Review: Knights of The Borrowed Dark

Knights of The Borrowed Dark
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Puffin! 

Denizen Hardwick is an orphan, and his life is, well, normal. Sure, in storybooks orphans are rescued from drudgery when they discover they are a wizard or a warrior or a prophesied king. But this is real life—orphans are just kids without parents. At least that’s what Denizen thought. . . . 
 
On a particularly dark night, the gates of Crosscaper Orphanage open to a car that almost growls with power. The car and the man in it retrieve Denizen with the promise of introducing him to a long-lost aunt. But on the ride into the city, they are attacked. Denizen soon learns that monsters can grow out of the shadows. And there is an ancient order of knights who keep them at bay. Denizen has a unique connection to these knights, but everything they tell him feels like a half-truth. If Denizen joins the order, is he fulfilling his destiny, or turning his back on everything his family did to keep him alive?

This book...it's just...bloody brilliant! I loved it and I'm SO GLAD this is the first in a series! I have a feeling this series is going to be big, this is unlike anything I've read recently! It's so original and imaginative and I was completely blown away by it! 

The opening is seriously creepy, and then you know...there's a load of other creepy bits, which send a bit of a chill up the spine if I'm honest! The entire atmosphere of the book felt very grey to me, like I was reading and everything had a grey, dark tinge to it, if that makes sense? There's some brilliant pages that are all black with a couple of words that add to the atmosphere of the scene brilliantly and really, really made the goosebumps on my arms come out and say hi! 

It's fantastically written, the descriptions?! I loved them! "the shadows of the tunnel came with it, hanging from its throat in cobweb curls" I mean how freaking awesome is that description!? There's loads more like it as well and I fell in love with the writing. The vibe is dark, the book is atmospheric which engulfs you in the world of the book, it's fast paced and original and funny and full of action and just completely brilliant! The book grips you and draws you in to the world and you become completely obsessed with it and what's going on in it! 

The history/lore to the Knights is rich and fascinating and you want to know more and more about it, as well as the creatures they fight! They where fantastically creepy as well, but at the same time, I'm oddly eager to see more of them!? The action scenes have you biting your nails and cheering on the good guys, the plot twists blow your mind and have you shrieking. There's a brilliant cast of characters, Jack, Darcie (I would totally be Darcie, I kinda want her job!), D'Aubigny, Abigail, Grey, Denizen and his aunt and so on. They're a great bunch and all work so well together, and each brings something to the story! Grey gives you a good chuckle for example! I loved his relationship with Denizen! Denizen I liked because he's refreshingly skeptical about everything, he doesn't believe in dreams and he's not the sunshine and rainbows characters you usually see, things have been tough for him and he's developed accordingly. He's just very realistic in his reactions and everything! He's going to be a great main character, I can tell! 

Knights of The Borrowed Dark is a fantastically refreshing addition to the genre, and it's going to delight and maybe even slightly terrify at the same time, depending on who's reading! I just can't get over it, I loved it and I'm excited to dive back in to the world and see what the author is going to come up with next! 

Review: Clockwork Sparrow & Jewelled Moth

So, I was lucky enough to be sent both of the books to review and I got to read them back to back and oh my God you guys they where so good! Everyone raves about them, and I'm always kind of wary but I loved them! I've got two reviews in one bumper post for you guys! 

The Mystery of The Clockwork Sparrow
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Egmont! 

You are cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of Sinclair’s department store!

Enter a world of bonbons, hats, perfumes and MYSTERIES around every corner. WONDER at the daring theft of the priceless CLOCKWORK SPARROW! TREMBLE as the most DASTARDLY criminals in London enact their wicked plans! GASP as our bold heroines, Miss Sophie Taylor and Miss Lilian Rose, CRACK CODES, DEVOUR ICED BUNS and vow to bring the villians to justice…

I don't know why specifically but this gave me such Cat Royal vibes. Cat Royal is a series by Julia Golding and yes I am too old to read them still, but I can't bring myself to throw them out so there. ANYWAY. This gave me some real vibes from those books, possibly the whole gang of people from all walks of life coming together to solve a mystery thing, but I loved it! It's very authentic, there's clearly been a lot of research done and it shows in the book. You can vividly picture Sinclair's, as well as the streets and the lodging house. 

