The Copper Gauntlet | Book review

Title: The Copper Gauntlet (Magisterium #2)

Author: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Published: September 1st 2015 by Scholastic Press

Goodreads summary: Callum Hunt’s summer break isn’t like other kids’. His closest companion is a Chaos-ridden wolf, Havoc. His father suspects him of being secretly evil. And, of course, most kids aren’t heading back to the magical world of the Magisterium in the fall.

It’s not easy for Call . . . and it gets even harder after he checks out his basement and discovers that his dad might be trying to destroy both him and Havoc.

Call escapes to the Magisterium -- but things only intensify there. The Alkahest -- a copper gauntlet capable of separating certain magicians from their magic -- has been stolen. And in their search to discover the culprit, Call and his friends Aaron and Tamara awaken the attention of some very dangerous foes -- and get closer to an even more dangerous truth.

As the mysteries of the Magisterium deepen and widen, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take readers on an extraordinary journey through one boy’s conflict -- and a whole world’s fate.

REVIEW

"Well, I'm no library expert, but A for Alkahest seems like a safe bet," said Tamara, skipping ahead. She was obviously thrilled to be back.

The Copper Gauntlet was better than the first book in the series, The Iron Trial. It is definitely a fast read, but I'm pretty sure I felt that because it is middle grade, so for a younger audience, I read it in a few hours. I loved the beginning and the ending, but had a harder time with the middle.

I liked that because of what was revealed in the first book, Callum was thinking a lot about his actions and the balance between good and evil, which is a very good thing for a middle grade book. The characters were well developed and I was able to understand them a little more, mostly because of the party we saw at Tamara's. Jasper was a pleasant surprise in this book, I came to respect him. I think he'll be a lot more with Tamara, Aaron and Callum, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I think the romance aspect was a little rushed, even if it was expected, because the characters are only thirteen and wouldn't act this way. However, we only see one side of the barrier, so I'm looking forward to see how the other character will react.

There was a point in the story, to find the Alkhahest, a copper gauntlet that can withdraw chaos magic (I think?). It was well executed, I liked that the apprentices weren't able to find it because they were the best and so on, but because they had been manipulated to do so.  However, I'm a little disappointed we didn't see much of the Magisterium.

"Call," said Tamara. "Is there someone in the bathtub with you?"

Call sighed. He hadn't expected his truth telling to bite him back so quickly. "Havoc," he admitted.
"Call!" Tamara said. "That is so disgusting." 

  

It was a fun read, especially with the Assembly, I'm still laughing when I'm imagining their faces. This book was also a little creepy because of the tomb and everything in it, so in my opinion, it's good for Halloween.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, even it still feels a little too familiar to Harry Potter. I think that if I was younger, I would love it so much more, even if I would still feel the similarities.

Did you read the previous book? Are you excited for this one?