by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
Flap Copy Description:
Most kids would do anything to pass the Iron Trial.
Not Callum Hunt. He wants to fail.
All his life, Call has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. If he succeeds at the Iron Trial and is admitted into the Magisterium, he is sure it can only mean bad things for him.
So he tries his best to do his worst - and fails at failing.
Now the Magisterium awaits him. It's a place that's both sensational and sinister, with dark ties to his past and a twisty path to his future.
The Iron Trial is just the beginning, for the biggest test is still to come...
My Thoughts:
Holly Black and Cassandra Clare have collaborated to create a wonderful new series! This first book in the Magisterium Series is full of magic and mayhem; it's a great read for any lover of fantasy novels. What I felt was its strongest attribute was the character development. The protagonist, Callum, has been physically challenged from the time of his unusual birth. This element is woven into the plot of the story, and the reader is not fully informed about its relevance - even upon the novel's conclusion. The other characters are complex and diverse as well, which puts The Iron Trial on a growing list of diverse books for children. I highly recommend it to readers aged eight to fourteen.
Click here for an interview with Cassandra Clare & Holly Black.
