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    The Iron Trial
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    The Iron Trial
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    The Iron Trial
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Iron Trial

    Written by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

    Narrated by Paul Boehmer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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 . . .

    From the remarkable imaginations of bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a heart-stopping, mind-blowing, pulse-pounding plunge into the magical unknown.

    Editor's Note

    Endearing collaboration…

    Phenomenons Cassandra Clare (“The Mortal Instruments”) and Holly Black (“Tithe”) team up for this magical middle grade series that both revels in fantasy tropes and subverts expectations at every turn. The bonds this diverse cast of characters form are endearing, and I can’t wait to see how they grow (or break) through four more years of magic school and a war.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 9, 2014
    ISBN9780804122610
    Unavailable
    The Iron Trial
    Author

    Holly Black

    Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of speculative and fantasy novels, short stories, and comics. She has been a finalist for an Eisner and a Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic and Nebula Awards and a Newbery Honor. She has sold over twenty-six million books worldwide, and her work has been translated into over thirty languages and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library. Visit her at BlackHolly.com.

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    Reviews for The Iron Trial

    4/5

    368 ratings41 reviews

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    • 4/5
      (First of 5: Magisterium series. Fantasy, juvenile)The premise of this one is a bit like Harry Potter; Callum (Call) is a young boy, crippled as a baby in an event that affected all magic users when they battled the Enemy, who gains entry to a school for wizards despite his father's antipathy towards magic. The Enemy, though weakened, still threatens and the mages hope that one of the children will be a Makar (or maker) since that is their only hope to be able to fight him when he returns. However, after the first few pages, I forgot all about Harry Potter comparisons because the feel of this book is very different. The story is set in America (though it took me a while to set that in my head because Call's father wears tweeds, drives a Rolls Royce and tends to have a pipe in his mouth) so the kids behave differently, somehow. Callum, resenting his differences marked by his disability, tends to act out by usually choosing the most antagonistic option. We get to see school life and different lessons, but the magic system here is different, having more to do with elements and elementals; elementals (disguised as, for example, glittery lizards) tend to pop up along the school corridors and can be dangerous if you interact with them. The five elements are fire and water, earth and air and chaos (wielded by Makari) which is balanced by soul.There are a few unexpected twists in the story, including a big one at the end which changes the whole concept and has me wanting to read the next book in the series. 3.5-4
    • 5/5
      The Iron Trial (Magisterium #1) by Holly Black, and Cassandra Clare is a wonderful fantasy book for middle grade to teen but I loved it too. It is about a boy with a very usual background, and his father doesn't want him to go to the testing but they must. All kids go to the testing for magic. He tries not to pass and gets the worst grade ever but at the same time he shows magic. He is picked regardless. He never had friends and soon he finds he has some. But he also finds out other things, darker things...It is a fun and exciting read with creatures, action, friendships, and eye opening surprises! I got the next book and I am far from teen years!
    • 3/5
      The prologue of this book floored me. Suddenly I was thrown into a world where magic not only existed, but a whole war was being fought around it. Call's origin story piqued my interest. I wanted to know why he was so special. Why he was chosen to be the main character of this book. Trust me when I say that these authors know a hook when they see one. If my only experience with The Iron Trial had been the prologue? I would have wanted to buy it in a heartbeat.

      Unfortunately, things didn't quite keep up the pace after that. I was willing to let the slow progression of this story slide for a long time, simply because I understood that important foundation was being laid. We meet Call. We hear about his life, his abilities, and start to wonder why he hasn't been told more about his past. When The Iron Trial was finally mentioned, and I knew that real magic was coming around the end? I was ecstatic! Finally! Magic. I'm sorry to say friends, I was disappointed. I never really felt like this book picked up at all, even up to the ending.

      That's not to say that the story itself is all bad. It's just, well, rather flat. I wasn't enchanted by the school that the kids attended, although I felt like I should have been. There was no excitement for me in following their lessons, or their day to day goings on. I just felt like I was sitting, and watching. Waiting for something to happen that would knock me off my feet. That feeling never came. Even the big climax, the huge reveal that explains Call's origin, wasn't all that surprising to me. I'm not sure how else to say it. The Iron Trial just wasn't thrilling at all.

