Monserrat Urena (Children's Literature)
Magic is real and the world is divided between the gifted and the ungifted. But things are not well in the world of the gifted. For ages the “lesser” powers have been under the cruel control of the wizards. But with the events at the tournament at Raven’s Ghyll the rules are changing. And a mysterious figure known only as the Dragon stands in the middle of it all. Sixteen-year-old Joseph McCauley is about to be drawn into the battle. Joseph was orphaned at a young age. His foster mother never told him the truth about his true parents. In the past three years, since his foster mother’s death, he has been living a privileged life as a young wizard with a trust fund. There is a dark side however; his powers are becoming uncontrollable just as dangerous eyes set their sights on him. But his powers are not all that will be tested during the struggles between the gifted. This book is the companion to The Warrior Heir and continues to expand the universe created in the first book. This title is an admirable work of fantasy fiction. Its bracing portrayal of the dark side of magic makes for a compelling universe full of wizards and magical guilds. 2007, Hyperion, $17.99. Ages 15 to 18.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 10))
A fantasy trilogy of high-stakes magical politics gains depth with this second entry. Orphaned teen Seph McCauley knows that he is different. As one of the magically talented Weir, residing secretly amongst ordinary folk, Seph's powers will soon spiral out of control if he cannot make contact with his own kind. When a tragic accident lands him in an isolated private school, the headmaster offers Seph the training he desperately craves—at a price. Thrust into a world of vicious spells and murderous intrigue, Seph may have to doom the rest of the Weir to save himself. Favorite characters from the first title return with more clues about their pasts, while the implications of the Weir system are further explored. Still, this is very much Seph's story. Arrogant, angry and too clever by half, he displays the typical faults of the Wizard Guild; but his basic decency and his (barely acknowledged) need to belong evoke sympathy and affection. As the graphic savagery of magical plots and counterplots builds to an explosive showdown, the tale remains rooted in Seph's all-too-human vulnerability. This sequel improves on the original, leaving fans eager for the foreshadowed resolution. 2007, Hyperion, 464p, $17.99. Category: Fantasy. Ages 13 up. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 11))
In this companion novel to The Warrior Heir (BCCB 7/06), another teenage boy, this time a wizard, is awakening to his powers. Seph has been reared to believe he is an orphan; he knows that he belongs to a magical race called the Weir but has no idea what that means or how to connect with others like him. Now that his powers are emerging in their full, uncontrolled force, he is becoming a danger to those around him, so he is actually grateful to be sent away to a secluded boys’ school. There he meets Gregory Leicester, who is nursing his wounds over the upset in the previous book’s concluding battle and looking to train an army to retake the power that the Wizard’s Guild lost in that encounter. Seph is rightfully suspicious of his new headmaster, especially as classmates who defy Leicester disappear; after months of mental and physical torture, he manages to get a message to his guardian Linda Downey, who rescues him and takes him to join Warrior Heir protagonists Jack, Ellen, and Nick in the Sanctuary town of Trinity, Ohio. Here Seph joins forces with the crew who overthrew the wizards, and they work to cement a new constitution that will release the other guilds from their servitude to the wizards. Though Chima’s prose is clunky and lackluster at times, much can be forgiven in light of her meticulous plotting and her compelling development of a vast array of fully realized, complex characters. It’s best to read The Warrior Heir before picking this up; while some characters who were developed there drop back to bit players here, others require the context of the first book to be fully appreciated. Knowledgeable readers, though, will again be drawn into a world that ably straddles the chasm between the ordinary and the magical, and the strong message of teamwork and interdependence underwrites the political theme of realizing true democracy among the Weirlind. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Hyperion, 464p.; Reviewed from galleys, $17.99. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Abandoning (for the moment) Jack (The Warrior Heir), this sequel follows Seph, an untrained wizard who enters an international magical-political dispute when an unscrupulous faction leader tries to recruit him. The feudal structures and modern upheavals of this world within our own are well delineated, and though relationships tend toward the tepid, adrenaline flows freely from both action and intrigue. Category: Older Fiction. 2007, Hyperion, 458pp, 17.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Melissa Moore (VOYA, June 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 2))
Seph McCauley knows that he is different. The magical powers that flow from his fingertips keep causing trouble and have now landed him at the Havens, a secluded private school in Maine. Seph needs wizard training, but when headmaster Gregory Leicester reveals that he also is a wizard and can train Seph to control his powers, the cost is too steep. When all hope seems lost, Linda Downey appears seemingly out of nowhere to spirit Seph away and give him the help he needs. Leicester does not give up, though, and will use whatever means necessary to gain control of Seph and his extraordinary power. Fans of The Warrior Heir (Hyperion/DBG, 2006/VOYA February 2006) will be thrilled with this exceptional follow-up novel. The two wizarding houses are still at odds with each other, determining what the future will look like, and the other Weir classes (seers, enchanters, and warriors) are seeking refuge in the Sanctuary. Jack Swift and Ellen Stephenson, Leander Hastings, and of course, Downey are joined by richly drawn characters such as Seph and Leicester. This story is tighter, more complex, and even more intense than the first novel, moving the narrative forward at a determined pace. The atmosphere is brooding and heavy, sometimes almost oppressive. Chima uses her pen like a wand and crafts a wonderfully rich web of magic, while thankfully leaving some dangling threads for subsequent tales. VOYA CODES: 5Q 5P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Hyperion/DBG, 464p., $17.99. Ages 11 to 18.