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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I am torn in this one as to if this is more of a 3.5 or 4 but halves aren't available so we'll go for 4. The book is quite well written from an authoring perspective. The story is definitely YA in that there are just so many different historically defined "Gods" mucking about that you really have to suspend disbelief to get through it all. The premise is sound (again, in a YA format) but not entirely awe-inspiring. So I guess all I'm saying is that for what it is Michael Scott did a good job. And I'm sure continuing the series would tie together many more stories that would enlighten this world even more. But for now I'm going to attack the rest of the TBR shelf and I'll come back to this series one day when I'm more apt to curl up with a distinctly YA story.
Man, these do not stand up to childhood nostalgia. Annoying characters, over explained plot and a setting that boils down to mythological and historical fanfic.
Great page turner, exciting swirl of legends, gods, initiation and coming of age drama. Well assembled cast of characters, richly developed and intricately connected to history and folklore. A masterfully clever introduction to mythology for the un-intiated.
Did you ever see a movie and felt like well the idea and the story are great, but the acting was just appalling? Yeah, that's what this book is like. It felt inconsistent, the pacing was weird with whole moment that went fast and than had a sudden drop in momentum to revert to the first speed. Within a page.
I love this series! The cast of characters is amazing, Nicholas Flamet and Dr. John Dee to say the least. Plenty of mythical creatures make appearances, and people from the history books who turn out to be immortals. There is a prophecy that may or may not mean the end of the world, and one of the twins may turn to the evil side. This story is told from both the good side and the bad side, the chapters pretty much alternate views, so that we can see the motivations of both sides. The book is hinting that Flamel may not be a perfectly good character, and Dee may not be completely evil which is great! I suggest this book to fans of the magic/fantasy genre.
I enjoyed this book. Towards the end I do understand what people meant about the kids being a bit obnoxious though. I don't think it's anything like Harry Potter though. The only similar idea that links them is Nicholas Flamel. I'm excited to read the second in the series. Hopefully the annoying twins won't be quite as annoying.
I first approached this book because of the high praise and apparent buzz that it will catch on as the next 'Harry Potter' successor. The story is compelling, the characters are compelling, but I tend to have an issue when children or teens from the "normal world" are used as anchors in a fantasy book. The dialog is cheesy and written for the pre-teen crowd, but getting past this, Scott makes a believable world that pulls you in.
Although the action moves much quicker compared to other fantasy books, there isn't much richness to the plot. Effectively, this seems like a 'buddy road trip to save the world' book, which can be fun for young readers, but a bit derivative for adults. Having the protagonists be the actual "keys" to solving the problem is trite.
I am going to give the sequel a chance. After all, the tradition of savior/hero is well worn troupe, so I'm willing to suspend judgement on Michael Scott's efforts for at least one more book.
Although the action moves much quicker compared to other fantasy books, there isn't much richness to the plot. Effectively, this seems like a 'buddy road trip to save the world' book, which can be fun for young readers, but a bit derivative for adults. Having the protagonists be the actual "keys" to solving the problem is trite.
I am going to give the sequel a chance. After all, the tradition of savior/hero is well worn troupe, so I'm willing to suspend judgement on Michael Scott's efforts for at least one more book.
I had great hopes for this book. The story of Nicholas Flamel is timeless in nature. Nicholas Flamel is a legend; he has been making an elixir to sustain his youth for centuries. Flamel found the recipe for the elixir of life in the Book of Abraham. This powerful book also contains other information that if it was possessed by the wrong hands it would give the dark elders control of the world and the world would end as we know it.
The Book of Abraham is stolen from Nicholas Flamel and with the help of two mortal teenager twins, Sophie and Josh Newman; the quest begins to retrieve the book and to save the world in the process.
I found the book slow and really not that interesting. It is nice to have the mythological characters spattered throughout the book, but the book is dull and lacked humour and excitement.
The Book of Abraham is stolen from Nicholas Flamel and with the help of two mortal teenager twins, Sophie and Josh Newman; the quest begins to retrieve the book and to save the world in the process.
I found the book slow and really not that interesting. It is nice to have the mythological characters spattered throughout the book, but the book is dull and lacked humour and excitement.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Listen, I'm all for youth fiction that's chock-full of parallel magical worlds and chosen one narratives, but this first entry in Michael Scott's series is so fast-paced that it's bound to give more skeptical readers whiplash. Even 12-year-old me would have been raising an eyebrow at the fact that Sophie and Josh went from summer jobs in cute shops to magical skirmishes with immortal warriors to hidden dimensions with dinosaurs to the last battle of a goddess to prophetic, world-ending importance in the span of 48 hours.
In terms of the twin protagonists themselves, Scott never quite manages to characterize them as close siblings but also as individuals with their own personalities, so he splits the difference and doesn't hit either mark. In books aimed at a younger demographic, main characters can sometimes be flattened so that they're more of a blank slate the reader can project onto, but this only serves to make the standout biographical choices for the twins seem stranger. Their parents are both archaeologists! They're staying with a great-aunt who is simultaneously overbearing and absent from the story altogether! They have a shared blog! They know kung fu! It's too much, and it's all delivered at exactly the moment where these biographical tidbits will be relevant, and not an instant before.
In terms of the twin protagonists themselves, Scott never quite manages to characterize them as close siblings but also as individuals with their own personalities, so he splits the difference and doesn't hit either mark. In books aimed at a younger demographic, main characters can sometimes be flattened so that they're more of a blank slate the reader can project onto, but this only serves to make the standout biographical choices for the twins seem stranger. Their parents are both archaeologists! They're staying with a great-aunt who is simultaneously overbearing and absent from the story altogether! They have a shared blog! They know kung fu! It's too much, and it's all delivered at exactly the moment where these biographical tidbits will be relevant, and not an instant before.