The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan
Puffin, 2012. ISBN 9780141335698.
(Age: 9+) Carter and Sadie Kane are descendents of the House of
Life, an Egyptian temple of magic. In The Red Pyramid and The Throne
of Fire, the Kanes learnt to command their unique abilities and
revived the sun god Ra, a worthy opponent to the god of chaos,
Apophis. In the third and final installment of this electrifying
trilogy, Apophis is hell bent on bringing forth the end of days, and
the Kanes have a limited amount of time to defeat the god of Chaos
himself and save mankind.
Following on from the Percy Jackson phenomenon about Greek gods and
their offspring, The Kane Chronicles breathes life into the Egyptian
gods and goddesses. From an off-kilter exuberant hippopotamus
epitomising Hapi, the god of the Nile, and an incredibly feline and
agile female depicting Bast, the cat goddess, Riordan's creativity
shines as he interprets the quirks of these ancient beings.
The Serpent's Shadow picks up where The Throne of Fire left off, as
Carter and Sadie discover an ancient spell that may defeat Apophis.
With magical abilities and an academy of magical students, these
siblings have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Told
through interchanging perspectives, we learn about Sadie's inner
turmoil between two boys, and Carter's insecurities about his role
as a leader.
It's the creativity and immensely imaginative world that Riordan has
created that's the focus here, and you'll be constantly entertained
with The Serpent's Shadow. Whether we're stumbling upon the next
Egyptian god, hearing from Sadie's ghostly mother, visiting the
underworld or seeing Carter turning into a falcon, The Serpent's
Shadow is full of surprises.
You'd definitely need to read the first two books of The Kane
Chronicles before delving into this one, as it's full steam ahead
from the first chapter. If you've read the Percy Jackson series and
you're hankering for more, or you simply love Egypt, this series
will not disappoint and you'll be wondering why it's just a trilogy.
Jeann Wong