From Goodreads: On one side of the Rift is a technological paradise without famine or want. On the other side is a mystery.

Sixteen-year-old Glenn Morgan has lived next to the Rift her entire life and has no idea of what might be on the other side of it. Glenn’s only friend, Kevin, insists the fence holds back a world of monsters and witchcraft, but magic isn’t for Glenn. She has enough problems with reality: Glenn’s mother disappeared when she was six, and soon after, she lost her scientist father to his all-consuming work on the mysterious Project. Glenn buries herself in her studies and dreams about the day she can escape. But when her father’s work leads to his arrest, he gives Glenn a simple metal bracelet that will send Glenn and Kevin on the run—with only one place to go.

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This is one of those books that I liked overall, but there were some hiccups and slow moving scenes along the way that made it a little hard for me to want to turn to the next page.  I think Magisterium started out as a very unique piece, but at the same time, there seem to be a lot of books coming out right now that deal with “two different sides/worlds,” such as Skylark (and even The Future We Left Behind, to an extent)and I’m finding that these novels are following the same patterns: highly advanced worlds versus the unknown/being lied too.  Now, there isn’t anything wrong with that in the least; perhaps it’s because I’m reading them all in such close succession that I’m not falling directly in love with any of them.  Thus, what originally seemed quite enticing to me, when I read the synopsis, no longer is due to reading other books along the same lines… and so I have to wonder… if I’d read this prior to any of the other books I’ve read that are similar, would I feel differently?  Perhaps.

Now, Hirsh does put his own spin on this divided world, with one group being very technologically advanced and perfect, while the other side is full of magic, fantasy, and… mayhem.  I liked the idea behind the fantasy aspect of the novel, but I’m not an extreme fantasy buff, so the multiple talking animals and such didn’t necessarily make me like it any more than I already did—in fact, that’s one of the last things I was expecting to find in this novel, but Hirsh explained this fantastical world quite well and I found it interesting enough.  I liked the talking animals and thought their personalities were very well developed, just as I liked Glenn’s personality (but I hated Kevin). However, the weird delirious responses of Kevin and Glenn once beyond the Rift confused me a great deal and I’m still not 100% sure what was really happening… I think I have the general idea, and I liked the overall concept of the novel—missing mother, father trying to find her through creation of technological devices, a girl attempting to save both of her worlds… and I did like the overall premise; I just didn’t fall in love with it.  So, if you’re really into fantasy and magical worlds interspersed with technological advances, then this might be right up your alley.  For me, I give it three stars.

Scholastic Press has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read a copy of this novel, via Netgalley.