Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Enjoyed listening to Scott's tale of an ancient alchemyst who knows the secret elixir to staying young, and stays alive protecting the ancient Book of Abraham with the recipe from getting into the clutches of ancient evil beings. Only the book has just been stolen by one of the evil ones henchman. Caught up in the chase are fifteen-year-old twins Josh and Sophie, who happen to be in the ancient book as wll.
What was fun for me to learn was, there really was a Nicholas Flamel (Harry Potter afficionados will also recognize the name). So, you can google characters both real and mythological, but maybe not while you are reading it because the action is non-stop.
What was fun for me to learn was, there really was a Nicholas Flamel (Harry Potter afficionados will also recognize the name). So, you can google characters both real and mythological, but maybe not while you are reading it because the action is non-stop.
It was a good idea, but it got boring. There's no depth or breadth, only a lot of repetitive filler to take up pages. There's no need to give me four descriptions of the same scene from four different points of view when they are all basically the same. It had potential, but it petered out.
I love this series. It meant so much to me growing up. I always say Septimus Heap and Skulduggery Pleasant were my Harry Potter, but this was my Percy Jackson (although I always read PJ around the same time as these books, I just liked these more).
However, as nostalgic as these are for me, they really just don’t hold up. I was planning on rereading the entire series, and I still might, but I know for sure now that I don’t enjoy these as much as I did when I was a kid. I would definitely give these to a young person to get them more interested in reading though. They’re super fun and the mix of mythologies is really cool.
Would definitely recommend these, but only for a young person. I think a more mature reader would find them a little too simple and overly cliche. But damn, is it a cool “expedition” through world mythology.
However, as nostalgic as these are for me, they really just don’t hold up. I was planning on rereading the entire series, and I still might, but I know for sure now that I don’t enjoy these as much as I did when I was a kid. I would definitely give these to a young person to get them more interested in reading though. They’re super fun and the mix of mythologies is really cool.
Would definitely recommend these, but only for a young person. I think a more mature reader would find them a little too simple and overly cliche. But damn, is it a cool “expedition” through world mythology.
Just not interested in picking it up and to many other books I want to read instead.
Real rating: 1.5 stars
The plot seemed compelling, but overall, this book was kind of dry. I had quite a few problems with it.
-Why is Scatty so immature, even though she is OVER TWO THOUSAND YEARS OLD???
-John Dee’s motive was really clichéd, and he was lame and annoying
-BASTET. Why is she a villain, when in traditional mythology, she’s the goddess of protection and dance and kittens and stuff?? That just doesn’t make sense to turn her evil. I mean, it would be perfectly fine if this were Sekhmet, but seriously?
(Don’t believe me? Here’s her Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastet)
-Most of the characters were dry and had ZERO personality.
Last night, I was reading this, and I though, “Oh heck, I don’t even care anymore.” So I stopped reading it. I stopped at 71%. I liked Nearly-Headless Nick an awful lot better. :P
The plot seemed compelling, but overall, this book was kind of dry. I had quite a few problems with it.
-Why is Scatty so immature, even though she is OVER TWO THOUSAND YEARS OLD???
-John Dee’s motive was really clichéd, and he was lame and annoying
-BASTET. Why is she a villain, when in traditional mythology, she’s the goddess of protection and dance and kittens and stuff?? That just doesn’t make sense to turn her evil. I mean, it would be perfectly fine if this were Sekhmet, but seriously?
(Don’t believe me? Here’s her Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastet)
-Most of the characters were dry and had ZERO personality.
Last night, I was reading this, and I though, “Oh heck, I don’t even care anymore.” So I stopped reading it. I stopped at 71%. I liked Nearly-Headless Nick an awful lot better. :P
Thrilling, filled with adventures, magic, science and otherworldly beings, The Alchemyst is by far one of the most amazing books I've read since 'Harry Potter." Following characters based off of real historical individuals, you dive into an otherworldly imaginative land, filled with creatures that go bump in the night, Gods from history books, and two twins who will brave it all.
In love with this series.
In love with this series.
This seems like the kind of book I would like, but I just couldn't get into it. Gave up on it.
Are you tired of love triangles, or just romance in general? Do you love mythology of shape or size? Then this is the book for you!
What I Liked
Omniscient POV. It was great! This is one of the only books where I can honestly say that it was omniscient. I love being able to know what any given character is thinking at any given time.
