ALA Booklist (Tue May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

Sixteen-year-old orphan Seph McCauley is a wizard, one of the Weir, an underground magical society first introduced in companion novel The Warrior Heir (2006). But Seph has had no wizard training, and magical mishaps occur wherever he goes. When one such accident causes a death, Seph is sent to the Havens, an exclusive boys' school in rural Maine, where he finds the Alumni student group of wizards led by Headmaster Leicester. Seph is excited to explore his gifts, but when Leicester attempts to initiate him with a terrifying blood ritual, the teen realizes that this training comes at the price of his soul. In his combined independence, bravado, and vulnerability, Seth is an appealing character, making the psychological torture Leicester inflicts upon him all the more horrifying. Unfortunately, the pace lags once Seph escapes Leicester and the Havens, at which point new and returning characters appear, and the chaotic politics of the Weir come to the forefront. Persistent readers will find that the momentum picks up again, though, and most will emerge satisfied by this absorbing, suspenseful follow-up.

Horn Book (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 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.

Kirkus Reviews

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. (Fantasy. YA)

School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-In this companion to The Warrior Heir (Hyperion, 2006), orphaned Seph, 16, is an untrained wizard who can fling fire from his fingertips. After one of his many accidental fires kills a friend, he's sent to a secluded boys' school in Maine. The headmaster, Dr. Leicester, a powerful wizard, offers to train him. Initially, Seph agrees but then changes his mind after he's nearly forced to participate in an initiation where he's made to swear an oath to Leicester and allow him to link Seph's power to his. For refusing, Leicester tortures Seph with hallucinatory dreams that nearly drive him insane. When he finally finds a way to communicate with the outside world, Linda Downey, an enchanter, rescues him and takes him to the town of Trinity, OH, a sanctuary for wizards and other members of magical guilds. There, he meets many of the characters who appeared in the first book, including Jack Swift, Ellen Stephenson, and Leander Hastings, as well as a new character, Madison, who can draw power from wizards. Seph and his new friends must find a way to stop an impending war between the two great wizard houses. This exciting page-turner is darker than The Warrior Heir and, because of its depiction of Leicester's love of inflicting pain and frequent violence, is more appropriate for older readers.-Sharon Rawlins, NJ Library for the Blind and Handicapped, Trenton Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

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.-Melissa Moore.