The Sorceress: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Book 3

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Third book in mythological mashup series still excites.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that the third installment in this popular fantasy series has plenty of mythological beasts and battles, with teenage twins at the center of the conflict. Lots of spiders, poisoned insects, and mythological dogs and wolves meet their demise in tense battle scenes, but it's clear that the twins won't be harmed -- though there are mentions of twins in the past that didn't survive. There's lots of talk of magic, auras, and mythological gods and goddesses, and some recognizable historical characters make appearances as immortals.

  • Gives background on Stonehenge and Paris' Point Zero, both featured in the story prominently.
  • Josh is tempted by an enchanted sword, but he chooses his sister's safety instead. Strong female characters/role models.
  • Teenage twins are set upon by all manner of scary mythological beasts in attempts to capture them; lots of tense moments, but they get mostly scratches. Some sword fighting and archery, with a couple of characters sustaining stab wounds. Lots of mythological beasts killed in battle. One sea beast is stabbed and chopped up. Poisonous insects swarm and attack. Many mentions of twins in the past that died or went mad during the magical process of "awakening." Repeated threat to one character by his overlords that he will be made mortal, then aged to the point of incapacity, then made immortal again so he can suffer like that for eternity.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

After leaving Paris for London, newly awakened twins Sophie and Josh and their mentor/protector, Nicholas Flamel, can't seem to shake their pursuers, who've been set upon by elders from the ancient world (with dangerous magician John Dee acting as principal minion). Just in time, they're scooped up by knight/taxi driver Palamedes and hidden in his junkyard fortress. Meanwhile, Flamel's wife, Perenelle the sorceress, is still stuck on abandoned Alcatraz, hiding from the sphinx and desperately looking for allies, especially when she realizes the cells are teaming with slumbering ancient beasts who only need the right spell to be awakened. When the two parties make magical contact, auras flare up, alerting all manner of nasty creatures to their presence and putting the twins' newly awakened powers to the test.


Is it any good?

 

Consistent with the rest of the series, creatures and characters plucked from a number of mythologies and historical eras abound. For the most part, these creatures fascinate and send chills down the spine when they're sent to battle the twins and Perenelle. But in this installment, the author sometimes overdoes; it's almost impossible to keep them all straight. Also, Palamedes isn't nearly as charming and ruthless a protector as Scatty, who only makes a brief appearance (and a disappointing disappearance).

What does work just as well in this book is the pacing of the action -- Scott always opens with a good chase and closes with an against-all-odds escape, and everything takes place in just a couple of days. Plus, in keeping with the title THE SORCERESS, we finally get to see more of Perenelle's powers, and for girls who like fantasy reads, this story again features powerful female characters.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the myriad mythological and historical characters that pepper this series. What did you know about them before?

  • How does the author use them for his story?

  • Does it make the story more intriguing, the way these characters are "repurposed"? 

  • What else can you find out about Billy the Kid, the Archon, Palamedes, Gilgamesh, and other characters?


This review was written by Carrie R. Wheadon
Kid, 12 years old
August 14, 2009
 
So far... THE BEST IN THE SERIES!!!!!!!
LOVED IT! I think this is a good book for kids aged 10+ and it is also very good for boys and girls. In this book it gets a little more violent as there is more treachery.

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Kid, 13 years old
December 19, 2009
 
Awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This series is one of the best i've ever read!!!!!!!!!

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Teen, 18 years old
March 20, 2010
 

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This review was written by Carrie R. Wheadon
Topics:magic and fantasy
Author:Michael Scott
Book type:Fiction
Genre:Fantasy
Publisher:Delacorte Press
Publication date:May 26, 2009
Number of pages:502
Hardcover price:$17.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):12 - 17
Read aloud:12
Read alone:12

This review was written by Carrie R. Wheadon
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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