The Sorceress

This series continues to get exponentially better with each new installment. In this third book, Flamel, Josh, and Sophie are on the run in London–Dee’s home turf–so they need to be extra careful. They meet up with Gilgamesh to learn how to control water.

All I can say about this book is wow! I love how much focus is on Perenelle in this one. She’s easily my favorite character, so I enjoyed getting to learn more of her backstory and reading about her completely subverting all the horrible plans the Dark Elders have for her. She’s truly a force you don’t want to mess with, and I love watching her prove that again and again, even when the odds are stacked so completely against her. What’s great is that the way she gets out of show more situations never seems improbably are too coincidental; she just uses her smarts and thinks outside the box, which is fun. I greatly enjoyed her character arc in this book.

Josh continues to annoy me, but I think that’s just what his character is going to do for the whole series. I find him too whiny, though he has gotten a little bit better since the first book. He’s at least more bearable and likeable in this book, which is nice. The immortals who are introduced in this book are super fun and very much a surprise. I hope we get to see more of them. These books are also really starting to rev up in action; this one certainly seems nonstop. It’s full of battles and struggles and running away; the world has a nice foundation, so Michael Scott is just amping up the plot at this point. While the main story is mostly resolved by the end, The Sorceress very much hangs on a cliffhanger, so have the fourth book ready if you know that’s going to bother you.

I’m very much enjoying this ride through this fantasy world and can’t wait to pick up book 4!

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This book was good! However not the best. I found it has similar issues throughout all the books so far being it kind of drags on? It's not terribly drawn out but I do feel at times that the author put as much as he could down to fill the quota. Kind of like when I'm writing an essay and don't quite reach the word minimum. Now, I'm not saying it's bad or boring. In fact I quite like the series! Reading some of these other reviews I would say I might be in the minority here (at least in the written reviews) but I do genuinely enjoy the storyline! Not only that but I feel like the characters do act and react in a very realistic manner. I mean some guy you work with brings you into a world you don't know of and your life gets put in danger show more what seems like every hour of the day, I too would host some reservations. Is it annoying? Sure it can be, but it's also more realistic. I mean we as a reader can see multiple points of view and these characters cannot. These kids especially are trying to make decisions and they are right to feel frustrated and untrustworthy of a guy who will never give them answers or if he does it feels like only half of an answer. The fact that Nicolas won't tell them everything doesn't quite make sense to me however, especially because he knows it's making the twins doubt him and the cause, so why he wouldn't just lay it out flat? I don't know if I'll ever understand. Another thing I don't quite get is how fast auras recharge? It seems like Nicolas never has any and I mean even the slightest amount of aura even if he's been resting and asleep for a while or hasn't used his aura in big ways for a while. However, Dee and Machiavelli who have also been drained of their aura also have bounced right back and are ready like an hour later. Now with how much I've questioned you might be thinking, my god why 4stars then? why not fewer? And that is because overall I do actually enjoy reading this. sure I might question or not understand maybe even dislike certain things the author has done, but I have enjoyed it. I have been in such a reading funk recently and this book (and the past two) have actually made me stay up to finish reading a chapter or two. I WANTED to go and read more and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The chapters were short enough where I could pick up and read a chapter or two in no time and it made me feel like I could finish it. Not only that I never got bored reading it, everything that happened it happened one after another and it kept me engaged. I can't wait to start the next book in the series! show less

After completing The Magician, book 2 of Michael Scott’s young adult fantasy/adventure series “The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel,” I dove in to book 3, The Sorceress, to find out what Nicholas and the twins would encounter next. I ended up with a knight in shining armor, the Old Man of the Sea, Billy the Kid and the Bard of Avalon himself – William Shakespeare. Throw in Gilgamesh, the oldest living immortal who was as mad as a hatter, and I was in action-adventure heaven.

I am having a blast reading this series, which is geared to the middle-grade crowd but has more than enough to keep adults entertained as well. The historical and legendary figures that show up are written in such a way that they are completely show more accessible to readers. So far my favorite character has been Machiavelli, and there is nothing in The Sorceress to change my mind. There is just something about his cool, strategic thinking that draws me in, so I loved the fact that he has now been assigned by the Dark Elders to destroy Perenelle. The most dangerous man in Europe taking on the most dangerous woman ever is a titanic battle I am aching to see. While it doesn’t happen here, it’s coming.

But wait! There’s more!

This series is chock-full of magic, mystery, battles and legendary characters, but there are also some really thought-provoking concepts introduced. In The Sorceress, the idea that all our thoughts and memories make up who we are as individuals is explored. But what if your head is full of someone else’s memories? Who are you then? This is the struggle Sophie and Josh face. The Witch of Endor “gifted” Sophie with millenniums-worth of thoughts and knowledge, and Josh has also been given a mental gift from the Elder who Awakened him. Not only do the twins have to learn to control five magical elements, they now need to learn how to control their own minds.

If thoughts and memories define who we are, then the belief expressed by William Shakespeare in The Sorceress should scare you silly. Shakespeare, a former apprentice of Dee’s who has seen the error of his ways, remains a little too in favor of the Elders’ return for my peace of mind. His statement in Chapter 14 that he believes the Dark Elders should return so they can save the planet at the cost of humanity was a bit unsettling.

Josh: “But Nicholas said the Dark Elders want humans as food.”

Shakespeare: “Some do. But not all Elders eat flesh; some feed off memories and emotions. It seems a small price to pay for a paradise without famine, without disease.”

That actually seems like a very HIGH price to me! Other than this and his unfortunate aversion to bathing, Shakespeare was actually a pretty cool character with his self-taught magic, loyalty to friends, and boundless imagination. Yep, Shakespeare rocked.

