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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Read this with Dylan (age 9) as it interested him after reading Harry Potter together. I found it boring and very repetitive. He liked it though so we’re continuing with the series.
Meh. The writing is so-so and rather repetitive. The plot wasn't bad, but I had trouble believing it. I think Michael Scott tried to explain too much that already makes sense in our present world. I may read the next in the series to find out what happens, but I'm not jumping on it.
I think it's really cool that some of these people really existed. This book prompted me to do research on Nicholas Flamel and his wife.
I really wanted to like this book. YA, some magic, a little bit of history...it's right up my alley. Except I really didn't like it.
The book starts off with twins Josh and Sophie working across the street from each other (right...) at their respective summer jobs. We then get thrown into the plot that Flamel is really hundreds of years old and is protecting a magical book from one of his former protégées gone bad. Yes, we've all heard a plot like this before. Predictable. I can forgive predictable if it's done well but this wasn't. The rest of the book is spent bouncing from one elder (basically gods but not) to another. (Oh and their parents were totally okay with them going into the desert with Famel-Josh's boss-for an undisclosed period of time because that's what parents of 15 year olds do...I know, sounds like an episode of Dateline). The writing isn't awful, but I found myself wanting to skip entire chapters of the oil (mainly the ones focused on Dee-the resident bad guy) because they were so boring. Sophie gets progressively more annoying as the book goes on, which is almost unnoticeable compared to the whiner that Josh becomes. Then the book ends with them jumping through a mirror as a form of teleportation, all ready to jump into the next book. I cannot stress how much I hate this. I get that everything is a series these days, but at least have the courtesy to give a book a proper ending.
The book starts off with twins Josh and Sophie working across the street from each other (right...) at their respective summer jobs. We then get thrown into the plot that Flamel is really hundreds of years old and is protecting a magical book from one of his former protégées gone bad. Yes, we've all heard a plot like this before. Predictable. I can forgive predictable if it's done well but this wasn't. The rest of the book is spent bouncing from one elder (basically gods but not) to another. (Oh and their parents were totally okay with them going into the desert with Famel-Josh's boss-for an undisclosed period of time because that's what parents of 15 year olds do...I know, sounds like an episode of Dateline). The writing isn't awful, but I found myself wanting to skip entire chapters of the oil (mainly the ones focused on Dee-the resident bad guy) because they were so boring. Sophie gets progressively more annoying as the book goes on, which is almost unnoticeable compared to the whiner that Josh becomes. Then the book ends with them jumping through a mirror as a form of teleportation, all ready to jump into the next book. I cannot stress how much I hate this. I get that everything is a series these days, but at least have the courtesy to give a book a proper ending.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Great beginning!
This story moves quickly in spite of the many pages. If you remember Nicholas Flamel being mentioned in the "Harry Potter" stories, this is the tale of his adventures. It's hard to put down, and I can't wait to read the next installment!
This story moves quickly in spite of the many pages. If you remember Nicholas Flamel being mentioned in the "Harry Potter" stories, this is the tale of his adventures. It's hard to put down, and I can't wait to read the next installment!
I finished it, but won't continue with the series. I couldn't really get into it. The audio was good, but I just didn't connect to the characters or the story. Not invested. Ah well.
A very passable young-adult fantasy novel. While some are able to transcend the issues incumbent on reading level, this one doesn't rise above a young-adult vernacular, and it shows. It was a major issue for me.