The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flammel #3: The Sorceress by Michael Scott

Josh, Sophie, and Flamel flee to England, but that's probably a bad decision. Even though Flamel wants the ancient King Gilgamesh to teach the twins water magic, friends of the Dark Elders are all over the country; any use of magic will attract them like magnets. Palamedes, the Sacaren Knight, reluctantly agrees to help Flamel, because a prophecy says the twins will save the earth, or destroy it. Meanwhile, Flamel's wife, Perenelle, discovers the sorcerer Dee has been collecting terrifying creatures on Alcatraz Island, and they will be released to cause mayhem across the world. Perenelle escapes from her cell, but she's now trapped on the island. The Dark Elders will do anything to capture the twins, but they now want Flamel and his wife dead.

You need to read the other books in the series before reading this one. This series has many Immortals, so it presents a strange mix of characters from history. Imagine Joan of Arc, William Shakespeare, and Billy the Kid all in the same plot! An unusual complication in the book arises, because of the connections between Sophie and a dead witch and Josh and a Magical sword. Sophie has all of the witch's memories, many are helpful, but Sophie's own memories are being lost. Josh's senses for battle tactics become strong, but his thinking is sometimes controlled by the sword. The kids still have issues with Flamel's lack of honesty and motivations, so there are moments when the characters clash. However, Flamel lost possession of a powerful book of spells, The Codex, in the first book, so Perenelle and he start aging quickly and are dying. This twist causes the characters to become weak and defenseless even after using their great powers to defeat their enemies.