes and was pulled in by the sense of danger. But sometimes the in-between, character-building scenes were dry and bland. It’s like Chima put them in because they were necessary and spent as little time polishing them as possible.
  
  The ending was rather deus ex machina; I was hoping for something sneakier. But overall I really enjoyed it.
  
  Now, a word about the audiobook. It’s BAD. It’s not the narrator’s fault; he was fine. I blame the sound engineer.
  
  
  
  You can hear the narrator’s breathing. It’s constant. Sometimes I thought I heard pages turning. There’s a two-second pause every other sentence for the narrator to breathe. On top of that, there’s a deliberate three-second break in between each track (WTH?) that is also preceded by a loud deep breath. (It sounds like he’s holding his breath!) So every 3-4 minutes, you hear deep breath-silence—and more silence in between. If the sequels are like this, I’m bailing on the audio version.
• 
  Ariel

  A fun ride! It was an interesting world and there's nothing like a "normal boy isn't normal he's actually an important player in a battle that he must now face in a different world full of magic and warriors!" story line.
  
  My biggest problem with the story was the writing: it felt very flat and one dimensional. At points it almost felt like I was reading middle grade - which is absolutely fine - but I would have liked something a bit more sophisticated and complex. I'm also not huge into urban fantasy, however, so this probably isn't my best genre to read about.. I always find it really difficult to buy into it.
• 
  tappkalina

  The first half was really boring, the second half was somewhat better, the end was way too predictable and not too smart. Plus the characters didn't have any depth to them.
• 
  Jenny

  4.5 stars
• 
  Molly Mortensen

  Though it felt young, more middle grade than young adult, Warrior Heir was a quick, enjoyable read. Unfortunately, the main characters fell flat, and the ending felt too easy. I still plan to read the sequel, since there's a new main character.
  
  The story was good, the premise, and the world building, but the main character needed a personality. A sense of humor would do wonders. All Jack does is react to things and dispite plenty of time spent establishing his every day life, we know nothing about him as a person. (Besides that he likes soccer and Ellen.)
  
  Of Jack's two best friends, Fitch was decent, but Will has as much personality as Jack, none. It's sad because the adults were better established, if mysterious.
  
  Jack forgets his medicine in the first chapter. (After the prologue) So, everything gets started fairly quickly. (And the kid he hurt was a bully who just got a puffy lip.)
  
  Little boys would probably like where Jack gains muscle and popularity, but these parts did nothing for me. (As much as I like training montages in movies.) His magic was cool so it's a shame it progressed so quickly. (And all he does is complain about it.) The actual tournament doesn't occur until the end of the book though. (This isn't the Hunger Games.)
  
  Point of view: Third. Jack, and various mini POVs; Aunt Linda, Leander, Jessamine, Will, Fitch.
• 
  Becky

  The Warrior Heir is a fantasy story which is set in the contemporary world. It is a hero’s journey tale full of adventure and mystery.
  
  
  Jack is sixteen and since he had heart surgery as a child, he has been dependent on medicine to keep him alive. Jack has never forgotten to take his medicine but on the day of the soccer team tryouts, he does just that and his ordinary small town life suddenly begins to change. Jack is one of the Weirlind. He was born a wizard but his wizard’s stone was missing – this is what enables the gifted to manifest their powers. The fierce Dr Longbranch replaced his stone but she had her own ambitions in mind. Jack is hidden in the town of Trinity until he inadvertently unleashes his magic. The power surge is detected by those who would harm him and thus he is in mortal danger. But who is after him and why is a mystery he has to discover.
  
  
  This book was very much a traditional fantasy – the world of the Weirlind was reminiscent of medieval England with the addition of magic and enchantments. There were so many charming details – the clothing for example – which made the story come to life. I particularly liked the mythology and history that the author weaved into the story giving the fantasy an original twist.
  
  
  However, the plot was very slow to get moving. I don’t think it was helped by an overly long prologue and the style in which the story is told. The use of description sometimes interfered with the rhythm of the dialogue. In the end I found myself skipping sentences; this was not problematic as I could still follow the story perfectly.
  
  
  Jack is an everyman sort of character. There isn’t necessarily anything distinctive about him – except perhaps his kindness and self-control. I found it difficult to really care about what happened to him in the beginning. But as the story went on, I began to like him through his relationship with his two best friends. I kept reading because I wanted to know what was special about him.
  
