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Brooke Reviews: The Iron Trial by Holly Black, Cassandra Clare

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Brooke Reviews: The Iron Trial by Holly Black, Cassandra ClareThe Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare, Holly Black
Published by Scholastic Inc. on September 9th 2014
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Friendship
Pages: 299
Goodreads
three-half-stars
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 . . . From the remarkable imaginations of bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare comes a heart-stopping, mind-blowing, pulse-pounding plunge into the magical unknown.

I don’t typically read much middle grade, but I’m a huge fan of Cassandra Clare and the premise of The Iron Trial totally intrigued me. A book about a boy who purposefully tries to FAIL the entrance exam into magic school? I’m sold. I started reading, and the very first chapter completely hooked me. Not only does it introduce the story world and the major conflict quite spectacularly, but it’s also an ingenious bit of foreshadowing. So major props to Clare and Black.

Just as we’re told in the summary, Callum Hunt fails at failing, and he’s admitted to the Magisterium. His dad didn’t want him to go. Call doesn’t want to go. But as the story progresses, Call comes to appreciate his training and also his new friends. I have such a soft spot for Call. He’s sort of bitter and sarcastic, but he’s not mean. He’s actually quite funny. And he has a crippled leg, which definitely presents unique challenges for Call and sets him apart from other stereotypical MG and YA characters I’ve read.

I love the strong friendship between the three apprentices, Call, Aaron, and Tamara. The plot is interesting and engaging and hints at exciting revelations in the following books of the series. The plot twist at the end of Book 1 (which I sort of guessed!) is absolutely FANTASTIC. Prior to reading the book, I read a review which pointed out similarities to Harry Potter. And so when I read The Iron Trial, these similarities really jumped out at me. That said, it didn’t affect my reading experience or my opinion of the book much at all.

BOOK 2!
Got my hands on an ARC of The Copper Gauntlet, which was very exciting because I was still reading Iron Trial at the time and couldn’t believe my luck. Not sure how much I can say, as I should probably wait until closer to it’s release date, but it has all the features of Book 1 I loved – magic, adventure, tension, intrigue. Call is hiding something big from his friends and so he’s facing questions of trust and loyalty. Another enjoyable read!

 

HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS! 

 

Brooke Reviews: Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

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Brooke Reviews: Saint Anything by Sarah DessenSaint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Published by Penguin on May 5th 2015
Genres: Friendship, Love & Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 432
Goodreads
three-half-stars
Sydney has always felt invisible. She's grown accustomed to her brother, Peyton, being the focus of the family’s attention and, lately, concern. Peyton is handsome and charismatic, but seems bent on self-destruction. Now, after a drunk-driving accident that crippled a boy, Peyton’s serving some serious jail time, and Sydney is on her own, questioning her place in the family and the world. Then she meets the Chatham family. Drawn into their warm, chaotic circle, Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance for the first time. There’s effervescent Layla, who constantly falls for the wrong guy, Rosie, who’s had her own fall from grace, and Mrs. Chatham, who even though ailing is the heart of the family. But it’s with older brother Mac — quiet, watchful, and protective — that Sydney finally feels seen, really seen, at last. Saint Anything is Sarah Dessen’s deepest and most psychologically probing novel yet, telling an engrossing story of a girl discovering friendship, love, and herself.

Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. She has this incredible talent for writing stories that never fail to move me. I really enjoyed Saint Anything, as it featured all of Dessen’s trademark elements (“Hate Spinnerbait!”). 🙂 Maybe not my absolute #1 of Dessen’s books, but definitely a great read.

I felt like there was a lot going on in this book, and maybe that’s why it didn’t quite capture me the way several of Dessen’s other books have (Just Listen, for example). Sydney is your average teenage girl, except her brother is in jail and she seems to be shouldering the guilt of what he’s done. Her parents are so preoccupied with her brother’s situation that Sydney feels invisible.

So there’s the whole brother-in-jail thing overshadowing everything in Sydney’s life, but she’s also dealing with the unwanted attentions of a much older (and creepy!) boy, a new school, and new friends. She doesn’t feel invisible around the Chatham family. And for the first time, she feels somewhat understood. The Chatham family is by no means perfect, but they’re super close and they truly care for each other. They teach Sydney about what it means to face her challenges and move on. Layla Chatham is hilarious. She brightens this book with all her quirks, including her OCD with french fries. And, of course, there’s Mac, who’s incredibly sweet and knows how to treat a girl.

I thought the romance really took a backseat in this book, but that was okay with me. A romantic relationship was not going to fix what Sydney was going through. Dessen always deals with very real issues in an incredibly insightful and sensitive way, and I really appreciate that.

Again, extremely enjoyable read. Glad to have this on my bookshelf.