I loved all of the characters, especially Lil, I connected to her as much as I did to Sophie, possibly because of the whole actress thing! But I loved Sophie and I loved Lil, I admired Sophie so much, she kept strong and did what she had to, rather than doing what some people in her position might have, and being completely useless and just unwilling to do a hard days work...she ignores all the jibes and gets on with it. I'm suspecting more to her father's death as well, possibly to do with the Baron!

Anyway, Billy and Joe where brilliant too, I loved how Billy had those stories he loved and was getting to be like the character in real life, and Joe was a brilliant contrast to him. I liked how he was willing to help them even though he didn't know them, and was wary of the Baron. I loved the friendship that forms between the four of them, and especially between Lil and Sophie as poor Sophie was a bit of a loner and Lil just kind of took her under her wing and was like "yep, you're my friend now!" it was beaut! They where all brilliantly brought to life, and have interesting back stories that you want to know more about. There's also a whole load of other colourful characters, the Private Detective, Sinclair himself, and more, all fantastically created to help bring the story to life! 

It's a fun and easy read, and while I did work out who the culprit was....I still hadn't put all of the pieces together that where presented to us and I ended up being surprised more than once! I found myself intrigued and completely gripped to the story trying to work everything out. There where lots of little clues and threads to the story that all came together brilliantly in the end, to create a fantastic plot. There's a larger scheme going on than you first think, and there's a lot at stake. It was wrapped up so well with a few loose threads to set us up for the next book and further adventures! 

As you're reading you find yourself completely lost in the glittering world of the department store, even when it's just behind the scenes, it had a very theatrical feel to it I think! I just love how it was all brought to life. I enjoyed the newspaper clippings and other little pieces that broke up the narrative and gave you a visual, particularly when it involved code! I also liked the different hats at each part of the book, and the writing about them, it really fit with the story and helped bring you in to the time period. It really is a fantastic book! Now I'm off to read book two! 

The Mystery of The Jewelled Moth 

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher, Egmont!

The honour of your company is requested at lord beaucastle's fancy dress ball. Wonder at the puzzling disappearance of the Jewelled Moth! Marvel as our heroines, Sophie and Lil, don cunning disguises, mingle in high society and munch many cucumber sandwiches to solve this curious case! Applaud their bravery as they follow a trail of terrible secrets that leads straight to London's most dangerous criminal mastermind, and could put their own lives at risk...It will be the most thrilling event of the season!

So, I dived straight in to this after the first one, and if it's even possible...it's even better! We get to see a different side to London and there's new characters for us to get to know and enjoy! 

We still get the paper clippings, among other things, to break up the narrative, and each part now has an extract from the Etiquette for Debutantes book, which was oddly fascinating. To see how they where expected to act, and all the rules and things that we find strange and kind of insulting in this day and age! 

New character Mei greets us with her narrative, and it immediately intrigued me. I'd already seen the authors article about her research for this book, so I was excited to read all about this other China Town. Much like most other people...I was completely unaware of this other China town in London, and I'm kinda disappointed in myself because I'm a history nerd and yet I didn't know?! There's even a brilliant authors note at the back of the book with more information, and I'm feeling a trip out to that part of London to have a scout about! 

ANYWAY Mei's POV brought us right in to the story, and things are looking dire, the Baron is back and is extending his reach in to China Town and Mei's family are caught up in it.  She gives us the rather interesting story that her Grandfather told, all about the Moonbeam Diamond and how their family looked after it. Man that story made me angry, because so typical of our people! In other words, Mei ties in perfectly with the story right from the beginning but it's a while before she comes in to play. But I loved her POV and seeing what life was like for her! 

