Helpful Score: 3
This is a great book based upon many real-life people. I have seen this unfairly compared to Harry Potter. If you want Harry Potter, pick up a J.K. Rowling book.
Twins, Josh & Sophie, are suddenly thrown into the world of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel and find that everything they thought was myth or legend is real and that history is different than they were thought. They realize that they have the potential to save or destroy the whole world.
This is a great book for all ages however you do need to read the first book in the series, The Alchemyst, to understand what is going on. These books do NOT stand alone.
Twins, Josh & Sophie, are suddenly thrown into the world of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel and find that everything they thought was myth or legend is real and that history is different than they were thought. They realize that they have the potential to save or destroy the whole world.
This is a great book for all ages however you do need to read the first book in the series, The Alchemyst, to understand what is going on. These books do NOT stand alone.
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Bk 2) on + 5322 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Sophie, Josh, Nicholas, and Scatty retreat to Paris after the disaster on the West Coast. They arrive inside the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur. For Nicholas, he's returning home, but he hasn't been there for hundreds of years. Everything's changed.
Dr. Dee hasn't wasted any time; he immediately called for reinforcements - Machiavelli is already in Paris and waiting for them. With Sophie's newly awakened powers, they are able to escape. Nicholas leads them to the home of his old student. There, they regroup, rest, and recharge.
Once Dr. Dee arrives in Paris things begin to happen. He wants to capture the twins plus the last two pages of the codex, and he's willing to do anything to catch them.
The twins fight back, along with Nicholas, Scatty, Francis, and Joan of Arc. Together they make a stand, but is it enough to stop the powerful Magician?
Michael Scott blends mystery, fantasy, and history perfectly together into an adrenaline-filled, addicting novel.
Sophie, Josh, Nicholas, and Scatty retreat to Paris after the disaster on the West Coast. They arrive inside the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur. For Nicholas, he's returning home, but he hasn't been there for hundreds of years. Everything's changed.
Dr. Dee hasn't wasted any time; he immediately called for reinforcements - Machiavelli is already in Paris and waiting for them. With Sophie's newly awakened powers, they are able to escape. Nicholas leads them to the home of his old student. There, they regroup, rest, and recharge.
Once Dr. Dee arrives in Paris things begin to happen. He wants to capture the twins plus the last two pages of the codex, and he's willing to do anything to catch them.
The twins fight back, along with Nicholas, Scatty, Francis, and Joan of Arc. Together they make a stand, but is it enough to stop the powerful Magician?
Michael Scott blends mystery, fantasy, and history perfectly together into an adrenaline-filled, addicting novel.
Barbara S. (barbsis) -
Sophie and Josh have both had their magic awakened and they perform amazing feats and rescue the gang numerous times.
This is a really good series. Far-fetched as hell but eminently enjoyable. The whole gang returns for book 2 and a few newbies as well.
This is a really good series. Far-fetched as hell but eminently enjoyable. The whole gang returns for book 2 and a few newbies as well.
This review will be long, but I have a lot to say about this book.
I picked up The Magician (as I did The Alchemyst) in the hopes of finding another series to give me a Harry Potter-like fix. Like Harry Potter, the Nicholas Flamel series is fantasy set in the present day. I'm perfectly fine with that. But unlike Harry Potter, these books throw the modern world in your face...at least once per chapter. Personally, I was very put off by that. Having fantasy and magic thrown in next to iPods and World of Warcraft is very jarring and, frankly, quite annoying. For example, when Josh compares an enemy's weapon to a weapon he saw in World of Warcraft (a massively multiplayer online computer game), I nearly threw the book out the window in frustration. I know the story takes place in "present day", so stop reminding me every 3 pages!
This is just a personal preference. Undoubtedly many people like (or will like) the book. But as a huge Harry Potter, Narnia and Lord of the Rings fan, this book was incredibly disappointing. I don't mind fantasy written in the present day. Harry Potter is a great example of what I like in a story set in our time. But this book seems to want to remind you every few pages that there are internet cafes and cell phones in the world our characters live in. That's not to say that iPods and email can't be mentioned, but it just feels out of place in this and book 1 (which is weird considering they're set in the present day).
That leads me to other bothersome aspects of the writing. I can understand that these are the author's first two novels and some immaturity in the writing is to be expected, but there is an over reliance on little catchphrases and adjectives that became infuriating to read. When I read that a passage of time was "shorter than a heartbeat" for the 15th time, I started to think the author couldn't think of any other way to describe the sudden situation and I rolled my eyes (and eventually let out an audible sigh or groan) everytime I saw that phrase on the page. And there are many others like that.
I remember enjoying The Alchemyst. The talk of iPods and emails in The Alchemyst annoyed me (as previously mentioned), but it wasn't as bad as The Magician. But I remember not being able to put The Alchemyst down and looking forward to the next book. BUt with The Magician I couldn't wait to finish it so I could move on to something else. It took everything I had to finish it and quickly posted it on PBS when I finished.
Taking a cue from the author and using the same catchphrase over and over again, I found this book to be completely annoying. The best parts were of Perenelle at Alcatraz, and there were maybe 5 chapters of that. I will likely read The Sorceress (book 3), but only because I almost feel obligated to see how everything finishes. The basic premise is interesting and showed potential, but so far the way it is constructed leaves a lot to be desired.
I picked up The Magician (as I did The Alchemyst) in the hopes of finding another series to give me a Harry Potter-like fix. Like Harry Potter, the Nicholas Flamel series is fantasy set in the present day. I'm perfectly fine with that. But unlike Harry Potter, these books throw the modern world in your face...at least once per chapter. Personally, I was very put off by that. Having fantasy and magic thrown in next to iPods and World of Warcraft is very jarring and, frankly, quite annoying. For example, when Josh compares an enemy's weapon to a weapon he saw in World of Warcraft (a massively multiplayer online computer game), I nearly threw the book out the window in frustration. I know the story takes place in "present day", so stop reminding me every 3 pages!
This is just a personal preference. Undoubtedly many people like (or will like) the book. But as a huge Harry Potter, Narnia and Lord of the Rings fan, this book was incredibly disappointing. I don't mind fantasy written in the present day. Harry Potter is a great example of what I like in a story set in our time. But this book seems to want to remind you every few pages that there are internet cafes and cell phones in the world our characters live in. That's not to say that iPods and email can't be mentioned, but it just feels out of place in this and book 1 (which is weird considering they're set in the present day).
That leads me to other bothersome aspects of the writing. I can understand that these are the author's first two novels and some immaturity in the writing is to be expected, but there is an over reliance on little catchphrases and adjectives that became infuriating to read. When I read that a passage of time was "shorter than a heartbeat" for the 15th time, I started to think the author couldn't think of any other way to describe the sudden situation and I rolled my eyes (and eventually let out an audible sigh or groan) everytime I saw that phrase on the page. And there are many others like that.
I remember enjoying The Alchemyst. The talk of iPods and emails in The Alchemyst annoyed me (as previously mentioned), but it wasn't as bad as The Magician. But I remember not being able to put The Alchemyst down and looking forward to the next book. BUt with The Magician I couldn't wait to finish it so I could move on to something else. It took everything I had to finish it and quickly posted it on PBS when I finished.
Taking a cue from the author and using the same catchphrase over and over again, I found this book to be completely annoying. The best parts were of Perenelle at Alcatraz, and there were maybe 5 chapters of that. I will likely read The Sorceress (book 3), but only because I almost feel obligated to see how everything finishes. The basic premise is interesting and showed potential, but so far the way it is constructed leaves a lot to be desired.
