Magic school stories are always fun. Seeing young sorcerers and magic user come into their own and deal with all the social issues and angst that you find in any education system has so much potential for a good story. In this case, however, it's more like a magic college which we don't see as often. Did this one pull it off okay? Let's find out.
Sisters Aurie and Pi have had to work hard for just about everything in life. Aurie feels responsible for her younger sister after their parents tragic deaths and works as hard as she can to make ends meet. Pi is eager to prove herself and is willing to go to any lengths to get what she wants. Soon the sisters are given the chance to enter the trials which, if you pass, you will get a chance to join one of the Hundred Halls, specialized learning facilities for magicians of all kinds. Both Aurie and Pi have their sights set on certain halls and, while both are skilled in magic, they must contend with bullies, unfair professors, devious creatures, and conspiracies if they want to pass...and survive.
First thing about this book that I really wanted to talk about was just how well the sisters were written. Pi, in particular, could have been a disaster as that attitude-filled, hormone-driven, reason-ignoring teenager who wants to do what she wants to do because she wants it. While, sure, she does make some rash decisions that a smarter person might, she's still a nice person. She's kind to others and loves her sister despite how overbearing she can be. They made a pretty good team and I was glad to see that. Aurie was also nicely written. It's made clear from the beginning that she's talented in magic but things don't go her way very often and she has a hard time in this book. In spite of this, she has a great attitude. When she's told that she has to live in a closet, she thinks nothing of it because she's happy to be where she is. Both these ladies are pretty awesome and I liked them both a lot.
The magic set up is pretty interesting, as is the world building. While it's called Trials of Magic, the trials don't even make up a third of the book. They're actually a pretty small part of the story but the real trials these girls go through includes what comes after. Again, they have to fight for every little thing. Between jobs and lessons and some particularly hate-inducing other students, these girls have their work cut out for them. I was actually pretty glad to see this. Both these girls are pretty good at magic and so it was nice to see that everything wasn't too easy for them, which it could very well have been. If the student in the magic school doesn't struggle, then it makes them seem too powerful and we don't get as invested in them as we might have been. This is why I think the Harry Potter books would have been an epic fail if Hermione had been the main character. She would have been a Mary Sue. Admit it. By having the main characters be more like the everyman rather than the superman, we get more invested in whether or not they succeed.
If I had any problem with the book it might be that the third act kinda went in its own direction. Now, it wasn't bad, exactly, but it turned out that a plot line that I thought was just a side quest turned out to be the big climax of the story and the search was on for some magical McGuffin that was supposedly a thing....it kinda got it bit crazy near the end. That being said, it wasn't completely detached from the rest of the story and did tie into the girls directly and the struggles they were going through, so I guess it wasn't too bad.
Final Verdict
The characters were really great, the plot was interesting, the world was set up well...all in all, I'd say this one was a success. If it sounds like you'd be interested in it, then it is worth your money at your local bookstore.
Have you read the book? What did you think? Comment below and share your thoughts. Please make sure to Follow Midnight Readings for instant updates. Have a book you'd like me to read or would like to make a recommendation? Contact me on goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65448711-michelle-beer
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