I should also mention Perenelle was actually Flamels wife in real life too. the recipe to the elixir of life was also rumored to be in the codex. Flamel was a book seller in 15th century France and it is legend that he actually discovered the codex, a legendary book that contained the most coveted secrets of alchemy, one of them being how to create the philosephers stone, which is sometimes called the sorcerers stone and does NOT produce the elixir of life: it actually turns any object it touches into gold. To start with, you have to know that Nicholas Flamel was a real person. Thank you for reading my review on “the Alchemyst.Yes and no. The idea that it’s about Nicholas Flamel from Harry Potter is a great one, since J.K.Rowling doesn’t tell you much about him in the series.

I would say that if you like mythology, fantasy, and magic you would like this book. Some things needed improvement like the idea that Sophie learns the magic of air in two minutes? That doesn’t make sense and it’s pretty sketchy. Scott portrayed Scathach and Hekate by saying things like “William Shakespeare was so strait forward and that he thought people would like his ideas.” And they didn’t make a big deal out of it, like most people would. I also liked that right at the beginning there was a big action scene in the book, and it got me hooked into the story. Scott needed to give more background on the teacher, Nicholas Flamel, and his wife, Perenelle. The book had a great perspective on all types of mythology, and an interesting idea that all religions are one but the gods are interpreted differently. But I came very close to breaking that rule.) Just dissapointing, really. (Me personally, I have a rule to always finish books. I found myself zoning out at unnecessary descriptions, rolling my eyes, and wanting to put the book down. The order in which things unfold was also a dreadful read. Scenes just happen, then the reader is given a quick explanation (completely ignoring the 'show don't tell' rule,) and the reader is forced to go along with it. (This book completely disregards that crucial piece of writing advice.) Speaking of the plot, it was. The character's didn't go through any character development (they didn't even have basic goals or desires to drive the plot forward!!), and it should be basic knowledge that the characters drive the plot forward, NOT the other way around. The magic is so different from Harry Potter this could have been two different worlds entirely. The idea about going off of Harry Potter and making a story about Nicholas Flamel was an intriguing idea, but the execution? NO. Especially after dreading finishing the first book. I do not understand the love for this series at all.

Please don't even bother with the rest of the series. As a passionate writer and reader, the first book was highly disappointing.

The alchemyst series