The Kane Chronicles – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews The Serpent’s Shadow (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has already reviewed The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire, the first two books of Rick Riordan‘s Kane Chronicles series. Today she reviews the third and last book, The Serpent’s Shadow, first published in 2012. Having read the first two books herself, Sprinkles was curious about this third one, and so she is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, tell us a bit about this book.

Marshmallow: Well, things end conveniently for Sadie! Though it is a bit unrealistic…

S: I’m guessing you are talking about her romantic pursuits.

M: Yes. Oh and the world does not get destroyed.

S: Well, I could guess that because the author wrote several more books after this one, and in some, the Kane siblings themselves show up.

M: Yes. And some of those stories are published along with these books. In the first book, The Red Pyramid, there was a story titled “The Son of Sobek”, which featured Carter Kane and Percy Jackson. In the second book, The Throne of Fire, there was a story titled “The Staff of Serapis”with Annabeth and Sadie. In this third book, there is a story titled “The Crown of Ptolemy” and all four of these characters work together. These three stories all apparently happen after the three books of the Kane Chronicles. So yes, there were some clues about the world not ending.

S: And I thought the stories were really neat, but the first one told me a bit more than I knew about, for example, about the kids training with Carter and Sadie, and the second one kind of gave away the resolution of Sadie’s love triangle dilemma. So maybe people should not read the stories if they do not want any spoilers.

M: You are right. The spoilers are not terribly explicit, and they just give you some hints. But they are there, and if you want no spoilers, then you should hold off on them. But maybe we should talk about the actual book itself.

S: Yes, I am quite eager to learn more about what is going to happen, but you need to promise me: no spoilers!

M: I’ll try.

Marshmallow is reading The Serpent's Shadow (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *The Serpent’s Shadow* (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan.

S: So, how would you describe the plot without giving away too much?

M: Hmm, well, the serpent in the title is Apophis, as you could imagine, the snake of Chaos, who has been trying to take over the world.

S: Okay.

M: Carter and Sadie need to find a way to stop him, and remember in the previous book, they had already woken up Ra, but he was old and more or less senile. So in this book, they have to figure out how to handle that situation, too. And the solution involves souls and magic and deep Egyptian mythology stuff like that.

S: Okay, maybe this is enough, because I can see you struggling not to give away anything.

M: Yes. I want to tell you everything and talk about them. But I know you don’t want to just yet. You just have to read the book Sprinkles.

S: Okay, I will read the book, I want to, but I am curious, did you like how Riordan tied things up in the end?

M: Yes. I think he is very good at this. I’m not a huge fan of the very last sentence but the resolution is very good.

S: And of course, there is an open door for more adventures, I am assuming?

M: Yes, some minor plots are unresolved, but the ending still feels pretty complete. And yet you want to know more about these characters and their worlds. All in all a very satisfying reading experience.

S: So let us wrap this up so I can get the book and start reading.

M: Sure.

S: So how would you rate this book then?

M: I’d rate it 100%. It is a satisfying finish to a really neat trilogy.

S: Sounds good. So what do you want to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies! We will be back in August!

Marshmallow rates The Serpent's Shadow (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Serpent’s Shadow* (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Throne of Fire (Book Two of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan

Last week Marshmallow reviewed The Red Pyramid, the first book of Rick Riordan‘s Kane Chronicles series. Today she writes about the second book, The Throne of Fire, first published in 2011.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like reading about Egyptian mythology or you have enjoyed some of Rick Riordan’s other books, then this might be the book for you (though you should probably read The Red Pyramid first).

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): After learning that Egyptian mythology is real and active in the modern world, Sadie and Carter Kane’s lives have been transformed. Now, danger lurks around every corner. The snake / god of Chaos, Apophis, is trying to break out of his eternal prison, and if he escapes, the Ma’at (basically the order in the universe) will fall, chaos will reign, and the world will be in big trouble. In order to prevent this from occurring, Sadie and Carter must release the sun god Ra who will hopefully be able to defeat Apophis and put him back in his prison. Unfortunately, finding and reawakening Ra will be difficult. Stronger magicians failed and were permanently scarred.

Sadie and Carter must find Ra, but Apophis is not their only enemy. Many of the other Egyptian gods also do not want Ra back and will try to prevent the Kane children from reaching him. Even with help from their trainees, uncle, and some of the nice gods, can Carter and Sadie find Ra and save the world before chaos rules over everything?

Marshmallow is reading The Throne of Fire (Book Two of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *The Throne of Fire* (Book Two of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I liked reading about the many characters in this book, and they are all relatable. Though their situation is not something I can relate to, their emotions are very human / bunny-like, a testament to Rick Riordan’s writing skill. The characters’ voices are all unique but very entertaining.

I also really liked the plot of The Throne of Fire. It is fun to read but still keeps you on the edge of your seat. I especially like how you get to learn new things about Egyptian mythology throughout the book and how the plot is based around actual Egyptian mythology. Everything in the book is based on real Egyptian myths, which I think is really cool.

I must admit that I was a bit taken back by how stereotypically Sadie behaved sometimes, and I also felt that the characters were not terribly kind to one of the characters who was losing his mind. Still, I really enjoyed reading The Throne of Fire and would recommend it to anyone. Readers of all ages would like the book because it is not very scary or inappropriate.

The Throne of Fire is the second book of a trilogy, so the ending does require / make you want to read the next and last book in the Kane Chronicles series. I look forward to reading and reviewing that next.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates The Throne of Fire (Book Two of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 95%. — Marshmallow rates *The Throne of Fire* (Book Two of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 95%.

Marshmallow reviews The Red Pyramid (Book One of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan

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 is reading The Red Pyramid (Book One of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *The Red Pyramid* (Book One of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan.

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%.

Marshmallow rates The Red Pyramid (Book One of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Red Pyramid* (Book One of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 100%.