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. 

The Greek Gods

 The Greek Gods by Evslin, Evslin, and Hoopes. 

"The Greek gods had more powers than mortals could even imagine. They could change day to night, turn people into animals, and punish men with eternal torture. Their whims and desires changed the course of human destiny. No legends are more fabulous than those of the Greek gods. This classic collection tells their stories."

General Thoughts: I read this book in my 8th grade English class and after my son and I finished reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, I thought it would be a good idea to get the most widely believed versions of Greek Mythology. 

Plot: These are the stories of the major Greek Gods. Each three to five page chapter is the story of them muddling about with mortals. They are short, concise, and simple stories that showed the basic characteristics and actions of most of the Gods. Though it doesn't have all the stories, it has enough to walk though Rick Riordan's books without losing a shoe. 

Setting: There isn't much here in the way of setting. If there are descriptions they are short and don't give you much in the way of a feel for the "world" that the Greek Gods are in. It almost has the feel of a text book, kinda dry but give the information. 

Characters: Each of the character, God or mortal, are simple. They are portrayed as if it was a story being told around a campfire, not a masterly crafted literature piece with characters you'd want to read about over and over again because they were so enticing.

Spice: 1/5 Spicy Chilis. I could probably say 0 instead of one just for how dry it is, but the fact that offspring happen and you have the Goddess of Love there, I'll give it a 1. 

Writing Style: It feels like a text book. Something you'd want to reference if you were writing a paper, not necessarily the best piece of fiction. 

Overall: It was something to show to my son that not all the stories in Rick Riordan's books are "mythologically accurate" but that he does a pretty good job at staying true to the myths. It was okay, but probably not a book that he or I will be reading again for a long while.  

The Storm Runner

 Rick Riordan wanted more cultures to be represented in Percy Jackson like ways and got many other authors from different cultures to write about mythologies. This book, written by J.C. Cervantes, is a dive into Mayan Mythology. 

Zane is a kid who constantly got picked on because one of his legs was shorter than the other meaning he had a very dominate limp and was forced to walk with a cane. With his back yard in New Mexico being home to a volcano and walking around and on top of it all the time with his dog, he became pretty good at keeping his balance on uneven terrain. It was just about time to start at another school when things start to go loco. A girl that can shapeshift into a hawk appears and demons flying airplanes fly into the volcano. He finds out that practically all the people around him are keeping secrets from him and that they aren't who they appear. He isn't even who he thinks he is.  Zane discovers more about himself as he dives deeper into the mythology of his ancestors. Dealing with the God of Death and Darkness is no picnic either. 

This book felt very much like Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Full of snarky humor of a teenage boy, it was fun to get into Zane's head and discover more about Mayan culture as we understand it presently. There is so much that I didn't know about and it was fun to learn. The book was written well enough that it wasn't confusing for me an "unknowledgeable" person when it comes to this sphere. 

I enjoyed the characters. Zane's uncle was funny and wasn't "useless" like some characters have been in this type of series. Brooks was alright though not my favorite. There was so much "mystery" about her and it took her forever to explain so many things--she was needed to inform us as the reader and Zane as to what is up with the Mayan world. His Seer neighbor almost seemed unneeded, though I can potentially see her being potentially bad guy worthy later but probably not. I also found it nice that Zane's mom didn't just sit back and do nothing while Zane was off adventuring. She tried to help in as many ways as she limitedly could. 

It was good, though I think the concept of "not knowing who you can trust" when you find out that you can trust most everyone was kind of obnoxious. Unless it's foreshadowing for more books, I found it kind of unnecessary. I did like the fact that The Twins  that Zane has to ask for help from turned out the way they did--trying hard for no spoilers here. I also liked the lady who took over Shibalb; she has the potential to become a very fun character and I hope we get more of her as the series goes on.

Over all I enjoyed it. For those who get upset about "the dog dies" books, take a breath and keep reading. Much of the book aside from facing the God of Death is Zane trying to get his dog back. And as you can see from the next cover, he does. So it's okay, it just take a while for him to accomplish it. It's okay, don't stop reading. 

Circe

 Circe is a retelling of the goddess Circe in Homer's Odyssey. 

Circe is a minor goddess, daughter of the Titan Hileos. She is forgotten and ugly compared to the other nymphs and gods she associates with. She can't do anything that her father or mother, also a nymph, does. Circe waits at her fathers feet, forgotten at his counsels and therefor hears everything. The titans are angry with Zeus and the other gods telling them what to do. After her brothers and sister leave to be kings and queens of their own nations, she finds a mortal and falls in love him. To make it so he doesn't die she gives him magics to make him his "true self" and he becomes a god then forgets her. When she confesses to a crime she committed for that love, the gods exile her to the island of Aeaea where she considers it a lenient punishment (for freaking the gods out because of her magic, not for the actual crime itself) and enjoys her solitude away from the ever pompous, obnoxious, and boisterous gods, titans, and nymphs she calls family. While on her island, people come. Hermes brings her news, her sister beckons for her to help with her birth of the Minotaur, and a very few others. Sailors who have lost their way and men take advantage of her isolation. Too late for some magic, she turns them to pigs as she deems there is no other image more suitable for them than swine. More and more sailors breech her shores until one day Odysseus, the famed Greek hero, comes to her island. 

It was a very interesting book. Aside from Percy Jackson, I knew only the bare basics of Greek heroes let alone some of the "villains" of the stories. Circe is very much her own person. Curiosity, yet having bounds on it, is refreshing. And I think it was good to see the repercussions over centuries of deeds, good and bad. Because it is a new fictional piece, it doesn't stick to all of the mythology around her "accurately." There are some stories it completely negates and others it gives a turn to fit the narrative the author wanted. 

Circe was relatable is some instances. She was naive and then grew knowledgeable about the world around her and how the gods manipulated everyone. She understand that manipulation, then refused to be apart of it any more. She was able to weave her magics like she would a cloth, and later her words as well. Her threats became real. I also liked how she would do anything to protect that which was most important to her. 

I also appreciated the way Ms. Miller handled sex. In the story, there was quite a bit of it, but it was never graphic, which I very much appreciate. Even when she was raped by sailors it wasn't harsh (which some people might have problems with, but I don't). It isn't a story of her rape; it is a story of all of her life. She does deal with that moment and invites all the suckling pigs in for bacon and sausage which is pretty crazy and rather nuts, but there is more to someone's life than the injustices they are dealt. 

The other characters were enjoyable as well. They seemed like their own people, which I think can be tricky with "historical" figures, but it was well done. I did find the ending kind of odd in who her two daughters come from... and her other mythological children aren't mentioned. It's weird. It's odd. It's Greek Mythology. 

Please do enjoy it.