Jack seems to be a normal boy in a small town in Ohio. Little does he know that he is from a long, long line of wizards and warriors called the Weir who have been feuding since the days of pre-Tudor England. After unearthing a legendary sword from an ancestor's grave, Jack is apprenticed to Leander Hastings so he can learn how to defend himself from Weir who will, no doubt, try to kill him. When these plans don't turn out as expected, Jack must participate in an ancient battle to save the day.
On the surface, The Warrior Heir seems like just another young adult fantasy novel that was published to capitalize on the genre's recent popularity. The novel has many elements of other, popular young adult novels: apprenticeships, young heroes, and fantastic elements intertwined with the real world. Despite that, The Warrior Heir is an exciting, well-written adventure that will keep you flipping pages.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. When I started reading it, I was a little confused, and I noticed it has a great deal in common with the Percy Jackson series, yet it didn't take long for these worries to subside and for me to get hooked. The Warrior Heir is a solid debut novel with amazing craftsmanship. It's a very easy read and moves at a good pace. The details and characters may be somewhat lacking, especially compared to Percy Jackson, but the premise was intriguing and will definitely delight any young fantasy lover.
I most enjoyed the fact that the novel based its mythology around an event that actually took place in history: the British War of the Roses, where the Lancasters (Red Roses) fought the Yorks (White Roses) for control of the English throne. I'm a complete Tudor/British history nerd, so I was drooling over the historic discussion of the war and how it is still being fought between the Red and White Roses.
Even though Chima's Warrior Heir isn't perfect, it's great for a light read between other novels. Chima seems like the kind of author who has great progression with every novel she writes.
