Summary (from Goodreads):
From two bestselling superstars, a dazzling and magical
middle-grade collaboration centering on the students of the Magisterium, an
academy for those with a propensity toward magic. In this first book, a new
student comes to the Magisterium against his will -- is it because he is
destined to be a powerful magician, or is the truth more twisted than that?
It's a journey that will thrill you, surprise you, and make you wonder about the
clear-cut distinction usually made between good and evil.
Review:
I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews for this one. So, I guess I
went from being super excited about its release to then only being moderately
excited. I put a request in to borrow it from the library and I was one of the
first to get it. Now, I think I need to buy it.
I guess I’ve been craving a good middle grade fantasy. And
I’ve definitely been craving a new series. There are so many series that have
ended this year. Finally, it’s time for something new. There were so many great
elements to this story: a magical world that’s hidden from most humans,
underground magic school with mazes of creepy caves, fantastic friendships,
magic, mysteries, a somewhat handicapped main character, also a main character
who seems to normally be the kind of person to be a side character or evil foe,
a crazy twist, and lot of adventure.
I love that not everything is explained right away. We have
to learn why Callum’s father is the way he is over time. And then of course is
the ultimate mystery of why so much was kept hidden or even exaggerated to
Callum. I kept waiting for bad things to happen because that’s how Callum
thought.
I like that there are different elements of magic and the
one everyone is gaga about is chaos magic. I loved all the tidbits of
historical information. I liked that the side character/best friend character
was the typical hero character and the main character was a little more
off-kilter.
The whole concept of where baby Callum was found as a baby
was so compelling that I knew I would have trouble putting the book down. I
read this book in a little more than a day. There were just so many questions I
needed answered. I know a lot has been said about the similarities to Harry
Potter; however, I didn’t find the similarities to be that strong. I’m a huge
Potter fan. I’ve read the books a lot of times. I’ve been to Potter conventions
and I even was the president of my college’s Harry Potter club. I honestly feel
like this was a completely different story, with completely different elements
to it.
The pacing of the book wasn’t as fast as I sometimes wanted
it to be, but it does have that classic, book 1 introductory feel, which
promises faster pacing, and higher levels of action as the overarcing storyline
continues. I can’t wait to see where things go in the next one, especially
after a certain decision was made toward the end.
Overall, this was a fun book! I loved the characters. I
loved the magical world. I loved the twist that actually did surprise me (and I
so thought I had it all figured out…). I give it a 9/10.
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