The Golden Tower

Magisterium #5

by Holly Black, Cassandra Clare

The final, thrilling instalment in this extraordinary series from bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.

A generation ago, powerful mage Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt.

Facing up to what he is, Callum has battled chaos and evil across four years of magical training at the Magisterium, eventually defeating the armies of chaos in an epic battle.

It came at a cost.

Now, triumphant and heartbroken, Callum Hunt has just about had enough, and is ready to complete his training. But the evil Callum faced has not given up just yet . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Magic, Audiobook, Fiction, Adventure

239 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2018

About the author

Holly Black is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over thirty fantasy novels for kids and teens. She has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, a Nebula, and a Newbery Honor. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.

Reviews

[l]

Even as an adult, I'll still be plagued by waiting for yet another Cassandra Clare book.

*sigh*

[chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty satisfying conclusion but also a little underwhelming. I enjoyed reading it, but it definitely wasn't my favourite in the series. Sad to say goodbye to these characters though!

[Vanessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah, no.

This series started out pretty mediocre, but I saw potential, so I continued to read it. At first I thought it would pay off, because I genuinely enjoyed the second and third book... but then The Silver Mask happened, which felt like the authors just wanted to be done with it and wrap the story up. There was still a little bit of potential left for this one, so I was crossing my fingers while simultaneously lowering my expectations.

And I was still let down.

Look, the world building in this was always shoddy and the plots nothing to write home about, but I thought the characters were charming (okay, mostly Aaron) and some of the humor was genuinly funny (ok, mostly Jasper).
But this time, even the characters felt oddly empty and one note. With added teenage angst about "Omg does she really like meeeeeee???" in the middle of some half-assed mission.

So, yes. I'm grumpy. I know both authors of this series are controversal and not for everyone (I actually agree with a lot of the criticisms, but manage to enjoy most of their books anyways for various reasons), but I know that both of them can do better than this. It was lackluster.

It really did not help that my favorite character was sidelined to a freaking voice in Cal's head, who got to reassure him from time to time and give him tips about how to talk to people/girls without offending them. Yay.

As for the eventual pairings:
Cal/Tamara never had any chemistry ever. Both had more with Aaron. Heck, AND Jasper! It felt forced in the last book and it feels forced now.
Jasper's new relationship didn't bother me, but it was so damn predictable, I would have cheered if it hadn't happened.
Celia went from a terrible person the audience is supposed to hate to kind of vanishing after apologizing out of the blue. We never met Rufus' husband and everyone else were basically cardboard cutouts.

Basically this reads like some magical AU fanfic where someone didn't bother with worldbuilding and some flimsy plot is just there, because they want the characters to drive around, order very specific food, talk to each other and say some quippy one-liners the author is very proud of.

I'm really sad, cause I wanted this to be good.

[Josu Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un final a la altura.

Desde el primer libro vi a esta saga con potencial. Los primeros dos libros quizá pecaron de introductorios, de inocentes. Con el tercero se vio un cambio a cosas más oscuras, y el cuarto y quinto creo que han conseguido trabajar muy bien los personajes y la trama más política.

En La torre de oro nos enfrentamos al final de la saga Magisterium. Después de casi 5 años siguiendo esta saga he decir que no estoy nada decepcionado. Creo que es un muy buen trabajo en equipo, y Holly y Cassie han conseguido crear un nuevo mundo con un montón de matices.

Hay armas secretas en este libro. No solo a nivel de guerra y criaturas, sino a nivel de trama. Me han sorprendido para bien los ases en la manga que se tenían guardados para el final. Hay plot twists increíbles que me rompieron el corazón y otros que me hicieron chillar.

Es un final bueno para una pentalogía aparentemente sencilla, pero que consigue convertirse en algo más con el paso de las entregas. De hecho, a nivel de personajes, este libro es muy diferente al primero. La evolución de los protagonistas, sus dilemas y miedos son una aventura, llena de matices, debates y más miedos aún.

No sé, me ha gustado mucho. Eso sí, he de advertir que el final me da a mí que no es tan final... No me extrañaría encontrarme una saga spin-off o continuación de esta dentro de unos años. Tiempo al tiempo. Bookmark me.

