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alexcaddel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
monarchsandmyths's review against another edition
genuinely what???? this book manages to have almost nothing that important seemingly happen for 195ish pages and then the last 5 pages are WILD. like i was rereading this and i forgot how chaotic it was. that said cal and aaron should be gay and master rufus said gay rights!
filia7001's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
austejaaje's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.75
coco_lolo's review
1.0
1.5 stars.
I've never thought the Magisterium series was the strongest or most fully developed, but when I read the first three books last summer, I became invested in the protagonist's story and seeing how it concluded. The Bronze Key ended on a great cliffhanger, so imagine my surprise when The Silver Mask turned out to be such a disappointment. Especially when you consider the emotional value of the previous installments, I still can't believe how disengaging and uninspired this was. Honestly, I don't think there's very much Holly Black and Cassandra Clare can do to salvage the series after the way they butchered this.
It's not that The Silver Mask was a horrible book per say, but rather the fact that this is the fourth in a series and it's the the weakest. In several ways, this was a skeleton: there was no meat to the story, nothing that made it resonate with me. There was something vital missing, a certain charm and humor and emotion that made the characters and their struggles interesting in the previous books. The tone shift was likely intentional because Call and his friends were no longer at the Magisterium, but that shift wasn't successful for me since I didn't care about the conflict (which was such a let down; seriously, there was all this build-up to a mage war, and we got that). The sense of time elapsing was also vague, so I never knew how long this book exactly covered, and although things were taking place during that time, so little focus was given to what was going on that there was nothing to push the plot forward.
The plot itself wasn't even poor—the overall story is still one that interests me—but the execution felt rushed and haphazard. None of the characters experienced any growth, but rather they regressed: Tamara, who had one of the strongest voices in the series, was diminished and not even like herself, while two of the three villains were stereotyped and unimposing. The sentence structure was as well done as always, but where was the depth? Where was the emotion behind Call's actions? Because that's what really hurt this book—I couldn't connect to Call like before, and due to that, the story lost its heart. He's always been such an intriguing character, one I've loved because of how realistic he is when it comes to his worries and trying to do what he believes is right; here, though, I truly couldn't make myself care beyond a few instances.
There was one major plot element that I enjoyed, one that would have worked even better had the authors lengthened the book, and that was Call's relationship with Aaron. Their dynamic has always been one of my favorite things about the series, and to see how their friendship changed past death was an interesting hurtle for them. This was one of the few places I did feel emotion: Call's loneliness without Aaron, his desire to see him alive again and what that said about Call as The Enemy of Death's vessel.
So, will I read The Golden Tower? Right now, I can't say. I want to simply because I've already read everything before it, but I'm worried it may get the same treatment as The Silver Mask. Both authors are working on multiple projects aside from this series, and I could really tell because the story suffered greatly. There were a couple of interesting developments about raising the dead, and I'm honestly intrigued by that last revelation (not the epilogue), so maybe I will end up checking the last book out.
I've never thought the Magisterium series was the strongest or most fully developed, but when I read the first three books last summer, I became invested in the protagonist's story and seeing how it concluded. The Bronze Key ended on a great cliffhanger, so imagine my surprise when The Silver Mask turned out to be such a disappointment. Especially when you consider the emotional value of the previous installments, I still can't believe how disengaging and uninspired this was. Honestly, I don't think there's very much Holly Black and Cassandra Clare can do to salvage the series after the way they butchered this.
It's not that The Silver Mask was a horrible book per say, but rather the fact that this is the fourth in a series and it's the the weakest. In several ways, this was a skeleton: there was no meat to the story, nothing that made it resonate with me. There was something vital missing, a certain charm and humor and emotion that made the characters and their struggles interesting in the previous books. The tone shift was likely intentional because Call and his friends were no longer at the Magisterium, but that shift wasn't successful for me since I didn't care about the conflict (which was such a let down; seriously, there was all this build-up to a mage war, and we got that). The sense of time elapsing was also vague, so I never knew how long this book exactly covered, and although things were taking place during that time, so little focus was given to what was going on that there was nothing to push the plot forward.
The plot itself wasn't even poor—the overall story is still one that interests me—but the execution felt rushed and haphazard. None of the characters experienced any growth, but rather they regressed: Tamara, who had one of the strongest voices in the series, was diminished and not even like herself, while two of the three villains were stereotyped and unimposing. The sentence structure was as well done as always, but where was the depth? Where was the emotion behind Call's actions? Because that's what really hurt this book—I couldn't connect to Call like before, and due to that, the story lost its heart. He's always been such an intriguing character, one I've loved because of how realistic he is when it comes to his worries and trying to do what he believes is right; here, though, I truly couldn't make myself care beyond a few instances.
Spoiler
And can we talk about that tacked-on romance? It was definitely hinted at in the book before, but my gosh, that attempt by the authors was pathetic.There was one major plot element that I enjoyed, one that would have worked even better had the authors lengthened the book, and that was Call's relationship with Aaron. Their dynamic has always been one of my favorite things about the series, and to see how their friendship changed past death was an interesting hurtle for them. This was one of the few places I did feel emotion: Call's loneliness without Aaron, his desire to see him alive again and what that said about Call as The Enemy of Death's vessel.
So, will I read The Golden Tower? Right now, I can't say. I want to simply because I've already read everything before it, but I'm worried it may get the same treatment as The Silver Mask. Both authors are working on multiple projects aside from this series, and I could really tell because the story suffered greatly. There were a couple of interesting developments about raising the dead, and I'm honestly intrigued by that last revelation (not the epilogue), so maybe I will end up checking the last book out.
katiec3000's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
paige555's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 for a while i was really annoyed with this book… everything call did made me angry but THE ENDING HOLY SHIT
franzisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
avidbooknerd2028's review against another edition
4.0
This whole series took me by surprise. I can't wait to read the final book!
I normally don't do well with middle-grade. This series definitely is one that I enjoy and would love to read with my girls. There is a ton of adventure, mysterious circumstances, and magic. All of which I enjoy.
I love Holly Black and Cassandra Clare so for a series done by both it has blown me away!
I normally don't do well with middle-grade. This series definitely is one that I enjoy and would love to read with my girls. There is a ton of adventure, mysterious circumstances, and magic. All of which I enjoy.
I love Holly Black and Cassandra Clare so for a series done by both it has blown me away!
estanceveyrac's review against another edition
4.0
Exciting read, though I liked the 3rd book better...
I look forward to the 5th book, but it better be the last one...
The path the books took after the 3rd book was interesting & unexpected, but it could have been better handled, in my opinion.
Still a really good serie, though.
I look forward to the 5th book, but it better be the last one...
The path the books took after the 3rd book was interesting & unexpected, but it could have been better handled, in my opinion.
Still a really good serie, though.