We also have new character Veronica, through her we get all  about the life of a debutante, which, much like the extracts, is oddly fascinating. While she wasn't always the nicest person, I did feel for her because she didn't have a lot of choice in her life, and she was always watched, and she even says at one point she has no choice because that's not how things are done. Then at the end I loved her even more because she did something completely unexpected and it was awesome! 

Much like the first book, the POV switches where brilliant, we just have two more POV's than usual. I love how in these books, they give you an extra insight in to the characters, and helps you to understand them, like Joe and his odd behaviour at points in this book. Each character has a distinctive voice and an entertaining narrative and you can always tell which character is narrating. 

All of our favourite characters are back and better than ever, Sophie is a lot happier, Lil is going for bigger things, and Joe is happy now that he has a job but is still wary of going to the Baron's Boy's territory. Billy in contrast, is just as meticulous with his notes as ever, but at times I wanted to smack him one because he was like "Miss Atwood this, Miss Atwood that" "I can't do that because of so and so" like seriously Billy!? I thought you lived for this stuff!? But then Sophie's probably right about him! 

I loved how everything tied together, especially between Mei and Veronica, from two incredibly separate worlds. It was brilliant! But then I knew from the first book that the author is brilliant at bringing all these different threads together and tying them up! I also like how the author showed the differences between Mei's part of London and the others. The different between Sinclair's and Mei's parent's shop. The difference between Piccadilly/Belgrave Square and  Shadwell/Limehouse. It was fantastically done and very subtle. 

The mystery was solved surprisingly early on in the book...but it didn't end there. With the reveal of the culprit came more questions, and more threads because there was way more going on, than met the eye. The plot was even bigger than the previous book!  There was an entire other mystery to solve, and I was just as gripped by this book, and the mystery. Again I worked out the culprit of the theft, but at the same time...I was surprised a million times because like I said, there was so much more going on that I couldn't even guess at!

The build up to the climax and all the action in the book was brilliant and there were so many absolutely fantastic scenes in this book! The Debutante tea party, the entire ball sequence (which was both funny and full of suspense at the same time), the scene at the end with the Baron and the people of China Town, then McDermott showing up,  and before that Pendleton and Veronica and all the others showing up, pure brilliance. Honestly, there where so many scenes that had me laughing as well as being on edge the very next second! 

This is such a brilliant sequel and every bit as fantastic as the first book, it's just as fun as the first book and just as easy to read, as well as keeping you on your toes! You can read it one go, and get completely lost in the book and I loved exploring a different side to London in this book!  There's still more questions left to be answered, especially as there's some mini mysteries popping up. Like Sophie's parents. I'm convinced even more now that The Baron had something to do with Sophie's father's dodgy will and ya know...death. I'm waiting for it to all come out! But then there's another piece of the puzzle thrown in with her mother! I can't take it with all the mystery! Anyway, I'm sure we'll see the Baron again because he's all ominous like that. I'm so ridiculously excited for the next book because it sounds even more awesome, and I'm looking forward to watching Lil and Sophie become badass lady detectives! 

The Blackthorn Key

The Blackthorn Key
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

London, 1665. Fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowe is apprenticed to master apothecary Benedict Blackthorn. In Blackthorn's shop, Christopher learns the delicate secrets of transforming simple ingredients into powerful medicines, potions and weapons. His beloved master guides him with a firm, steady hand - instilling him with confidence and independence that prove increasingly vital as Christopher learns of a mysterious cult preying on the most learned men in London. The murders are growing closer and closer to home and soon Christopher is torn from the shop with only a page of cryptic clues from his master and the unambiguous warning: 'Tell no one'. 

Helped by his best friend, Tom, Christopher must decipher his master's clues, following a trail of deceit towards an unearthly secret with the power to tear the world apart.