La recomiendo si: te gustan las novelas de fantasía y aventuras.

[Tina➹ lives in Fandoms · Rating 5 out of 5]

1) the Iron Trial: ★★★★★/5
2) the Copper Gauntlet: ★★★★★/5
3) the Bronze Key: ★★★★/5
4) the Silver Mask: ★★★★★/5
5) the Golden Tower: ★★★★★/5

Magisterium series:

4.75 Magisteric Golden Stars

Magic & elements in a fun, cute & amazing story

This series was amazing, made such a great & fun moments full of laughter & (of course) feelings for me.
the whole story, the way characters were talking & treating each others were realistic & believable.
Lovable Characters (Aaron, Jasper & Call are my top favourites, I liked Master Rufus & Alex too! maybe I like Tamara after book 5, but she isn't added to my fav female characters either; she was close to be one of them though, because I actually started to dislike her in the middle of book 4, until its end, but then I liked her again in book 5.)
& a very important factor for me: it was happening in Our world. Hidden society of Mages among us, can you believe that?
full of Unique Ideas (The whole idea of the story, itself, was so unique I can't even say how much I was awestruck when I found out & I totally love it! also the specific Magical creature, Magic system & how the school works: as I said before, I loved the years titles.) which made the story twisting in a way I didn't expect at all!
exciting Plot with many ups & downs, Adrenaline peaks of thrillers & secrets.
I don't say it is regardless of age, but it was an amazing middle grade, one of the bests. If you have an active inner child, you would have a great moments with it too. (tho probably I would try that to see if my dad likes it or not later. XD )
the World creation was amazing, as I said in book 1, I want to go to the Magisterium & eat those lichens & exploring the caves & walking to the Gallery with my friends, passing through the Gates & got older. *sigh in desire*
Writing Style : fun & cute & unique, I liked it. especially book 5 blew my mind away!

Their titles were chosen totally ingenius!
talented! spectacular! unique!
I love them, they are according to the year they were in each books, but they also referring to something else about the book.
binged reading the last 3 books in 2019


the Golden Tower review, specifically:

4.75 Golden Stars
8th best of 2019

The writing style was brilliant & so unique! (Because of the turns of events) I enjoyed it very much! I laughed a lot. it was like... nuh, on second thought, I decided not to say anything.
Again a exciting story, full of jokes & twists & turns. I loved it. This one will be my another favourite of this series. it was amazing. & cute. & fun!
again, I couldn't see that coming! very unexpected, very-well hidden & wrapped up.
& I'm so glad my hypothesis were wrong!
though I would give the ending reward to book 2, or 3 or 4, but this ending was great, though kind of unexpected & weird?
Quick read! I mean 2 days for me in English is very quick! I'm so happy about it!
Ahhh, one more thing:
Gorgeous cover, indeed!

I can't believe Magisterium is over! *crying in the corner* (again!) Can we have a Collegium series or something???? plssssssssssssssssssssssss?
-
World building: ★★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★★★/5
/Feelz: ★★★★★/5 (add this series to the heart-wrenching list ;_;)
/Fun: ★★★★★/5
/Excitements: ★★★★★/5
Plot: ★★★★(★)/5
General idea: ★★★★★/5

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this a full 5-star review before it even came out. . . . Cassie, Holly, it better be the best book I will ever touch, understood?

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stars (Out of 10): 3/10 Stars

I had such high hopes for this book after the redeeming of the series (for me) in book 4. Just in general, there was so much potential for this series, and I had such expectations both from books 1 and 2 and from Clare’s and Black’s prior works.

Now, I get this is a middle grade series. It won’t be as deep as Black’s The Cruel Prince/Tithe/etc. or Clare’s The Infernal Devices/The Dark Artifices/etc. I also get that these books are not necessarily aimed towards me, and both the humor and plot are aimed for those younger than I. However, this series, this book, being a part of a younger genre does not excuse some of the issues this series had, especially in terms of pacing, plot, and characters. It does not excuse the illogical nature of some of the decisions in this book, or the lack of effort (it seems) in the planning of this book, and series as a whole. I was honestly surprised when it seemed as if this book left things purposely open for a sequel series, as it honestly felt, while reading, that the author duo seemed to be less and less interested in these books.

