The Enchantress by Michael Scott

Title: The Enchantress

Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #6

Author: Michael Scott

Release Date: 22nd May 2012

My Rating: 4/5

About the Series:

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is an urban fantasy series set in present day time but relies heavily on some of history and mythology's best known heroes and villains, from Joan of Arc, Mars - God of War and of course Nicholas Flamel (best known to the children of today from the first Harry Potter book), to Medusa and William Shakespeare.

In the last five books we have discovered that Sophie and Josh Newman, two ordinary fifteen-year-olds from San Francisco, are actually the twins of legend, prophecised to save or destroy the world. As Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel take them from America, to France, England and various shadow-realms searching for those who can awaken the twins and train them in the four elements, they are also in a race against time to stop Doctor John Dee, magician, necromancer and all-round bad guy from using the stolen Codex to bring destruction to the world.

Blurb:

The two that are one must become the one that is all. One to save the world, one to destroy it.

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?

In A Nutshell:

A fitting end to the series where everything comes full circle. Despite century-old rivalries, many of the Immortals, Next Generations and Elders come together, forming new alliances and friendships. The mysterious hook-handed man is finally revealed, honour is earned, auras weakened, lives lost and freedom is fought for as every imaginable beast rears its ugly head.

My Review: 

After six years, The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel series has come to an end. The time has arrived for Sophie and Josh, the Immortals, Elders and Next Generation beings to choose a side.

There is a huge cast of characters in The Enchantress as everyone has a part to play on Danu Talis or in San Francisco. It really took some effort getting my head around the time warp as half the characters are now on Danu Talis, 10 000 years in the past, and the other half on present day Earth. To make it more confusing, some of the characters are featured in both realms so you can get a bit mixed up at some points, particularly as it feels like it is all happening at the same time.

On Danu Talis, there are two sides; Elders seeking to rule Danu Talis and destroy the Humani who reside there, and those from the present day who know Danu Talis must fall. Sophie, Josh, Dr John Dee, Virginia Dare, Scathach, Joan of Arc, Saint- Germain, Shakespeare, Palamedes, Prometheus, Osiris, Isis, Abraham the Mage, Tsagaglalal, Marethyu, Mars, Hekate, Bastet, Anubis and Atens are all key players in what will unfold here. There can only be one outcome, but who will be on which side, and which side will triumph, remains to be seen.

In San Francisco, present day, is Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel, Niten, Prometheus, Tsagaglalal, Mars, Hel, Odin, Billy the Kid, Machiavelli, Areop-Enap, Quetzalcoatl, Xolotl and Bastet, fighting to save or destroy Alcatraz and the city of San Francisco. Nicholas and Perenelle only have one day left to live. But even with their new-found allies, will they be enough to stop the monsters on Alcatraz and the destruction of the human race?

With so many characters, it might be difficult to remember who everyone is and their history, so I suggest re-reading The Warlock, or my review of it, to get yourself back up to speed.

All is revealed in this final book as the fate of Earth and Danu Talis are decided. Despite century-old rivalries, many of the Immortals, Next Generations and Elders come together, forming new alliances and friendships. The mysterious hook-handed man is finally revealed, honour is earned, auras weakened, lives lost and freedom is fought for as every imaginable beast rears its ugly head.

“When in doubt, we follow our hearts. Words can be false, images and sounds can be manipulated. But this...' He tapped his chest, over his heart. 'This is always true” 

Giveaway Winners!

I know, I know, I'm a little late in announcing these winners. But I have a good excuse. Well I think it's a good excuse. I've been in Sydney the last couple of weeks doing work experience in a publishing house (more about that to come soon) and I've also just started studying for the first time in five years!

So yes, I've been busy. But anyway, on to far more important stuff, such as giveaway winners!

The winner of The Taste of Apple Giveaway is...

Jillian Heise!


The winners of the Michael Scott books are...

Jammie Godkin has won The Alchemyst
Aik has won The Magician and The Sorceress
Mendy has won The Warlock

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Emails have been sent to the email addresses you provided. You have 72 hours to respond otherwise I will draw a new winner.

Remember, you can still enter my Winter 'Spring Cleaning' Giveaway!

Michael Scott Giveaway

This month, The Warlock by Michael Scott was released. It is the 5th book in his The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series and I am a huge fan.

To celebrate, I have decided to giveaway four of the books in the series. Yes four!

*For those of you who haven't read the series, I'm giving away one copy of the first book.

*For those who have read the first and are looking to read the next in the series, I'm giving away books two AND three together.

*And for those of you who are itching to get your hand on the fifth book, I'm giving one of those away too.

To enter, please fill out the form below. The giveaway is open internationally until the 17th of July 2011. Once the winners have been chosen, I will email them and they have 72 hours to respond before they forfeit their prize and I draw a new winner.

About the series:

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is an urban fantasy series set in present day time but relies heavily on some of history and mythology's best known heroes and villains, from Joan of Arc, Mars - God of War and of course Nicholas Flamel (best known to the children of today from the first Harry Potter book), to Medusa and William Shakespeare.

