Book Nerds Across America: books on tape

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Audiobook review: The Golden Tower by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

I heart this series so much! And, yes, I am missing the third book. I need to fix that...

Book Summary
The final, thrilling installment in this extraordinary series from bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

A generation ago, powerful mage Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt.

Facing up to what he is, Callum has battled chaos and evil across four years of magical training at the Magisterium, eventually defeating the armies of chaos in an epic battle.

It came at a cost.

Now, triumphant and heartbroken, Callum Hunt has just about had enough, and is ready to complete his training. But the evil Callum faced has not given up just yet...

Flo's Review
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series! It's been 5 books of fun. I feel proud of how the characters have grown, almost as if they are my little brothers and sisters. The Golden Tower found a creative and effective way to both solve a seemingly unsolvable problem and also give the reader all the remaining background information on the events that led up to this series. It was kind of a lot -- there was what seemed like a pretty big reveal in there, but basically nothing came of it. Also, what was the point of including Gwenda? I feel like her only purpose was to -- ahh never mind, I won't say it (minor spoiler), but it's not a big or necessary plot point in the story. Jasper however -- Jasper FTW! I love that crazy little boy.

I found myself getting teary eyed as I listened to the closing scene of the book, which was 100% perfect...
and true to Holly Black and Cassandra Clare. That's all I can say about that.

The Magisterium series is such an overlooked gem in middle grade literature. You don't hear much about it, but I simply adore it. I love how it purposely is kind of like Harry Potter, but then is totally not. I love how all the book endings are true to Black and Clare (read: cliffhangers of the "OMG!" variety). I loved this trio of main characters, and some of the supporting ones as well. And when I reached the end of The Golden Tower, I felt the happy combination of satisfied with the ending, curious about what may come, and sad to say goodbye.

Read our reviews of the Magisterium series:

The Iron Trial: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/02/the-iron-trial-by-cassandra-clare-and.html

The Copper Gauntlet: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/10/the-copper-gauntlet-by-holly-black-and.html

The Bronze Key: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2016/10/the-bronze-key-by-holly-black-and.html

The Silver Mask: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2017/10/book-review-silver-mask-by-holly-black.html

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Book review: The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Book Summary
A generation ago, Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt. Now Call is one of the most feared and reviled students in the history of the Magisterium, thought to be responsible for a devastating death and an ever-present threat of war. As a result, Call has been imprisoned and interrogated. Everyone wants to know what Constantine was up to-and how he lives on. But Call has no idea. It is only when he's broken out of prison that the full potential of Constantine's plan is suddenly in his hands . . . and he must decide what to do with his power. In this spellbinding fourth book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take us beyond the realm of the living and into the dangers of the dead.

Flo's Review
So, true to Holly Black and Cassie Clare style, the Magisterium book #3 left us with a devastating ending. Book 4 starts us about 6 months after the events at the end of the last book. Call is still gauging his thoughts and actions based on if they will put him in the Evil Overlord category Unfortunately, there may be more mages who believe him to be an Evil Overlord than who do not.

Romance starts to brew and it's middle grade romance, so it's just cute. I think it might largely be based on the circumstances the two characters find themselves in, but it was a fun way to bring some levity into what could be a pretty heavy story. Speaking of levity -- Jasper for the win! I laughed every time he complained to Call about Celia, but I also found myself surprisingly touched (as Call was) by a confession that he makes in the book.

The comparisons of this series to Harry Potter are inevitable, and I feel this book is akin to The Order of the Phoenix. Phoenix, to me, is when I felt things started to get really dark really fast, and Master Joseph and Alex Strike took it to that level here.

Of course, I have to discuss the ending. (Of course, I will do so in a spoiler-free way.) So, there was something good followed by something really, really bad. I think the next book will be the last book in the series, so it will hopefully answer the unanswered questions that Call pondered about himself, his abilities, Constantine Madden's actions, chaos magic, and more in this book. The dynamic between the characters has changed again, so I wonder what that will mean for the romance. I do hope it's addressed.

I listened to this one on audiobook and absolutely loved it! I popped it into my CD player after a bad experience with another audiobook, and it was exactly what I needed. The reader did a great job of reading well the pacing that kept the story moving. I never felt stuck in the plot. And it went by so fast! The only thing that threw me -- and this is a little thing -- is the way he pronounced Callum's name. I have been reading it as Cal, rhyming with Al. But he read it as Call, pronounced like "phone call." Who knew?! But overall, if you like audiobooks and you like this series, then The Silver Mask audiobook is the way to go.

Thank you to Books on Tape for sending me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Our other reviews of the Magisterium series:

The Iron Trial: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/02/the-iron-trial-by-cassandra-clare-and.html

The Bronze Key: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2016/10/the-bronze-key-by-holly-black-and.html