You can possibly blame my earlier love for the series on my younger age, but I’d argue that those books were just overall better, in terms of character dynamics, plot, and pacing (oh god, especially the pacing). Yes the trio and world heavily mimicked Harry Potter, and the series definitely needed to move away from that, but that doesn’t mean that the series needed to lose the normal pacing it had in books 1 and 2. And yes, the plot was not complex at all in the earlier books, but it doesn’t need to be, as that’s not necessarily what I expect from a middle grade book.

Let’s just get the worst over with and discuss pacing. In books 1 and 2 this was fairly well done, with the books spanning an entire school year, and sometimes a bit of the summer beforehand. A standard pacing style for a school based series. Book 3 already broke this pattern by ending about half way through the year (if I remember correctly, it’s been a few years now), and that sharp contrast in time period definitely left the book feeling unfinished. The time period of book 4 is honestly a mystery to me, but at the start of book 5, 4 years of schooling have supposedly passed (I don’t know how). Book 5, while when looked at logically, takes place over a few months or something, reads like it all takes place within the first week of school or something. There is almost no build up or problem solving in this book. Nothing stalls the constant moving plot, and this constant action, combined with weird time jumps/lack of focus on anything but events that directly solve the plot, makes the book read really quickly, as well as feel weirdly timed. I’d have to actually study this book to figure out how the timeline all works together, and even then I can’t promise I’d find an answer. Additionally, the allocation of pages to different periods of time didn’t add up at all. There are a few moments of travelling and driving in this book, but the pacing and logistics of them is so ridiculous that I couldn’t even fully take those seriously and as a part of the actual plot/story. It honestly just felt like badly written filler, even when it contributed directly to the plot.

As I’m already on the subject, let’s talk about the plot. Arguably, the second worst part of this book next to the pacing. There is no true conflict in this book. Nothing goes wrong, nothing is lost, and anytime something gets in the way of Call/Tamara/Aaron, even the main evil of the book, almost no effort goes to actually solving the problem, as a solution is almost always presented immediately. Additionally, this lack of struggle means the entire book reads at the exact same amount of tension. There are no highs and lows. It is all action, and since there are no dull moments to make that action exciting by comparison, the action itself becomes boring. Additionally, there is almost no build up to this installment. Book 4 seemed to neatly wrap up everything in a bow for our duo/trio, so this book definitely needed something to bring that evil back to the forefront, some whispers of dark magic or evil returning rather than just a single hint and then sudden entrance of the big bad.

The characters themselves were also just weaker than in past installments. Call’s main focus was staring at Tamara and worrying about college, admittedly mundane worries for someone with an evil soul who also happens to be harboring the spirit of his dead best friend inside of him. Call ended up being such a let down that I won’t even spend more words on him. Additionally, what the heck was this villain? He was ridiculous to the point of absurdity, and nothing close to the level of evil the past books seemed to contain. I mean, Alex freaking killed someone for their powers, and you can’t even meet that level for your finale? Come on guys.

I almost never say this, but this but this series should have been shorter. This series would have actually been stronger if things had just ended on book 4. I can’t say much good about this particular book, but at least it was a quick read.

[Rizza✧˖° · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally done with this series!

Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. The whole series seems so rushed. There could have been a lot more world-building for a five-book series. The main characters are somewhat good, a bit shabby, not too great. They are a bit mediocre for me. And the main villain was too petty! A villain who demands all that he wants, may it be a girl, a tower with a TV room and a villain who just wants to sit on his throne just to spite his enemies and do nothing. It gets a bit boring.

This series could've been great, coming from the mind of two renowned authors. But anyway, they have their main series to write which is way better than this so I can't blame them if they didn't put much effort in this.

[Zero vi Britannia]

How does this have a 4.33 rating when it probably won't be out until 2018?

