Review: The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Scholastic
Published: September 9, 2014
Pages: 299
Source: Borrowed
Rating: 2 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 . . .

In short: Unfortunately, The Iron Trial just smacked of unoriginality to me.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's certainly true, and it may have been the thought process behind The Iron Trial, the first in a Middle Grade series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare with a storyline that is remarkably similar to that of Harry Potter. We've seen how successful the story of the young boy going to magic school - marked at birth for greatness by an evil dark overlord who wants to be immortal - has been with Harry Potter, so why not just repeat this exact same storyline and make a few changes along the way?

I probably don't need to tell you that I'm pretty crazy about Harry Potter and its premise and concept. It's everything to me. But do I need to see it repeated almost exactly in another book? No, there's no point to that. The Iron Trial just smacked of unoriginality to me. It was hard not to constantly be making comparisons to Harry Potter while reading it. And what's more, not only was it an HP doppelgänger, but it was not a particularly great one. When compared to Harry Potter - which as I mentioned, is impossible NOT to do - The Iron Trial is undoubtedly the weaker of the two.

Would I have liked The Iron Trial if I had read it in a world where Harry Potter didn't exist? Yes, absolutely, the premise and concepts in that case would have seemed wholly original. And I find I can always appreciate the work that Holly Black and Cassandra Clare put into the engaging personalities of their characters. I still don't think I would have LOVED it though because I still found The Iron Trial to be missing that extra special something in the end. Overall, I'm sorry to say I was pretty disappointed by the unoriginality of The Iron Trial and I will not be continuing with this series.

Other Reviews:
Books and Other Happy Ever Afters
My Precious
Xpresso Reads

Author Links:
Holly Black Website
Holly Black Twitter
Cassandra Clare Website
Cassandra Clare Twitter

Review: Black Heart (Curse Workers #3) by Holly Black

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: April 3, 2012

Pages: 296

Source: For Review from Simon & Schuster Canada (Thank you!)

Rating: 5 Stars

Cassel Sharpe knows he’s been used as an assassin, but he’s trying to put all that behind him. He’s trying to be good, even though he grew up in a family of con artists and cheating comes as easily as breathing to him. He’s trying to do the right thing, even though the girl he loves is inextricably connected with crime. And he’s trying to convince himself that working for the Feds is smart, even though he’s been raised to believe the government is the enemy. 
But with a mother on the lam, the girl he loves about to take her place in the Mob, and new secrets coming to light, the line between what’s right and what’s wrong becomes increasingly blurred. When the Feds ask Cassel to do the one thing he said he would never do again, he needs to sort out what’s a con and what’s truth. In a dangerous game and with his life on the line, Cassel may have to make his biggest gamble yet—this time on love.

 
In short: Holly Black raises the stakes in Black Heart, the thrilling conclusion to the brilliant and ingenious Curse Workers Trilogy.

I was so excited to return to the dark world of curse workers and con men in Black Heart, the third and final book in the Curse Workers Trilogy. White Cat and Red Glove, the previous two books in the trilogy by Holly Black, were fast-paced and terribly clever, with brilliant characters and effortless writing. I was anxious to find out what would happen to our favourite characters in Black Heart and if Holly Black could best herself to come up with the perfect conclusion to an awesome series. I am happy to say I believe she does!

I am beyond impressed by the skill and proficiency with which Holly Black writes. Black Heart has three main, separate story lines and problems that Cassel finds himself having to deal with all at once. I am amazed that at such a small number of pages - less than 300! - Black Heart never feels cluttered or rushed. Instead, the multiple plot lines makes Black Heart not only the most intense of the three books in the series, but also makes it near impossible to put down.

Cassel is officially one of my most favourite male protagonists of all time. He is the suave and arrogant bad boy on the surface, hiding his true demeanor as a compassionate and often insecure teenager. He faces more pressure and trouble than ever in Black Heart as he is seemingly pulled in multiple different directions with no ideal outcome. And just when you're wondering how is he ever going to get himself out of all these predicaments, Cassel finds a way to cleverly avoid trouble and selflessly give support to those in need.

Black Heart is the prefect conclusion to an ingenious and original fantasy trilogy. The ending is left a bit open, but all major story lines are wrapped up nicely. I am a new and vocal fan of Holly Black's after reading this series and I look forward to reading more from her in the future!

Previously, my review for White Cat and Red Glove.

Other Reviews:
Burning Impossibly Bright
The Bursting Bookshelf
Reading Teen

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

Review: White Cat and Red Glove (Curse Workers #1 and #2) by Holly Black

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: May 4, 2010/April 15, 2011

Pages: 310/325

Source: Bought (paperback) / Borrowed (ebook)

Rating: 4.5 Stars

White Cat:
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Red Glove:
When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

In short: Holly Black masterfully creates clever mysteries and an effortless and fascinating alternate universe in the first two books of the Curse Workers Trilogy, White Cat and Red Glove.

I read White Cat and Red Glove right after a string of serious and sad books and it couldn't have been a better balm for my hurt psyche. They were exactly the right books to read at exactly the right time. Thoroughly entertaining, fascinating, and clever, White Cat and Red Glove were completely fun to read. Not a mindless type of fun, mind you - Holly Black crafts very intelligent mysteries in these books that force you to put some serious thought into figuring out what's going on.

Speaking of Holly Black, can you believe these are the first books of hers that I have ever read? I have to say, my first impression is extremely positive. Her writing and world building was simply effortless. She was able to weave an entire alternate universe, in which magic exists and everyone wears gloves to avoid getting "worked" by people who wield this magic, with skillful proficiency. The story was never bogged down by too many details involving the backstory of curse working, and yet I still feel like I got a good background of the history anyway.

I adored Cassel, just like everyone else seems to love him. A bit surprising really, because as a con man, he is not the most moral character ever - his first instinct upon entering an expensive home is to think about the various ways he could steal the silver candlesticks, for instance - but he really is a good guy at heart. Even growing up in a mob family full of con artists and crooks, he feels compassion for victims and remorse for people he has played.

My only quibbles are related to a few plot holes and questionable character motivations, but they seem too minor to mention in detail. All I know is that the first two books in the Curse Workers Trilogy were brilliant, fast-paced, and enjoyable, and I have no doubt that the final book, Black Heart (to be published April 3, 2012), will be as well!

Other Reviews:
365 Days of Reading #1 and #2
Icey Books #1 and #2

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads