Friday, January 31, 2014

The Enchanter Heir by Cinda Williams Chima


The Enchanter Heir (The Heir Chronicles, #4) The Enchanter Heir



They called it the Thorn Hill Massacre—the brutal attack on a once-thriving Weir community. Though Jonah Kinlock lived through it, he did not emerge unscathed: like the other survivors, Jonah possesses unique magical gifts that set him apart from members of the mainline guilds. At seventeen, Jonah has become the deadliest assassin in Nightshade, a global network that hunts the undead. He is being groomed to succeed Gabriel Mandrake, the sorcerer, philanthropist, and ruthless music promoter who established the Thorn Hill Foundation, the public face of Nightshade. More and more, Jonah’s at odds with Gabriel’s tactics and choice of targets. Desperate to help his dying brother Kenzie, Jonah opens doors that Gabriel prefers to keep closed.

Emma Claire Greenwood grew up worlds away, raised by a grandfather who taught her music rather than magic. An unschooled wild child, she runs the streets until the night she finds her grandfather dying, gripping a note warning Emma that she might be in danger. The clue he leaves behind leads Emma into Jonah’s life—and a shared legacy of secrets and lingering questions.

Was Thorn Hill really a peaceful commune? Or was it, as the Wizard Guild claims, a hotbed of underguild terrorists? The Wizards’ suspicions grow when members of the mainline guilds start turning up dead. They blame Madison Moss and the Interguild Council, threatening the fragile peace brokered at Trinity.

Racing against time, Jonah and Emma work to uncover the truth about Thorn Hill, amid growing suspicion that whoever planned the Thorn Hill Massacre might strike again.
 
(summary from goodreads.com)

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Wow. This book wasn't what I expected. Each of the other "Heir" books have been stories in themselves, usually wrapping up fairly well without leaving things hanging, but with a definite story progression throughout the books. This book is an entirely different beast! The writing reminded me a lot more of Demon King than other Heir books, which was kind of fun. I loved the Demon King series. Chima took the basics from her other Heir books but threw in a whole different set of problems and made me throw what I thought I knew of her "guilds" out the window. This book definitely leaves us hanging, so she'd better write the next few quickly. I loved her characters, her "tormented" hero, and the musical threads throughout the whole book. There were a few cameos from our favorite Heir books but this book could definitely be considered the start of a separate series. I look forward to seeing where she goes with her savants and hope there is an information dump in the next book, I wanted to know more than I was given.

Mom note: As a mother of readers, I also want to make a note to myself (and others if they care) why I would or would not have my children read this book, because honestly, sometimes I forget. This is a YA book, so everything is within YA strictures. Violence: moderate/heavy; Profanity: no; Sex: infrequently mildly suggestive


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