The Wizard Heir (Heir Series #2) » (Reprint)

Sixteen-year-old Seph McCauley has spent the past three years getting kicked out of one exclusive private school after another. Unfortunately it’s not his attitude that’s the problem. It’s the trail of magical accidents—lately, disasters—that follow in his wake. Seph is a wizard, orphaned and untrained—and now that the only person who could protect him has died, his powers are escalating out of control.

After causing a tragic fire at an after-hours party, Seph is sent to the Havens, a secluded boys’ school on the coast of Maine. At first, it seems like the answer to his prayers. Gregory Leicester, the headmaster, promises to train Seph in magic and initiate him into his mysterious order of wizards. But Seph's enthusiasm dampens quickly when he learns that training comes at a steep cost, and that Leicester plans to use his students' powers to serve his own mysterious agenda.

In this companion novel to the exciting fantasy The Warrior Heir, everyone's got a secret to keep: Jason Haley, a fellow student who’s been warned to keep away from Seph; the enchanter Linda Downey, who knew his parents; the rogue wizard Leander Hastings, and the warriors Jack Swift and Ellen Stephenson. This wizard war is one that Seph may not have the strength to survive.

VOYA

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.