The thing I love most about reading is that you never know when a book will take you by surprise with a great hook, and keep you reading from cover to cover. When I first saw the book, The Alchemyst: the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, by Michael Scott, I immediately thought that this book would be just another spin-off of the Harry Potter series. (Nicholas Flamel is a character in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.)  However, when I started reading, I realized how special the book really was.

  The Alchemyst starts out with a bang (literally) and the readers are immediately shoved into the world of Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle, along with the two other main characters, twins Sophie and Josh Newman. These four characters go on a journey in search of a stolen book that will change the world forever if the Flamels fail to retrieve it. Of course, in this book, Sophie and Josh are not average teens, and did not happen to come across the Flamels by coincidence. These two teens tie into an ancient prophecy, and only they have the power to destroy or save the human race.

  Although the story line isn’t exactly the most creative and unique, the characters Michael Scott creates make up for the story line. The characters that Sophie and Josh meet along their quest are based on legend, Greek myth, or just pure imagination. Each new character is described with detail, and each one has their own secret that ties in with the story. My personal favorite is Bastet, the cat headed, human bodied goddess that is working against the Flamels and twins. She is described as one of the most terrifying creatures that the twins have ever seen, and has feline habits such as purring when she is content and pouncing when she is attacking.

  Another unique element in this book is that the 369 pages continue over a period of two days. Obviously this story has nonstop excitement that continues throughout the book. There is rarely a time when the twins are not fighting, running, or hiding, and there is never a dull moment in this book. The downside is that you know an enemy will turn up any time that the Flamels think they are safe and hidden.   

  Once I finished with The Alchemyst, I immediately had to run to Border’s and pick up the second book in the series, The Magician. This book was a little disappointing because of the feeling that I had done all that before. There wasn’t an option of not finishing it, however, because of all of the unsolved conflicts and secrets that were presented in The Alchemyst. The Alchemyst is part of a six book series; however, only three are available in stores at the moment. (The Alchemyst, The Magician, and The Sorceress).

   I am currently anticipating the next book to arrive in book stores in order to find out a little bit more of mysterious Nicholas Flamel and the world he lives in. This is a creative book that has many twists, turns, and characters that are hard to forget. Also on the positive side, it is a series of six, so it will take a while to finish the series, and will keep you busy until another series takes its place on your bookshelf.