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This conclusion brought up mixed feelings in me. It was another quick read and I am glad for it. In this book, we are mostly back the Magisterium and I admit that I like the Magisterium set up better. It reminds me of Hogwarts. Also, Magisterium set up has a lot of interesting elements in it although not properly explored in my opinion.

A lot of the things were never explained throughout the series. It was okay in the first or second books in the series but I kept on hoping that at least they will explained in the later books but never happened. Not much about chaos magic was explained or the Devoured and how all that works. Things were thrown at me throughout the series without ever explaining why or how.

Things that I liked were Call and his father's relationship, Master Rufus, Aaron being back and Jesper's remarks, Warren being cryptic, exploring Devoured of different magic, Magisterium set up and the so-so ending.

Things that I didn't like were not much explanation about anything, Alistair being the Devoured of air magic, Call and Tamara as a couple and Anastasia dying at the end. I mean there could have been a better ending but fine. Throwing the ancient mage at us and not even exploring anything further. That's one problem I have with this series, things not being explored further. These things are there just to help move the story along.

This started out a not-so-great series and could have been much more but alas.

3 stars

[luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call, Aaron said. Everyone wants to live

well that hurts
call 911 cause i'm deceased

[sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

#1.) The Iron Trial ★★★★☆
#2.) The Copper Gauntlet ★★★☆☆
#3.) The Bronze Key ★★★☆.5
#4.) The Silver Mask ★★★★☆
#5.) The Golden Tower ★★★☆

"Perhaps I am unknowable. But I will burn for your sake all the same."

The Magisterium series comes to its conclusion with The Golden Tower, a solid finale while not being anything lifechanging.

This book is disappointingly not one of my favourites in the series, but that being said I have enjoyed the series as a whole and found it to be fun. I had heard many reviews saying that this book wasn't great, so I tried my best to lower my expectations prior to jumping in to it. That was definitely the right way to go, as I decided to just read it for enjoyment and try to ignore the plot holes. I listened to this book, as I have the rest of the series, audibly. While they aren't the best audiobooks- and arguably aren't even that good- they have helped me to read them a little passively and therefore more easily skip over the weaker elements.

Speaking of weak elements- I just need to talk about the romance. I touched on this in my review of The Silver Mask, but once again I was disappointed. This time though, it wasn't just the main romance that had me rolling my eyes- but even the side ones. The chemistry wasn't there, there was no emotion and simply no reason for the relationships to form. The romance was probably one of my least favourite parts of the series (which coming from a romance lover is saying something.)

Now I just wanted to talk more holistically about the series in its entirety. I read all 5 books across the span of a year, and every time I picked one up it turned out to be fun and charming, acting as a refreshing break from the rest of the books I was reading. The characters gradually grew on me, the world became more fleshed out and the plots more interesting. This series is not going to be one that sticks with me for years to come, nor one that I will go out of my way to recommend. But I don't regret reading it, either. Not every book I pick up has to be literary award winning, sophisticated pieces of art. Sometimes it is nice to just fall into a simple middle grade world.

That being said, I am still a little disappointed. I have read books from both Cassie Clare and Holly Black- so I know that between the two they have the potential to create loveable characters, believable romances and intricate world building. That potential just wasn't fully reached in my eyes- and there will always be a part of me wishing for more because of it.

It is also important to note that I am not in the target demographic for the series, so take what I say with a grain of salt if you, or someone you know, is considering starting it in that age bracket. I am sure younger readers would find it more enjoyable.

★★★☆☆ stars

[Lyra (Cardan's tail's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

-fourth read-
—4 stars—

Reading middle grade books is probably destroying my pretence of being cool like I was ever cool

But anyway—(I cannot be bothered to write my usual long reviews so here’s a short one!)
Rereading these now, about 5/6 years after they were my favourite series ever, I see them differently.
While they’re not bad, per se, they’re also not the masterpieces I used to think they were.
Such is the horror of growing up.
The writing feels so childish at times, (probably bcos they’re meant for children) and everything always see to be fixed remarkably quickly.
But, however many niggles I have with it now, I’ll still give it 4 stars. Mostly for nostalgia, and Call’s sense of humour which always makes me laugh even now!

Quotes:

“There’s this lizard I know.”

“The time is now.”