Guys this was so good! Seriously I enjoyed every single page! I've been reading some pretty heavy books recently and this was such a nice break, it made me laugh but at the same time it had a complex plot going on and really kept up the intrigue so I was turning pages as fast as possible! I ended up reading it in one sitting after telling myself "I'm just going to read the first couple of chapters". 

I'm a history nerd and the bend of history and fiction was perfect, just enough history and research to give the book an authentic feel. Although I could have done without some of the smells that where described and could practically smell wafting off the page! You can easily disappear inside the world of the book, there's no boring pages and pages of historical showing off about how much research the author has done. There's a fair bit of history in the book but like I said....it's not overly done and is there to bring the world to life and make it authentic. I found the Author's Note particularly interesting as well as I had completely forgotten about the differing calendars and so on. 

The Blackthorn Key is fast paced, with a quest like vibe, a National Treasure for kids kinda thing. I enjoyed the different clues and trying to work them out along with the characters in the book, as well as work out who the main enemy is. I was completely wrong! The book was full of adventure and humour. I definitely chuckled a fair bit as I was reading, mostly at Christopher and Tom's antics.

It's got to be said, the book had a lot of heart to it with Christopher's relationship with his Master and then his friendship with Tom. It was also kind of sad and heartbreaking in one or two places, but this was balanced out with the humour. Christopher was a likeable character, his sarcasm was spot on and you liked him from the beginning. As you got to know him more, you felt for him more and more as he was struggling in the aftermath of his Masters death. You ended up rooting for him, and your connection to the character meant that there where some pretty intense scenes of suspense. Bridget the pigeon also deserves a mention I think! Christopher's bird BFF who kept turning up all over the place! It was a sweet touch. 

The book has a very nice murder mystery at it's heart. There's lots of threads to it because not everything is as it seems, so it's actually quite complex. These other threads slowly reveal themselves and the plot definitely thickens until you're trying to put all the clues together but still not quite managing to puzzle it all out. There where some surprising twists to the story and then a huge end reveal that had me shouting at the book! 

All in all The Blackthorn Key was a fun read with plenty of action and adventure to keep you turning the pages, and complex undertones that gives the book an edge. 

Poppy Pym And The Pharaoh's Curse

Poppy Pym and the Pharaoh's Curse
Rating: 4/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher 

Poppy Pym has grown up in the circus, eating candy floss for breakfast and learning about lion taming ... until her circus family decides she needs a more traditional education, and they send her to boarding school. At first, Poppy has trouble fitting in at St Smithen's, a school that is very different from the circus. But when an ancient Egyptian ruby comes to the school and dangerous accidents start occurring, it's up to Poppy to save her new home and solve the mystery of the Pharaoh's curse!

Well this book was a fun read, and a fun mix of different themes! We've got a boarding school, a circus, a mystery and some Ancient Egypt thrown in there all blended together to make an entertaining read! You all know I can be lured by anything involving Ancient Egypt and I loved the echoes in this book from real history. If you don't know what I'm talking about take a look at Tutankhamen and his "curse", you might find it interesting. 

Poppy Pym was an easy read, and fast paced, easily read in one sitting. There's plenty of action and plenty of humour thanks to the colourful cast of characters, particularly Poppy's circus family! They where a lively and interesting bunch! The mystery kept you intrigued as you tried to put the pieces together and work out who the culprit was. Overall it was a very well written, entertaining book with a fantastic heroine that will keep you laughing the entire way through! 

I, Coriander 10th Anniversary Edition

I, Coriander

Rating: 5/5

Buy or Borrow: Buy 

Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher

I am Coriander Hobie. I was born in the year of Our Lord 1643, the only child of Thomas and Eleanor Hobie, in our great house on the River Thames in London. Of my early years I remember only happiness. That was before I knew this world had such evil in it, and that my fate was to be locked up in a chest and left to die. This is my story. This is my life. 

