The Sorceress by Michael Scott

Twins Sophie and Josh Newman are on the run. It all began just a few days ago when the brother and sister helped Nick Fleming when his bookshop was attacked and his wife kidnapped. But this was no ordinary attack, and the twins soon learned that Fleming was no ordinary man. He is the immortal Nicholas Flamel, guardian of the Codex, an ancient text whose pages contain spells that can either save or destroy the world. When Josh accidentally ripped out the final two pages from the Codex, he restored Flamel’s hope that not all was lost—and doomed himself and his sister to a new life in which alchemy and sorcery are practiced and myths come alive. And that’s why the twins have found themselves fleeing across Europe with Nicholas Flamel, searching desperately for allies while their enemies leave a trail of destruction in pursuit of the legendary twins. Whether they want to believe it or not, Sophie and Josh are the powerful twins foretold in the Codex, and if they can master the elemental magics and reach their full potential, they might be able to save not only themselves but humanity from the evil clutches of the Dark Elders.

The Sorceress and indeed the entire The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series may sound incredibly twisted and confusing from that summary. In fact, The Sorceress is virtually impossible to understand without having read its prequels The Alchemyst and The Magician, as each subsequent novel picks up precisely where the previous left off. Even if you have read the prequels, this novel can still be somewhat confusing with the constantly shifting points-of-view, the incredible slow passage of time, the incredible amount of different creatures and characters, as well as the multiple names and titles given to some characters; the various plots and subplots are at times difficult to keep track of. However, I declare this as just a side effect of any good fantasy story; great fantasies are born from imagination, and it takes a very vivid imagination to create an entire new history of the world. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series is indeed a very good fantasy. I was drawn in from the very beginning with the nearly nonstop plot action and all the magic and creativity put into this story makes it very addicting for me. I’ll admit that the characters could be worked on a bit more to be made more believable, but overall, The Sorceress and its prequels are simply fantastic, and I greatly look forward to the next installment in the series, The Necromancer.

I highly recommend starting The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series to any fantasy lover and those who enjoyed The Abhorsen Chronicles by Garth Nix, Foundling by D.M. Cornish, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, although I do warn potential readers: this series is a huge time investment.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from publisher Random House