  
  I think this book will have a real appeal for boys – there are sword-fights aplenty, soccer games and loyal friendships. Come to think of it The Warrior Heir will be popular with girls too. Chima adds a feisty heroine into the mix and the sparks really fly! I think it will appeal to fans of Eragon and the myths of King Arthur. An enjoyable fantasy.
• 
  Amelia, free market Puritan

  Okay, this book is officially the last thing by Cinda Williams Chima that I will read.
  The funny thing is, I'm not trying to sound mean or whatever (haha, like in the old days!). I just do not like her style, I guess. I really didn't like the Seven Realms books, but that was mostly because I hated the characters. Yes, "hated."
  
  Here...there were just too many issues. Her writing style, to me, seemed very clunky and juvenile. I'm not trying to be mean - this just did not read like the work of a professional writer, that's all. She always had to introduce each character by their full name, then spend 2-3 sentences giving quick bios of each character, regardless of what was happening in the present story. That was really clunky and made the overall pacing slow down...Also, I can't stand it when 3rd person books told in the perspective of a main character refer to any parent/relative by their first name. And...I'm so busy and have so many other books to read, that if I come across a random, useless party/drinking scene, I'm likely to knock off at least one star, if I don't stop reading altogether. I always maintain that it is grossly ignorant and unacceptable to ADD to the perception that all teens are stupid party-loving drunks. Um, not all of us. And finally...the story itself was clunky. Wizards, warriors, sorcerers...WTH is the difference between a wizard/enchanter/sorcerer? I must have missed the distinction, because Chima kept throwing around all three words randomly.
  
  There were so many little issues that distracted me away from the overall story, which...wasn't all that exciting. I still don't feel like I could explain the concept of 'Weirlind' to anyone... At least the Seven Realms novels had the 'fantasy' thing going for them. The Warrior Heir just seemed too average. There wasn't anything that stuck out for me.
  I can't tell you very much about the characters, or the overall story world, aside from the most basic of details. I know The Warrior Heir has gotten several awards and favorable reviews, which is a little baffling, I'm sorry to say.
  
  So...I won't be bothering with any more of her novels.
• 
  Kelly

  If you have to choose a book to read by Cinda Williams Chima, please start with the seven realms series. Because it's so much better than this! Thanks.
  
  A while ago, I tried to get into this book but I couldn't even finish the first chapter. I don't know why but at the time I didn't like the writing style. So going into it this time around, I didn't have high expectations. I didn't really think that I would like it even though I loved her Seven Realms series. However, this is not a high fantasy story, this is urban fantasy and we follow Jack, a young teenager living in our world and not knowing anything about warriors or wizards for that matter. Turns out, he's a wizzard with a warrior stone, which means he's very sought after. Powerful people either want to kill him or use him for a competition to the death in order to determine whose clan or 'house' will be at the head of their community. The white roses and red roses are vying for the position and are ruthless to obtain what they want.
  
  Overall, I liked this book enough to be (perhaps) interested in listening to the next book but let's be honest, I didn't love it or found it amazing. It was okay and entertaining but I didn't really get attached to the characters (except maybe Linda? She seemed pretty cool). And the ending was a bit too convenient for my taste.
  
• 
  Luann

  This is Highlander meets Buffy, and a lot of fun! A centuries old Game is played out involving warriors, wizards, sorcerers, enchanters and soothsayers. I enjoyed this very much and look forward to reading the next two:
  The Wizard Heir and
  The Dragon Heir. I guessed several of the surprise twists long before they happened, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story.
• 
  Morgan Blanch

  It's been a while since I've read a new fantasy type series. I saw that this was the July booksplosion of the month and decided I'd give it a try.
  It was good, and it had some really great action scenes. But, oh my God, it took me so long to get through! The beginning of the book was really promising, but after that it just seemed to go downhill.
  By the end of the book, I had to force myself to pick it up and read the last chapter.
  That's not to say I didn't enjoy it because I did. It just wasn't as good as I thought it might be.
  I won't go on to read the next books, but I am glad I picked it up.
  Overall, I liked it, but didn't love it.
• 
  Cori Reed

  3.5 Stars!
  
  While not as good as The Seven Realms (yet!), this was still thoroughly enjoyable!
• 
  Noha Badawi

  A slow start but a very interesting plot and world!
  Can't wait for it to pick up the pace and hook me even more.
• 
  Joey

