Iron Trial

What Our Readers Are Saying

Share your thoughts on this title!

Average customer rating 4 (3 comments)

---

`

I hadn't read anything by either author before so maybe I'm a bit unbiased but I loved this book. It had a good plot, likeable funny characters and a cool magic system. I found myself cracking up many times and I like the fact that Cal is a sarcastic little brat. To be honest I'm a little irritated by people's constant Harry Potter comparisons, this is nothing like Harry Potter. If you have to compare it to something why not Avatar with all the elemental magic? The ending bumped it up to five stars for me, I love it when I can't predict the ending! And that was an awesome twist. Can't wait to see what will happen in the next book.

`

I am sure this series will be compared to Harry Potter and yes, there are similarities to that series as well as moments that made me remember the beginning of Hunger Games and Divergent. But The Iron Trial really has its own story and Callum Hunt does not turn out to be the next Harry Potter. The Iron Trial refers to the entrance exam into the Magisterium, a five-year school of magic: Iron, Copper, Bronze, Silver and Gold. First year students are in their Iron year. Callum does not want to attend the Magisterium and tries to fail. Still, he is selected and forced to go over the objections of only living parent, his father. Where The Iron Trial really excels I think is in its wonderful descriptions of the imaginative surroundings at the Magisterium. It’s exciting to picture the place and watch the characters discover its many delights. The Iron Trial drags a little, I think, when boring tedious tasks are assigned to be mastered by our group and it takes so long that this reader felt the tedium right along with the characters. I hope that as the series develops, so will the main characters. There is little Callum knows about himself, about who he is and so we are kept in the dark as well, for most of the book. I knew it is the first book in a five-book series and I liked the twists and turnabouts sprinkled throughout the plot. I particularly enjoyed the ending. It’s satisfying as a novel on its own as well as an inviting set up for the series. If you’re unsure whether or not you want to keep reading, I strongly suggest that you do. People and things are not as they appear.

`

Let me start of by saying that this book is nothing like Harry Potter. Nothing. At. All. With that being said, this is Cassie's first book outside of the Shadowhunter world, so, naturally, I was very interested in the kind of story Cassie has concocted with Holly. I haven't read any of Holly's work so a lot of my thoughts are based off what I know about Cassie. Callum Hunt is a twelve year old boy who doesn't want anything with magic, but has the power to wield it. For most of his life, his father has been constantly telling him that magic is bad, and he believed him. So when Call has to take the Iron Trial, he is determined to fail so he won't be admitted into the Magisterium, the school that teaches young potential magic wielders how to control and use their power. His plan fails, however, and he is sent to the school he had feared for so long. But while learning the tricks and trades of magic, he learns more about his past and the path to his uncertain future. The story, while intriguing, was not as captivating as I had hoped. The writing and pacing of the book felt very close to what I was familiar with while reading Cassie's work. The majority of the story seemed drawn out and trivial until the very end. Hints and clues were left here and there about the real threat Call faces, but not enough for me to be completely committed to the story. I have to say though, that the characters and the story line are what got me. The way magic is written in the book is pretty different from what I've ever read before, and the way the story was going had me guessing the plot twist, that was bound to happen, the whole way through. I knew going into this story that Cassie and Holly were going to write something crazy. When I thought I figured it all out, the story would take a different turn and make me reassess everything I've already read. The biggest appeal this book had for me was trying to find out what they were planning. In the end I was close, but not close enough. As always, Cassie has hooked me with her twist and turns in her storyline and I am sure Holly didn't make it any easier. I know I am definitely going to read the second book, because the way they left the ending, its hard not to want to. I will definitely read more of Holly's books before I do, so that I can fairly judge the series between the two of them.