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rebelbelle13 's review for:
The Golden Tower
by Holly Black
This last entry in the Magisterium series surprised me. Yes, it's far from perfect, but it was fun. There were no secrets between the friends, Jasper was helping out by choice, Aaron being in Call's head was hysterical and on point, and the road trip was a good time, albeit way too short. Tamara and Call's relationship felt much more genuine instead of forced. I liked how Alistair stepped up and actually helped his kid and got back into the mage world. I really loved how they sorted out Alex in the end, although I can certainly see how it might turn people off. That's the good stuff. There's quite a few things that could have been much better. The book felt rushed and was way too short. The elementals agreed to help much too quickly- there should have been trials or some sort of quest to get them to help instead of just the group showing up and asking. That would have padded the book and made it feel more important, like they needed this elemental to agree to assist them but they've got to get this item first, and they've got to do it fast or else. There was zero urgency in the book. Oh, Alex is back and he wants a tower and the kids? Ok, cool, we've got loads of time (*eyeroll*). Speaking of the "villain", could he have been acting more like a child having a tantrum? He wasn't the least bit menacing and was actually more funny than scary- "I want a tower and my girlfriend and my enemies so I can kill them!!" (really, guy?) The adults were worse than useless, ridiculously trusting of Call, and willing to give Alex and Call anything to just make the whole thing go away. The ending was way too tidy and convenient. That being said, it was a satisfying ending. I really do hope Black and Clare continue the story of the friends at the Collegium, now that their relationships are at a point where they are actually interesting, and they are at an age where I'm intrigued to read about them myself (I've been reading this series to my son so far). Interesting conclusion, cool twist, and I had a good time.