Magisterium: The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare (Scholastic, 2014); audiobook read by Paul Boehmer (Bolinda, 2014) Some surprises on a micro level but the plot as a whole is blandly predictable. The characters are the usual one-trick ponies and Black and Clare play fast and loose with how long it takes events to happen outside of Call’s…
Tag: Holly Black
Doll Bones
Doll Bones by Holly Black (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2013); audiobook read by Nick Podehl (Random House, 2013) A magic-realism quest fantasy marking the reluctant coming-of-age of three YA protagonists still clinging to the storytelling adventures they shared in MG. A markedly downbeat tale, its speculative element minimal to match the floundering ineffectualness of imaginations pitted against the real world.…
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Books 1-5
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Books 1-5 by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (Simon & Schuster, 2003-2004) audiobooks read by Mark Hamill (Random House Audio) A middle-grade series about magical creatures and sibling relationships. Each individual book is quite slight but when read together they build into something of a page-turner. The audiobook editions afford an appropriate outlet for Mark Hamill’s characteristic,…