Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It wasn't exactly bad but I wasn't blown away either. The magical world seemed rich but never did it really felt that way, it actually felt kind of empty. The fact that every adult in this book behaved like an a-hole and the same can be said about most of 12yo characters, I didn't root for anybody in this mess.
Most of this book is spent on the school life of the main trio but at the same time, we don't see much of it at all. We are told what they were learning and with whom but apart from the pile of sand exercise we don't see much more. Sadly, those are the parts I enjoy in fantasy books the most aka the slow non-threatening parts in which we learn about the magic system and whatnot. The pacing is a bit off too because we go through the whole study year but I sometimes didn't know if hours, days or months went by.
Even with my complaints, it's not a bad book, I think it tried to tell too much within too little page count. I have a mild intrigue to continue the series but I can't say for sure I will.
Most of this book is spent on the school life of the main trio but at the same time, we don't see much of it at all. We are told what they were learning and with whom but apart from the pile of sand exercise we don't see much more. Sadly, those are the parts I enjoy in fantasy books the most aka the slow non-threatening parts in which we learn about the magic system and whatnot. The pacing is a bit off too because we go through the whole study year but I sometimes didn't know if hours, days or months went by.
Even with my complaints, it's not a bad book, I think it tried to tell too much within too little page count. I have a mild intrigue to continue the series but I can't say for sure I will.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Death of parent
For most of us, Hogwarts is what comes to mind when we hear "school of wizardry." in any context. Well, this ain't Hogwarts. No soaring towers, no beautiful windows, no whomping willow (imagine a school for wizards without one). Instead there are miles of underground tunnels, eyeless fish in underground lakes, meals of mushrooms and lichen, and the threat of war hanging over it all. Okay, yeah, that last bit does sound like the whole conflict with Voldemort.
The Magisterium is a school to train young people with magical powers. The first year is called the Iron Year (hence the name of the book). Potential students are contacted and they gather to take entrance exams. Those with the best potential are taken to be taught how to use and control their powers. Callum Hunt has heard of the Magisterium; his parents were students there. But his father has told him it is a terrible place and that the masters are only interested in power and are willing to throw their students' lives away in their battles with the enemy. Mr. Hunt doesn't want Call to be selected and it looks as if he won't be. When the exam scores are posted, Call is actually the lowest ranked - with a negative score. Yet he is still chosen to be the apprentice of the most powerful master at the school. Over the course of the year Call gets to know his fellow apprentices, has lessons that are really boring and some that are very entertaining, learns to actually enjoy meals of strangely colored lichen, and starts to feel as if he might like to stay at the school.
The way human brains organize information, we really can't help but make comparisons to things that are already familiar as we try to assimilate something new. So drawing parallels between this book and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is natural. And there are many similarities - the three apprentices who become friends (2 boys and 1 really smart girl), a student who is almost as snarky as Draco, Chaos-ridden wolves instead of a three-headed dog, an enemy from a previous generation who is still lurking out there, a parent who died in the last war with the enemy, and a child who survived the battle are just a few of the commonalities. But they are different enough in presentation and details to keep them interesting.
I am curious how the series will continue to tell its own story and differentiate itself from the world of Harry and Hogwarts.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The Magisterium is a school to train young people with magical powers. The first year is called the Iron Year (hence the name of the book). Potential students are contacted and they gather to take entrance exams. Those with the best potential are taken to be taught how to use and control their powers. Callum Hunt has heard of the Magisterium; his parents were students there. But his father has told him it is a terrible place and that the masters are only interested in power and are willing to throw their students' lives away in their battles with the enemy. Mr. Hunt doesn't want Call to be selected and it looks as if he won't be. When the exam scores are posted, Call is actually the lowest ranked - with a negative score. Yet he is still chosen to be the apprentice of the most powerful master at the school. Over the course of the year Call gets to know his fellow apprentices, has lessons that are really boring and some that are very entertaining, learns to actually enjoy meals of strangely colored lichen, and starts to feel as if he might like to stay at the school.
The way human brains organize information, we really can't help but make comparisons to things that are already familiar as we try to assimilate something new. So drawing parallels between this book and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is natural. And there are many similarities - the three apprentices who become friends (2 boys and 1 really smart girl), a student who is almost as snarky as Draco, Chaos-ridden wolves instead of a three-headed dog, an enemy from a previous generation who is still lurking out there, a parent who died in the last war with the enemy, and a child who survived the battle are just a few of the commonalities. But they are different enough in presentation and details to keep them interesting.
I am curious how the series will continue to tell its own story and differentiate itself from the world of Harry and Hogwarts.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
I only read this book because I like Clare's other books. Even though it is YA, it has a good story and kept me interested. My 10 year old liked it also.
I loved this book and cannot wait for the next to come out. I think it is fast paced and well written. I was trying to figure things out through the whole book. This will be great for my Elementary Library because it has a "grown up" feel, but is appropriate for many ages. I would definitely add this to your reading list. It will be in my library!
Many aspects of this series so far seem incredibly similar to/derivative of the Harry Potter series. That said, it was an enjoyable listen, good for an escape although not necessarily good for listening to while falling asleep, and there's a good twist toward the end (well, I found it to be a good twist, I thought something similar might be revealed but not that exactly).
So I've seen a lot of people complain that this book is a Harry Potter rip-off/has a lot of Harry Potter parallels but I don't see it? Sure, it's a book about a magic school but that's just about it. The whole concept of magic is different, the school is organised in a completely different way. Some tropes may be the same (like the main characters being a trio of two boys and one girl) but these are common tropes that are used in many books in that genre.
I felt like the whole story and concept of this book was really good and original and even though not much action actually happened for the most part of the book, I didn't find it boring somehow because the story was still interesting.
I felt like the whole story and concept of this book was really good and original and even though not much action actually happened for the most part of the book, I didn't find it boring somehow because the story was still interesting.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It definitely had Harry Potter-like elements, but enough twists to distinguish it from other fantasy series. I look forward to the second one.