Marshmallow is an avid reader and Rick Riordan is one of her favorite authors. She has read and reviewed several series by Riordan. Today she finally starts talking about The Kane Chronicles, Riordan’s books about the Egyptian mythologies. Below you will find her thoughts on The Red Pyramid, first published in 2010.
Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about Egyptian mythology or have enjoyed reading some of Rick Riordan’s other books, then this might be the book for you.
Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Since his mother’s death, Carter Kane has traveled the world with his father. His father, a famous Egyptologist, got custody for Carter, but Carter’s younger sister, Sadie, was given to their maternal grandparents in London. Sadie and Carter are not particularly close, despite the fact that they are siblings. Given their strikingly different personalities (Carter is more reserved, quiet, and cautious, whereas Sadie is more outgoing, rebellious, and impulsive), different accents (Sadie has a British accent), and dissimilar appearances, most people would not assume that they are siblings.
Every year, Carter and his father are given a day to visit Sadie. On the day Carter and their dad visit Sadie, they go to the British Museum and their father releases several ancient Egyptian gods that were trapped in the Rosetta Stone. From there on, Carter and Sadie’s already-complicated lives get more complicated. The father is kidnapped by the evil, chaotic god, Set. Then Sadie and Carter are rescued by their uncle Amos, who they haven’t seen for many years. He takes them to a house in Brooklyn. (Yes, they were in London, but their uncle has magical abilities.) There, Carter and Sadie learn that they are descended from a line of magicians.
Eventually, they must flee Amos’s house and escape to Cairo, the first nome of the House of Life. As it turns out, Sadie and Carter’s dad did something illegal (in the House of Life) when he summoned the gods as gods are banned from the House of Life. In the House of Life, Carter and Sadie find new friends and new enemies. Sadie and Carter are trained to do magic by magician and scribe Zia Rashid (Carter’s new love interest). Unfortunately, Set plans to take over the world, bring chaos, and destroy all order. Can Carter and Sadie fight him with newly learned magic and prevent him from bringing about the end of the world?
Marshmallow’s Review: I really enjoyed reading The Red Pyramid and would highly recommend it to any and all people who liked any or all of Rick Riordan’s previous books. The writing style and narrative is the same: funny, fresh voice that we know and love from his Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.
I really liked the characters and the interactions between them all. It was interesting to see the characters grappling with, not only impending doom and ancient Egyptian gods, but also losing family members and dealing with crushes. The emotions and thoughts portrayed in the book made the characters feel more real and more relatable.
The Red Pyramid is written as if it were an actual audio recording by Carter and Sadie. The book opens with Sadie and Carter instructing the reader to open a locker; this is explained later in the book.
Fair warning: The Red Pyramid is the first book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy, and if you read this, you will likely want to read the other books. The end reveals new information and promises a continuation of the plot. Some narrative threads are left unfinished, and it is clear that this is not the end of the story. I am really looking forward to reading and reviewing the other two Kane Chronicles books.
Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.
BookBunnies 
It is very unusual for the courts to separate siblings, specially when one of the parents is willing and able to care for both. I wonder why it was decided to split them apart and send Sadie of to her maternal grandparents. Even stranger that Sadie’s father is allowed to visit her only one day each year. I wish Marshmallow could explain this circumstance.
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You are right of course; split custody is pretty rare. Marshmallow explains this as follows: The mother is dead, and her parents, who were white, wanted the child who presented as white. The father is black, and the son has dark skin, so the grandparents, being quite racist, do not want the boy as much. Also they think they can handle a girl, but a boy might be more challenging. So in short, lots of bad reasons.
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Ahh, thanks for the explanation.
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Marshmallow adds mysteriously: “There is also another reason which starts to come out around page 78…”
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Marshmallow started with Greek and Roman mythology, now she is into Egyptian mythology. Once she finishes that, what mythology will she go after next? Apparently she is proceeding backwards in time, so will it be Mesopotamian mythology?
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