Name: The Magician
ISBN: 9780552562539

Michael Scott

Dark magic and fast-paced adventure in this second book in the New York Times bestselling series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel. Now published with an exciting new cover look and introduction from the author!

The Magician

Fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman continue their magical training in Paris with Nicholas Flamel, Scatty, and the Comte de Sant Germaine, pursued by Doctor Dee and the immortal Niccolo Machiavelli.

Emily Klo

Savindi Jinasena

** spoiler alert **
           May Contain Spoilers

The second book in The Secret Of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel series continues from where The Alchemyst left off : the twins, Flamel and Scatty fleeing Ojai after Dee pursues them. The whole group ends up in Paris- the city the Flamels call home, but it’s not what it used to be. Here they encounter Comte de Saint-Germain, the master of fire and his wife French warrior Joan of Arc. Sophie needs to learn Fire Magic and Josh needs to be awakened. Elsewhere Perenelle Flamel is still trapped in Alcatraz and watched by a Sphinx. Will she escape? There are new discoveries, new lessons, and more profound differences between the twins themselves. Will they get through it all safe and sound?


I thought The Magician was much more fast paced than the first book in the series. While I enjoyed the story, I feel as if the fast pace of the plot let the story down in the sense that there was little room left for more character development. That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the battle scenes, the descriptions Michael Scott used genuinely made me believe that I was a witness to what was happening.

More than the plot itself, I think my favourite aspect of the book was the relationship between Sophie and Josh. I said previously in my review of The Alchemyst I liked Josh better because he gave me the most realistic perspective of what was happening to them, however in this book I think I liked them both. Sometimes I did find Sophie to be annoying, just because she would always play the “I’m 28 seconds older than you” card and you could sense Josh’s frustrations with her because of it. In this book I found Sophie’s character to be more realistic about what happened to her because she was genuinely scared. Her admission of wanting to be rid of her powers was an interesting one, especially since Josh wanting to be awakened creates an interesting relationship dynamic between the twins. Also I think Scott’s decision to show some of the strains present in the twins relationship because of Sophie’s awakening was a good idea because it gave both siblings an opportunity to see how each other responded to the rapid changes occurring around them.

Niccolo Machiavelli’s character was also interesting because he was the opposite of John Dee. Despite being immortal and serving the Dark Elders,unlike Dee Machiavelli admits that he has retained his humanity. Furthermore you can see his reluctance to carry out operations in the way Dee does. He recognizes the suffering and chaos that can be brought upon because of destruction. Another reason why I found his character fascinating was because I read some of his work for my International Relations class in my third year of University .

As for the Flamels themselves, I’m not sure how to feel about them. I find their secrecy to be annoying, but I’m hoping things will improve as I read the rest of the books.

Plot wise, one of the strengths of the book was the introduction of more mythological and historical elements such as the Disir, Mars (the god of war) and the catacombs of Paris. I found the side story of Perenelle Flamel to be a bit weak and I wasn’t particularly drawn to it. There wasn’t enough substance for me to really care about what happened to her, although I suspect we’ll know more about her in the third installment of the series. Also as much as I enjoyed Scatty’s character in the first book, I didn’t like her as much as I wanted to in this one. She was too stereotypical for me and I maybe biased because she dislikes Josh and he’s one of my favourite characters. Another strength of this series in general is the fact there is less romance in comparison to other fantasy books. I like the fact that it focuses on two siblings, and as a younger sibling myself I find that I relate more to Josh.

Overall I enjoyed reading The Magician. The fast pace of the plot provided for an entertaining read and sometimes you couldn’t put the book down because you wanted to find out what happened next. The book is rich in history and mythology and as a former classics and current history student I enjoy that aspect. My only disappointment is the lack of character development in the books. I’ve already started to read The Sorceress and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story progresses.

My Rating: 3.5

Would I recommend it? Yes

This book is one of the books that I read for my 2012 “Around the Stacks in How Many Ways” Challenge.

The Magician (Secrets Imrtl Nicholas Flamel)

3.75 stars, rounded up. Still love the concept, but Josh is so so so annoying. Book/series also feels like it drags on due to how slow paced it is

(Bre)anne✨

TW: death (mentioned)

3.75 stars, rounded up. Still love the concept, but Josh is so so so annoying. Book/series also feels like it drags on due to how slow paced it is

Laura Kehoe

A really great addition to the story! I'm so glad I already have the third book so I can just delve right in without waiting. These books are so awesome!

Kerry Gibbons

Not as good as the first book in the series, but still compelling enough to push me onto the third book without difficulty. Josh is slightly less annoying.

sam worley

4 overall 4.5 for Perenelle only 👏🏻

Perenelle is the queen and best part of the book #fact
Josh is still annoying
Sophie is bettttter
Nicholas and Saint Germain are good
Joan is bomb af 
Scatty is still bomb af 
Dee is eh
Machiavelli is pretty good

the magic is better fleshed out than the 1st and the pace is very good - overall i enjoyed this a lot!

Brent Nef

I really liked this book but I'm so annoyed that there hasn't been any resolution that I'm marking it only 3 stars.