The Mythology. All sorts of world mythologies and legends were woven together in this book to create this one all-encompassing mythology (for lack of a better word). It was amazing! Now, you might be thinking, its probably just Greek and Roman and Egyptian, because that's what popular. BUT IT'S NOT! Most of the Elders were unrecognizable. Yes, I knew Hekate and Bastet, but the Morrigan? Scathach? The Witch of Endor? They're completely new, and trust me it just gets better.
HISTORY! Forgive me, I'm kind of a history nerd. So, when all the immortal humans were prominent historical figures, I rejoiced! Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel (you might know them from Harry Potter, I know I did) and John Dee (who admittedly, I had never heard of, but I looked him up and he's real) who was THE FIRST 007! How awesome is that? Yes, he's the villain. But, still. The only made-up people are Sophie and Josh. EVEN THE BOOK OF ABRAHAM THE MAGE IS REAL!!!!!
What I Didn't Like:(
SLEEP I know the book takes place over two days. But did anyone sleep? NO. Did they talk about sleeping? Yes. But it never happened. When Sophie and Josh were supposed to be sleeping in Hekate's tree/house/thing, they were trying to escape to go back home and meeting winged feathery lizard things. Now, I get homesickness. But to me, sleep outranks that by A LOT!!
Pacing Yes, there was a lot of action and some really cool battle scenes. But. (There's always a but) It took awhile to get to the really cool battle scenes. At times it got slow, with everyone just kind of meandering around and talking and walking in circles and stuff.
Josh. I loved his relationship with Sophie most of time. It was somewhat unrealistic, because who actually likes their brother/sister that much? But it was still sweet. After Sophie was Awakened though, Josh kinda got weird. Apparently he smelled, he was jealous of his sister's powers even though she was in extreme pain and kept passing out, and he kept saying he didn't know her anymore just because they were different. I don't know if that's just a twin thing, having to be exactly the same or what, but it was annoying.
Overall, really good. This was a reread and it was just as good as the first time. The rest of the series gets even better, with more mythology, more magic, more history (hint: Billy the Kid!) and other cool stuff like that. So, basically, just go read it. I guarantee you will like it.
What I Liked
Omniscient POV. It was great! This is one of the only books where I can honestly say that it was omniscient. I love being able to know what any given character is thinking at any given time.
The Mythology. All sorts of world mythologies and legends were woven together in this book to create this one all-encompassing mythology (for lack of a better word). It was amazing! Now, you might be thinking, its probably just Greek and Roman and Egyptian, because that's what popular. BUT IT'S NOT! Most of the Elders were unrecognizable. Yes, I knew Hekate and Bastet, but the Morrigan? Scathach? The Witch of Endor? They're completely new, and trust me it just gets better.
HISTORY! Forgive me, I'm kind of a history nerd. So, when all the immortal humans were prominent historical figures, I rejoiced! Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel (you might know them from Harry Potter, I know I did) and John Dee (who admittedly, I had never heard of, but I looked him up and he's real) who was THE FIRST 007! How awesome is that? Yes, he's the villain. But, still. The only made-up people are Sophie and Josh. EVEN THE BOOK OF ABRAHAM THE MAGE IS REAL!!!!!
What I Didn't Like:(
SLEEP I know the book takes place over two days. But did anyone sleep? NO. Did they talk about sleeping? Yes. But it never happened. When Sophie and Josh were supposed to be sleeping in Hekate's tree/house/thing, they were trying to escape to go back home and meeting winged feathery lizard things. Now, I get homesickness. But to me, sleep outranks that by A LOT!!
Pacing Yes, there was a lot of action and some really cool battle scenes. But. (There's always a but) It took awhile to get to the really cool battle scenes. At times it got slow, with everyone just kind of meandering around and talking and walking in circles and stuff.
Josh. I loved his relationship with Sophie most of time. It was somewhat unrealistic, because who actually likes their brother/sister that much? But it was still sweet. After Sophie was Awakened though, Josh kinda got weird. Apparently he smelled, he was jealous of his sister's powers even though she was in extreme pain and kept passing out, and he kept saying he didn't know her anymore just because they were different. I don't know if that's just a twin thing, having to be exactly the same or what, but it was annoying.
Overall, really good. This was a reread and it was just as good as the first time. The rest of the series gets even better, with more mythology, more magic, more history (hint: Billy the Kid!) and other cool stuff like that. So, basically, just go read it. I guarantee you will like it.
Pretty good, but trying a little to hard to be harry potter. Fairly predictable with too much going on in too little time. Better for younger kids, but still worth reading.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes