Hello, you’ll find the reviews of each book in THE KANE CHRONICLES trilogy by Rick Riordan here. Enjoy!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
𓁶 The Red Pyramid | 𓂉 The Throne of Fire | 𓂀 The Serpent’s Shadow
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The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Series: The Kane Chronicles #1
Published May 4, 2010 by Disney-Hyperion
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rating:
Synopsis:
Since his mother’s death six years ago, Carter Kane has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the globe with his father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. But while Carter’s been homeschooled, his younger sister, Sadie, has been living with their grandparents in London. Sadie has just what Carter wants—school friends and a chance at a “normal” life. But Carter has just what Sadie longs for—time with their father. After six years of living apart, the siblings have almost nothing in common. Until now.
On Christmas Eve, Sadie and Carter are reunited when their father brings them to the British Museum, with a promise that he’s going to “make things right.” But all does not go according to plan: Carter and Sadie watch as Julius summons a mysterious figure, who quickly banishes their father and causes a fiery explosion.
Soon Carter and Sadie discover that the gods of Ancient Egypt are waking, and the worst of them—Set—has a frightening scheme. To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey—a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and its links to the House of Life, a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.
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What a difference between the Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series! In The Kane Chronicles, we are taking a journey through Egyptian myth and I had so much fun. I’m learning the history of Egypt and the magic surrounding the ancient story.
The pacing was well executed. Rick Riordan got me hooked from the beginning of this tale. I couldn’t help but continue reading page after page. The action within The Red Pyramid kept me going. His writing is dynamic and vivid. I could easily imagine the setting and the scenes. At first, I was worried about getting confused with the Egyptian myth but Rick Riordan related every detail through each character using dialogues.
Sometimes I forgot that the main characters are young teens. And I get frustrated at some of their decisions but as Sadie pointed out, it’s a lot of pressure on 13 to 15-year-old teenagers. I really liked Sadie and Carter. As siblings, they were hilarious. Both of them can deliver perfectly chuckle-worthy comebacks. Their relationship was sweet and genuine.
As individuals, Sadie and Carter are powerful in their own right. Carter possessed most of the critical knowledge of ancient Egypt required during the entire adventure. It proved to be extremely useful, especially when he had to strategize and fight against stronger characters. Although Sadie lacks the knowledge since she didn’t travel around with her father as Carter did, she thinks quickly on her feet and is compassionate. They were developed holistically as siblings and as individuals.
“Fairness means everyone gets what they need. And the only way to get what you need is to make it happen yourself.”
I grew fond of the side characters quickly too. Bast is an amazing, powerful being who I’m always happy to read about. She really cares a whole deal about the kids. Khufu the monkey is hilarious and smart. Zia has more to her than I realized. She’s a character that I’m looking forward to knowing more about. Sadie and Carter’s parents played a larger role in this book than in the past two series in the Riordan verse. With what has gone on in this book, it’ll be interesting to see what will happen to them in the rest of the trilogy.
Rick Riordan has a superpower. How is he able to create so many books inspired by so many myths and legends? And I’m never bored. Sure, the books have similar elements but each novel/series have its own unique identity with new mysteries to solve, new gods to fight, and new characters to cheer for. Oh, and I love that Rick Riordan added the hieroglyphic symbols each time his characters used one. It makes the world so much more comprehensible.
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The next review is for book two in the series The Kane Chronicles!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
𓁶 The Red Pyramid | 𓂉 The Throne of Fire | 𓂀 The Serpent’s Shadow
𓂉𓂉𓂉
The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Series: The Kane Chronicles #2
Published on May 3, 2011 by Hyperion Books for Children
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rating:
Synopsis:
Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven’t given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.
And now their most threatening enemy yet – the chaos snake Apophis – is rising. If they don’t prevent him from breaking free in a few days’ time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it’s a typical week for the Kane family.
To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.
First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?
