#tbt: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

Image: Penguin Random House

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1. 376 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, May, 2007. 9780385733571. (Own)

#tbt features The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. When this book released way back in the spring of 2007, students would tell me that the author of this book "plagiarized" from J.K. Rowling, not understanding that Nicholas Flamel is a real person from history. He's a main character in this series, apparently having discovered the means to achieving immortality along with a host of other notable figures from history. He owns a book shop in San Fransisco and his wife, Perenelle, owns the coffee shop across the street. The two are working under pseudonyms. Fifteen-year-old twin siblings, Josh and Sophie each work for one of the couple. A mysterious man named John Dee, backed up by some golum goons, enters Flamel's book shop seeking The Codex. It is then that Josh realizes that his boss is not who he claims he is when he witnesses him using magic to prevent Dee from stealing the Codex.  

There are two problems with Dee stealing the Codex. One, Nicholas has to recreate the elixir every few months, or risk losing immortality and two, it will enable Dee to summon the Dark Elders and destroy the world.

Nicholas and Perenelle were in San Fransisco specifically to discover whether Sophie and Josh were the twins that were prophesied to be the world's saviors. 

Each book in this action-packed series takes place over one day and takes the reader around the physical world and the world of the gods and goddesses of a multitude of mythologies. 

Waiting on Wednesday and e-Arc Review: City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

Image: Disney

City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda. 400 p. Rick Riordan Presents/ Disney, January 12, 2021. 9781368051507. (Review of e-arc courtesy of publisher.)

Waiting on Wednesday features City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda. I had this on the schedule for a "Waiting" post for awhile. I am a huge fan of the author's Ash Mistry trilogy as well the author's Shadow Magic trilogy (I can't believe I didn't blog about them!) written under the name, Joshua Khan, so when I saw the cover reveal for City of the Plague God some months back, I scheduled the post. Then, I won an e-arc from Disney! This means I got to read it electronically instead of receiving a physical arc, which I could then give away to a student. #pandemic.

Thirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz is cleaning up the family's Manhattan deli after a busy day. He's wishing his "cousin" Daoud would help more and missing his brother, Mo, who was killed in an accident in Iran while doing relief work. Sik hears a noise in the alley behind the store and when he goes to investigate, comes face to face with two of the vilest creatures he has ever encountered and a huge one-eyed cat. It seems "Ratty" and "Toady" are the god, Nergal's minions. Nergal wants something that Mo sent home. They tear the deli apart looking for whatever that was. He's saved from being torn limb from limb by a scimatar-wielding girl dressed in black who dispatches the invaders but not before they inform Sik that they aren't finished with him and his family. Soon, his parents are in comas and quarantined with a mysterious disease and Manhattan is being overrun with pests of epic proportions.

Wow! Fasten your seatbelts and grab a barf bag! This adventure, based on Mespotamian mythology is fast-paced and gloriously gross! Our narrator, Sik, is appealing and snarky but also earnest and devoted to his family. While the emphasis is on the adventure, Sik does deal with micro-aggressions and Islamophobia on a regular basis. The bond Sik shares with his deceased brother Mo is complicated and surprisingly touching. While this had the feel of a series beginner, the adventure had a conclusion and is a stand-alone. That said, I absolutely would not mind visiting Sik and his family and friends again. Maybe with a little less pus and pestilence;-)

City of the Plague God will release in January of 2021. Mark your calendars! I hope there's an audio because I would love to reread this with my ears! Last thing, isn't that a fantastic cover?

Teen Tuesday and Audiobook Review: Infinity Son

Image: HarperCollins Publishers

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera. unabridged e-audiobook. ~9 hours. Read by Robbie Daymond, Kirby Heyborne, Maria Liatis & Elliot Knight. Quill Tree Books/ HarperAudio, January, 2020. 9780062457844. (Review of downloadable e-audiobook borrowed from public library.)

Teen Tuesday features Infinity Son by Adam Silvera. Latinx twins Emil and Brighton live in Bronx, New York, but it's not a Bronx we'd recognize. They are about to turn eighteen and neither one has manifested any magical power. Emil doesn't want them, Brighton yearns for them so he can join his heroes, the Spell Walkers. Brighton is a vlogger with a growing following. He films encounters between Spell Walkers and Blood Casters, who prey on Spell Walkers for their magical blood. When the boys are attacked by Blood Casters in the subway, it is Emil whose powers come in - big time. He possesses rare phoenix fire - exactly what the Blood Casters are looking for. This series starter features a large and diverse cast of characters and is told from multiple points of view. A cliffhanger ending will leave fans panting for the next installment.

Kirby Heyborne is usually a favorite narrator, but he seemed miscast here as Brighton. Why not cast a Latino? I think I will be reading book 2 with my eyes.

Teen Tuesday: Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Arc of a Scythe #1. 435 p. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November, 2016. 9781442472426. (Own)

Teen Tuesday features Scythe by Neal Shusterman. Scythe is book one of a planned trilogy called The Arc of the Scythe that takes place in a future when disease has been eradicated and citizens can opt to undergo a procedure called resetting, to become younger looking. Individuals can theoretically live for centuries. Is that a good thing? To prevent the planet from rampant overpopulation, individuals called scythes are tasked with controlling the population by randomly gleaning people. But there's discord in the scythed with the "new guard" demanding changes that may endanger the general population. The very best sci-fi dystopian has a plausibility that is rooted in our dystopian present. Shusterman is a master of provocative dystopian science fiction. He creates fascinating characters and unbearable suspense with whip-smart writing.  This is a page-turner. While there is a resolution of sorts, the story is far from over and readers will pant for the next installment, Thunderhead. Some student fans have already read Thunderhead and are dying for book three. 

I read this one with my ears and highly recommend it that way as well.