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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I read this in the German version, something I normally don't do, since I prefer the original, but it was a good translation.
The book is a good start into a new series about a young magician. Callum Hunt hates and fears magic and magicians, but he has to take the iron trial, which will bring him into the magisterium, a school for magicians.
The book reminds me a bit of the Harry Potter series, but it starts of darker and doesn't explain that much of the magician's world. But it has some nice characters in it, people you start to love and of whom you wanna know more. But also people you don't like. All in all a good mixture of characters, some with a touch of mystery, which wants me to read the other books.
It is interesting, that you get the "big surprise" in this book already, but it makes you just more curious for how the authors will handle the rest of the series, how some characters will develop and how the whole story will end, cause right now, there so many possibilities.
I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. Let's hope it will come soon.
The book is a good start into a new series about a young magician. Callum Hunt hates and fears magic and magicians, but he has to take the iron trial, which will bring him into the magisterium, a school for magicians.
The book reminds me a bit of the Harry Potter series, but it starts of darker and doesn't explain that much of the magician's world. But it has some nice characters in it, people you start to love and of whom you wanna know more. But also people you don't like. All in all a good mixture of characters, some with a touch of mystery, which wants me to read the other books.
It is interesting, that you get the "big surprise" in this book already, but it makes you just more curious for how the authors will handle the rest of the series, how some characters will develop and how the whole story will end, cause right now, there so many possibilities.
I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. Let's hope it will come soon.
©2014 All Rights Reserved CompuServe Books Reviews
The Iron Trial (Book One of Magisterium)
By Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Fantasy MG
September 2014
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0-545-52225-0
First, a fangirl moment. Holly Black is one of the most imaginative YA and MG novelists we have right now. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was a chilling, spooky YA novel with unexpected twists and an engaging protagonist. Doll Bones is a spectacularly successful MG horror novel with great characters, a plot that makes sense and some rather goosebumps-raising moments.
Teaming with Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices and Bane Chronicles author Cassandra Clare, here is another story that is not the same as everything else out there.
The Iron Trial is the first book in the Magisterium series. It not only builds on the tropes so many learned to adore with Harry Potter, it’s a complete turnaround of what readers expect a hero’s journey to be. Callum Hunt, as a baby, survived a massacre of mages in a war against the Enemy of Death. His mother died after carving the message "Kill the Child" with her last breaths. His father, a strong mage himself, has kept Call from magic or knowing much about any of this for his entire life.
But now that he is 12, he has been called to take part in a series of tests to see if he qualifies for training at the Magisterium, where mages learn to control their power. Those who fail have their magic bound at the end of the first year, knowing only for the rest of their lives that they are missing an integral part of themselves.
Call is on orders from his father to fail. His father doesn’t want him there; Call thinks he will be harmed. Despite his best efforts to fail, he is chosen by one of the most talented mages. And now he’s torn. What if he could be good? And now, for the first time, he has friends. And he’s kinda good at this magic after all.
The training that Call and his new friends undertake, the friendships formed and Call's journey into discovering why he is different unfold with steady pacing. The world-building and character development work together very well here. The ending is an ending but also shows how the second book will continue Call's journey.
Whether recommending to a teacher for read-aloud because of the plot twists, or to readers who think all fantasy is the same or those ready for something that goes beyond Hogwarts, this is a book to put in their hands.
The Iron Trial (Book One of Magisterium)
By Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Fantasy MG
September 2014
Scholastic Press
ISBN: 978-0-545-52225-0
First, a fangirl moment. Holly Black is one of the most imaginative YA and MG novelists we have right now. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was a chilling, spooky YA novel with unexpected twists and an engaging protagonist. Doll Bones is a spectacularly successful MG horror novel with great characters, a plot that makes sense and some rather goosebumps-raising moments.
Teaming with Mortal Instruments, Infernal Devices and Bane Chronicles author Cassandra Clare, here is another story that is not the same as everything else out there.
The Iron Trial is the first book in the Magisterium series. It not only builds on the tropes so many learned to adore with Harry Potter, it’s a complete turnaround of what readers expect a hero’s journey to be. Callum Hunt, as a baby, survived a massacre of mages in a war against the Enemy of Death. His mother died after carving the message "Kill the Child" with her last breaths. His father, a strong mage himself, has kept Call from magic or knowing much about any of this for his entire life.
