Han, former streetlord, spends much time with the clans of the mountains, and his friends Dancer and Bird. He and Dancer encounter wizard boys on the mountain, which is forbidden, and he takes a strange amulet from the leader, Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard.

Princess Raissa chafes under expectations. Do this, don't do this. Learn manners but not diplomacy. Marry for political reasons. She will one day be queen, but knows little of the true state of the queendom.

Moving effortlessly between both characters points of view, Cinda Williams Chima creates a complex world completely independent of The Wizard Heir series. The Seven Realms are governed by the Naeming, an ancient agreement that brought peace and a separation of power, particularly between the clans and the wizards. This place is rich with its own history and legends, full of well-realized secondary characters, and the writing generally self-assured and smooth. I stayed up late finishing this one, and can't wait for the next in the series. ( )

Man, what can I say about this book? Well, I guess I'll start with saying that it is my fourth book read by Cinda Williams Chima, with the other three being the Heir trilogy, in order. When I discovered that Chima had written this, I practically flew to the bookstore.

So, I loved the character development. I may have different things that I like in books, but characters are a big deal to me. If there aren't believable, three dimensional characters then it almost ruins it for me. The heroes, though not on the "bad" side, are not completely pure. Each one has their own faults and mistakes, which I think brings out their personality.

The plot line held me fast from the first page, and I am pretty sure that my teachers at school threatened me if I didn't put it down. Chima put a brilliant twist on the everyday "magic system." Though it may have wizards in it, it is in no way a repeat of classical magic. I also loved the world that the novel takes place in. It has many different parts to it, and each one adds a unique piece to the story.

Overall, I absolutely loved the book. It could have used a little bit of work with letting the villains have a larger role, but other than that, I have no complaints. I eagerly await for more. ( )

This was a book I greatly anticipated because I truly enjoyed the Heir Trilogy, especially The Warrior Heir. I was so excited to hear that it was going to be released and the release date was later than I had thought it was so by the time I got it I could hardly wait to start it. That said I enjoyed it a great deal, it is a very strong four stars and I wanted to give it five stars truly I did, but we will consider it a four and a half.

The characters in this book are strong, from the heroes to the villains. I love a good villain and this story has one that I could truly love. Funny how this is the character that I am drawn to. Please give him a bigger part in the second book. The reason that the book is not a five for me is that I felt that maybe there was too much time put into the character development. I like a strong character and I understand the build up, this is the first book in a trilogy so the characters need to be built in this book.

Raisa, the heroine of this book is spoiled and willful, but she has good strong ideals. There is more than one hero in this piece, and I think that one is meant to be a smaller background hero but I like him for a stronger role too. Amon is the smaller hero, and I think that he has the scope to be more than a mere supporting role, and he loves our heroine whether he realizes it or not. Our main hero is Han, he is a strong, sad young man. He has had a checkered past but who doesn't like a redeemed bad boy. Mycah is our minor villain, I say he is minor because he hasn't reached his peak, but he may. No, his dad now that is a villain I can sink my teeth into. He is my Lucius Malfoy in this piece. Hello!

*Spoiler Alert*
I was totally blind sided near the end by the fact that Han is related to Raisa. Good job on that one, I am usually not fooled. But oh no, I knew he had magic, that was no doubt. Not for a second. ( )