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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I am late to this party, obviously. Fun book! I have had a few duds lately and needed something light to cleanse my palate. Definitely a good choice. Can't wait to start the next one!
Pretty good -- Love the historical notes in the back. I know a lot of kids who might like this, including my local Rick Riordan fans. I guess I'll have to go find book 2.
Great fantasy story with elements from different mythologies and history. I liked how he wove that all together.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5, rounded down (I know that's not how rounding works; bite me).
This is firmly a YA novel. The MCs don't have a ton of depth, and things just keep happening to them. The entire book is a whirlwind for everyone, without much time for character development.
The magic system is neat, and the wordlbuilding is cool. Still a fun read, but nothing spectacular about it to blow me away.
This is firmly a YA novel. The MCs don't have a ton of depth, and things just keep happening to them. The entire book is a whirlwind for everyone, without much time for character development.
The magic system is neat, and the wordlbuilding is cool. Still a fun read, but nothing spectacular about it to blow me away.
If I am going to get into a book like this I need to remember to block out time to read without interruption. The last third was in a big block of time and I was totally hooked. And the icing on the cake was the afterword. I loved the sharing of the inspirational process. Would love to read a bit more about the real Perenelle and Nicholas Flamel. The book jacket provides a great lead in for book talk:
"The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty."
"The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty."
Recommended by a friend of mine months ago, the Alchemyst is an interesting take on the story of Nicolas Flamel. While many believe he is mere lore from Harry Potter, the Alchemyst does an adequate job of bringing his story to the forefront.
I will admit that I am not the target demographic for this novel and my review is written accordingly. The Alchemyst is in the same vein, for me, as the Kane Chronicles. It's sort of historically based with lots of historical fantasy elements brought in. I enjoyed the novel enough to check out the second book from the library but not enough to put it on my instant read list.
I will admit that I am not the target demographic for this novel and my review is written accordingly. The Alchemyst is in the same vein, for me, as the Kane Chronicles. It's sort of historically based with lots of historical fantasy elements brought in. I enjoyed the novel enough to check out the second book from the library but not enough to put it on my instant read list.
It started a bit slow and Scott tended to repeat himself often, which got a bit frustrating. But once the story picked up, I found it fascinating. I love mythology, and being a YA book, it was written in a more understandable level (compared to [book: Foucault's Pendulum]).
His writing Josh needs improvement. His emotions are "on his sleeve" which makes his actions extremely predictable. Granted he's supposed to be a 15-year-old boy so I guess they are predictable. But since the other writing tends to be more tight, it's a large eyesore.
I found the characters Nicholas Flamel and John Dee to be fascinating. I really would like to read more about John Dee (he worked for Queen Elizabeth and really did sign government documents as "007"). It's tidbits like that I find interesting.
It's not the best ya fantasy book I've read, but I'm looking very forward to reading the sequel, [book: The Magician].
His writing Josh needs improvement. His emotions are "on his sleeve" which makes his actions extremely predictable. Granted he's supposed to be a 15-year-old boy so I guess they are predictable. But since the other writing tends to be more tight, it's a large eyesore.
I found the characters Nicholas Flamel and John Dee to be fascinating. I really would like to read more about John Dee (he worked for Queen Elizabeth and really did sign government documents as "007"). It's tidbits like that I find interesting.
It's not the best ya fantasy book I've read, but I'm looking very forward to reading the sequel, [book: The Magician].
3.5 stars!
Summary:
The Alchemyst is the first book in a middle-grade/young adult series following twins Sophie and Josh who get caught up in a plot with Nicholas Flamel and John Dee to save the world from the dark elders. I read this book when I was a kid, but am rereading to finally finish the series. I also listened to this on audiobook!
Characters 4/5:
Josh and Sophie are great characters to read from. Their dynamic is well thought through, and the set up for their growth throughout the series is FABULOUS. I also really loved that we get to explore how Nick and Perenelle would exist in the modern world which is just... *chefs kiss*.
Plot 3/5:
The plot is good, and pretty fast paced. I don't think a whole lot of forward momentum really happened in this installment, but it is the first book in a 6 book series, so I think it's really doing a lot of the set up for carrying on with the series.
World-building 3/5:
Solid, but really we're just starting to learn how the different mythological elements tie in. I think this does a great job of avoiding any major infodumping, which is a major pet peeve of mine.
Writing style 4/5:
The writing flows really well, and although the voices of the twins aren't super differentiated, it's also a 3rd person limited perspective, so that's not that much of a problem. It's addictively readable and I could jump keep listening and listening, which is a definite plus!
Summary:
The Alchemyst is the first book in a middle-grade/young adult series following twins Sophie and Josh who get caught up in a plot with Nicholas Flamel and John Dee to save the world from the dark elders. I read this book when I was a kid, but am rereading to finally finish the series. I also listened to this on audiobook!
Characters 4/5:
Josh and Sophie are great characters to read from. Their dynamic is well thought through, and the set up for their growth throughout the series is FABULOUS. I also really loved that we get to explore how Nick and Perenelle would exist in the modern world which is just... *chefs kiss*.
Plot 3/5:
The plot is good, and pretty fast paced. I don't think a whole lot of forward momentum really happened in this installment, but it is the first book in a 6 book series, so I think it's really doing a lot of the set up for carrying on with the series.
World-building 3/5:
Solid, but really we're just starting to learn how the different mythological elements tie in. I think this does a great job of avoiding any major infodumping, which is a major pet peeve of mine.
Writing style 4/5:
The writing flows really well, and although the voices of the twins aren't super differentiated, it's also a 3rd person limited perspective, so that's not that much of a problem. It's addictively readable and I could jump keep listening and listening, which is a definite plus!
