The Iron Trial Book Review

*I received this book from Scholastic in exchange for a review on my blog. I will also be posting this on Amazon.*

In a way I guess I sorta already reviewed this a few weeks ago in my "Jessica Recommends: Middle-Grade Series" post, but now I've actually finished the book. I'll leave a link to that below, but just in case it doesn't work, I'll give a short plot summary.

http://themortaljessica.blogspot.com/2015/07/jessica-recommends-middle-grade-series.html?m=1

There is a school for special kids called the Magisterium, the school for magic. (Almost like Hogwarts!) Each year, the school holds a test called The Iron Trial, and only certain kids are selected to take it: the kids who supposedly have magic. Callum Hunt is a 12-year-old boy who has been told by his father his whole life to stay away from magic, and that the Magisterium isn't safe and is the reason his mother died. He gets selected to take The Iron Trial and his father teaches him every way possible so he can fail the trial and not get into the Magisterium, because if you are selected, attendance isn't optional. When Callum goes to take the test, he screws up everything and gets the lowest score out of everyone, something he and his father are proud of. He's sure he won't get picked, but he does. Through learning to control his magic and anger and making new friends Aaron and Tamara, he realizes that nothing is what it seems at the Magisterium.

I don't have a lot to say about this book, mostly because it was just so great. I loved the idea of friends Holly Black and Cassandra Clare coming together to write this book, considering Cassandra Clare is one of my favorite authors. For those who don't know, Cassandra Clare wrote The Mortal Instruments series and The Infernal Devices trilogy, along with her upcoming Dark Artifices trilogy. Holly Black writes young adult books such as The Curseworkers trilogy, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, and children's books like The Spiderwick Chronicles and Doll Bones. Anyway, I expected a lot from this book. I was not disappointed. It was sooo good. I loved it, I give it 4/5 stars. Sometimes I couldn't really relate to the kids, considering this was middle-grade, but I am super excited for The Copper Gauntlet. I will definitely be reading the next one, and the rest after that!