  Jack is a normal kid, in a normal neighborhood, with normal friends. Nobody knows he's different from the others... until one day at soccer tryouts, he nearly kills another kid. Jack has an uncommon illness that only warriors of the weir have. He was implanted a warrior stone purposely. He takes his medications every morning to prevent any release of power or magic. One morning, he forgets to take it because he is in a rush to get to school. After school at soccer tryouts, he almost killed a kid with an unexpected thrust of power. Soon, he meets a wizard and an expert in warrior skills and starts to train Jack for the annual tournament at Ravens Ghyll. As he gains more power and strength, it is finally time to face the warrior of the red rose: his girlfriend.
  I love The Warrior Heir because it has a lot of suspense, action, and adventure. The Warrior Heir is a catchy, page-flipping, suspenseful, and an excellent paced book. This story literally could not let go of my attention.
  I recommend this book to anyone who loves active, suspenseful, adventurous books. Be sure to check out the other book in the Heir series:
  -The Wizard Heir
  -The Dragon Heir
  I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
  
  -Joey Aleman
• 
  Chelsea

  I just could NOT get into it. I ended up dropping it after only a few chapters because it seemed like your usual run-of-the-mill, fantasy-for-the-sake-of-it, cliche riddled, ultimately just bad novel. I wasn't intrigued by any of the characters, and even the events of the first few CHAPTERS were predictable. And worst of all, there was nothing to keep me hooked, nothing to hint that it might get better.
  
  Of course, it's possible that I was just too judgmental, seeing as I was ill at the time and wanted something to make me feel better, and the plot, from what I'd read of it, seemed fairly promising, so let's just say this: if you're looking for a gripping fantasy that sucks you in, dazzles you, and keeps you turning pages until the very end - this isn't it. If you're looking for something that could be a fairly enjoyable read, if a bit hit-or-miss, this might be your book. It's not horrible. I can see how someone might like it, and I can picture myself maybe picking it up again a year from now to see if my opinion's changed, but for now, I'll just say it wasn't for me.
• 
  Charlie

  I got about half way through this, I just found the dialalogue really cringy and juvenile. This was a DNF and I'm unhauling it.
• 
  Lina

  First of all, I can not believe that the same author who wrote the Seven Realms series wrote this. I love the Seven Realms series, I read it after I read the Warrior Heir, and the style is so different. I would never guess that they are written by the same person, the only reason I made the connection was because of the similar covers.
  
  I did not like this book. The main character to me felt dull and boring. I found him very cookie cutter, he didn't feel like a real person. There was nothing in his character that surprised me at all. I didn't like any of the other characters either. There was nothing original about them at all, and nothing to make me care about them.
  
  The idea for the story was very original and creative. It had a lot of potential, but it fell flat for me. the author tried to create a world unknown to most people, but to me it felt just like there were a bunch of random wizards and other magical people walking around for no reason. Also, in this story's world, all the magic felt ugly, there was nothing good shown to the reader in this world, nothing to make me think that this could be a good place in any way. The plot was boring, there was no drive for me, I didn't really understand what I was supposed to hope for. There was also no real enemy, it was more like every wizard is evil, and thats it.
  
  This is just my personal opinion. I could understand why someone could feel differently. But, in my opinion, the seven realms series is much better.
• 
  Andy

  I liked this, but I was kind of disappointed it was an urban fantasy. I enjoy all kinds of fantasy but damn I'm just so in love with Chima's skill at world developing from Seven Realms that I was hoping for that here. And it was not that. I miss Seven Realms now, I need to re-read it.
  
  I enjoyed the characters, but they felt kind of flat to me. I also predicted most of the ending so if wasn't as fun for me. I'm still going to continue this series eventually because I like the magic system, but this could've been better in my eyes.
  
  Linda was probably my favorite character, even though I didn't understand all her motivations. Her enchantress power was probably the second coolest to being an actual wizard. The other problem I had was that this book could be a stand alone. Everything felt wrapped up at the end with this and something I was expecting to be a series problem was solved pretty quickly in the end. Overall decent, but Seven Realms is totally better.
• 
  Justine

  3.5 stars
  
  This was quite good, and my kids enjoyed listening to the audiobook, but it didn't have nearly the complexity and depth of The Seven Realms series. That said, it was compelling enough that my kids and I are continuing the series.
• 
  Müjde

  
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