Almost Enchanted...

Published: May 22nd, 2012

The Enchantress (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #6)

By: Michael Scott

Delacorte Press for Young Readers

ISBN-13: 9780385735353

The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it. 
 
San Francisco:
Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel have one day left to live, and one job left to do. They must defend San Francisco. The monsters gathered on Alcatraz Island have been released and are heading toward the city. If they are not stopped, they will destroy everyone and everything in their path.

But even with the help of two of the greatest warriors from history and myth, will the Sorceress and the legendary Alchemyst be able to defend the city? Or is it the beginning of the end of the human race?
 
Danu Talis:
Sophie and Josh Newman traveled ten thousand years into the past to Danu Talis when they followed Dr. John Dee and Virginia Dare. And it’s on this legendary island that the battle for the world begins and ends.

Scathach, Prometheus, Palamedes, Shakespeare, Saint-Germain, and Joan of Arc are also on the island. And no one is sure what—or who—the twins will be fighting for.
 
Today the battle for Danu Talis will be won or lost.
But will the twins of legend stand together?
Or will they stand apart—
one to save the world and one to destroy it?

Review

   Sophie and Josh Newman have had a crazy week.  They have been trained in all of the elements, met many figures from mythology and history, learned that one of them will save the world and the other will destroy it - oh yeah and their parents are really Isis and Osiris!  Now they are 10,000 years into the past, on Danu Talis (Atlantis) preparing for the final battle.  John Dee, Virginia Dare, Scathach, Prometheus, Palamedes, Shakespeare, Saint-Germain and Joan of Arc  are also on at different spots of the island, trying to find the twins.  Are Isis and Osiris who they claim to be or is it far more complicated than the twins ever could have imagined?  In the present time Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel are trying to defend San Francisco from the invasion of the monsters from Alcatraz Island.  Will they be able to ally themselves with Billy the Kid, Machiavelli and other unusual forces long enough to save the present day world, or will the monsters manage to kill them all?  Josh and Sophie will have to decide which world to save - Danu Talis or their own.  In the end will they stand together or apart?  And what is Marethyu's (Death's) true identity?  There was a lot of resolution in this book which I appreciated.  It is not an easy thing to write a consistently good series, when all of the action is taking place in a time-frame of less than two weeks! At the same time, it was a little overwhelming just how many characters played a major role in the storyline by the start of book six.  I think that while the storyline with the Flamels and other characters in San Francisco was interesting, it wasn't necessarily relevant to whether or not Sophie and Josh triumphed or failed.  At the end of the book I was a little confused about the prophecy and whether or not it had come true.  "The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it."  It seems a little vague and confusing, even now.  My favorite character development in this novel was Virginia Dare.  I loved the interactions between her and John Dee.  Marethyu was kind of an interesting inclusion, but it seemed kind of cliched what his true identity ended up being.  The whole thing with Isis and Osiris was decently carried out and more than a little creepy.  The whole loop of time and characters was over-confusing and not explained well enough for my liking.  If you're a mythology and history geek like me, reading this series is worth it if only for all of the interesting characters.  A somewhat lukewarm ending to a slightly directionless series.

VERDICT:  3.75/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published May 22nd, 2012.*

It's Kinda Frosty In Here

Published: August 1st, 2011
Touch Of Frost (Mythos Academy #1)
By: Jennifer Estep
Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN-13: 9780758266927


My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why —especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

Review

   Gwen Frost is descended from a long line of gypsy women, but she never believed in creatures and people of mythology being real.  When her Mom dies in a horrible accident, she is sent to Mythos Academy by her Grandma because she needs 'training.'  Gym class is really weapons training and her classmates are the descendants of Amazons, Valkyries, Spartans and other races that the world thinks have been long extinguished.  A long time ago there was a war among the Gods and Loki tried to take over the world.  The Bowl of Tears, an ancient artifact that he used has been stolen from the school library.  Then Gwen finds the body of mean girl Jasmine, murdered brutally and decides that she needs to find the killer if no one else will.  Especially since Gwen might be the person who dies next.  Can Gwen figure out who the enemy is in time?  And is her heritage more complicated than she was originally told?  Plus, how is a girl supposed to make any friends in a place where everyone can be lethal?  This book reminded me a lot of the premise of the Percy Jackson series and C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls series.  Mythological kids sent to camp/boarding school to fight evil, learn about their powers and come to terms with a great destiny.  My only complaint about the follow-through of the mythology plot is that sometimes it feels like an afterthought in lieu of the average high school drama.  Gwen is an interesting heroine who has the requisite tortured past, but has a wonderfully snarky sense of humor to accompany it.    Her Grandma was priceless and truly and awesome old lady.  I loved Gwen's sense of intrepid adventure - it was like what might have happened if Veronica Mars was a psychic gypsy.  Daphne was a great example of character development, starting out as a complete, one-dimensional mean girl and becoming someone who would be a great friend to have.  Logan felt a little to cardboard to be an interesting romantic hero and that disappointed me.  I wasn't expecting the ending fully but it wasn't too shocking either.  This book was a good start to what seems like an interesting addition to YA mythologically inclined fiction.  I recommend it for fans of urban fantasy and mythology of all sorts.

VERDICT:  4/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores and online.*