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trgrze20's review
5.0
4.5. It was a little slow in the middle, otherwise it'd be a 5 star book. Overall love where the plot is going, characters were great, and these two authors are a dynamic duo.
lajuana_83's review
5.0
I really enjoyed The Iron Trial...it kind of put me in the mind of Harry Potter a little, but other than that it was a great listen and it kept me interested
katiebtatton's review
5.0
Callum Hunt is good at only one thing: failure. When it comes time to fail the entrance exam into the Magisterium, the mystical school where aspiring magical folks are taught, it should have been easy to bomb the test and there's nothing Call would have liked better. But he failed to fail, and now he's been taken against his will to the place he least wants to be.
I first came across this book when I was doing promotional book talks for the kids' book fair at school. The books the Scholastic people send to promote are the ones they think kids will really like, and because they sent several upper elementary aged books less than a week before the talks, I didn't get this one read in time to promote it well. That is a shame, because The Iron Trial is a well-written, fast paced book that kept surprising me. It's been a long time since I've read a book that felt different than most of the other books of its genre---in this case, isolated tween trying to make sense of his impending future that will change/save the magical world. But I really enjoyed this one and have thought about it for several days after the back cover was closed. I'm very excited to read the next book in the series, set to be released this year.
I first came across this book when I was doing promotional book talks for the kids' book fair at school. The books the Scholastic people send to promote are the ones they think kids will really like, and because they sent several upper elementary aged books less than a week before the talks, I didn't get this one read in time to promote it well. That is a shame, because The Iron Trial is a well-written, fast paced book that kept surprising me. It's been a long time since I've read a book that felt different than most of the other books of its genre---in this case, isolated tween trying to make sense of his impending future that will change/save the magical world. But I really enjoyed this one and have thought about it for several days after the back cover was closed. I'm very excited to read the next book in the series, set to be released this year.
12harria's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
I read this in one day...That's crazy for me! This was such a fun read. I loved the characters, and the story was great. I didn't predict what would happen, though, that might be because I'm generally bad at making bookish predictions...
In my opinion, Holly and Cassandra did a great job. I'm definitely going to be carrying on with the series, which I hope will just get better from here!
I read this in one day...That's crazy for me! This was such a fun read. I loved the characters, and the story was great. I didn't predict what would happen, though, that might be because I'm generally bad at making bookish predictions...
In my opinion, Holly and Cassandra did a great job. I'm definitely going to be carrying on with the series, which I hope will just get better from here!
cecilie_flohr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It was a quick though enjoyable read.
I don't know what to write except that it was a nice book. The characters were nice (not necesarily nice people, but they were written well-enough), and the plot was nice and engaging.
I don't know what to write except that it was a nice book. The characters were nice (not necesarily nice people, but they were written well-enough), and the plot was nice and engaging.
demokoi's review
adventurous
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
kate2224's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
ceclovescows's review
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ms_chievous's review against another edition
3.0
It definitely felt very much like a mash up of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. However, seeing as those are some of my favorite books, I couldn't help enjoying it anyway.