      I know, some will say that I'm being biased because I'm not of the age group this book is being marketed to. To them I'll say honestly, I read a lot of Middle Grade Fiction. Probably as much as I read Young Adult Fiction, both of which I'm well beyond the age group they are aimed to. I always try to put myself into the head space of a young reader. Would 11 or 12 year old me be drawn in by this? Would I be immersed? In this case, the answer is still likely a no. There were funny portions, the characters were likable enough, even the parts thrown in about friendship and being true to yourself were sweet. It just wasn't exciting. I craved adventure.

      That being said, I did read through to the end. I'll even say that it's likely I'll pick up the next book to see where things go. It's a definite possibility that things will gain momentum. Especially now that the whole story foundation has been laid. I'm willing to give Call's story another chance. For now though, I'll sit the rating squarely at three stars. This is a solid book. The Iron Trial has promise. It just hasn't quite gotten there yet.
    • 3/5
      ***

      After slogging through this book, I’d give it three clumps of lichen just based on the ending alone (if you read the book, this will make sense.)


      What originally attracted me to this book was its amazing cover. I loved the art style, and the death-eater-looking bad guy that dominates the scene (more on the Harry Potter similarities below.) The trio of kids below was a nice complement and created an air of conflict before I even opened the book. So, the cover rocked.
      Once I opened the book and began reading, I found myself really intrigued by the prologue. The writing’s voice was interesting, and the scenario really got me hooked: A lone stranger, climbing the icy face of a mountain only to discover that a massacre had taken place. He finds an abandoned baby boy. Next to the little tike were the words etched in ice, “kill the child.”

      Hook, line, and sinker. I was in.

      And then… the story started. At first, I wasn’t exactly sure why, but I had a hard time getting into this book. After giving this some thought, I think my initial issues with this book were rooted in the poor pacing, and the lack of real conflict early in the book. I’ll explain these after the book blurb:
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      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 . . .
      ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      So, my issues are centered in the pacing, and lack of real conflict early in the book.
      Pacing - This book is really a setup for the series, which is nothing new. Not all book 1’s have to spend so much time initially setting up each character and his or her backgrounds, though. My guess is, ultimately, the authors decided to make such a great prologue with such a compelling hook, because the beginning of the story was so slow. It’s a technique that buys the writers time to do all the info dumping they want. In a way, it worked with me, as I almost gave up on the book a couple of times but didn’t because I wanted to see what that prologue was about. I’m glad I didn’t give up, too, as the last quarter of the novel was quite good.

      Lack of conflict early on - While this story had magic, and mysterious secrets, it really didn’t feel like it did. At first, I wondered if the descriptions just left me wanting. Then, the three protagonists met a fire elemental named Warren; a lizard that seemed devious and mischievous, and I was instantly paying more attention to the story than I had before. I then realized, that this lizard represented a real conflict appearing in the story for the first time. Sure, Callum Hunt, the main protagonist, had a father that was seriously against him going to the magisterium, but it was expected for him to go, and everything pointed to him going, even though he tried to fail. The Mages wouldn’t allow him to skip school. This conflict didn’t feel real. And, yeah, there were bullies that would pick on Callum, but it seemed obvious that the adults and Mages would protect him somehow. That conflict didn’t feel real either.

      But when Callum (spoilers coming) steals Warren, the fire elemental, and some key information about his past, the story takes a different, more risky turn. They get lost, and Callum’s forced to rely on Warren to navigate the dark caverns of the magisterium. Suddenly there was a real conflict. The reader could sense that Warren had dual motives, but wasn’t sure what they were. Things got real from there on.

      Later, the true Makar (the chosen one) is revealed as someone other than Callum, and that other person is the only one that can beat the enemy of death. Then, the twists began. While Callum wasn’t the Makar, like the authors surely wanted the readers to believe he was. We learn that he has a much more twisted fate in store for him, and, to be fair, the twist was a really good one. For me, the last quarter of the book made up for all the rest.

      Side note: There are a LOT of reviewers that hate on this book for some of its parallels to the Harry Potter series. While I can see where they are coming from, I didn’t feel like these similarities were so blatant that it hurt my personal reading experience. That said, I did notice a couple of things here and there that broke the “spell” momentarily, but I got my groove again fairly easily.

