I struggle between giving this book a 3 or a 4. Overall, I thought it was a very entertaining read. Most of all I liked all the surprise characters who end up being immortal and I loved the mix of mythology. 
 The premise of the story is prior to the humans living on earth, a previous race existed called the Elders. Within the ranks of the Elders, there are good and back. It is the same with the immortals. The overarching storyline is good versus evil and trying to save the world from destruction. 
 The protagonist are a set of boy and girl twins who are discovered by the Flamels and are scooped up into a world of adventure. 
 This is a good book for parents and kids to read together and it definitely inspired me to go look up a bunch of historical figures and also some mythological creatures.