Imagine a world where a person has conquered death, where all other elements cower behind this one single element. Chaos devours. This idea is explored in the book, The Iron Trial, by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, and the book was created nine years ago in 2014. Additionally, this book is the first book of the Magisterium Series, consisting of five total books. The story starts with Callum, a boy trained his entire life by his father to fail the Magisterium test. The Magisterium is revealed to be a school created by mages in order to teach the new generation of mages. Callum’s father warned him of the dangers of the school and even said that the school caused his mother’s death. In fact, Callum’s father had once gone to the school but he left and never explained to Callum why. As a result, Callum’s entire world is flipped upside down when he ends up passing the test. In the school, Callum slowly unravels the family history his father has kept hidden from him his entire life as he learns to also control his unique magic. Overall, I think that this book was a very good read. The book was able to keep me turning the pages consistently, eventually reading for hours on end. The book utilized very vivid imagery, highlighting the magical world the book was created in. The descriptions made in the book were able to transport me into the story, making it feel very real. Furthermore, there were multiple plot twists in the book, making it very unpredictable and making nothing look as it seems. However, overall, I only gave the book a ⅘ because there were multiple plot holes in the story. The book explores the possibilities and dangers of magic. Yet, the book also leaves out the origins and creation of certain characters. I agree with the author that powerful magic also needs powerful restraint. This can be seen in Stan Lee’s Spiderman character as well. Stand Lee utilizes this same idea with the quote, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In this quote, it also shares the same central idea present throughout The Iron Trial. In conclusion, the book was able to share real life ideas and apply it to a fantasy story, making it a very inspiring book. Even though some plot holes were left in the book, the book’s message overall was not lost. It still was able to communicate the responsibility of having great power. My recommendation to other readers is to stick with the book until the very last page. The build-up is necessary in order to expose truths that bring everything crumbling back down, making it a very suspenseful ending.
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