Alchemyst (Secrets of Nicholas Flamel)
10/13/13 ** I waffled between 2 & 3 stars. The plot kept me going, some elements in the writing annoyed me. Annoyance #1: Sophie and Josh are twins, but don't really have enough characterization to help me know how the 15 year olds are different. Though twins and very close to each other, I should have a better sense of their unique personalities. Annoyance #2: The writing wasn't as crisp as I'd have liked. Words were modified that didn't need to be, some sentences were awkward, etc. These seemed to be things that a good copy editor could have fixed. I did start the second book, so it wasn't THAT bad. I'm not feeling compelled to purchase my own copies though. The library copies are good enough.