The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1) (1)

I bought this one as soon as it came out but just haven’t had the time to read it. I’m glad I finally found the time though, because it was a great read. The story follows Callum Hunt as he attends his first year at a school of alchemical magic, a school his father always warned him would be the death of him. When he arrives, however, Callum falls in love with the school and the magic his father had always warned him against. He even makes friends, something he has never had before due to his crippled leg making him an object of mockery at previous schools. But the longer he stays the more he starts to uncover about just how dark this world of magic can be. Just how dark he might be.The concept of a chosen one and magical schools is one that’s a bit overdone as of late, but Clare and Black manage to keep it interesting with plenty of new elements. I’ve always been a lover of alchemy ever since I was little, but in most stories about magic it is mentioned off-hand and never really focused on if it is mentioned at all, so it was awesome to see it take center stage here. There’s also some hints at a decent explanation of the magic and where it is drawn from, something that generally seems to be lacking in other books of this sort.It was also refreshing not to have a love triangle of any sort hinted at, but if I know Clare there’s a decent chance something of the sort will show up in the later books of this series as the characters get a bit older. I do sort of hope it doesn’t though. It really isn’t needed. Either way though, I will certainly be eagerly devouring the rest of this series as it comes out.

I read a lot of fantasy series. I pick up this book because I am kind of I between books right now. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. There were a lot of things I liked about this book and some I didn't like. Without writing a novel, here we go...Pros:Unlike most first books to series this book gives you really developed characters. Calling is a dynamic and interesting character. Right off the bat you get a pretty good look into his thoughts and emotions when he is trying to fail the Iron Trial. The supporting characters are well developed as well. I love the subtle hints at the politics behind the scenes of the magic school. I think that makes it more than just another book about a kid attending a secret magical school.The book moves pretty quickly. It's really hard to put it down once you start. The authors really give you so much detail into the world of the magisterium that you almost get lost in it.Cons:The book doesn't have a ton of action until the end. There are little blips of excitement throughout that keep you hooked but nothing big happens too much later in the story. This books is really setting you up for what is to come later. That might make book 2 really action packed but that remains to be seen.Either way, I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for book 2.

I love Cassandra Clare. I don't now how I missed this series. Book 1 was great. You think the MC is going to be the hero, and then there's a twist and it's awesome! Can't wait to read the next one.Some paranormal violence, on the level of Harry Potter. In fact, there are several similarities to HP, it's a year at magic school, there's a bad guy that everyone is afraid to name, but that's about where it ends.Recommended for tweens and teens who like magic and good vs evil. I give it 4.5 stars.

If you are looking for a Harry Potter story, this isn't it. It has more in common with the last Airbender in the sense that the magic is about controlling the elements, and not wand magic. That being said it is by no means bad, quite frankly it's its own thing, and if you take it for wat it is is a well written story, with a fleshed out world, a mysterious lore, a superb plot twist... Actually more than one, and the characters that seam oddly cold are (like in all great works) explained in the end, it gleams a little bit on the nature of the human spirit: we all like to think that we are selfless and that we can sacrifice our own well being in favor of others, but this is in my experience the exception not the rule. Just like in a book I once read where the monster are able to kill, but they still love each other, this is perhaps the most monstrous thing of all: we are equally good and capable of both.

I originally bout The Copper Gauntlet at my daughter's school during a book fair. When I first started reading it, I was a bit confused, because it was written like I should already know what was going on. I looked it up and low and behold, I was trying to read the second book first. The premise of the book was so intriguing, that I decided to buy The Iron Trial. It was so engaging! When I was done, I immediately read the second book. Now I am planning on buying the 3rd one, because I just love these kids.

It was well written and engaging. There was a big twist in it I wasn’t really expecting and it really made me think about another point of view like I hadn’t before. It’s similar to Harry Potter in some ways, but different in other ways.I think it’s a great book well worth your time whether you’re looking for a great Middle Grade book or looking for a Book for someone who reads Middle Grade.

The story starts out in a similar story line to Harry Potter (which I love) but by the end of the book this story has a life of it's own. I was hooked... excellent twists and interesting to read. The hardest part will be waiting for the rest of the five books to be written and released.I enjoyed this book for it's entertainment factor. I don't look for the flaws and nit pick the details like some other review I've seen. I personally enjoy adventure stories that contain magic, monsters and a mystery or quest. This type of entertainment is appropriate for most ages and is a fun way to fill a few hours.

My son had to read this for school for sixth grade and I read it, too, so I can make sure that he was doing the work properly. It was really a great book. Very clever and well written. In fact, now he says he wants to read the next one. I highly recommend this. It certainly was not too basic for an adult to read, either.

