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book, book reviews, books, Cassandra Clare, characters, fantasy, fiction, Holly Black, Iron Trial, Kids Book, Kids Books, Kids's Books, Magisterium, Middle Grade, Netgalley, novel, read, reader, review, The Iron Trial, The Magisterium, writer
(Left to Right: Call, Aaron, & Tamara)
Genre: Middle-Grade Fantasy
Pages: 295
Point of View: Third (Call)
Source: Netgalley
Release Date: September 9, 2014
No Spoilers whatsoever in this review.
Why is it harder to write a review for a book that I really loved than one I just liked? I was so excited about this book it was hard to write in complete sentences. Hehe!
I am very conservative with my 10 star ratings, only books that are my absolute favorite that I know I will read again and again get a perfect score. The Iron Trial gets 10 Stars!
Many of the reviews on Goodreads compared this book to Harry Potter. I think fans of Harry Potter will like this book, but this is NOT a Harry Potter copy! The plot, the characters, and the magic are all unique and different.
My short summary: (This only the setup for the beginning of the book.)
Twelve year-old Callum Hunt, called Call, is always getting in trouble at school and being bullied over his bad leg. Call knows about magic, but his father hasn’t used it since Call’s mother died when he was a baby. It’s now time for Call’s Iron Trial to see if he’s to be trained in magic, but Call’s father has told him that the Magisterium is evil and he has to fail his trial.
My Review:
Call’s not your perfect protagonist. He has an abrasive personality, always saying the wrong things. He complains that he doesn’t have friends, but when people try to befriend him, he’s mean to them. I think because he’s never had friends he has trouble trusting people. It takes a little while to warm up to Call, but I liked that he wasn’t the usual narrator.
Aaron is your typical orphan protagonist. Call calls him Captain America, good looks, nice, talented, and makes friends easily. There are numerous other minor characters and if I had a complaint about this book it was that there were so many minor characters that they were hard to keep straight.
The Iron Trials comes out on September 9th and I already pre-ordered it and I suggest you do too. I also plan to read it again once it comes! Yes it’s that good!
Sorry I didn’t say much about the actual book, I wanted to be careful not to give anything away. Just read it!
I only wish it was longer!! I want more!!
Can I have the next one now? Please?
The Iron Trial: 10 Stars!
The next four books are: (Titles may change.)
- The Iron Trial (September 9, 2014)
- The Copper Gauntlet (September 2015!)
- The Cosmos Blade
- The Golden Boy
- The Enemy of Death
Read the prologue and the first chapter free at USAtoday. If you read it let me know what you think. 🙂
I was so excited about the book I even made a Pintrest board! (There’s already fanart on Clare’s Tumblr.)
Think you know magic? Think again.
The Magisterium awaits…
During your time at the Magisterium, there will be five trials to complete — one for each school year. They will test your magical skill, your endurance and your ability to handle dark and dangerous situations.
It begins with the Iron Trial . . .