“This has all been and will be again.”

“If you hear a terrified, reedy scream, that will be me.”

Thanks for reading!❤️

[tappkalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's it! I'm shooketh.

I read this whole series in 10 days! I couldn't stop even for a minute. Thank goodness I bought the whole series when the last book was out.

This is one of my all time favourite series from now on!

This is a fuckin' masterpiece.

Thanks for the authors for this experience x99999.

[O.R.]

Rowling is finally releasing a book about Voldemort!
Wait, no.

[Melany · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where do I even start with this book? The first issue is that it was paced at the speed of light. Omg, it was so rushed so that nothing seemed to feel important. The second thing is the addition of another character that felt forced and unnecessary. It is bad enough that Jasper, even after 5 books, felt like he didn't belong and unnecessarily forced into every scene that he is, so the fact that the new unnecessary character was his love interest made it worse!

The next was the new "twists". I will admit that I loved the plot twist of this first book but both of the ones in this book were cringy Why did Alastair become a devoured? Why could they just use one of the devoured that are held, prisoner?!?!?! There was literally no reason for it. It didn't even make me sad just confused. And as bad as that was it was nowhere near as bad as Cal not being Constantine BUT a bigger badder mage that has been doing the body hoping for CENTURIES. And it doesn't get addressed. Ok because that makes sense! As long as he promises to never to it again it all ok

The one thing I kinda did like was the solution that Cal came up with how to deal with Alex I liked how dark the choice of stealing Alex's body to give to Aaron. I think it was interesting but it leads to very little. Like no guilt or questioning. They really felt that Alex was a douche so it was A-OK to steal his body. WHAT

But the worst of all was the ending. Everything was wrapped up "neatly" and I hated it them graduating solves nothing. How does it absolve them of any crimes they might face?!??!?!?! The ending was lazy and rushed. There was no care put into at all. I thought this series had potential but this book showed that it was completed wasted. Having finished this series I could never recommend it to anyone, it's a waste of time.

[Feyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

WÜTENDE EINHÖRNER BRAUCHEN AUCH LIEBE

Leute, wenn ihr das Buch noch im Regal stehen habt: Lest am besten die anderen Bände nochmal. Ich musste mich erst wieder reinfuchsen und das hat gedauert. Bei einem Buch mit nur 300 Seiten nimmt das einiges vom Buch weg. Und ich hatte echt viel vergessen, ich vermute daher, dass das Rating bei einem bingeread besser ausgefallen wäre.
Die Charaktere sind super, die Geschichte ist spannend, das Haustier ist großartig und insgesamt ist es wohl ein stimmiger Abschluss der Reihe. Wenn auch am Ende alles sehr überstürzt wirkt, sowohl die finale "Schlacht", die romantischen Verwicklungen und auch die Nachwirkungen werden sehr schnell und senh abrupt abgewickelt. So richtig mitreißen konnte mich das Buch leider nicht, aber insgesamt gefällt mir die Lösung ganz gut.

[aLirEza nEjaTi · Rating 2 out of 5]

متأسفانه انگار مجبورم سال جدید رو با این کتاب شروع کنم :(

این کتاب و کلا این مجموعه
دقیقا نمود اون کتاب‌هاییه که می‌خونیش، بعضی جاها ازش لذت می‌بری و کیف می‌کنی! ولی از یک‌جا به‌بعد دیگه نمی‌تونه راضیت کنه :(
با این حال متوجه‌ام و درک می‌کنم که این مجموعه برای گروه خاصی میتونه مناسب باشه و برخی افراد می‌تونن بخونن و ازش لذت ببرن! ولی برای من نبود. و من نمیتونستم اون‌طور که باید ازش لذت ببرم :)

درک می‌کنم خوانندگان این مجموعه و دوست‌دارانش رو. ولی not my cup of tea واقعا.

آخر کار می‌تونیم بگیم که: agree to disagree!