The story follows Callum Hunt who comes from a magical background i.e. his Father and Mother were both Mages but after the death of his Mother when Callum was a baby his Father has brought him up to believe that magic and in particular The Magisterium were to blame for her death. Call has been instructed by his father that no matter what he does he needs to fail the magic test and not be accepted in The Magisterium as the Mages are all basically evil and awful things go on in there such as experiments on the students and being left to become lost in the endless underground tunnels. So when Call goes for the test he tries his utmost to fail except things don't work out to plan and inevitably Call is accepted into The Magisterium. Now have I lost you yet? Are your eyes glazing over or rolling thinking "not another magic school story?"! Well yes it is another magic school story but with a twist and the twist does happen and is a good one and one that you possibly won't think of and so it is actually worth reading on as there is so much more to cover such as Chaos-ridden, The Enemy, Elementals, Floating Boat and talking lizards called Warren..........I struggled if I am being honest with the first third of this book as I just couldn't get into it and I think this was because of the obvious comparisons I was making between this magic school and the very famous Hogwarts. At first it felt like just a re-hash of Harry Potter with three friends (two boys and a girl does that sound familiar?) except in a magic school underground but after the first third of the book this book came into it's own with a brilliant twist which I won't reveal as it will ruin the story for a potential reader. I had thought a twist was coming but that it was slightly different and from a relative angle as opposed to what it ends up being. Anyway a really good start to what looks like a promising new series by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black and I shall be signing up to pre-order book two whenever it is announced. I would say if you buy this book and find yourself struggling with it to start then keep at it as it does get better very fast after the first thirdish of the book and is definitely worth a read.

As a fan of some of Clare's earlier work, when I saw this new on the shelves I had to give it a go. I was a little worried at first because despite having a massive love for YA, I did notice that this book was aimed at a much younger YA audience. Let me just start by saying that this in no way lessened my enjoyment of it - I've been known to curl up with a good Roald Dahl book so it was definitely worth a shot.The Magisterium looks to be a new trilogy set within a fantastical world full of magic; many readers are comparing it to Harry Potter. But I have to tell you, that's where the similiarities stop and I wish people wouldn't compare the two because if you go into this book thinking you're going to fall in love with it like you did Potter, you will be disappointed. Not because it's rubbish! But because it's just a massively unfair comparison to make.Within this new world, we meet a different kind of main hero, in that he isn't your typical hero at all. This was actually so refreshing - to finally read a YA book where the main character isn't always this beautiful male God! This guy is actually a bit of a clutz, but I loved it for that. I think it's a really good precedent to start setting for YA fiction. Callum, our guy in question, is heading to Wizard school, or at least he's heading there to try and fail the entrance tests. You see, Callum, again unlike most main characters in this scenario, wants to be here about as much as a gherkin should be in a hamburger (yuck). So Callum sets out to fail his tests all the other kids are trying their hardest to get through, and he does fail. Spectacularly. So much so they examiners are impressed by his explosive results. From this point we enter the weird and wonderful world of the Magisterium.I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoiling the plots along the way. The reason for this is not solely because I'm a considerate human being and hate when people ruin books. The reason is that this book is largely predictable. Now I know, I know, I should have expected this - it's a younger YA, but I just feel like Cassandra Clare and her fellow writer Holly Black, teaming up to write this, hugely underestimated their audience. The plot was so simple and kids were literally being handed clues like they were going out of fashion tomorrow. I felt a bit disappointed by this.Otherwise, the story was okay, if a little unimaginative, but I just expected a little bit more from authors I've seen do a lot better. Overall, a really good read for fans of fantastical YA but don't get your hopes up for a suspenseful, rip-roarer of a ride.

Okaaaay …I was not expecting that. Like, at all.I was expecting it to be mindblowing, as Cassie's work always turns out to be (I haven't read anything by Holly Black thus far). I am a massive fan of The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments, and since reading them I have vowed to read anything relating to Cassandra Clare.Like it stated in the Acknowledgements: they wanted to create a character, Call, who readers thought was the center of the story, and then they surprised us by practically backpeddling and working things differently. It just goes to show how unique writers they are.I was thoroughly astounded by that unexpected twist. Wow.I applaud Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, and I will definitely be following the rest of the story.

The tropes are very similar to Harry Potter, honestly. Black-haired protagonist with at least one dead parent goes to magic school, and befriends a nice guy and a smart girl to become a trio. There's his stuck-up rival, the perky confident girl who has an interest in him, the sort of ditzy boy and the wise mentor. That's just a few without going into massive spoiler territory. When you strip this book down, it really does have similarities that are unmistakably like Potter.Despite this, it's written well enough that I still found it an enjoyable read. As a whole the book is good, just slightly unoriginal. Look forward to the next one!

Sorely disappointed in this book. It's a poor man's Harry Potter with two dimensional uninteresting characters and an unoriginal and obvious storyline. Holly Black delivered dynamite in her own trilogy, which led me here when I finished it but I wish I hadn't wasted my money.