The Iron Trial (Book One of Magisterium)

Callum is terrified of magic and originally a bit of an outcast. However, he is forced to work with two other students that are training with him and eventually they all end up working as a team. There is a lot of character growth here for all of the characters; I really enjoyed them all. There is a good mix of boy and girl characters too.

However, you can't help but draw a million parallels between this book and The Harry Potter series. I mean it's really, really similar in multiple aspects. You have the boy is should have died when he was a baby but didn't (Callum). You have his two quirky friends (a girl and a boy) that end up being his sidekicks of sorts. You have the wise old mage who trains them (exactly like Dumbledore). Oh, and then there is the Magisterium (it’s like an underground Hogwart’s). Oh, and what about the Great Enemy who totally reminds me of Voldemort? The only thing really different is that the characters work with Elemental Magic.

The above being said, when I could quiet down my brain as is made constant comparisons to Harry Potter, I did enjoy it a lot. I think my son, who is just starting to read middle grade level books, will really really love it. Is this book as good as Harry Potter??…uh no not really. However it still is well written, fast-paced, entertaining and engaging. I really enjoyed reading it a lot and look forward to future books in the series.

Overall an excellent middle grade fantasy. Recommended to those who enjoy middle grade fantasy and can look past all the Harry Potter parallels. I enjoyed the magic, the fast-pace, and the characters. Honestly I haven't enjoyed a Holly Black book this much since the Spiderwick Chronicles.