Coriander has a happy childhood living with her silk merchant father and mother who has a way with healing. But that all changes when a pair of silver shoes are mysteriously delivered. But it's years later that the finding and wearing of the silver shoes shows it's consequences. When Coriander's mother dies, her father must remarry if he wishes to keep his business and home after supporting the King. Unfortunately for Coriander her new stepmother is the of the evil variety. A stepmother who is working with a Puritan preacher and both are up to no good. 

I was so incredibly excited to get sent a review copy of the anniversary edition of the book! I have very vague memories of being in like year 7 or 8, and grabbing this from the school's library to read during form time because I'd finished the book I had brought with me. I vaguely remembered the book but as it is...it's literally been 10 years since I read this so I couldn't really remember what happened and so on, I just remembered Coriander and her silver shoes. 

To me this book has such Cinderella vibes with the evil step mother and the father leaving and everything, but it's the fairy world that adds a layer of enchanting, fairytale quality to this book, and an original one at that. The book was magical and really sprang to life, I so loved reading about the world Coriander's mother came from and I was eagerly waiting for the rest of the story to unfold. 

I've read a couple of books set in this time period, but they where adult books and they where set during the Civil War, I haven't come across one that spans across the entire period after the Civil War up to the King returning and it was fascinating. The book must have had plenty of research go in to it as it's very authentic and you get a feel for the time period, as unfair as it was. London in this particular era comes to vivid life, it's kinda like you're Doctor Who but the book is your Tardis. I got utterly lost in the world the time and the events and the story. I could rather have done without the vivid smells, but then again it wouldn't have been as authentic without. 

The story was engrossing and enchanting, you're rooting for Coriander, hating Maud and Arise and hoping they'll get their comeuppance. Those two really are characters you love to hate and they're utterly vile and the kind that you can imagine actually existing in that time, I mean there's always stories of people disappearing and being found to be murdered in that time period so it's incredibly believable. They where a right piece of work. 

I was glued to the page waiting to see what would happen, would Coriander succeed? What would happen to the bad guys? Would her father come back? What's the deal with the shoes? Who was her mother really? And so on. I couldn't stop reading and devoured the book in one sitting. Coriander was such a great character, and her narrative was engaging and spot on. She had you right there with her, feeling what she felt and it was an emotional read, as some parts where quite heartbreaking, or at least they where to me. Then other parts had me feeling quite angry to be honest. 

I loved the fairies in this book, I loved the echos of her mother's life and story in Coriander's own life. I loved reading about the world and how things worked and found it to be an original take to other stories involving fairies that I've read before. It added a unique touch and made the book truly magical. 

It must also be said that the Authors Note is incredibly helpful and for such a concise note, has a fair bit of information in it. 

I, Coriander is a fantastically written, enchanting tale with a fairytale quality and echoes of Cinderella. It will have you engrossed up until the last page, experiencing life in the times of the book, and then being taken completely out of the world to another entirely, that is written in such a way that it doesn't seem unbelievable or out of this world. I found it to be quite natural, which is strange because you know....fairies don't exist, that I know of anyway, and yet they're in this book and they seem like they belong, like they're real. It has an utterly perfect ending, and it's such a brilliant book that has a timeless quality to me. Possibly because it's not set in a modern time but ya know. 

Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon

Gemini Force 1: Black Horizon
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

When Ben's father tragically dies in a climbing accident, it's up to Ben and his mother Caroline to open his final project, a fancy hotel. But it's at this opening that their fate changes forever. When there's an air accident, Ben and his mother have to rescue the two pilots who bailed out, a daring feat, one that catches the attention of entrepreneur Jason Truby.

Ben gives his mother an idea, start a rescue team, but it's Truby who takes it to another level. He recruits Ben's mother to join his top secret, uber cool international rescue force....Gemini Force. Ben's itching to get on the team but his mother is determined he's going to finish school. That doesn't mean Ben can't visit on holidays....and he does.

