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.
Margot McGovern’s Neverland is a complex look into mental health through the lens of a mythical world that most people will be familiar with. Kit, who has repressed memories from traumatic events in her past, finds herself on the island that was her childhood home, now a facility for mentally ill teenagers. As she struggles …
‘Escaping From Houdini’ once again chronicles the trials and tribulations of Audrey Rose Wadsworth and Thomas Creswell, who, after the events of ‘Hunting Prince Dracula’ arrive on board the RMS Etruria to make their journey to America. However, what initially begins as an opportunity to relax and unwind from the dreadful events at their castle …
In the first book of a fantastic new middle-grade series ‘Tilly and the Boookwanderers‘ we follow Matilda ‘Tilly’ Pages, an eleven-year-old book lover who is cared for by her loving grandfather and grandmother in the five-storey London bookshop Pages & Co. Tilly has lived with her grandparents for as long as she could remember, since …
Acclaimed writer Bill Bennett unearths a new satisfyingly dark and entertaining series in ‘Palace of Fires’. The debut novel in the series–‘Initiate’–follows the story of Lily Lennox, a teenage girl living with her single mother on a farm on the outskirts of San Francisco, California. Lily’s seemingly normal and idyllic life, however, is thrown into …
Cally Black’s In The Dark Spaces is an immersive sci-fi thriller that features some incredible aliens and insightful thoughts on human nature. While it’s full of action and danger, the heart of the story revolves around family, morality, communication, and love in all its forms. Exposition is scarce, but this works in the book’s favour. [...]
Meet Me at the Intersection is a rich short story anthology written by a diverse range of Australian authors and lovingly edited by Rebecca Lim and Ambelin Kwaymullina. The anthology aims to showcase the experiences of marginalised groups through “own voice” stories, whose authors fit into those groups. The first thing about the anthology that …
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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