Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

An eons-old conflict meets teenage drama in newcomer Chima's engaging but somewhat derivative fantasy. Sixteen-year-old Jack, who nearly died as an infant, maintains a strict daily medicine regimen-but one day he accidentally misses his dose, and that afternoon at soccer practice he injures a fellow player without even touching him. Shortly thereafter, Jack's aunt Linda drags him on a hunt for information about his great-great-grandmother, for reasons she won't disclose. Aunt Linda, it turns out, is an enchanter, one player in an underground magical battle between the wizard houses of the Red Rose and White Rose. Jack too is one of the Weirflesh-the magical beings that live among modern-day humans-inheriting a """"gift that is passed from generation to generation in a kind of stone or crystal that sits behind the heart."""" The houses wage an endless Hatfield-and-McCoy-like duel for control of the magical community, but the number of qualified wizards to play the game diminishes with each generation-making Jack a hot commodity (and his great-great-grandmother's grave contains the sword that Jack is to use in battle). Intrigue in the first half of the story gives way to arena action toward the end. The concept of a """"wizard war"""" may be well worn, and character names such as Nicodemus Snowbeard could likely produce a giggle with long-time fantasy readers, but Potter fans looking for a new fantasy/mystery fix may well relish this tale. Ages 10-up.

Horn Book

When sixteen-year-old Jack Swift forgets to take his heart medication, he discovers his extraordinary strength, magical powers, and dangerous heritage. In an ancient feudal system where warriors fight tournaments on behalf of wizard factions, Jack is a valued commodity. A slow and unconvincing exposition quickly gives way to fast-flowing adventure, augmented by well-developed characters and their unexpected agendas.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-An apparently ordinary 16-year-old boy turns out to have magical powers that make him a target of a covert society of wizards, enchanters, and warriors called "the Weir." Jack's small-town world in Ohio begins to unravel when he starts to unleash unintentional bursts of wizardry. When he recovers a powerful sword from an ancestor's grave, he begins to realize how different he really is. A battle with a wizard and some magic-laced conflicts at his high school keep the pages turning while the truth about Jack's destiny slowly emerges. The scene switches to Great Britain, where he learns that he must participate in a duel to the death against a mysterious opponent. Many details about the Weir are initially hidden from readers, as well as from Jack, so the gradual revelations about the society are involving and often surprising. Jack makes a fairly convincing hero. He is disbelieving at first and reluctant throughout, but ultimately finds a way to utilize his new powers without sacrificing his honor or basic decency. An appealing mixture of supporting characters includes relatives with various magical abilities, a couple of nonmagical but loyal friends, and an engaging assortment of villains. Occasional plot developments are unconvincing, as when Jack's protective aunt, an enchanter, takes him straight into the clutches of a wizard who clearly wants the young warrior in her power. For the most part, though, the teen's unavoidable involvement in the intricate world of the Weir is suspenseful and entertaining.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Jack is a typical sixteen-year-old-good friend, average soccer player, living in Ohio with his mom who works too much. When he skips his medicine one day, the unthinkable happens: Jack is much stronger and faster and feels as if he is truly alive. Only now there are wizards coming out of the woodwork, seeking alternately to woo and kill Jack. Because of the stone implanted in his chest during infancy, Jack is a warrior expected to duel to the death on behalf of one of the wizarding houses. Quicker than he would like, training begins for the most momentous event in his young life, and Jack must decide whom he will serve and how he will survive. Twists and turns abound in this remarkable, nearly flawless debut novel that mixes a young man's coming-of-age with fantasy and adventure. Fast paced and brilliantly plotted, Jack's journey is physical, mental, and emotional as he discovers his own identity and makes tough choices that impact others. Original, well-drawn characters are frequently revealed to be more than they appear, and Chima's writing richly portrays the mounting tension as Jack's options are methodically taken away. Readers of all ages will find in Jack a hero, who seeks above all to make the right choices regardless of the cost to himself (reminiscent of Harry Potter and Frodo Baggins). The resolution is clean but not idealized and fortunately leaves the door open for a sequel.-Melissa Moore.

Kirkus Reviews

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Ordinary youth unearths a mysterious artifact, discovers his secret heritage and becomes the pivotal figure in an epic battle between Good and Evil. The hero this time is Jack Swift, average Ohio teenager, until one day he skips his dose of "heart medication" and nearly kills a classmate. Suddenly sinister dark strangers are in pursuit, and Jack frantically attempts to master a magical sword and his warrior powers, in a centuries-long wizards' game in which Jack is both pawn and prize. Chima's writing is graceful, if cliched, with an acute ear for the rhythms of Midwestern small towns. Jack is a likable fellow, but his confusing muddle of friends, family, allies and enemies are mostly shallow stereotypes issued directly from central casting, each with the requisite Deep Dark Secret awaiting dramatic revelation. While the plot draws heavily on standard fantasy tropes, they are skillfully rendered, building to a predictable but well-scripted showdown and a genuinely unexpected climactic twist. A competent, unexceptionable addition to teen fantasy shelves; the sort of thing you'll like if you really like that sort of thing. (Fantasy. YA)

ALA Booklist

Gr. 8-11. Sixteen-year-old Jack forgets to take his medicine one morning, and by afternoon is filled with such strength he sends his rival, Garrett Lobeck, sailing into the net at soccer tryouts--without even touching him. Jack soon discovers he is no ordinary teen and his medicine is not what he thought it was. Since the secret insertion of a warrior stone in his chest at infancy, Jack has been dosed with a suppressant designed to hold his powers as a Warrior Heir in check until his wizard sponsor can retrieve him and prepare him to fight in a death tournament for supremacy. With the aid of an aunt, old and new friends, and a magical sword, Jack fights to retain his identity and choose his own path. The magical elements of the story aren't adequately set up, and some necessary details seem hastily inserted, while others are left hanging. Together with loose, occasionally redundant plotting, this is a book for avid, forgiving fantasy readers--particularly those for whom an intriguing premise is enough to keep them involved.