It's Ben's first holiday trip out to hang with Gemini Force when everything goes wrong. A mission comes in, and Ben's mother is determined to go along....but in the middle of the rescue she becomes trapped, and suddenly Ben is parentless. Ben is determined to continue her work with the Force, but he's going to have to fight for his place....even if it means disobeying what he's been told and putting himself in danger....

Oh my God this was so good I can't even! I knew I had to review this because my Dad loves Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and I used to watch all of them when they where on TV, I've seen the film as well, which was okay, but yeah I'm so glad I got a proof of this because it was everything I  was hoping for and more!

I was sucked in from the first page, and it was all go from then, daring rescue missions...danger....fantastic characters you instantly feel connected to and get emotionally attached to, and what a cast of characters they are! Addie is my favourite, I'm not going to lie, I loved her, she's awesome! I'm not sure what the situation is with the books, but assuming the other books are happening, then I hope to see and learn more about the other team members and get to know them better, it's going to be interesting to see what's going to happen to Ben now he's on the team!

The setting was vivid, I could picture everything, and trust me, it gave my imagination a workout! Picturing all these cool devices and planes and everything. So vivid, so cinematic....just saying! The world is so well constructed it sucks you in and keeps you glued to the page, wanting to know more about the Force and what's going to happen next!

I was so gutted when Ben's mum died, I kept thinking it was going to be like, I don't know...that she was actually fine and they'd got there in time but no, it was so sad, and the book really brings out your emotions when you're reading. I was on the edge of my seat, riddled with tension when I was reading some of the missions!

I was never sure what was going to happen next, and it was a wild ride of a read, fast paced, slick, smooth, I can't gush about it enough to be honest! I wish it was longer! I wanted to keep reading and I didn't want it to end!

I have a feeling this isn't the last we've seen of the bad guy in this book, I got vibes about it, and I'm convinced he'll make an appearance again! It was cool how the two connected as well, to create a mini plot within the main plot!

I really can't get over this book, I had some expectations for this, and every single one was met and exceeded and I think this is a fantastic set up for what's going to be a fun and action filled series!

The Imaginary

The Imaginary
Rating: 4/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

One day when Amanda opens her wardrobe, there's somebody in it. Somebody only she can see his. Name is Rudger and he's her imaginary friend and her best friend. But when the sinister Mr. Bunting arrives at her door, it turns out he can see Rudger as well. Mr. Bunting hunts Imaginaries and....well....eats them. He's quite attached to his own imaginary friend you see, and in order to keep seeing her he has to eat Imaginaries. Mr. Bunting sniffs out Rudger, and after an accident, Rudger is left all by himself and running for his life. Rudger needs a friend to believe in him and see him otherwise he'll fade, but can he get back to Amanda before he fades away?

It has to be said, this book is so incredibly beautiful, the end papers, the illustrations, all are so incredibly gorgeous it took me ages to read this because I kept stopping to stare at them! I mean, I don't usually read books like this, for this age range, but I couldn't resist the pretty! Beneath the dust jacket is even gorgeous!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was so unique to me, I've never read a children's book before that covers imaginary friends, and it was so unique with the whole Library thing and them choosing their friends and everything, and it was so CUTE! It's a book about friendship and imagination, and it's so beautifully written. There's the lightheartedness of friendship and trust and hope and imagination, then there's the sinister baddie and his really creepy sidekick, and the shadowy parts, I think the pink dinosaur called Snowflake also helps to alleviate the creepiness.

The book is funny in parts, but also has plenty of tension and is a liiiiittle bit ominous in parts! The story is kind of like Pringles, once you start you can't stop and you eat up the illustrations and the words. I seriously couldn't stop reading, and it resulted in a later night than usual. I determined to only read a couple of chapters, but the next thing I know it's 1am and I've finished it! I'll be lending it to my mother as well to take to work and read to the kids there I think!

For younger kids, this might be a good idea to read in the sunlight, swiftly followed by an episode of a TV show, I'm not really down with the kids so I have no idea what's occurring in the world of kids TV, all I know is Pokemon! Elder kids should have no problem reading this after nightfall! I'm so astounded by the detail and the quality of this book still to be honest! It's the best I've seen and it's the first from this age range that I've felt a compelling need to read!

