A generation ago, 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. Now Call is one of the most feared and reviled students in the history of the Magisterium, thought to be responsible for a devastating death and an ever-present threat of war. As a result, Call has been imprisoned and interrogated. Everyone wants to know what Constantine was up to-and how he lives on. But Call has no idea. It is only when he's broken out of prison that the full potential of Constantine's plan is suddenly in his hands . . . and he must decide what to do with his power. In this spellbinding fourth book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take us beyond the realm of the living and into the dangers of the dead.
Flo's Review
So, true to Holly Black and Cassie Clare style, the Magisterium book #3 left us with a devastating ending. Book 4 starts us about 6 months after the events at the end of the last book. Call is still gauging his thoughts and actions based on if they will put him in the Evil Overlord category Unfortunately, there may be more mages who believe him to be an Evil Overlord than who do not.
Romance starts to brew and it's middle grade romance, so it's just cute. I think it might largely be based on the circumstances the two characters find themselves in, but it was a fun way to bring some levity into what could be a pretty heavy story. Speaking of levity -- Jasper for the win! I laughed every time he complained to Call about Celia, but I also found myself surprisingly touched (as Call was) by a confession that he makes in the book.
The comparisons of this series to Harry Potter are inevitable, and I feel this book is akin to The Order of the Phoenix. Phoenix, to me, is when I felt things started to get really dark really fast, and Master Joseph and Alex Strike took it to that level here.
Of course, I have to discuss the ending. (Of course, I will do so in a spoiler-free way.) So, there was something good followed by something really, really bad. I think the next book will be the last book in the series, so it will hopefully answer the unanswered questions that Call pondered about himself, his abilities, Constantine Madden's actions, chaos magic, and more in this book. The dynamic between the characters has changed again, so I wonder what that will mean for the romance. I do hope it's addressed.
I listened to this one on audiobook and absolutely loved it! I popped it into my CD player after a bad experience with another audiobook, and it was exactly what I needed. The reader did a great job of reading well the pacing that kept the story moving. I never felt stuck in the plot. And it went by so fast! The only thing that threw me -- and this is a little thing -- is the way he pronounced Callum's name. I have been reading it as Cal, rhyming with Al. But he read it as Call, pronounced like "phone call." Who knew?! But overall, if you like audiobooks and you like this series, then The Silver Mask audiobook is the way to go.
Thank you to Books on Tape for sending me a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Our other reviews of the Magisterium series:
The Iron Trial: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2015/02/the-iron-trial-by-cassandra-clare-and.html
The Bronze Key: http://www.booknerdsacrossamerica.com/2016/10/the-bronze-key-by-holly-black-and.html
I didn't realize another book was out. I'm going to have to add this to the list.
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