The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black: Book review

Book title/ Author: The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

Publisher/ Year: September 9th 2014 Scholastic

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Series: Magisterium #1

Pages: 304

Source/ Format: e-galley | NetGalley

(Thanks NetGalley/Scholastic!)

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion.

*This review may contain spoilers!*

Synopsis

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 review

I am very pleasantly surprised when it comes to my opinion on this book. Even though it's written by two well-loved YA authors, I haven't really delved into Middle Grade fiction before, and I assumed this would be too childish for me. Fortunately, I was gripped from the beginning, taken on a magical journey, and left anxiously waiting for its sequel.

The premise and the cover initially put me off a bit, as it sounded like yet another Harry Potter ripoff, with its magic school and 3 best friends. However although the general idea may be similar, it is its own book and I certainly can't take that away from it. 

The magic in this book really interested me and I would really like to see some of it potentially develop throughout the course of the series. The whole idea of the elementals was so unique. Also, just reading about Call, Aaron, and Tamara's magic starting off as virtually non-existent and slowly growing into something more powerful was so captivating.

Seeing as this book is Middle Grade, I would've been a bit uncomfortable reading about any romances, so I'm glad that there wasn't any. I'm also pleased that both Cassandra and Holly didn't feel the need for there to be any, because the story is fine without it. Instead they filled up that space with some really great friendships. Eventually Call, Aaron and Tamara became a dream team and I wouldn't want it any other way.

The synopsis of this book made me expect a lot of adventure and mystery, which is exactly what I got. There were twists and turns, secrets and truths uncovered, and it was just so much fun. I couldn't have asked for a better 3 main characters, and I am just so thankful to have travelled with them through their journeys.

I honestly don't know if I can wait until September for the sequel, which just goes to show how much I loved The Iron Trial. If, like me, you were a fan of the Harry Potter series growing up, I think this would be a perfect book for you as it has the same feel to it.

Izzy