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The Sorcerer Heir (2014)

by Cinda Williams Chima(Favorite Author)

4.15 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1423187954 (ISBN13: 9781423187950)

languge

English

genre

Paranormal Fantasy

publisher

Disney-Hyperion

series

The Heir Chronicles

review 1: To keep this review short and sweet, I'll start off by saying it's probably my least favorite of the series. I like the original heir trilogy better and I'm not sure the series needed the addition. I did like the new characters but I felt they weren't fully explored and I never really connected with them like I did with the original cast. I was also disappointed with the ending. It just seemed to leave so many loose threads hanging and too many ends open. Overall, I still love Cinda Williams Chima's writing, it's beautiful and evocative, but in this case I think I'd, unfortunately, have to say, less is more.
review 2: I've read just about every book Chima has released and was especially excited to see the most recent 2 additions to the Heir Chronicles. It felt... more like the story had wrapped up pretty well, with a pretty hopeful direction with the original trilogy, so I was excited and intrigued to see the story continue from there with the focus on other Weir that did not get as much attention as the main guilds.There were some typical Chima elements: fast-paced, gripping read, with revelations and significant name reveals adding to the climax, plenty of fighting and dying, and misunderstandings and prejudices that plague the Weir. I admit to mixed feelings about the direction of the story, but it did work overall and felt like Chima had done the story justice. I enjoyed it overall!Jonah, one of the main characters, repeats that "there are no good guys," and it felt like that. Dirty heroes, heroes with dirty hands or a lot of guilt, and especially the adults who have questionable or no integrity. It almost felt like none of the adults were good people or had integrity, and none really get away with it either. Though there was Aunt Millie who was more comic relief and the "new" adults, the characters from the first 3 books who shaped events and now are the ones leading the change--Seph, Madison, Jack, Ellen, even Leesha. It was neat to see them back and trying to lead the Weir in a new direction when this whole Thornhill incident challenges everything, especially since it shows they aren't quite sure what to do about the Underguilds and their leadership is not completely accepted. I liked seeing that they still had a ways to go, that things were still being worked out. Unfortunately, it seemed most of the those returning characters did not get enough of an appearance or further development or add significantly to the story with their committees and continual meetings, except Leesha who is Emma's friend and has learned from what's happened and is trying to do the right thing, especially as a typical wizard who has changed her mind and now supports Madison, Seph, and company.It was a different underdog story from the original trilogy where it was the major guilds duking it out. These underdogs are even more underdogs in the Weir hierarchy, and Chima presents a compelling reason for Thornhill and how things went so wrong, and the continual resentment and prejudice that fuels the antagonism between the "mainliners" and the underguild, even more so with the Thornhill survivors left so ruined. The survivors have to deal with being considered less equal, labeled "labrats," and living with disabilities. Chima makes it clear even the more physically handicapped survivors, like Kenzie and others, have unique personalities and talents and are not only defined by their disability.Working through the guilt seemed believable, even with the teen characters and the adult ones. There may have been no good guys, but there were no bad guys, either, but rather people who made mistakes, made bad choices, seeked revenge, were greedy--all very human things. For all the back and forth emotions between Jonah and Emma, I liked that their romance was not the central focus, though it added tension and motivation and such. Slight spoiler, I even liked how they were not a couple with a happily ever after at the end, though it may happen eventually.The ending does get tied up, the worst offenders who have committed the most wrong get their comeuppance, with just enough hope and possibility for better things without getting overly sentimental. It seemed almost too easy with the revelation of the poisoning and finding a solution, though Chima makes it believable that it took one huge secret to be revealed and a chance for a breakthrough. She also makes it believable that the personal mistakes had such a huge consequence, with a snowball effect and the blame being thrown back and forth. For all their power, the Weir are still very much human, driven by human needs and passions. The only slight quibble is Lilith Greaves and the shades kind of disappear from the action after threatening to go after Madison and do not add any more to the story. Overall, I did enjoy the book and felt Chima did a great job with a story that took some difficult and dark directions. less

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