      In short, if you can get by on the excitement produced in you from the prologue to last through the first 3/4 of the book, you will likely enjoy the twisted ending, and the real internal conflict it produces in Callum.
    • 4/5
      I Loved this book! It was so interesting. I can't wait for the next one.
    • 4/5
      I knew as soon as I read the description for this book that I needed to read it, and it is indeed as good as it sounds. It also has some rather unexpected twists, lending itself well to a larger series.
    • 4/5
      Callum finds himself enrolled in the Magisterium, despite the objection from his dad. Call's mother was killed in a battle when he was just a baby and he had a serious leg injury. He finds himself working with Aaron and Tamara, a friendship slowly forms. A quick read.
    • 3/5
      I'm sorry to say this novel did not do enough to distinguish itself from its rather obvious inspiration. I could overlook the boarding school for mages, but other similarities were just too much. For example,the main character lost a parent to the community's greatest threat when he was only an infant. He also has a suspiciously sinister heritage and his two best friends are a boy and a girl. There are quirky lessons, foods and entertainments to be found at the school...it just goes on and on.
    • 4/5
      Very Harry Potter, though I could see a much darker side if a movie was made
    • 4/5
      Very Harry Potter, though I could see a much darker side if a movie was made
    • 4/5
      Callum Hunt wil geen magiër worden. Al zijn hele leven heeft zijn vader hem gewaarschuwd voor de gevaren van de magië en de manier waarop de Meesters hun leerlingen onderwijzen in het ondergrondse Magisterium.

      Callum is nu 12 en moet zijn examen doen om toegelaten te worden tot de school. Hij doet zijn uiterste best om hier niet voor te slagen, maar hij slaagt er niet in om niet te slagen. De magiër Rufus, neemt hem onder zijn hoede. Callum wordt van zijn vader gescheiden en meegenomen naar het ondergrondse Magisterium, een plaats waar voor zijn vader hem altijd had gewaarschuwd.

      Ondanks dat hij de woorden van zijn vader 'je weet niet wat je bent in zijn gedachten blijft horen, voelt Cal zich thuis op de school, ook al is zijn eerste kennismaking met het leren gebruiken van magië niet echt fantastisch, het sorteren van zandkorrels is nou niet direct opwindend. De andere lessen zijn heel wat opwindender, hoort hij van andere kinderen in hun IJzerjaar.

      Is Meester Rufus een vriend of een vijand? Kan hij zijn ouders vertrouwen, nu hij weet dat zijn moeders laatste woorden 'dood het kind' waren.

      Heeft zijn vader hem al de jaren willen beschermen, of heeft hij tegen hem gelogen?

      Als baby is Cal's been verbrijzeld geraakt, en daardoor kan hij moeilijk lopen. Hij is daarom gericht op het leren vliegen.

      Er zijn goede ondersteunende personages in het verhaal te vinden. Zijn vrienden zijn geweldig, zeker Tamara. Goede opbouw van de wereld. Dit boek is een goede opzet naar de andere delen van de serie.


    • 4/5
      My son loved this book and can’t wait to read the next ones!
    • 4/5
      Welcome to the world of the Iron Trial where the magic system makes about as much sense as putting metal into a microwave to see what will happen. I felt this was a mash-up of various other ideas. Karate kid, Harry Potter, Howl's Moving Castle. I really felt like this novel could have been much better but I did enjoy it.
    • 4/5
      Sort of an updated Harry Potter for a new generation -- magic in a boarding school of sorts, with a lingering evil and some chosen, talented few. On the whole I enjoyed it, but I am having a hard time with the big reveal and how Callum deals with it. There are so many stories about not asking for help, not revealing what you know to those you trust and that always ends badly. It's furstrating to see yet another book with that as the central theme.
    • 4/5
      This is the first story in the Magisterum series which promises to be excellent. This book is a cross between Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments series. The characters were interesting and well thought out. My only problem with the book was that unlike Harry Potter, the events and background were not completely developed. I'm sure that some of this is planned for future books, but I would liked to have had a little more of that in this book. However, I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.
    • 4/5
      All his life, Callum Hunt is told by his father that magic is evil. In fact, magic is the reason his mother died. So when Callum, called Call, turns twelve he learns that unfortunately he has inherited his parent’s ability for magic. Now he must attend the Iron Trial, a series of test, to determine if he is allowed to attend the Magisterium. His father tells Call to fail the tests because it’s the only way he will be safe. On the day of the test, Call hilariously fails all of them. He relaxes seeing that he came in last. As the ceremony inducting new mages starts he hears his named called and learns he still must attend the school. There is no way around it. Once Call enters the school he falls in love with magic despite his father’s warning and even begins to question the things his father has told him. The rest of the book follows Call and his classmates as they learns about magic, the mage war and an evil mage call The Enemy of Death.The end of the book has a pretty good twist which definitely makes me want to read the next book in the series, The Copper Gauntlet. All in all, this is a great fantasy book. I would recommend it for those 9 and older. --RR
    • 5/5
      Keep reading to find the review in English


