Magisterium: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Rating 4 out of 5
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Series: Magisterium (Book 1)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; 1St Edition edition (September 9, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545522250
ISBN-13: 978-0545522250
ASIN: B00HFAY9LO

Summary:

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 . . .

I had so much fun reading this book.

For me it was fun and fresh, setting the reader to go in one direction then changing direction on you as you continue through the story. It was fascinating and I see so many possibilities with the direction the author took 

I really enjoyed Call. He is angry and sarcastic and his mouth just works of its own accord. He is fun to read and had me chuckling a few times with his antics. The other characters Tamara and Aaron are also good value and compliment his character well.

The action and pacing was well balanced to keep the story bubbling along. The action scenes were fantastical and edge of the seat stuff.

The world built by Black and Clare is an interesting one and I am curious to learn more about it. I liked that the magic was elemental based and the little elemental animals were pretty cool (Chaos ridden puppy anyone?). We got enough information and back story that we know the basics of this world but I will be curious to see how the authors develop the world over the next books. I can easily see there being way more then meets the eye with this world.

I will briefly touch on the comparisons people are drawing to Harry Potter. If you go looking for the comparisons I am sure you will find them. I didn't compare it and I enjoyed the book on its own for its own merits.

If you like YA modern fantasy (don't think this can be classed as urban as they are in a cave in the middle of no where) then this will be a fun read.

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1) by Cassandra Clare

Rating 3 out of 5

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books; First Edition, Later Printing edition (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416914285
• ISBN-13: 978-1416914280
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches

Given there are heaps of reviews on this book I thought I would do more of a Q&A style review with some basic questions. I found this book hard to review as it would be very easy to give away spoilers.

What is the book about?
City of Bones follows the story of 15 year old Clary. One night Clary and her friend Simon go to the Pandemonium Club and their lives change forever after witnessing a murder where the body then proceeds to disappear into thin air. Clary then finds herself thrust into the middle of world she never knew existed

Who was your favorite character?
Probably Jace. He was witty and interesting.

Which character did you dislike the most?
Easily Alex. I know the reader does get some back story to him at the end of the book which goes some way to explaining his character. But I didn't like him on any level. He could probably easily be voted "character most likely to turn to the dark side".

How does this book compare to A Clockwork Angel?
I can honestly say I liked A Clockwork Angel better. A Clockwork Angel came well after this series was written (even though it is a prequel), and it felt Clare had a better feel for the world in that book compared to City of Bones. Plus I liked the characters better. I cant really put my finger on why I liked A Clockwork Angel better I just did.

Is the story original?
Not particularly. You could see the plot twists coming. There are no surprises.

Is there much action?
There is quite a bit of action in the second half of the book. But the teen love triangle is more the focus I thought.

Is it like Harry Potter? 
Not really. There are some parallels yes, but its not like that story line is really original, even before JK Rowling got it. The whole "orphan discovers they are a wizard/witch and there is a magical world existing next to ours" story line was being used for years before Harry Potter so don’t act like JK Rowling invented it.

What is the mythology used? 
The book taps into the angels and demons mythology and builds on those. For instance the Shadow hunters are descended from the people the Angel Riezel mixed his blood with. I haven't read the whole series so do not really know the whole mythology attached to this world, but it seems interesting so far. There are also Vampire, Werewolves, and Warlocks. That side is not really developed in this book.

Would you recommend the book? 
To a teenage girl, yes definitely. That is the target audience and I think they will love it. For older readers, not so sure. While I didn't mind the story, it didn't grab me and make me want to read the rest of the series on the spot. There are better books in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre that I would recommend over this one.

Extras
Head over to Cassandra Clares page and read Chapter One City of Bones.

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices Book 1) By Cassandra Clare

Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 498 KB
Print Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Walker (September 6, 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B0046EDMZ6

First Sentence:"The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts."

Ok I LOVED this book. I was hooked pretty much from the moment I started. Why was I resisting this author for so long? Oh probably because I am weary now of "hyped" authors that everyone in the blogging world raves about. Clare's series the Mortal Instruments has certainly generated some positive reviews around the blogging world.

This is set in the same "world" as the Mortal Instruments series but is a prequel to the series. Set in Victoria London (1878). This series follows Tessa, a sixteen year old girl who travels to London to live with her brother. Upon her arrival she is kidnapped by the Dark Sisters and forced to discover her unique ability. She is rescued by the Shadow Hunters and provided protection by them. However it is soon discovered she is pivotal to a plot to over throw the Shadow Hunters and upset the balance between the different supernatural beings factions.

There is some wonderful action and great pacing. Clare has a good balance between action, humour, and information. The story moved smoothly. This could be because Clare has already created this world and knows it inside out, so was able to explain it properly.

The love triangle is more like a love pentagon. With all the teenagers in this book in love with the other, who doesn't seem to return the love and is unaware of the adoration's of the other characters. I can see this getting messy in the books to come and create some teen angst and conflict Victorian style. Happily in this book it doesn't over power the story but it does get a little confusing.

Will is the bad boy with a heart. Gem is the sick but gentle best friend. Both were enjoyable characters who didn't quite fall into the cliche. Both would make good partnerships with Tessa. Tessa is brave and strong, but conflicted. For the first time I actually enjoyed the bad boy in the book.

You don't need to have read the mortal instruments series to read this series or vise versa. The author on her blog says neither gives away plot spoilers though names and characters do crop up in each series.

A good start to the series. I will definitely be reading the rest of the prequel trilogy and starting the Mortal Instruments series.