The Iron Trials by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare

Pages: 295
Intended Audience: Teens and mature tweens
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Notes for Parents: There’s some violence, and a strong “evil” element to the story.

The Inside Cover

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…

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is the authors’ first collaboration and is the first in a series of a five books.

What’s good?

This story offers an intriguing twist on the classic tale of good versus evil. It’s an unexpectedly dark adventure that draws the reader into a world of magic and mystery. The main character, Callum, is well-drawn and likeable, and surrounded by many interesting—but yet to be fully developed—supporting characters. As well, the world-building is appealing, with promise of much more to be discovered. The pace picks up in the last third of the book with several twists and turns that ultimately leads to a bombshell reveal that I didn’t see coming. (I knew something was going to happen – but not that!)
Best Part: Warren and Havoc

What isn’t good?

It was slow. Until the last third of the book, the plot moved at a snail’s pace. There was plenty of character-building and world-building, but not a whole lot of action, or even explanation for that matter. I still don’t understand the purpose of Master Rufus’ task! The writing was okay, but a bit dull. The setting inside the Magisterium was interesting, but it definitely didn’t feel like modern day USA. Several characters felt incomplete, but that’s the drawback of a series, I guess. Hopefully we’ll learn more about Aaron and Tamara in subsequent books.
Worst part: The pace.
 

Recommendation þþþoo

Many reviewers called this a poorly repackaged Harry Potter. While there are definitely some parallels, it never felt like Harry Potter to me. The beginning was interesting, but the sluggish pace through most of the book almost killed me. Luckily it picked up and ended with a twist I didn’t see coming. Ultimately, this is a good book about magic and adventure; I was just disappointed that it took so long to get to the real meat of the story.

Black, Holly & Cassandra Clare. The Iron Trials. New York: Scholastic Press, 2014. (Hardcover)