      Lo que más me gustó de este libro es que el personaje principal, Call, no es el “elegido”. En su lugar lo es su amigo. Esto crea un punto de vista interesante, un poco como si Harry Potter hubiese sido escrito desde el punto de vista de Ron. No llega a ser eso, porque queda claro que hay algo en Call que es diferente y posiblemente peligroso y, debido a que su punto de vista es el del lector, no sabe nada del Magisterium ni de la Historia de la magia, porque su padre lo mantuvo lo más alejado que pudo de la magia. El mundo mágico parece estar en algún tipo de Guerra Fría, donde la paz muy frágil puede cambiar de manera muy fácil, así que por supuesto que cambia.

      Sé que hay bastante gente que compara La Prueba de Hierro con Harry Potter, pero mientras leía este libro nunca me parecieron tan similares. Hay elementos comunes, tales como un colegio de magia secreto, unos magos, incluido un “elegido”, y un antagonista malvado, pero esto es como decir que una nueva historia de detectives es como una famosa anterior porque tiene un asesinato que es más de lo que parece, un detective solitario y un caso a resolver. Incluso la magia no se parece nada a la que sale en Harry Potter.

      Lo que no me gustó tanto es que hay suficientes pistas para adivinar qué es lo que le pasa a Call mucho antes de que sea revelado. La primera pista, que es grande, está incluso en las primeras páginas. La verdad es que me alegré mucho de tener razón, porque aunque fastidia la gran revelación del final, crea un giro argumental genial para futuras novelas, que definitivamente quiero leer.

      -----------------------------------------------------------------------

      What I liked most about this book is that the main character, Call, is not the "chosen one". His friend is instead. It creates an interesting point of view, a bit as if Harry Potter had been written from Ron's point of view. It's not quite that, because it's clear that there is something different and maybe dangerous about Call and, as his point of view matches the reader's, he doesn't know anything about the Magisterium and the magical History, because his father kept him as far away from magic as he could. The magical world seems to be in some sort of Cold War, where the very fragile "peace" can change very easily, so of course it changes.

      I know that many people are comparing The Iron Trial to Harry Potter, but while I was reading this book, I never thought that they were that similar. There are common elements, such as a secret magical school, a bunch of wizards, including a “chosen one”, and an evil antagonist, but this is like saying that a new detective story is like a previous famous one because it has a murderer that’s more than it looks like, a lonely detective and a case to be solved. Even the magic is nothing like the one that appears in Harry Potter.

      What I didn’t like so much is that there are enough hints to guess what’s wrong with Call way before it is revealed. The first hint, which is a big one, is even in the first few pages. The truth is that I was very happy to have been right, because while it does spoil the big reveal at the end, it does create an awesome plot twist for future novels, that I definitely want to read.
    • 5/5
      All his life, Callum Hunt is told by his father that magic is evil. In fact, magic is the reason his mother died. So when Callum, called Call, turns twelve he learns that unfortunately he has inherited his parent’s ability for magic. Now he must attend the Iron Trial, a series of test, to determine if he is allowed to attend the Magisterium. His father tells Call to fail the tests because it’s the only way he will be safe. On the day of the test, Call hilariously fails all of them. He relaxes seeing that he came in last. As the ceremony inducting new mages starts he hears his named called and learns he still must attend the school. There is no way around it. Once Call enters the school he falls in love with magic despite his father’s warning and even begins to question the things his father has told him. The rest of the book follows Call and his classmates as they learns about magic, the mage war and an evil mage call The Enemy of Death.
    • 4/5
      This is the first story in the Magisterum series which promises to be excellent. This book is a cross between Harry Potter and The Mortal Instruments series. The characters were interesting and well thought out. My only problem with the book was that unlike Harry Potter, the events and background were not completely developed. I'm sure that some of this is planned for future books, but I would liked to have had a little more of that in this book. However, I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.
    • 3/5
      Callum is the only survivor of a terrible magical massacre. Ever afterward, his father hates and fears magic, and trains him how to avoid it. Despite doing his darnedest to fail the magic trials, Call is still picked to begin training at the Magisterium. Call is torn between growing glee at all he's learning, and terror because of the horror stories his father told him as he grew up. But even as he and his new friends train to become mages, the Enemy gathers his power for another war...

