Hi friends, I hope you are all doing well and your Monday has been good and not too harsh. Today I’m going to be re-posting this blog from almost 3 years ago because I’m adding a review. I finally read the final book in the Magisterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare and I wanted to add it to this post instead of creating a new post. Now all 5 book reviews are in one post. Enjoy! 😊

The Iron Trial by: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare: Callum Hunt has lived his life being bullied and not like very much, when one day he is sent to take the Iron Trails to see if he will make it to the Magisterium, a place to learn magic. Against his and his father’s wishes he does, but once there he gains friends and life doesn’t seem so bad; the only problem, the school, and magic have a past which can destroy Callum’s life, and the life of his new friends. This novel was well written with plots that left the reader wanting more. The characters were semi-original; it was like the authors took bits and pieces of other characters they liked to make these ones, but for the most part they were done well. The fantasy and magic elements were pretty interesting, and as the series goes on the reader will get a better understand of what their magic can do.

The Copper Gauntlet by: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare: It’s Call’s second year at the Magisterium, but before he can even get there he runs away from home thinking his father is out to get him, when really he finds out he has to save his father. When it is found out that a copper gauntlet called the Alkahest has been stolen, Call and his friends take it upon themselves to find the person who did it. The novel takes the reader through all sort of adventures, meeting dangerous creatures, and all sort of magic. The plot was well done, and its pacing was what kept the reader unsure of what exactly was going to happen next. The characters are definitely developing and growing into teenagers and the authors are doing a good job of transitioning them; not too fast, and not too slow. Like most novels in a series, this novel leaves everyone wanting to know more, and wondering where the plot could go next.

The Bronze Key by: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare: Call has made it to his third year at the Magisterium, and what a crazy ride it is. Call and his friends, Tamera and Aaron know that things won’t be calm and normal. When they find out someone is out to get Call, they go out and try to find out who it is, against the wishes of their teachers. That’s when things get out of hand, and that’s when magic can’t save them. First of all, this novel just ends when all of the action is at its highest. The reader must now wait to get all of their questions answered, how frustrating. The novel goes from these kids going to school, to fighting a losing battle. The plot was very well done, keeping the reader on its toes, while also giving just enough to be satisfied. Everything had a purpose, and it all led up to a surprising ending. This novel also dives a little deeper into their teen years and how their hormones start to play a factor in their decision making; crushes also start to form, which makes things a little interesting, yet could have been glanced over. For the most part the characters were written well, and the reader can definitely see them growing and developing as each novel goes.

The Silver Mask by: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare: Callum Hunt has been held captive due to an evil soul residing in his body. Because of this the Masters believe that he can bring back the dead. Call swears that he can’t, but when he tries to bring back his friend Aaron a slew of things occurs that no one foresees. This novel was very entertaining; the plot was engaging and fun. The characters all had this moral compass that they tried to follow and that led to an interesting plot, and led to some interesting character developments; good versus evil is always an exciting storyline. What could have been done a little better was the fact that the title of this novel didn’t really come into play until the last chapter; sure it was mentioned earlier, but that didn’t describe it, and it looks like it will play more of a role in the next book. The ending left the reader with a bit of a cliff hanger as to how things are going to change and the situation the characters are in get possibly worse, but for this novel it was short and to the point leaving the reader ready for the next installment.

The Golden Tower by: Holly Black & Cassandra Clare: It’s the beginning of their final year at the Magisterium and Call just wants to find his place in the magical world. But when evil comes knocking Call has no choice but to try and use his powers for good, and not for bad, as everyone assumes he’s done. This is his biggest battle yet, but with his friends by his side the final battle has begun. At first this novel didn’t read as a final novel. It felt like there was still so much to wrap up in such a short amount of time, as this novel was just over two-hundred pages. As the reader got past the first few chapters it was clear that the authors were using this time to wrap up connections with the characters and closing down the series. The plot was good, there was just enough build up towards the final battle and the final battle was really well written. It was filled with enough hype and epic-ness to leave the reader satisfied. The ending brought everything together and gave a good send off to the characters. The reader can tell these characters have matured over the course of the series and this novel not only focused on their friendships with each other, or the enemies to friends relationships, all that were very interesting to read, but it also focused on the romantic relationships between characters. There felt like there may have been too much of a focus on it, but for the most part it worked. Seeing them all rectify old grudges and hate between one another was enjoyable to read. This series has been very action-packed and this instalment was no different leaving the reader guessing until the very end. This was a fun and entertaining read.