The Warlock by Michael Scott

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The fifth book in the New York Times bestselling series The Secrets of the Nicholas Flamel—The Warlock 

Alcatraz: Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race. 
Danu Talis: The Shadowrealm that Scatty and Joan of Arc have entered is far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And they haven’t landed here by chance-the warriors were called for a reason. So were Saint-Germain, Palamededs, and Shakespeare. The group was summoned because they must travel back in time to Danu Talis and destroy it. For the island of Danu Talis, known in humani myth as the lost city of Atlantis, must fall if the modern world is to exist. 
San Francisco: The end is finally near. Josh Newman has chosen a side, and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He will fight alongside Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare. Unless Sophie can find her twin before the battle begins, all is lost – forever. 
In the fifth installment of this bestselling series, the twins of prophecy have been divided, and the end is finally beginning.

So, I read the entire Secrets of the Immortal series, right up to The Warlock. I loved the series.


I didn't like The Warlock.


The first four books were so dang good. I finished one each day. And this one is, er, not so good. It seems like Michael Scott is losing his love for the series. He was really passionate about The Alchemyst and The Magician, and it showed. Then he went on to write The Sorceress and The Necromancer, and I started to feel like the plot was getting pretty repetitive. The Warlock was a bit boring and it frankly felt tired. Here's why.


The plot is pretty much the same for every single one of these books. Josh and Sophie discover something about the past, they travel to some city where they meet some mythical creature. They then have to find something/battle something in order to achieve a goal which will lead us to the next book. Some arguments are throw in here and there. I understand that the plot formula is essentially the same for all fantasy stories, but when you read four books in a series with the exact same plot, it gets a little tiring.


The points of view were also completely confusing. Why six points of view? Why not two or three? I was dizzy just trying to puzzle the pieces together. There were also too many flashbacks in the book. I got a little annoyed when the story kept on transiting between past and present.


Josh's character is just confusing. Why did he suddenly change from a caring, good-natured boy into a power-hungry monster? I don't think Michael Scott spent enough time explaining this and developing the characters--it felt like he just wanted the character development over and done with, so he rushed it way too much.


On the other hand, there were upsides to the story. I loved the history and the mythology, and the book was obviously meticulously researched. I liked how there were some historically-significant characters in the books, like Queen Elizabeth I and Joan of Arc.


Another great thing about this novel was that it was going somewhere. The series is drawing to a close, and The Warlock is taking us towards the epic conclusion. What's going to happen to Josh and Sophie? Is Nicholas a good or a bad person? I'm waiting for the conclusion to answer all my questions, although I do hope it will be better than The Warlock.