FYI the hardback edition will make a really lovely gift! Just saying!

The Iron Trial

The Iron Trial
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Sculpting the ice in to hand and footholds, a Mage climbs an icy mountain, tricked in battle, it's imperative he gets to a certain cave. But when he does...it's too late. What awaits him is a slaughter, later known as the Cold Massacre. There is only one survivor...his infant son, but next to his wife there's a sinister message carved in to the ice..."KILL THE CHILD".

Flash forward 12 years or so, Call is about to embark on the Iron Trials, the tests all children with magical ability or suspected magical ability must complete to determine whether they will enter the Magisterium to train or not. All his life Call's dad has told him Magicians are bad, they can't be trusted and they have a plan for him to fail on purpose. Although it turns out it's easy enough to fail without even trying to throw it. Against the odds, let's be honest his score was in the minus, Call is chosen my Master Refus to become one of his apprentices.

Being told what he was by his dad, pretty much that the Magisterium will result in his death, among other similarly cheerful things, Call isn't too jazzed about getting to go to magic school. Ever since he was born (at least that's what Call thinks) one of his legs isn't quite right, so he's expecting much the same treatment as in his regular school. Jasper happily delivers, but as Call gets drawn deeper into the world of the Magisterium and actually makes friends...he finds himself not quite wanting to leave anymore.

But when he stumbles across ties to his past and finds out a shocking truth about himself, everything will change. In the midst of all the magic fueled mayhem, someone isn't who they seem, and a creature formally a Mage has a shocking message for them....One will fail. One will die. One is already dead. One things for sure..Calls in for the ride of his life.

So Holly and Cassie totally got me. I'm not even ashamed to admit it, I mean I'm 21 years old I should have been able to figure this damn book out, but no! I was shocked and surprised and then full of "ugh" at the wait for the next book. Seriously.

I'm a huuugge fan of Cassie. I am a Mortal Instruments fan, I have all the books, they cause me lots of feels, and I'm currently obsessing about the next book in the Shadowhunter world, and the incredibly long wait for it. Seriously I met Cassie at a signing before the movie came out and fangirled my brains out. After embarrassing myself royally with everyone's favourite Jace. Sooo I figured this would be the perfect way to tide myself over until the next one. I mean....it's not a YA book, so how much pain can it cause me right? Ugh.

The world created by Cassie and Holly is glittering, rich and well...magical. It sucks you in as you read, half the time I forgot I was actually sitting in my bedroom. The school is underground...how awesome!? I mean it was such a unique setting, the world is built fantastically and vividly without excess description bogging down the narrative. There's toadstools to sit on, stalagmite seats, blind fish, quartz EVERYWHERE (hence glittering), lichen that tastes like different food, elementals some of which are cute little lizards others are Wyverns etc. I could go on all day, although I will add that I want to try that soda!

When you're reading you really do feel like you're underground and in the world with the characters. The dark tunnels with the glittering quartz and phosphorescent rocks/mushrooms etc...I wanna go! It's such a colourful world!

The magic/laws of magic/lore, whatever you want to call it in Iron Trial is unique and rich. Mages draw on Air, Wind, Fire and Earth, however there are a select few, that can draw from the void, using chaos magic. Chaos magic is neither bad nor good, from what I gathered it depends on the person using it. The Mages have a goodie using it, while the enemy is well...The Enemy. Or to give him his proper title, The Enemy of Death. Suitably sinister right? He pretty much created his Chaos Ridden and made the Chaos Ridden animals.

It is possible to be consumed by the magic and become a human elemental, and we even meet one of those. It's one of the "devoured" that gave the rather sinister "one will die" etc message, and believe me, think it's just a device to add some intrigue all you like, knowing Cassie and Holly, that is going to come round and bite you on the ass because it will mean something and most likely come true.