We also take a look at the price of immortality. Perenelle describes immortality as a curse when she discusses it with the ghost of de Ayala who has been helping her on Alcatraz. Gilgamesh is the oldest immortal human still around who has forgotten more than most people will ever know – and his mind has fractured because of it. Dee is threatened by his Dark Elder master with a punishment involving being allowed to age to the point of death – and then being left there. Is immortality really worth more than living every day of a limited life to its fullest?

While all these questions simmered at the back of my mind, my imagination was gripped by the package they were presented in – magic and action, this time taking place in Merry Ole England. There is quite a contrast between the battles fought in this book by Nicholas and Perenelle. Everything involving Nicholas, Sophie, and Josh is huge – the battles, the magic, the chase sequences – while Perenelle’s fights are on a more personal scale, as she repels attacks from Billy the Kid and the Old Man of the Sea. Her battles may be small, but they are just as pivotal as those fought overseas. I think an even more dangerous battle is on the horizon, however, and it is going to involve the dark sword Clarent – twin to Excalibur. With its past shrouded in mystery and its powers growing, Clarent may just have an agenda of its own and an incredible destiny to fulfill.

Michael Scott’s The Sorceress manages to keep the action coming, the pace brisk, and the concepts and characters intriguing. Mythology, legends, magic and mayhem abound. With the twins trained in only three of the five elemental magics – and three books to go – there is a lot of adventure yet to be had. show less

The worldbuilding really did get better in this book. However, at some points the history almost gets to be too much. As in, too much explanation of the history of people involved. I wanted to know a lot more about Palamedes but didn't really get what I wanted. I already know about Shakespeare (did no one address the sex jokes seriously).

I love these kinds of books, that weave history into their lore but manage it BELIEVABLY, so I can put off my suspension of disbelief and think, "Wow. This is possible." I love the details in the description that don't overpower the writing.

At the same time, how do I know how powerful any of the characters really are if all are at the same power level? I'm willing to believe an informed explanation show more from other characters but... it's off.

I love how Dee is making himself believe. Michael Scott has his characters do completely human things (even if they annoy me). Most of the time.

I don't quite understand his definition of immortality. He isn't very specific on what it encompasses in some aspects, and it doesn't seem to fit a classical definition so much as a hierarchy?

Necromancer review soon enough. show less

One of my favorite things about this series are the historical figures which turn up as immortals. It is also quite amusing to think of Machiavelli and Billy the Kid working together as well as how their distinct personalities would translate into the twenty-first century. The more central characters - Josh and Sophie, Nicholas Flamel, his wife Perenelle, and nemesis John Dee - also continue their exciting adventures, learning new magics and facing ancient creatures. Michael Scott has done an excellent job of blending myth and imagination to create an enjoyable fantasy series. I look forward to reading the next book!

Why are these books considered for kids? Just because there is no sex or graphic gore does not make them childish. Narnia, Harry Potter and this series are some of my all-time favourite books, and I'm most definitely a grownup! Michael Scott’s fantasy novels are truly masterpieces!!!!

In this exciting adventure, new characters are added, the old ones change, and the stakes keep rising higher and higher. The Sorceress is beautifully written, the suspense and thrill never stop, and things are revealed that you might never have wanted to ever know. The prophecy continues to haunt and intrigue.

Scott has a truly original and engaging voice as he navigates the intersections of our world with the shadow world, introducing the ghosts of show more everyone from evil Italian masterminds to Shakespeare himself. I am truly hooked on the Flamel series and I can't wait for the fourth book, The Necromancer, to come out. show less

Boek paste goed bij de voorgaande 2 boeken uit de serie. Geen grote verrassingen, maar wel een grappige story-line.

De tweeling (Josh en Sophie, 15 1/2) zijn nog steeds op de vlucht voor de krachten van het kwaad. De pas geleden ontwaakte krachten van Sophie (Vuur en steen) en Josh's kennis van tactiek waren nauwelijks genoeg om te ontsnappen aan de klauwen van de Duistere Onsterfelijke John Dee, Niccolo Machiavelli en hun bondgenoten aan het einde van het vorige deel. Hun bondgenoot 'Scatty' verdween in de rivier Seine en de vrouw van Nicholas zat gevangen op Alcatraz.

Hun vrienden doen alles om de tweeling te laten ontsnappen uit Frankrijk, zodat ze tijd krijgen om hun nieuwe krachten te trainen. Helaas was de enige mogelijkheid show more Londen, de plaats waar Dr. John Dee op zijn sterkst is.

De goede koning Gilgamesh woont er, en hij kan de tweeling de magie van het water leren. Met de hulp van William Shakespeare en de ridder Palamedes bestrijden zij alles wat Dee en de gehoornde God op hun weg sturen.

Josh wordt eindelijk verlost van zijn zeurderige karakter en meer zijn eigen zelf. De Oudere Mars Ultor opende zijn tactische kennis. Het is fascinerend om ook te zien hoe Josh omgaat met de Coward's Blade Clarent (de tweeling van Excalibur). alweer een tweeling

De tweeling wordt 'zelfstandiger' en wil steeds meer weten van het waarom en doen niet meer blindelings wat ze gezegd wordt. Ze begrijpen steeds meer de reikwijdte van hun krachten en willen die voor het goede gebruiken, niet enkel als een instrument voor een ander, inclusief Nicholas Flamel.

De mix van allerlei historische figuren uit de geschiedenis en overlevering is een brilliante. Wie had ooit gedacht dat een naam als William Shakespeare ooit een Duistere onsterfelijke zou zijn, of Billy the Kid.

De boeken worden naar mijn idee steeds beter, dus op naar boek 4

"De twee die één zijn, de één die alles is"

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