[M.H Ansari · Rating 5 out of 5]

و بالاخره ماجراجویی در دنیای مجیستریوم برای من تموم شد😁

از جلد یک تا جلد آخر کتاب رفته رفته پیشرفت کرد و طوری شد که نتونم یه ستاره هم کمتر بدم😊

مجموعه خفنی بود ، از پایانش هم راضی بودم😉

[R.K. Gold · Rating 1 out of 5]

My full review is a 10 minute voxer message I’m not going to transcribe.

There were elements to the premise i enjoyed and I wished we couldve explore the setting and themes more but this series peaked (for me) in the final 100 pages of the first book.

[Claire ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

An underwhelming finale to the MAGISTERIUM series, THE GOLDEN TOWER is devoid of any passion and charm.

For the last book in a five-a-piece magic boarding school middle grade series, written by two prolific, veteran writers, I really expected more.

Callum Hunt is in his final year at the Magisterium, but living in the shadows of the year before. Alex Strike rises again, this time with chaos powers that threaten the entire mage world, and even with his soul intertwined with his dead best friend and the most dangerous mage of past, Call is the only one who can save them...

Closing the last page of the MAGISTERIUM series, one I have been reading for many years now, it's quite sad to feel absolutely nothing. These books have always been mediocre, content to live in the "okay" tier and never propelled into awesome levels, and after the travesty that was THE SILVER MASK I was in no rush to pick up the final instalment. So flexible, in fact, that it's been over three years since I read it, and the time and distance actually enabled me to put aside my bitterness at its predecessor's developments and give THE GOLDEN TOWER a fair shot.

And, well... I'm still disappointed. Perhaps not as much as I could be, were THE SILVER MASK still fresh in my mind. But still meh.

I'm convinced the only reason the MAGISTERIUM series was created was to retcon HARRY POTTER with Harry/ Hermione endgame. Yes, I'm totally serious. No, Black and Clare don't do it nearly as well as they could've. Given that Black created THE CRUEL PRINCE series, which has permeated YA fantasy over the last few years, and Clare dominates the urban fantasy market with her SHADOWHUNTERS saga, I know both authors are more than capable of writing not just a memorable book, but a memorable experience. Yet their combined efforts have created something so devoid of love and passion.

The characters are flat, the world is flat, the plot is flat. It's accessible, readable even, but not at all compelling, and the lost potential is what stings the most. It's difficult to convey how lifeless this book feels, when, as the last instalment, it should take my breath away. The awkward romance from THE SILVER MASK worms its way into the text with full-force, as Call isn't able to form a thought in Tamara's presence that isn't about whether she likes him or whether they could date. There are so many pressing issues that deserved more focus, like the relationship Call had with his anti-magic father, like the mage world's perception of Call given his twin soul with the Enemy of Death, like sharing your head with your dead best friend. Same for the supporting cast; one of Tamara's sisters was outcast for being consumed by a magical element, and the other used to date the antagonist. Look how much material there is to explore! Even Jasper, who thankfully gets more page time this book around, had the potential for development through the shame of his father in prison for defection.

Yet the book only ever skims the surface of these issues. In hindsight, this is a large problem with the MAGISTERIUM series as a whole: it never explores deeper into characters or their motivations that would add a much needed touch of realism and human emotion in a world tinged with magic. Just because this is a series for younger readers does not mean young people do not have these problems, and that young people do not have the capacity to understand these problems.

Alex Strike returns as the antagonist in what is supposed to be a comic villain parody... that ends up entirely failing to subvert the trope. You can mention all you want how silly it is for him to demand a golden tower, Call, but when he's doing it seriously then it's not a joke then, is it? We even get introduced to someone who is, possibly, worse than Constantine Madden, the ever-present villain-in-the-shadows throughout the whole series... and it goes absolutely nowhere.

An inoffensive but ultimately underwhelming book. At surface level this might be enjoyable to a young child, but there is so much better literature out there for small kids that this one should get a pass. In all, I won't miss the MAGISTERIUM series more than I will mourn its lost potential.

WILL I READ MORE BY THESE AUTHORS? Definitely not Clare, lol. Black I'm open to, but for now no.

LAST REVIEW || THE SILVER MASK

---

23rd SEPT 2017:

The Golden Tower, ey?



Interesting...