In the five books that have been released, we have discovered that Sophie and Josh Newman, two ordinary fifteen-year-olds from San Francisco, are actually the twins of legend, prophecised to save or destroy the world. As Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel take them from America, to France, England and various shadow-realms searching for those who can awaken the twins and train them in the four elements, they are also in a race against time to stop Doctor John Dee, magician, necromancer and all-round bad guy from using the stolen Codex to bring destruction to the world.

All books are paperbacks in the trade size and have the following covers:



Please note that these are not brand new copies. They have been read by myself but are in excellent condition. I love the series so much I decided to buy them all in hardcover!

The Warlock by Michael Scott

Title: The Warlock
Series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Book 5
Author: Michael Scott

Release Date: 1st June 2011

My Rating: 4/5

About the Series:
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel is an urban fantasy series set in present day time but relies heavily on some of history and mythology's best known heroes and villains, from Joan of Arc, Mars - God of War and of course Nicholas Flamel (best known to the children of today from the first Harry Potter book), to Medusa and William Shakespeare.

In the last four books we have discovered that Sophie and Josh Newman, two ordinary fifteen-year-olds from San Francisco, are actually the twins of legend, prophecised to save or destroy the world. As Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel take them from America, to France, England and various shadow-realms searching for those who can awaken the twins and train them in the four elements, they are also in a race against time to stop Doctor John Dee, magician, necromancer and all-round bad guy from using the stolen Codex to bring destruction to the world.

***Do not read ahead if you have not read book four, The Necromancer***

Blurb:
The Newman twins have finally been divided. The end is near.

In San Francisco, Josh has chosen a side - and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He has chosen to fight along side John Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare. Sophie will do anything she can to find her brother, but her training must continue. Earth Magic is next; with Perenelle and Nicholas as weak as they are, Niten must help her to find her instructor. Someone Sophie already knows very well…

In A Nutshell:
Fans will not be disappointed as favourites are put in danger, magic is tested, Dee creates mayhem and lives are risked. Connections between characters become known and a shock-inducing cliff-hanger will leave you speechless.

My Review:
The Warlock, the fifth book in Michael Scott's six-book series, picks up right where The Necromancer left off with Sophie and Josh choosing separate sides, Sophie with the Flamels and Josh with John Dee and Virginia Dare. As both groups flee Dee's crumbling 'Enoch Enterprises' building after Coatlicue is sent back to her shadow-realm with Aoife sacrificing herself, Sophie and Josh struggle with the others' betrayal, as each twin believes they are on the right side.

Every chapter switches back and forth between a whole host of different characters as they all prepare to come together for the explosive final book The Enchantress, due mid 2012. Josh, Dee and Virginia Dare head for Alcatraz where Machiavelli and Billy the Kid are waiting to release the cells of monsters onto an unsuspecting city of San Francisco. Sophie and Niten set off to find Tsagaglalal, She Who Watches, while the extremely weakened Prometheus escapes his crumbling shadow-realm with an exhausted Perenelle, and Nicholas, who is near death.

Scatty, Joan, Saint Germain, Palamedes and Shakespeare have travelled back in time with the mysterious hook-handed man to destroy the lost city of Danu Talis. Characters such as Prometheus and Tsagaglalal who are with Sophie in present time, are also featured on Danu Talis with Scatty and the others since they were there when it was destroyed. Once you get your head around the time warp, it can actually get quite funny, especially when they run into Prometheus who has no idea who they all are (and Scatty is his niece!).

There are also appearances from Gilgamesh, Black Hawk, Mars Ultor, the Witch of Endor, mysterious Elders Isis and Osiris, the Old Man of the Sea, Elders Hel and Odin and Codex creator Abraham the Mage. Many of them, despite their centuries old rivalries, come together with Sophie, Perenelle, Tsagaglalal, Niten and Prometheus to try and stop Dee, their common enemy.

Fans will not be disappointed as favourites are put in danger, magic is tested, Dee creates mayhem and lives are risked. Josh remains suspicious of Dee's motives but Sophie also begins to questions Perenelle's actions when she becomes reckless. As the fifth book progresses, a lot of connections are made between characters who have appeared throughout the series, some that will make you sit back and go, 'ohhhhhhh.'

And the ending? OMG what an ending! But what, how?! I knew something like this was coming...but not THIS! The shock-inducing cliff-hanger opens up so many new questions that will leave your mind reeling and absolutely desperate for the sixth and final book. I can already tell, it is going to be AMAZING!

I've stuck with this series now for four years and I really am quite desperate to read the final book, especially now, since The Warlock finished on the biggest cliff-hanger possible. A whole year! Seriously?! Maybe Michael Scott, to say thank you to all your loyal fans, you could release The Enchantress much earlier? Say like in six months time? That would be really great. Thanks.... I can dream right?!

A big thank you to Random House Australia for providing me with a review copy.