Questions About The Iron Trial (Magisterium, #1)

by Holly Black (Goodreads Author)

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Answered Questions (54)

Does this book have any romance in it?

Lauren No, and I was really pleased by this. The kids were so young, it would have felt out of place.

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Where does the book take place?

Cat The USA. Call lives in North Carolina and the school is in Virginia.

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harry potter this, harry potter that, to be painfully honest not every book that has to do with kids and magic automatically spell ripoff, the genre didn't just get discontinued the minute that book came out. Yes harry potter was a great book but ,what if stay with me here, another book can also be an interesting read and not have anything do with with that one story, or maybe i'm asking for a miracle

Maria There are a huge amount of fantasy books out there which feature students in a magic school and many of them predates Harry Potter. It's a pretty comm…moreThere are a huge amount of fantasy books out there which feature students in a magic school and many of them predates Harry Potter. It's a pretty common concept.
How the books deal with it varies, but magic schools and a trio of friends are classic tropes.

Personally I did not feel this was a ripoff of HP. I've read books that had far more in common with HP than this (and the two next books), but as long as they are well-written they can all be enjoyed in their own way.
Want something that reminds more of HP than this? Read the first Hex Hall book. ;)(less)

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I love both of the author's works but as a young adult I fear this may bore me. I have previously read book aimed at middle-grade readers and enjoyed some but got dreadfully bored by others. The problem is usually the writing and not the plot. Shall I give this a try?

Ryan Compton Absolutely! This book is hard too put down and is a very good book

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What is with the weird complaints, people? Not one single work of literature is original. All writers are influenced by other writers. HARRY POTTER IS CERTAINLY NOT FIRST TO WRITE ABOUT KIDS LEARNING MAGIC IN A CREEPY CASTLE BOARDING SCHOOL. Many writers write about the same things over and over. Many writers write about the exact same characters over and over their whole career. Haven't you read other books before?

Arden Leiker I still enjoyed the book even though there were a lot of Harry potter similarities. I don’t want to give a lot away, but there were lots of similariti…moreI still enjoyed the book even though there were a lot of Harry potter similarities. I don’t want to give a lot away, but there were lots of similarities more than just the magic school for kids. There’s the mom that died, the trio of main characters that are supposed to fight together with one really smart girl and 2 guys, and also the main villain is extremely similar.(less)

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