"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?"
General Thoughts: Much of the Kane Chronicles seems to mesh in my head. Aside from a few characters, it's hard to remember what happens in which book. While they are good and interesting books, there are times when I simply forgot what happened. The big shining moment in this book is Bes. He was a fun God to have around to help the Kane's out.
<<Spoilers Ahead>>
Plot: As said above, it is kind of hard to remember what happens between this book and the next book in the series. They both seem like they are trying to do the same thing. (It was a year ago when I read this one, so forgive me.) They are supposed to find Ra in order to save the day along with their new initiates that have appeared at the Brooklyn House. Romance is "not" happening all around; "It's Complicated" seems to be on everyone's boards. But they are all trying, with much difficulty, to keep the world together.
Setting: The most memorable setting here was the River of Death, don't quote me on the name. We spent a good portion of the time traversing it to get to Ra at his Senior Living Center in the land of the dead. But they had to fight through monsters, make deals (which were really sad), visit family and potential boyfriends, find Ra, and get back to the land of the living all without really dying. The rising action on the River was really cool. It set us in the mood for what was going on and was well done.
Characters: Sadie and Carter are not my favorite. Even many of the side characters at the Brooklyn House were "okay" but not favorites. Had potential for coolness, but none of them had the best amount of screen time. For some, it felt as if Rick Riordan maybe was trying too hard and they didn't quite sit right with me. Bes is the favorite here. He's got a great back story and we really feel for him and all he's giving up, even his romance with a hippo was really sweet in a "ah, he doesn't know what to do" kind of way. I also like Anubis and his abilities to morph between the land of the living and the land of the dead is pretty cool.
Spicy: 2/5 Spicy Chilis. I think there might be a kiss, at least on Sadie's side. Hard flirting, but most of the time it goes poorly, which makes it funny. How I don't miss being a teenager.
Writing Style: This series isn't as humorous as other series Rick Riordan has written, but it was well enough done. I do wish I card for Sadie and Carter more. I don't know why I didn't as much, but I just didn't care. Bes was sweet and my son and I both enjoyed him as a character. The technical writing was bad, but I don't remember anything exceptional about it either.
Overall: This series is one that it'll take me a minute to get back to reread. There are some good things, like Bes obviously and Anubis is a fun character, but there isn't anything particularly spectacular about these books in particular. Which makes me kind of sad.
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