Early Review – The Copper Gauntlet (The Magisterium, Book 2) by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Release Date: September 1, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-0545522281
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Magisterium series
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Magisterium series. I got an advanced reading copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. This was a well done continuation of this series. There is a tons of magic, action, and adventure. There are five books planned for this series. The third book in this series, The Cosmos Blade, is set to release in 2016. Just a warning that there are spoilers ahead for those who haven’t read The Iron Trial.

Callum has returned home for the summer but things have been very awkward between him and his dad. When Call finds out that his dad might be set on destroying both Call and his chaos-riden dog Havoc he flees back to the Magisterium seeking help. However, things get even more dire when Call finds out that someone has stolen the Alkahest, a copper gauntlet that can separate a magician from his magic. Call suspects his father so Call, Aaron and Tamara escape the Magisterium in search of both Call’s father and the Alkahest.

This was a fun read full of magic and adventure. I continue to enjoy the characters and all of the elemental magic. Havoc is a lot of fun as well.

Call is struggling with the big secret he found out in the Iron Trial, that he has Call’s body but has the soul of of the most evil mage ever. He is analyzing everything he does and trying to make sure it’s not evil. The fact that his father clearly thinks Call is evil isn’t helping things.

In this book we see a lot more of the chaos magic and what it means to be Makar as Aaron struggles to control his magic. Both Call and Tamara have also come a long way in how well they use their magic. The friendship and trust between the three is put to the test more than once. Our trio begins to learn to trust each other more and work together as a team.

We also learn a lot more about Call’s past. Some major storylines are wrapped up as well leaving me very curious as to what future books in the series will hold.

Overall this was a well done middle grade fantasy and I enjoyed it a lot. I love all the elemental magic in these book, the elemental creatures, the wonderful characters, and the action and adventure. This series is great for middle grade and older readers both boys and girls alike. I can’t wait to see what book 3, The Cosmos Blade, will hold.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge