The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Title: The Silver Mask
Author: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication date: October 10, 2017
Pages: 240
Source/format: Hardcover // Library

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):   

A generation ago, Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt.

Now Call is one of the most feared and reviled students in the history of the Magisterium, thought to be responsible for a devastating death and an ever-present threat of war. As a result, Call has been imprisoned and interrogated. Everyone wants to know what Constantine was up to-and how he lives on.

But Call has no idea.

It is only when he's broken out of prison that the full potential of Constantine's plan is suddenly in his hands . . . and he must decide what to do with his power.

In this spellbinding fourth book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take us beyond the realm of the living and into the dangers of the dead.

M Y  T H O U G H T S

Call is imprisoned in Panopticon for being the Enemy of Death until one day a fire is set loose and he is freed by Tamara and Anastasia. Unfortunately, it is all the same day Jasper decided to visit Call. What is even more unfortunate is that Anastasia had other plans and roped in Master Joseph who was supposedly dead. Call, Tamara and Jasper end up being imprisoned on an island. While being prisoners with the true enemy, Call has no where to go. The Magisterium thinks he is still the Enemy of Death and they do not trust him. Tamara and Jasper help devise a plan to alert the Magisterium who the real enemy is and what is at stake.

The plot is fairly interesting and of course the necromancy that was involved in The Silver Mask brings some form of happiness between the main characters. However, it is not meant to be. I was devastated at first when I thought Havoc died but he is still alive. Ravan, as a character, has grown on me. Although a lot of people are biased against the Devoured, not all Devoured are considered evil. Some characters I cannot talk about in this review due to major spoilers but lets say if you think someone died, there is a chance the person is still alive. Also, there is a lot of foreshadowing which I love to read about. The Devoured, the swapping of souls and the history of the Maddens all shape The Silver Mask well. The Maddens' memories, no matter how they are preserved, provide valuable insight for Call to survive and to do the right thing.

The only thing I wasn't too fond of in The Silver Mask is when Anastasia claims that Tamara likes Call, Call becomes infatuated with Tamara. He is so obsessed that he even forgets that he needs to be looking for a way off the island. There is too much instalove for me and also, Call loses focus very easily. Tamara for the most part, is looking for away to escape even if she does show some interest in Call. I just found it odd that she shows as much interest as she did since she had a thing for Aaron not too long ago.

The Silver Mask is the fourth installment in the Magisterium series. Almost everyone doesn't believe Call when he claims he is not the Enemy of Death. He eventually proves them wrong by the end of the book by actually saving all magekind. The Silver Mask takes a darker turn compared to its predecessors. This book is a turning point and a climax in Call's journey. Call doesn't know who to trust and who wants him dead.

The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Title: The Copper Gauntlet
Author: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: September 1, 2015
Pages: 304
Source/format: ARC from BEA 2015

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

Callum Hunt’s summer break isn’t like other kids’. His closest companion is a Chaos-ridden wolf, Havoc. His father suspects him of being secretly evil. And, of course, most kids aren’t heading back to the magical world of the Magisterium in the fall.

It’s not easy for Call . . . and it gets even harder after he checks out his basement and discovers that his dad might be trying to destroy both him and Havoc.

Call escapes to the Magisterium -- but things only intensify there. The Alkahest -- a copper gauntlet capable of separating certain magicians from their magic -- has been stolen. And in their search to discover the culprit, Call and his friends Aaron and Tamara awaken the attention of some very dangerous foes -- and get closer to an even more dangerous truth.

As the mysteries of the Magisterium deepen and widen, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take readers on an extraordinary journey through one boy’s conflict -- and a whole world’s fate.

My Thoughts

Callum Hunt is back at home with his father Alastair. He discovered shocking news about who he is at the end of The Iron Trial and is trying to figure out what to make of it. Everyone is out to kill the Enemy and Callum is trying to figure out who to trust. When I first read The Iron Trial, I couldn't wait for The Copper Gauntlet. Holly Black and Cassandra Clare crafted a Middle Grade series with adventure, magic, suspense and with a little bit of humor. The twist is the main character is not the chosen one. The Alkhahest, a copper gauntlet, is missing and if under the wrong hands, chaos will occur. Call, Aaron and Tamara are trying to stop the Alkhahest falling in the wrong hands or the Makar will die.

Callum, Aaron and Tamara start their copper year aka second year at the Magisterium. They are still trying to hone their skills as a Mage. Once a Mage learns to controls the elements, they are able to graduate from the Magisterium. The pace in The Copper Gauntlet moves consistently and I enjoyed this installment more than the first. The first book was more about laying out the foundation of the series. The second book is more about Call learning about who he is and what he can become. He harbors a secret very few people know about. He doubts himself a lot but proves that he can overcome anything. Chaos magic is discussed more in detail throughout this novel. Friendship and trust is super important and it's interesting to see how each character approaches what friendship truly means to them. Trust is tested and it's intriguing to see what each character is hiding from each other. Everything unfolds at the end and everyone thinks the Enemy of Death is dead but of course they cannot outrun the Enemy.

One of my favorite characters is Call's pet chaos-ridden wolf, Havoc. Even though he is not a main character in the series, he is an important asset to the group. The Copper Gauntlet is a fun Middle grade read for all ages. I highly recommend the Magisterium series for readers who enjoy the Harry Potter series and books written by Rick Riordan. I can't wait to pick up The Bronze Key.

The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Title: The Iron Trial

Author: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Scholastic

Publication date:  September 9, 2014

Pages:  304

Source/format: ARC from BEA

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis  (from Goodreads):

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 . .  

My Thoughts:

The Iron Trial is a fun read. To me it's a mashup between The Heroes of Olympus series and the Harry Potter series. There are a lot of similarities between The Iron Trial and Harry Potter series to the point where some readers might think the Magisterium series is a rip off of Harry Potter. Thus being said, some of the plot twists were not twists for me at all because some of the things that happen in this book are similar to Harry Potter but it is not a Harry Potter rip off. Who doesn't like reading books full of magic and boarding schools? Three friends go to a magic school and a male mentor guides them through their journey. Sound familiar?

Black and Clare add their own flair to their world of the Magisterium. Students who have an affinity for magic don’t automatically receive a letter when they turn eleven to attend the school. Students must work hard to enroll into the school, only if they are worthy enough.

Masters will then choose three students to be their apprentices. These Masters are mentors will guide their apprentices until they finish school. There are five trials to complete, each trial to pass through each school year gate. They teach their students how to control their magic. Control is very important in this book and I assume in the entire series.

Instead of being witches and wizards, magical folk are called Mages or Masters. Mages are those who have the magical affinity and are being trained to study the five elements (earth, air, water, fire and the void). Once a Mage passes through all the Magisterium gates, one will become a Journeyman/Journeywoman Mage. When one masters all five elements, one will become a Master.

I love the cover art for this book. It's absolutely gorgeous and captures the book accurately. The book reads at a pretty decent pace but the Sand Room sections of the book moved fairly slowly.

I can't wait to read the next installment of the Magisterium series and I am definitely going to read each book of the series when they are released.