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Sadie and Carter were annoying at the beginning. They do make lots of mistakes and made very irrational and suspicious decisions in the middle which I couldn’t understand but it gave each of the siblings their space and time to grow into individual human beings. Also, I need to remember that these characters are only in their teens. Sadie turned 14 in this book! They are bound to make mistakes and be irrational. Also, they took huge risks to try to restore balance and ensure that the end of the world doesn’t arrive, so they deserve a break from all the criticism.
The secret name magic is intricate and simple to understand. It’s kinda cool that it’s linked to the person’s darkest thoughts and the most embarrassing moments, etc. As a result, the person you share your secret name with is the one you trust a lot. Or, you could just get blackmailed into telling it to someone else.
“Words are the source of all power. And names are more than just a collection of letters.”
Like I’ve said before, all of Rick Riordan’s books are filled with adventure and self-discoveries, and characters accepting and defying reality. These characters are trying their very best to stay alive and risk everything to save the world. Even though the main point of saving the world, was by characters figuring things out on their own like how it was in the other series, this was very different in terms of execution and just the overall vibe in The Kane Chronicles.
The romance was a little abrupt since Sadie’s affection towards Anabuis was obvious and established since book one, and she only met Walt in The Throne of Fire. There has to be more interaction between the two of them before I could see them being together. Now, for Carter and Zia, things are a little awkward and weird. He technically fell for a pottery statue thing so there was a chance that Zia had no idea about their attraction towards one another the entire time. That would be a disaster and an emotional impact on Carter who was desperately trying to find where she was kept unconscious.
Similar to the other series, there are some gods which we can trust and others we come to realize are absolutely horrible and merciless. Not only that, the myth of Horus and Isis dethroning Ra played a huge part in Sadie and Carter’s journey to find the sun god. There was a clash of opinions and interests that the siblings have to maneuver and try to come to a compromise with their own beliefs.
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The next review is for book three in the series The Kane Chronicles!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
𓁶 The Red Pyramid | 𓂉 The Throne of Fire | 𓂀 The Serpent’s Shadow
𓂀𓂀𓂀
The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan
Series: The Kane Chronicles #3
Published on May 1, 2012 by Hyperion Books
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rating:
Synopsis:
He’s b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.
The Kanes’ only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent’s own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow… or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld.
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The conclusion for The Kane Chronicles, that’s filled with Egyptian lore and mythology feels underwhelming. Unfortunately, I thought that the stakes weren’t that high. Despite that, The Serpent’s Shadow still has elements that are unique to the trilogy. Powerful magicians who are intertwined intimately with the Egyptian gods, ending in questionable deals with certain beings. Rick Riordan wrapped up all the loose ends and answered the questions I wanted to know.
One thing that I really loved about this trilogy is that the narrators are a pair of siblings. Sadie and Carter are powerful and courageous when facing dangerous and life-threatening obstacles, monsters and gods alike. They have a wonderful relationship whereby they can insult and tease one another at times but would always support each other through difficult times.
In adversity, Sadie is brave. Even though she’s the kind that will do first and think later, I still liked how she’s always doing something. When she gets reckless, Carter’s always there to watch her back in case anything were to happen. They have a great dynamic together and have the utmost trust in one another. Carter’s destiny is to rule. He generates great ideas and, like Sadie, would stop at nothing to make sure the world is saved from evil forces. I do wish we saw more of him leading the team though.
As for the romances, I wasn’t as invested as I was with other series by Rick Riordan. That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy them. I just feel that Zia and Carter needed more time together to fully know about one another again. Their bond in The Red Pyramid was far more complex and interesting to read about, and I felt that it didn’t develop to that point in The Serpent’s Shadow. In the love triangle that starred Sadie, Anubis, and Walt, I wasn’t expecting it to end refreshingly. By that time, I wasn’t too concerned about the romance as compared to the plots and overall “how to defeat the villain” plan.
Unfortunately, I didn’t like The Kane Chronicles as much as I did with the Percy Jackson series and The Heroes of Olympus series. I wasn’t as anxious or worried about the characters’ lives in this trilogy. The final battle wasn’t as suspenseful as I had anticipated and I didn’t find myself at the edge of the seat that much.
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