But now that he is 12, he has been called to take part in a series of tests to see if he qualifies for training at the Magisterium, where mages learn to control their power. Those who fail have their magic bound at the end of the first year, knowing only for the rest of their lives that they are missing an integral part of themselves.
Call is on orders from his father to fail. His father doesn’t want him there; Call thinks he will be harmed. Despite his best efforts to fail, he is chosen by one of the most talented mages. And now he’s torn. What if he could be good? And now, for the first time, he has friends. And he’s kinda good at this magic after all.
The training that Call and his new friends undertake, the friendships formed and Call's journey into discovering why he is different unfold with steady pacing. The world-building and character development work together very well here. The ending is an ending but also shows how the second book will continue Call's journey.
Whether recommending to a teacher for read-aloud because of the plot twists, or to readers who think all fantasy is the same or those ready for something that goes beyond Hogwarts, this is a book to put in their hands.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really excellent satire and play off traditional heroic journey and magic school fantasy tropes... while still being genuine and sweet and fun. A really solid mystery weaved throughout also means I’ll definitely keep reading the series. A great recommendation for middle school aged kids and/or Harry Potter fans.
Love!
I have a friend who's been begging me to read this, and I finally did. I have to say, it was a little less than what I was hoping for but it's a great book.
The plot is great, there are a few things that don't resonate with me (like the arcade room and some other unrealistic things about the school) but overall it's a cool idea.
I have to say though, it's almost exactly the same as Harry Potter. The one difference is that the "chosen" one in Harry Potter is the main character, and in Magisterium, it's the main character's friend (which I can't decide if I like, or if it's a turn-off).
I have a friend who's been begging me to read this, and I finally did. I have to say, it was a little less than what I was hoping for but it's a great book.
The plot is great, there are a few things that don't resonate with me (like the arcade room and some other unrealistic things about the school) but overall it's a cool idea.
I have to say though, it's almost exactly the same as Harry Potter. The one difference is that the "chosen" one in Harry Potter is the main character, and in Magisterium, it's the main character's friend (which I can't decide if I like, or if it's a turn-off).
I love both Holly Black's and Cassandra Clare's writing, so I was surprised by how little this novel worked for me. In general the ambience of the book was nice, but the plot and characters felt so dull in comparison to the authors' other works.
This book is SO AWESOME. And the fact that Cassandra Claire participated in it made it even more awesome. The writing was great and the whole idea of magic school and mages and elementals and magic was really cool and I personally LOVE fantasy books about this topic. The whole atmosphere of the book was entertaining and alluring. Plus, the whole plot took my breath away. Like when I reached the main plot twist I had to read the scene several times to really get what happened inside my head😂There are some moments throughout the book where I just stare at the scene I'm reading for several moments then think "Wait, What? What the hell just happened?".I was surprised and didn't expect what happened at all and I guess THAT what truly made it a great book and what made me love it even more bc I love it when books surprise me. The friendship was heartwarming and so sweet. I just love everything about the book 😍❤️
I was really surprised with this book. I didn't have extremely high expectations because I have heard lots of mixed reviews about it. But this book grabbed my attention from the beginning and I was drawn right into the story. A lot of people compared it to Harry Potter, which I didn't see (at least in this first book). I felt that it had a unique magic system and the Magisterium itself was an interesting setting.
This story took some really interesting twists and turns. Some of them were predictable, but considering this book is targeted for middle grade audiences they made sense. However, I was surprised by most of the plot twists. I also really enjoyed the characters. Their motivations were strong and I am excited to see where the series takes them.
I think this will be a really interesting series and I am planning on picking up The Copper Gauntlet soon from my library. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of middle grade adventure books. I have high hopes for this series, 2 thumbs up.
This story took some really interesting twists and turns. Some of them were predictable, but considering this book is targeted for middle grade audiences they made sense. However, I was surprised by most of the plot twists. I also really enjoyed the characters. Their motivations were strong and I am excited to see where the series takes them.
I think this will be a really interesting series and I am planning on picking up The Copper Gauntlet soon from my library. I would highly recommend this book to lovers of middle grade adventure books. I have high hopes for this series, 2 thumbs up.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes