The Iron Trial

Black, H., Clare, Cassandra. (2014). Iron trial. NY: Scholastic.

Callum Hunt has always been told by his father that magic is dangerous. He has been taught to stay away from it and not be a part of the Iron Trial.  He was taught to fail the Iron Trial so he won’t get into the Magisterium, a school for mages. But at the Iron Trial things don’t go as planned and Callum is chosen to go to the Magisterium for training. While there, he learns how to control his magic along with his other new friends. He also learns that he hasn’t been told the whole truth about who he really is.  As the story unfolds, we learn that Callum is really the Enemy of Death that has inhabited his body.  The other enemies have been waiting for him to come and help them start a war against the other mages. Callum is trying to be true to his father, his friends, and the mages.  Now that he knows who he is, he has to decide what to do about it.  This story ended with a big cliffhanger!  I already have my copy of book 2 on the way!  According to Norton, an important ingredient for good fantasy for young adults is that the theme be a universal one. It needs to apply in the real world. The Iron Trial’s main character is one who is weak and damaged with many questions and must struggle through life trying to keep up with his peers.  This is definitely a universal theme for young adults today.
This book could be used with grades 5-8.

To download a study guide for this book, click HERE!