Helpful Score: 1
If you thought Hogwarts was hard on Harry Potter, The Havens academy will make you change your mind. Young Seph McCauley has been tossed out of several private schools for 'making trouble.' The trouble stems from magical accidents, since Seph is an untrained wizard. The headmaster of The Havens is determined to make use of Seph's power---either that or kill him.
From back cover:
'You must be the famous Seph McCauley.' Alicia looked him up and down as though she were used to being disappointed, then extended her ringed fingers.
'Pleased to meet you,' he said, gripping her hand.
It was like sticking his hand into an electrical outlet. For a long moment they stood frozen, the current flowing between them. Then they both dropped their hands, took a step back, and stood staring at one another. All his life, people had reacted to his touch. And now he knew what it was like.
She recovered first. 'Well, well, she said, studying him with new interest, running her tongue over red-stained lips. 'You are the powerful one, aren't you?'
'I get by, Seph said, massaging his tingling fingers.
From back cover:
'You must be the famous Seph McCauley.' Alicia looked him up and down as though she were used to being disappointed, then extended her ringed fingers.
'Pleased to meet you,' he said, gripping her hand.
It was like sticking his hand into an electrical outlet. For a long moment they stood frozen, the current flowing between them. Then they both dropped their hands, took a step back, and stood staring at one another. All his life, people had reacted to his touch. And now he knew what it was like.
She recovered first. 'Well, well, she said, studying him with new interest, running her tongue over red-stained lips. 'You are the powerful one, aren't you?'
'I get by, Seph said, massaging his tingling fingers.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Sixteen-year-old Seph (Joseph) McCauley is a double orphan. His parents died in a tragic accident so long ago that he doesn't remember them. (At least that's what the paperwork says; Seph's pretty sure it's fake.) Not too long ago he lost Genevieve, the woman who raised him and cared for him. Since then he's been shipped from town to town, from school to school. The only thing that stays the same is the reason he keeps having to leave. Weird things happen around Seph--birds attacking, explosions, fires--and the last time, somebody died. Seph knows that if he could find someone to train him, he could control, or harness, or even use his magic. If it doesn't happen soon, he might just self-destruct. Literally.
His latest prison is an all-boys school in the middle of nowhere on the coast of Maine. Seph expected that the other students might be a bit different from what he's used to, but these kids are beyond weird. And the teachers, well, that's a whole other thing. Wonder of all wonders, the headmaster, Gregory Leicester, is a wizard, and wants to train Seph! It seems his prayers have been answered. But something still feels - off. The way the students behave towards the headmaster, the way the other teachers treat him, the "research students" in the special dorm... Leicester seems to want more than Seph is willing to give. A battle of wills, of frightening proportion, begins. The more Leicester wants him to do something, the less Seph is willing to give in. The only answer is escape or death. But what if escape is just the beginning?
Fun, exciting, non-stop reading. I didn't let it out of my sight until I found the time to finish it. I think I may have a crush on Seph. What can I say; I like the dark, edgy guys.
There is another book written by the author that fits in the timeline before this, called THE WARRIOR HEIR. That book is not at all necessary to read first. I haven't read it yet, and I really liked this book. Although you can bet I plan on devouring that one shortly! For readers of THE WARRIOR HEIR, I believe the main character is Jack, and rest assured he plays a big part in the second half of this book. Which gives me hope that Seph might turn up again.
Sixteen-year-old Seph (Joseph) McCauley is a double orphan. His parents died in a tragic accident so long ago that he doesn't remember them. (At least that's what the paperwork says; Seph's pretty sure it's fake.) Not too long ago he lost Genevieve, the woman who raised him and cared for him. Since then he's been shipped from town to town, from school to school. The only thing that stays the same is the reason he keeps having to leave. Weird things happen around Seph--birds attacking, explosions, fires--and the last time, somebody died. Seph knows that if he could find someone to train him, he could control, or harness, or even use his magic. If it doesn't happen soon, he might just self-destruct. Literally.
His latest prison is an all-boys school in the middle of nowhere on the coast of Maine. Seph expected that the other students might be a bit different from what he's used to, but these kids are beyond weird. And the teachers, well, that's a whole other thing. Wonder of all wonders, the headmaster, Gregory Leicester, is a wizard, and wants to train Seph! It seems his prayers have been answered. But something still feels - off. The way the students behave towards the headmaster, the way the other teachers treat him, the "research students" in the special dorm... Leicester seems to want more than Seph is willing to give. A battle of wills, of frightening proportion, begins. The more Leicester wants him to do something, the less Seph is willing to give in. The only answer is escape or death. But what if escape is just the beginning?
Fun, exciting, non-stop reading. I didn't let it out of my sight until I found the time to finish it. I think I may have a crush on Seph. What can I say; I like the dark, edgy guys.
There is another book written by the author that fits in the timeline before this, called THE WARRIOR HEIR. That book is not at all necessary to read first. I haven't read it yet, and I really liked this book. Although you can bet I plan on devouring that one shortly! For readers of THE WARRIOR HEIR, I believe the main character is Jack, and rest assured he plays a big part in the second half of this book. Which gives me hope that Seph might turn up again.
Helpful Score: 1
The second book in the Heir Trilogy follows Seph McCauley, a sixteen year-old orphaned wizard with no training and a history of magical accidents following him from private school to private school. At a club in Toronto, he meets up with Alicia, who slips him a drug that causes him to start a fire where a friend dies. The school his guardian finds for him next is far away from civilization, and he soon realizes it is more prison than school. The headmaster, a wizard himself, soon tries to recruit Seph into his magical training program, but Seph shies away from the ceremony and soon finds himself being tormented night and day. As he continues to try to learn and stay sane, he gets drawn into wizard politics and a search for revenge that also leads to many more questions about his past.
This is a great young adult fantasy trilogy!
This is a great young adult fantasy trilogy!
