The Throne of Fire

 The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan is the second book in The Kane Chronicles.

"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. 

The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is the first in his Red Pyramid series based on Egyptian Mythology. 

"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."

General Thoughts: I thought I knew a bit about Egyptian Mythology, but apparently not as much as I could. Some of it got to be a little jarring at times, but Rick Riordan is pretty good at walking us through and giving the reader hints of things if we forgot them. I appreciate him for that. It's a decent book, but not high favorite. I'd probably read it again, though it would be farther in the future. I did really like Bast though, she's pretty cool. 

<<Spoilers Ahead>>

Plot: I feel like there is a lot going on. Sadie and Carter end up jumping all over the world trying to find safe places from the BBEG and things that will help the out on their journey to stop said BBEG. I like the idea that they both get powers from Horus or Isis and that they can do amazing things with them, but they Mary-Sue-d their way through some of the important moments. 

Setting: They are all over the place, in many different cities, but I did enjoy it when they were in Giza (I think) in the secret base. The Hall with the timeline in it was really interesting and a really cool idea. He does tend to have great visuals. 

Characters: I really liked Bast. She was fun and really helped the kids out. Sadie and Carter were alight, but neither of them really resonated with me, which is sad because they are the main characters. The few others that I remember were alright but not as noteworthy as they could have been, at least from reading it a year ago. 

Spice: 1/5 Spicy Chilis. There was a little one sided flirting going on, but I don't recall it lasting very long. 

Writing Style: Rick Riodan has a pretty humorous writing style. I enjoy the puns and the way he tells a story. Carter is more serious than Percy is, but that's alright. In order to smoothly transition between Sadie and Carter's experience, Riordan set up the book like it was an audio recording, calling out all the other magicians that feel the Egyptian urge to go rampaging. It was kind of different, but not bad. 

Overall: There were some good moments that I remember, but a lot of it is a blur after a year. I maybe remember four scenes. It isn't a book that I'd want to read over and over again, but maybe somewhere in the future I'll return to it, and I think that's the case because I didn't care for our MC's as much as I could have.