Part of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, book 4
First published 2010
Josh and Sophie Newman arrive back in San Francisco after their desperate flight through Ojai, Paris, and London. The twins carry new magical knowledge but lack the skills to defend themselves against the Dark Elders who hunt them. They have lost their ally Scatty and face pursuit by the relentless Dr. John Dee. Most troubling of all, they begin to question whether they can trust Nicholas Flamel, the alchemist who promised to train them. Meanwhile, Perenelle Flamel breaks free from her prison on Alcatraz Island, where Dr. Dee had underestimated her power. The island holds more than political prisoners behind its bars and protective sigils. An army of monsters waits there, creatures that Machiavelli plans to unleash on San Francisco. Perenelle grows weaker each day, and even with Nicholas at her side, the coming battle may destroy them both. Dr. Dee has lost the final pages of the ancient Codex and become an outlaw among his own kind. Now he faces the same creatures that once served him. His new plan requires raising the Mother of the Gods from death itself. For this necromancy to succeed, he needs the perfect students. The legendary twins will serve his dark purpose.
Genres: adventure, fantasy, young-adult, paranormal
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: chosen-one, found-family
Setting: San Francisco, Ojai, Paris, London, Alcatraz Island
Period: contemporary
416 pages · Hardcover · Delacorte Books for Young Readers