      Some of this was fun and interesting. I'm a sucker for magic school stories, and this at least partly satisfies, although I'd have liked more attention to the actual classes. After the first few descriptions of Call's lessons, the details of his training get sketchy and skimmed over. His growing friendship with ambitious Tamara and good-hearted, out-to-prove-himself Aaron also feels rushed. I could have done with more scenes between them to get a feel for their dynamic, especially because it seems like in future books both Aaron and Call will be torn between their destinies and their friendship. If I don't believe in their friendship, how can I believe in the conflict? I liked--and was surprised by--the twist that Aaron is the long-awaited Chaos mage, but again, not enough page time is devoted to what this means, or how he's dealing with this. But the revelation that Call is the Enemy's soul placed inside the body of a dead child fell flat for me, both because I'd expected it since the prologue and because it's written in such an infodumpy fashion. No climaxes should rely upon villain monologues for their revelations.

      The other thing that bothered me about this book is its resemblance to Harry Potter fanfic. Now, I have read a lot of magical school stories, and a lot of YA fantasy. I don't think that just because the main character is an orphan, or a chosen one, or has messy black hair and magic, it's a Harry Potter rip-off. But there's something about the dynamics of this book: the main character who keeps sneaking off to figure out parts of his backstory, his two best friends (the likeable boy and the try-hard smarty girl), his posh school rival, the adults keeping painful secrets about the last magical war, the magical enemy who used to go to the main character's own school, and who wants immortality above all...that just feels too reminiscent for me to fully enjoy this book. I wish the book had put a little more time and effort into describing the characters, so that they'd feel like characters in their own rights instead of knock-offs.

      All this said, I'll probably read the next book in the series.
    • 3/5
      A fun read, clearly the Magisterium offers another multi-volume fantasy story and the authors take their opportunity both to tell the tale and share the alternate world with readers. A coming of age story, a family drama, and given the secondary school setting, a running test of friendship and peer dynamics. I was reminded a bit of Master Of The Five Magics, with the deliberate worked out rules of magic -- some familiar from folklore and myth, some made up. I would have read this in grade school, certainly.Comparisons to Harry Potter are unavoidable: indeed, they are almost telegraphed and I suspect the authors were recruited by a publisher to write something broadly like Hogwarts in premise and setting. The parallels are there while avoiding paint-by-numbers, with signs of a deliberate effort to flip the script: a school for mages, yes, but here the boy is trying not to get into wizarding school, and he knows all about it beforehand; his dad coaches him to fail, he believes in that goal, their shared motivation the death of his mother in mage warfare. Still, despite being set in the US rather than the UK, there are two boys and a girl, the Enemy is a former Magisterium student, and there are classes and teams and common rooms.To continue the series, I'll need some extrinsic motivation: a family read. R is likely to finish on her own, though, so probably unnecessary.//Recently read that co-author Clare (also spelled Clair) started as an HP fanfic author (Draco Trilogy), so the HP element may not have been requested so much as in her wheelhouse.
    • 3/5
      Recommended for kids jonesing for another long, entertaining book about a boy who finds out that he has to go to wizard school...

      Generally, I cannot stand reviews of random fantasy novels that insist, "It's just like Harry Potter!" Usually, it's not the case. However, although I'm not going to enumerate them, this book really does have a great number of similarities to Rowling's series.

      Callum has always known that his parents were mages. His father has raised him with a great fear of them, insisting that magic and mages were to blame for his mother's death. However, at the age of 12, it's mandatory for children with any trace of magic to be tested for entry to the mages' school - the Magisterium. Call's father coaches his son to try to fail the tests. However, though he tries his best to please his dad, he ends up getting apprenticed to a mage anyway, and whisked off to wizard school.

      There, he very quickly gets over most of his lifelong prejudices, and encounters a great amount of typical school-type-stuff. Bullies, friends, crushes, stress about exams, getting into minor trouble etc. And of course, the larger conflict of the threatened Great Evil Wizard, creatively called, "The Enemy," and the need to find a young apprentice who has the necessary innate talent to eventually face him (of course, nothing of the sort is going to happen till a sequel.)

