''The Iron Trial'', written by

Holly Black Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. ...

and

Cassandra Clare Judith Lewis (née Rumelt; born July 27, 1973), better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series The Mortal Instruments (series), ''The Mortal Instruments''.'' Per ...

and published September 9, 2014 by Scholastic Corporation, is the first book in

The Magisterium Series The Magisterium Series is a five-book children's fantasy series written by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare; it is their first collaboration. The series was acquired by Scholastic in April 2012. The first book, The Iron Trial, was published on ...

Plot

The protagonist of

is twelve-year-old Callum (Call) Hunt who was raised by the mage Alastair Hunt, who after the third mage war with 'The Enemy of Death' also known as Constantine Madden, and the death of his wife Sarah at the Cold Massacre, decided to spurn magic and raised up Call to be the same. Call participates in a test to see whether he has sufficient magic to attend the magisterium and train to be a mage using the four elements fire, water, air and earth.

Reception

''The Iron Trial'' received a starred review from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'', as well as positive reviews from ''

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

.'' ''Kirkus Reviews'' called the book " promising beginning to a complex exploration of good and evil, as well as friendship’s loyalty." Maggie Reagan, writing on behalf of ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', provided a mixed review, stating,"Expectations are bound to be high for this powerhouse duo’s first cowritten effort, and although it doesn’t quite live up to the authors’ respective works...and there are several missed opportunities, the end offers a few intriguing twists and perspectives that hint at what’s to come in the next installments." In 2016, the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

named ''The Iron Trial'' one of their top ten

Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers is a book list created annually by the Young Adult Library Services Association The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Associa ...

References

Children's fantasy novels Novels by Holly Black 2014 American novels {{2000s-child-fantasy-novel-stub