I love how each different year is a metal, Iron for first years, Copper for second, Silver for third I believe and so on. It added another unique element so different from all the wannabe Harry Potter books with the grand old schools in castles etc. Not to mention the cool bracelets they have to wear, that gives them entry in to rooms and stuff, it has the metal on for each year, but also different coloured stones you have to earn, you get them when you've mastered an element.

The friendship in the book was rather heart warming. I thought Tamara was a bit of a cow in the beginning and I assumed she would carry on, but her sticking up for Call, the first time anyone had, made me love her and by the end of the book Aaron, Tamara and Call had formed such a strong friendship that you watched grow that you can't wait to see what's going to happen. Particularly with Call the counterweight for Aaron but also...well..you'll see! It was a very well written friendship,each of them different and bringing something to the group, and like I said, Tamara turned out totally different to what I was expecting! But then so did Call.....more later.

Jasper...well he was cruising for a bruising. He's a bit of a prat and I had him pegged for a rich kid, to be honest I thought "calm down Draco" more than once, he was edging into the "MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS" territory more than once. But like Tamara, Jasper turns out a lot different. In my mind Jasper gets separated from his only friend, is under a lot of pressure to do well to pull his family out of the slump they fell in after the war, he's a bit tattered, struggling a bit, and he could probably really do with more friends. I feel bad for him actually and I hope he gets more involved in the next book!

I want more of Warren, I must say! Warren is probably the only lizard I will ever like. A fire elemental that talks and legit has eyebrows, I can actually picture him very clearly in my mind as well! I need more Warren! I thought he was going to be the sidekick but then we got Havoc the Chaos Ridden wolf pup, I guess it's an adorable trade but still!

There's plenty of intrigue throughout the book, who does the bracelet belong to that Calls dad sent? What is Call? It becomes obvious that Call's dad didn't want him at the school for reasons other than they caused his mother's death, I couldn't work out what it was until right at the end when I was told. So the intrigue leads to some pretty major plot twists that I honestly didn't see coming so I spent a lot of time shocked and surprised. I'm willing to bet Calls dad was atleast friends with Constantine/The Enemy, if not his brother. I briefly entertained the idea he WAS The Enemy's supposedly dead brother but that's just silly! Or is it? Hmmm.

My first thoughts of Call where that it was so unique to see a main character who's not perfect, Call has problems with his leg and can't be as active as he wants to be and it was such a unique touch. Not to mention he's got to be the only kid who wouldn't be over the moon and shaking with excitement that he has magic and gets to go to magic school! But then....wow.

Call. I did not see that coming. I was reading along, safe in the knowledge I knew exactly where this was going..Call was so obviously the Makar, but even when it turned out to be Aaron I was all "No biggie, there's going to be two and it's going to be all OMG this has never happened before" and so on. No. Call turned out waaaayyy different to what I was expecting. He is not the hero you think he is. Call's soul is actually Constantines....aka the Enemys...he's just lost his memories. Oh yeah. That happens.

I was so shocked and so surprised because I was so sure he was going to be the hero type, turns out he has the potential to be the Villain of the series! Well technically I guess he already is? I am so excited to see where this is going, I mean, is he going to get his or rather, Constantines memories back? Will he be fighting himself? Will he turn out to be good or are we going to see the journey and making of a villain from the villains point of view? I don't know but I'm excited to find out!

The Iron Trial is a vivid, colourful, unique, fun world full of magic and mystery. It will draw you in, and keep you engaged through until the end with a combination of amazing world building, rich lore, loveable characters, humour, action, adventure and it's unpredictability. There is so much that is unique about the book it can't fail to stand out from the crowd, and there's so many little details that add to the wonder. The Iron Trial is a fantastic start to a new series!

And is if that wasn't enough, the questions from the first test Call has to do....yeah those are in the back of the book, so you can have a go and see if you're worthy of admittance to the Magisterium...you're welcome ;)