      It's light reading and moves quickly. It's also definitely aimed at a younger audience than other books I've read by Holly Black - I'd say 7-12 would be the ideal range. I had a few logical quibbles and questions about how some of this was all set up... mostly to do with the place of magic and mages in this world. Nothing too serious.

      I just have to say - the bar has been set very high, for books about kids at wizard school, and this tale doesn't vault over it...

      Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. As always, my opinions are my own.
    • 5/5
      A highly engaging book with interesting and believable characters, a plot that's just complex enough, and lots of imaginative storytelling. (And no, it's not a clone of Harry Potter. That was not the first book to be written about children learning magic, and there's no reason it should be the last.) Despite the age of the main character (12), I would suggest the book can be read and enjoyed by readers of any age who enjoy YA. There is no romantic subplot (which is good, because it would be completely unnecessary) and the level of writing/language is complex enough to be very enjoyable as an adult reader. Highly recommended to all lovers of YA!
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. This one felt pretty bland for most of it but there are some cool twists towards the end that made me pretty excited for book two!
    • 5/5
      Callum Hunt has been warned by his father that succeeding at the Iron Trial and being accepted to the Magisterium would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to him. Despite Callum's best intentions to NOT succeed, he does and he is welcomed into the school even though he doesn't want to be there. There's a great twist near the end of the book which would spoil things if you knew, so I'm not mentioning it, but does it EVER make you want to read book two! Some have suggested that this is just a Harry Potter clone. While there are some similarities (such as a perfectionist friend, Tamara, and a second male friend, Aaron), it definitely stands on it's own. The Magisterium, with its caves and tunnels and creatures such as Havoc, the Chaos-ridden wolf and Warren the lizard is a wonderfully enchanting place. Can't wait to read book two! Definitely recommend this for Harry Potter fans.
    • 5/5
      Great book! If you enjoyed Harry Potter and the Mortal Instruments then you will enjoy this book! This book is aimed at the pre-teens but is awesome regardless! Now to wait for the next book to be released!
    • 4/5
      Two amazing authors created an amazing story with an amazing background story and a spectacular world!
      Black and Clare are geniuses!!! I loved this story! Callum Hunt is amazing and I think everyone can connect with him!
      So please continue with the amazing story telling.
    • 5/5
      This book was a great cliff hanger for a first book of a series. It was full of action and excitement. Its about a boy who is a mage (somebody who can control the elements). He goes to school called the Magisterium where he learns to control his powers. Little does he know who he really is. Read this book to find out the unbelievable ending! Warning - the last 2 chapters are a bit scary. Read at your peril.
    • 5/5
      I couldn't help but get sucked into the world Black and Clare created. It may not be Harry Potter but it's pretty darn close. The only part that bothered me was how Cull could have gotten away with so much in a school where magic is everywhere - hiding a talking lizard and a wolf pup is not exactly easy! I can't wait for the next installment and hopefully we'll learn that the masters are not as clueless as they seemed in book one.
    • 4/5
      I know that a lot of people are disappointed in this book because they feel like it's too similar to Harry Potter. I get that. I felt like that at first as well... boy whose mother dies fighting a magical evil, ends up in a Mage school where he finds friends and acceptance for the first time. His two best friends are a boy and a girl. The first third to half of the book started to feel like it was really predictable, but then things started to change when Cal doesn't turn out to the "Chosen One" (like Harry) but his roommate Aaron. Plus there are mysteries surrounding Cal that don't seem to make sense until more of the story unfolds. We see Cal's loyalty to his friends, the beginnings of trust and true caring between them, his kindness with Havoc and his determination to the right thing and stand by his friends and his Master and the Magisterium itself. But then, the last little bit of the book really changed everything about it being similar to Harry Potter for me because Harry never had to face the kind of dilemma that Cal has to face, a dilemma that threatens everything he cares about in his life and questions whether people are born good or evil or destined to be, and how much does ones experiences in life change the core of who they are.I think people are giving this book too rough of a time without considering that the way it plays out changes it dramatically from Harry Potter and the types of things Harry had to struggle with compared to Cal. Give it a chance with an open mind. I enjoyed it very much and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.