The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

The world as we know it does not exist.

In fact, it is populated by monsters and magic wielders who work under the noses of modern society-

Wait.

You've heard this before?

Michael Scott, author of the (yet to be finished) Secrets on the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series knows this is an old premise for fantasy. His prescription for reviving this trope involves magicians that actually acknowledge they live in a technical world, pleasantly unique vampires, teens with lives apart from magic wielding, and the ambitious use of every major world mythology.

The plot revolves around fifteen year old twins Sophie and Josh Newman. The book store Josh works at is attacked and burglarized by an unusual man. He leaves the place in chaos and with the book store owner's wife Perry. In the aftermath that follows Sophie and Josh are forced to flee with the store owner, who calls himself Nick Flemming.

The major premise of the story inevitably involves twins with powers that could save or destroy the world. But the world that they live in is so well constructed while operating within our own that it is more believable than, say, the world of Harry Potter. Unlike the aforementioned series, Secrets draws heavily on mythology, and unlike Percy Jackson and its sister books, Scott utilizes nearly every major world mythology. The mish-mash of monsters and gods that results will enthral any myth buff. Even the casual fantasy fan will recognize names and creatures, adding to the fun of this light, adventurous series.

Title list:

The Alchemyst

The Magician

The Sorceress

The Necromancer

The Warlock (to be released in 2011)

The Enchantress (to be released in 2012)

The Ups:

*Characters that use magic but live believably in our world, too

*Little swearing

*No sexual content (unless crushes count)

*No inappropriate drug or alcohol use

*Fast and complex plot

*Generally good dialogue and description

The Downs:

*Juvenile narrative style

*Scattered uses of "Oh my G*d"

*Characters "borrow" things occasionally