The penultimate novel from the world of the Magisterium series is set one year after the events of The Silver Mask. Callum Hunt has been framed and is now residing in prison. But, after being broken out, Callum is captured and detained on an island out in the sea, forced to continue his study on chaos magic. Unable to leave the island, and stranded with Jasper and Tamara, Callum is faced with an ultimatum–continue his study to bring the dead back to life, or face a war between the Magisterium and the island’s band of renegades.
I did not think that it was humanly possible for me to enjoy this series any more after finishing The Bronze Key a few days ago. However, this middle-grade novel series continues to both enthral and shock me with its revelations, twists and turns. Each of the novels has had a major focal point–whether it be magical training (book 1) or the identity of a malicious spy (book 3). This novel focused more on a prison-break element, with our three main protagonists trying their very best to escape from the clutches of their enemies. This book was orchestrated extremely well, adding in a combination of suspense that kept me on my toes throughout.
I often criticise teenage relationships in young adult/children’s books, especially when they seem to be arbitrary and contribute little to the plot (most notably in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which masked its meagre plot with an unneeded dose of teenage hormones). However, the evolution of Tamara and Callum’s relationship was much more believable because of how the said relationship worked into the story. By adding a romantic flair to the novel, Callum was given something to tie himself over to the side of benevolence in the face of imminent danger and devious acts. I applaud Clare and Black for their writing of these scenes, as I felt that their relationship was properly executed over the course of the four novels. The love triangle between Aaron, Callum and Tamara is not a trope that I am unacquainted with, but–somehow–it worked well for the novel’s plot as a whole.
I also loved the turmoil that Callum seemed to be facing throughout the course of the novel. Too often in similar novels are we presented with characters who seem to have it all. Callum certainly does not have all of these classic traits, and this is able to personalise the rapport that is shared between readers and characters. Callum’s struggles ultimately were able to ground the novel in a much more real sense, something that very few novels have ever been able to fully achieve successfully. All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this novel. Epic battle scenes met with the heartfelt relationship between characters cements The Silver Mask as a glimmering gem in the middle-grade fantasy crown.
The Bronze Key is the third instalment in the Magisterium series. Picking up a year after book three (The Copper Gauntlet), Callum and his best friends are now entering the third year of their magical training. Callum has now revealed the truth about his soul to his close friends, as well as his frenemy Jasper …
Courtney Summers’ well-written murder mystery is a modern take on the genre. Following the sister of a missing girl and the journalist trying to find her, Sadie’s format is unique, if a little confusing at times. The chapters written from Sadie’s perspective are in first person, but every second chapter is written as a script …
Marcus Zusak’s captivating debut novel follows the story of Liesel, who witnesses the death of her younger brother while on a train through Germany. When she discovers a novel hidden in the snow while standing by her brother’s grave, Liesel pockets it, despite the fact that she has not acquired the ability to read. When …
Scythe is a dystopian young adult novel by Neal Shusterman, and it tells the tale of a futuristic society in which all forms of death have been eradicated, and the only way a human can die is by being ‘gleaned’, a word which is synonymous with murder. However, only a few selection of trained individuals–known …
In ‘Again, but Better’, a college student and creatively-driven Shane enrols in a university in the United Kingdom to fulfil her dreams of becoming a writer. Previously a medical student at a university in America, she makes the move unbeknownst to her parents, who have insisted she pursue a career in medicine for vicarious reasons. …
Eleni Hale’s Stone Girl is an incredibly powerful and honest story about the Australian foster care system. Drawing on elements of Hale’s own childhood, the novel is a confronting look into the troubling conditions faced by the children most in need of care. When twelve-year-old Sophie is moved to a foster home after the death …
Book Review – The Silver Mask by Cassandra Clare
I did not think that it was humanly possible for me to enjoy this series any more after finishing The Bronze Key a few days ago. However, this middle-grade novel series continues to both enthral and shock me with its revelations, twists and turns. Each of the novels has had a major focal point–whether it be magical training (book 1) or the identity of a malicious spy (book 3). This novel focused more on a prison-break element, with our three main protagonists trying their very best to escape from the clutches of their enemies. This book was orchestrated extremely well, adding in a combination of suspense that kept me on my toes throughout.
I often criticise teenage relationships in young adult/children’s books, especially when they seem to be arbitrary and contribute little to the plot (most notably in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which masked its meagre plot with an unneeded dose of teenage hormones). However, the evolution of Tamara and Callum’s relationship was much more believable because of how the said relationship worked into the story. By adding a romantic flair to the novel, Callum was given something to tie himself over to the side of benevolence in the face of imminent danger and devious acts. I applaud Clare and Black for their writing of these scenes, as I felt that their relationship was properly executed over the course of the four novels. The love triangle between Aaron, Callum and Tamara is not a trope that I am unacquainted with, but–somehow–it worked well for the novel’s plot as a whole.
I also loved the turmoil that Callum seemed to be facing throughout the course of the novel. Too often in similar novels are we presented with characters who seem to have it all. Callum certainly does not have all of these classic traits, and this is able to personalise the rapport that is shared between readers and characters. Callum’s struggles ultimately were able to ground the novel in a much more real sense, something that very few novels have ever been able to fully achieve successfully.
All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this novel. Epic battle scenes met with the heartfelt relationship between characters cements The Silver Mask as a glimmering gem in the middle-grade fantasy crown.
RATINGS
Writing: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10!
Overall: 9.25/10
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The Bronze Key is the third instalment in the Magisterium series. Picking up a year after book three (The Copper Gauntlet), Callum and his best friends are now entering the third year of their magical training. Callum has now revealed the truth about his soul to his close friends, as well as his frenemy Jasper …
Book Review – Sadie by Courtney Summers
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