The Bronze Key – Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
*Warning – may contain spoilers*
Author: Holly
Black and Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Scholastic
Press
First published: 2016
Edition: Hardback
Pages: 249
Blurb: Magic can save you.
Magic
can kill you.
Students at the Magisterium are
supposed to be safe. Under the watchful eyes of the mages, they are taught to
use magic to bring order to a chaotic world.
But now
the chaos is fighting back.
Call, Tamara and Aaron should be
worrying about things like pop quizzes and magic contests. Instead, after the
shocking death of one of their classmates, they must track down a sinister
killer…and risk their own lives in the process.
As Call, Tamara and Aaron
discover, magic can only be as good as the person who wields it. In evil hands,
it has the capacity to do immeasurable harm – unless it is stopped in time.
History of my copy: I’ve been a fan of
the Magisterium series since the very start and so I received The Bronze Key as
a Christmas present last year.
As per the previous books in the series, The Bronze Key was
quite short and so it only took me 4 days to read. Whilst I feel like the books
could be longer, I do find it refreshing to only read a smaller book from time
to time. It does, however, make the time between installments seem even longer!
Plot: The third installment in the series
definitely picks up the urgency and threatening nature, with someone trying to
assassinate Call. Things start to take an even darker turn as the spy, who has
the Alkahest, succeeds in killing Aaron, for which Call is blamed. Ending up in
the mage prison, we are left with a cliff-hanger as Call’s true mother is
revealed…
The
plot was hard hitting and dark, especially for a kids book, as the intensity
starts to build up. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!
Setting: Just like the majority of the
rest of the series, this book takes place in the caverns of the magical school,
the Magisterium. Even though it’s the third installment now, I still get wowed
by some of the gorgeous descriptions of the vast caves and narrow tunnels that
Call and his friends both live and study in. When we find ourselves leaving the
stone confinements, the descriptions are just as vivid.
Characters: Call is starting to make a
really interesting main character, an intriguing mix between Harry Potter,
Percy Jackson and his own unique self. I think Black and Clare have done well
at capturing Call’s age and the difficulties he is facing, whilst keeping the
character likable and humorous. I’m also starting to warm to Tamara.
Whilst
none of the characters still are hugely memorable, I think they are starting to
find their niche in the literature world and are becoming a little more iconic.
To read or not to
read: Read. This series has a
huge amount of potential and whilst it isn’t the best books going, they’re easy
to read, funny and have a great plot. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in
the series.
