Book 2) (Hardcover); 2015 Edition - The Copper Gauntlet (Magisterium

This was an amazing book with lots of adventure and epic battles but had some funny and touching parts as well. I would suggest this book to anyone who likes adventure and fantasy. The first book was also amazing and for those who don't know what it is called, it is called the iron trial. I hope if you read it you enjoy it!

After reading "The Iron Trial" twice, I was greatly anticipating its sequel, "The Copper Gauntlet", the second entry in the "Magisterium" series. Callum Hunt's magical adventures continue, with his besties Aaron and Tamara, along with his chaos-ridden wolf Havoc, and bully-turned comic relief Jasper. This time the mystery of the story involves Call's dad and a powerful item.

In all honesty, I did not enjoy the "The Copper Gauntlet" as much as "The Iron Trial", mainly do to the fact that most of the story does not take place in the Magisterium. I wanted to explore more of the school and the wonderful caves, caverns, and underground places it's made out of. Instead, the story goes into The Deathly Hallows/Percy Jackson mode, and takes the characters out of the school and into our world. That's not to say they still don't encounter magical creatures and foes, because they do, but to me the story lost some of the whimsical charm of the first book. It was still a worthwhile read. The characters, especially Callum, feel real and three-dimensional; they have bonds and flaws, and their own little personality quirks. The revelation Call discovers in the first book is an ever-present moral dilemma he faces through much of this entry. Not only does it involve him, it also extends to the other characters, making their relationship more complex and somehow special.

The one thing that I flat-out did not like was, not only the structure, but how the story doesn't cover the whole second year of Callum staying at the Magisterium. Most novels involving magic schools or academies cover the whole school in each book. Unlike "The Iron Trial," which does cover Callum's first year, this ends as Call's halfway done with it. It was most likely due to the fact that the quest ends before the school year ends, so that is understandable, but it still bothered me.

Overall, I did enjoy "The Copper Gauntlet", not entirely as much as "The Iron Trial", but still enough to have me be waiting until next year for "The Cosmos Blade."

My younger brother got the first book in this series (The Iron Trial) at a Scholastic book fair and loved it. I bought this one and the third in the series (The Bronze Key) for him, and he loved them just as much as the first. The writing is great, which is to be expected from the two wonderful authors, the plot is easy to follow, but interesting at the same time. It's a new take on magic in the modern world. It sort of reminds me of Harry Potter, but at the same time it is totally different. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good book for people in their early teens (or a bit older, to be honest I enjoyed the book too!) that is easy and entertaining to read.