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A review by thebookishfrog
The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare, Holly Black
2.0
I was really looking forward to this because I love Cassandra Clares's Shadowhunter series and I was excited to see her writing a book in a new world with Holly Black. And it didn't disappoint! I really enjoyed it.
I'm always looking for books that are similar to Harry Potter, and at first glance, this seems like it will be. And in some ways, it is similar - a boy goes to magic school, becomes best friends with a boy and a girl in his year, etc etc - but it is also very different. The authors wanted to take our expectations of the genre and shake them up and do the opposite, and they did it very well, in my opinion. This book is fun and engaging, full of adventure and twists and turns that you don't expect. The "chaos ridden" and elemental creatures are so interesting and unique. I loved the friendship between Callum, Aaron and Tamara and the adventures they had in their first year at the Magisterium. The friendship between the trio is the part that is most like Harry Potter, I'd say - it gave me a feeling of nostalgia and reminded me of how as a kid I desperately wanted to go to a magic school more than anything and find that place where I fit in. I also thought the twist at the end regarding who Callum is was great, I didn't see it coming at all. So all in all, it's a fun story, one I know I would've loved as a child, and I'm excited for the next book!
I'm always looking for books that are similar to Harry Potter, and at first glance, this seems like it will be. And in some ways, it is similar - a boy goes to magic school, becomes best friends with a boy and a girl in his year, etc etc - but it is also very different. The authors wanted to take our expectations of the genre and shake them up and do the opposite, and they did it very well, in my opinion. This book is fun and engaging, full of adventure and twists and turns that you don't expect. The "chaos ridden" and elemental creatures are so interesting and unique. I loved the friendship between Callum, Aaron and Tamara and the adventures they had in their first year at the Magisterium. The friendship between the trio is the part that is most like Harry Potter, I'd say - it gave me a feeling of nostalgia and reminded me of how as a kid I desperately wanted to go to a magic school more than anything and find that place where I fit in. I also thought the twist at the end regarding who Callum is was great, I didn't see it coming at all. So all in all, it's a fun story, one I know I would've loved as a child, and I'm excited for the next book!