[Franzi Bücherseelen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[akacya ❦ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the last book of the magisterium series.

though callum has already fought so much evil, it just seems to keep coming back to him. will he and his friends finally escape evil and the condemnation of other magicians?

i thought this was a great final book!! i loved all the action and character interactions. i also really liked the final sentence, which is really important to tying a book together. if you enjoyed the other books in this series and haven’t read this one yet, i highly recommend doing so!

[ambsreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

reading this series it’s important to remember the target audience isn’t my demographic. basically i think would my cousins read this series? the answer is yes

full review to come

[Ali.J · Rating 3 out of 5]

یکی دیگر از مجموعه‌های مورد علاقه‌ام نیز به اتمام رسید :)
و ای‌کاش می‌تونستم بگم تا اخر هم مورد علاقه‌م باقی موند :(
گفته بودم که جلد چهارم برای من حکم پایان رو داشت و تقریبا همه‌چیز باید همونجا تموم می‌شد. همچنان کمابیش نظرم همینه:)
داستان پیش‌فرض با تمام نقاط ضعف و قوتش در چهار کتاب به اتمام رسید، ولی بااینحال سوال‌ها و موضوعاتی بدون جواب و بررسی باقی موندن. :)
و مجموعه نتونست چیزی درحد خودش ارائه بده؛ نمی‌گم مجموعه ضعیف و چیز دیگه‌ایه. نه. خیلی هم جذاب و دوست‌داشتنی که می‌تونم بگم تقریبا مجموعه رو دو مرتبه خوندم و اگر پاش بیفته بازم خواهم خوند. ولی به‌شدت می‌تونست بهتر عمل کنه و جای پیشرفت زیادی داشت. جوری بود که حس کردم داستانی که نویسنده‌ جان هایمان از پیش برای مجموعه درنظر داشتن در جلد دوم تمام شد و بعدش موندن که چیکار کنن:)
اگه بخوام تو یه نمای کلی هر پنج جلد مجموعه رو با هم مقایسه کنم، به نظرم دو جلد آخر بیشترین ناامیدی رو برام داشتن :)
خب، بیاید به ابتدا بازگردیم... :) داستان این مجموعه درمورد چه بود؟ :) کالوم هانت که برخلاف میلش به مدرسه جادوگری می‌ره و چیزهای خطرناکی درمورد خودش و گذشتش می‌فهمه. ما در جلدهای اول و دوم و حتی کمی در جلد سوم، یه مدرسه جادوگری جدید و متفاوتی رو دیدیم که شخصیت‌ها در کنار تحصیل‌شون توی مجیستریوم، درگیر اتفاقات و ماجراهایی شدن. داستان اتفاقات و پیچش‌های جاذاب و شوکه‌کننده داشت. برای خودش هدف داشت. :) اما از پایان جلد سوم به بعد، کلا روند و فضای داستان تغییر کرد. تمرکز و هدف، روی چیز جدیدی بود و میشه گفت تقریبا بیخیال اتفاقات سه جلد اول شد. فضای داستان در جلد چهارم کاملا در تضاد با جلدهای دیگه بود، که میتونم بگم نپسندیدمش :)
در اتفاقاتی که در پایان جلد چهارم افتاد، عملا تمام ماجراها و اتفاقات به نقطه پایان خودشون رسیده بودن ولی همچنان مسائلی ناگفته باقی‌مانده بود :)
و اینجاست که جلد پنجم به میان می آید :)
بعد از اینکه همه فکر میکنن همه چی تموم شده و می‌خوان به بدبختی‌هاشون برسن، :)))
از "ناکجا آباد" اتفاقی می‌افتد و داستان ادامه پیدا می‌کند :)
حالا درسته مجموعه و ایده کلی جاذاب بوده ولی ادامه و کش دادن به چه قیمتی؟:)
حالا اینو یه برچسب ابتکار روش می‌زنیم و رد میشیم👀
به عنوان جلد پایانی، نویسنده جان‌هایمان تصمیم میگیرن نیم‌نگاهی به کالوم هانت و خصم داشته باشن و مجموعه رو برای پایان خود آماده کنن:)
و اینکه... اتفاقی که افتاد، چیزی نبود که انتظارش رو داشتم... قبول، شرکت‌کننده بود. اما چگونگی روایتش افتضاح!:)
کل لذت غافلگیری در اینه که بگی کل این تموم این مدت جلوی چشمم بود و من نفهمیدم:) نه اینکه یهو یه فصل شروع کنن و همه باور های قبلی داستانو نابود کنند:)
اون هم بدون هیچ پیش‌زمینه و آماده‌سازی:)
بدون کوچک‌ترین احتمال و اشاره‌ای که در جلدهای قبل بشه:)
و در آخر... درمورد چگونگی پایان...
میتونم بگم که در نهایت درمورد طوری که همه‌چیز تموم شد، رضایت دارم:)
پایانی که برای بعضی شخصیت‌ها قابل‌قبول بود:)
جوری که نیاز بود اون پایان رخ بده:)
و از اتفاقاتی که در راه رسیدن به پایان رخ داد نگویم:(
فقط اینکه مجموعه رو دوست داشتم:(
و اگه از نظرم برخی موارد رو نداشت میتونست از جاذاب‌ترین خونده‌هام بشه:(

