"Before he knew about the Roses, sixteen-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind - part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack's performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he's in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, there are no limits to what they'll do to get Jack to fight for them. . . . " -Goodreads.com
Overall: 4/5
I've said before that I don't particularly connect with male protags, and that's still true. But what helped with this one was that it was told in third person rather than first, and there was just so much action that it was too good to put down anyway! There was so much going on that kept me constantly guessing; I couldn't figure out who to trust and who had ulterior motives.
Both throughout the book and particularly at the end, I was so sure that there was no good way to end this story, but Chima surprised me yet again. Not only was I completely satisfied with the ending, but I'm also counting down until I can get my hands on the next in the series.
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Ending: 5/5
Writing:4/5
Cover: 4/5
Happy Factor: 4/5
Other books by Cinda Williams Chima: The Wizard Heir, The Dragon Heir, The Dragon King
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