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Title: The Copper Gauntlet
Author: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
Series: Magisterium #2
Genre: MG Fantasy
Content Warning: PG for some mild language and crude humor
(3 / 5)
Blurb
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. – GoodreadsMy Thoughts
This is the 2nd book in the Magisterium series (and I just realized I haven’t reviewed the first one, The Iron Trial, on the blog yet. I’ll fix that.) This series is pretty much Harry Potter repackaged—three kids (two boys, one girl) form an unlikely friendship at a school of magic and team up to fight a guy who is trying to cheat death. Yep. But there is an interesting twist, which I shall not share here because SPOILERS, and it makes the series more unique than one might expect. And unlike Harry, Callum Hunt is no angsty teenager with a Chosen One complex. He’s snarky, insecure, and all too happy to let someone else take the lead. He’s a refreshing change of pace from your typical hero in MG/YA fantasy, and that’s why I keep reading. Add in some very likable sidekicks, a sassy frenemy, and some crazy cool monsters, and you’ve got a fun read for the weekend. This series would be great to read with kids. As for The Copper Gauntlet itself, it got off to a slow start for me, and then I realized it was because the narrator for the audiobook talks really slooowwwwllllyyyyyy... I increased the playback speed, and voila! Much better. Pitting Callum against his own father as the antagonist made for an intriguing plot, and I liked that Black and Clare touched on the pressure Aaron (Callum’s BFF) feels as the Chosen One. And Jasper. That kid is my favorite and I can’t tell you why because SPOILERS, but geez louise, he makes me laugh. Score: (3 / 5)
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