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, I know I’m about to be really harsh, but something about this series just feels off to me, so I’m going to rant for a second.

Holly Black and Cassandra Clare are both amazing writers, which they have proved in numerous solo projects.

Nothing about this series is recognizable as their work. There's none of Holly Black delectable, dark writing. None of Cassandra Clare's vivid characters and laugh-out-loud snarky dialogue. None of the tightly plotted, intricate worldbuilding I've come to expect from both of them. It would not surprise me in the slightest if it came out that these books were ghost-written.

But assuming that this was Black and Clare, looking back on this series as a whole, it almost seems like they lost interest in it but maybe had to finish it due to their contracts? Speculation, but I can see no reason why these writers would put out something this mediocre. It reads as barely edited and devoid of passion, like the writers both really just wanted to be working on something else.

Also, "monumental conclusion" my ass. It reads like an essay turned in at 11:59 when the due date is 12:00. I seriously considered if my book was missing pages; the falling action and conclusion is literally less than a page.

One starring because I honestly feel like these books were written just to cash in on the names of these successful authors. They’re mediocre on every level.

[Mango · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ending to the series!

I really enjoyed the plot here, and there were a bunch of plot twists which I did not expect. The ending was a little bit underwhelming, but it was good nevertheless.

I absolutely loved the character development. In the beginning of this book, Call was a scared boy. He was scared of several things: People hunting him down, getting possessed, etc. But at the end, he removed all those fears and managed to save the day. Call went from a sarcastic grumpy kid, to a grown accomplished man.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed the Magisterium series, and am sad that it's over. Thanks Holly Black and Cassandra Clare for a wonderful series.

Oh my God, I love Alastair. HE became an air elemental just for Callum? That's what I call a devoted father. And mu God, Anastasia was actually the villain? *mindblown* And I'm so glad they got Aaron back, but in a different body. I did not expect Callum and Tamara to end up together though. I always though Aaron and Tamara, Callum and Celia, and Jasper and Gwenda. Guess I was wrong lol. Eh Callum and Tamara still is good.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have finally reached the end. Overall satisfied but I still wanted a few things different regarding a couple characters. But most things had a nice ending. Although some things I also felt were a bit rushed in the explanations. I feel like Call has really started to grow into a young adult. Jasper though has grown the most. In comparison Alex continues to act more immature in each scene he is in. Ridiculously so. I don't get how it wasn't picked up on sooner. It was nice to see others finally start to trust Call. Alasitair really shocks me the most though and Revan became a character I really like. It was a fast paced tale that is in constant motion. It was a fun read!

[Elif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh.



My.







Oh.

My.

Goodness.


Holly and Cassandra, you are extremely talented.

You two are now my favorite authors and you are the authors of my favorite series and favorite book.

Yes, it did go really fast, but that really fit in with the plot because the plot speeds as fast as a bullet. You two did amazingly in making sure the writing doesn't slow this plot down.

I'm speechless.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a big ball of incredibly anticlimactic scenes