Title: The Iron Trial
Author: Cassandra Clare and Holly Black
Pages: 299 pages

Book Synopsis:
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 Review:

          First thing you need to know about 'The Iron Trial' by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black is that it is in fact a children's novel. I starting reading this book with that expectation in mind and I was not disappointed.

         'The Iron Trial' is about a young man name Call who has been taught his whole life that magic is dangerous and very bad and that he should try with all his might to fail The Iron Trial so that he is not sent to the Magisterium to be trained to become a mage. But somehow by trying to fail Call proves that he should be trained in the Magisterium and he opens himself up to a whole new world full of wonderful and amazing elemental magic.

       A lot of people have been comparing this book to 'Harry Potter' however as a huge 'Harry Potter' fan myself I just don't see that at all. The Iron Trial is more about Elemental magic which is the most interesting part of the book if you ask me. Meaning that each and every mage can only specialize in one kind of elemental magic.

       I honestly really enjoyed this book and for me personally it was a very short read. The book itself is only 299 pages and very action packed with lots of plot twists. It's everything you would expect from a book written by two of the most amazing authors of our time.


My Rating:

Title: The Bane Chronicles
Author: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson
Pages: 518 pages

Book Synopsis: 
Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this collection of New York Times bestselling tales, in print for the first time with an exclusive new story and illustrated material.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print for the first time and includes a never-before-seen eleventh tale, as well as new illustrated material.

My Review:

         Once again I've found myself in a state of having withdrawal symptoms from one of my favorite fandom worlds. So I decided the best way to cure these symptoms was to dive right back into the Downworlder's realm by reading all of the short stories about my favorite Warlock, Magnus Bane.

         The Bane Chronicles is a compilation of a few short stories all about the amazing High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane. Magnus as most of us know at this point is one of the most important Downworlders in 'The Mortal Instruments' and 'The Infernal Devices' series. 

       In these short stories we began to understand Magnus's character a lot more as we are given an even closer glimpse at the amazing warlock. In these stories we are taken on a roller coaster of events over the span of Magnus's immortal lifetime and encounter a lot of new characters as well as some beloved well known characters. 

      Once I started this book I could not put it down! Scenes from 'The Mortal Instruments' and 'The Infernal Devices' Series are relived through the eyes of Magnus and give you even more reasons to love and adore his complex character. Overall this is a fantastic must read for any Cassandra Clare fan and I recommend it highly!

My Rating: