#64 The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Carter and Sadie Kane are brother and sister, but they only see each other once or twice a year. Fourteen-year-old Cater 
spends his days traveling around the world with their archeologist father and envies Sadie for her more normal life. Twelve-year-old Sadie lives with her grandparents in London, and wants nothing more than to spend more time with her father. Then one day Carter and Sadie's father brings them to the British museum, and something goes wrong. The ancient Egyptian gods have been released upon the modern world, and Cater and Sadie don't know it, but they're the only ones that can save the day.
The Red Pyramid is the first book in the Kane Chronicals by Rick Riordan, who is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. As the Kane Chronicles focus on Egyptian mythology much like the Percy Jackson books focus on Greek mythology, there are bound to be some similarities between the two. There were times when I felt The Red Pyramid was a little too similar to Percy's books. For example, both favor road-trip storylines, and emphasize family and lineage. Still, there were enough differences to keep the book interesting.
I really like that Carter and Sadie actually acted like brother and sister, and I felt that their personalities complimented each other very well (initially, Cater is much more obedient and knowledgeable of ancient Egypt than Sadie, and Sadie is more independent and impulsive). I think that Riordan has made a good choice in creating a mostly non-white main cast, seeing as the books are inspired by ancient Egypt. Much like the Percy Jackson books, The Red Pyramid has a great mix of action and comedy that kept the story moving quickly. Unlike the Percy Jackson book, the emphasis here is not on demigods, and the Egyptian gods are perceived much differently. I thought that this was a nice change of pace. I also enjoyed the more global feel. In his Greek books, the characters covered seemingly every corner of the US, so it was nice to widen the net I also like how the romance was kept to a minimum, as the characters are still rather young.
I chose to experience The Red Pyramid as an audiobook, and I highly recommend that others do the same, as the book itself is presented as being based off of actual recordings by Carter and Sadie. The narrators did a really fantastic job of giving the characters personality and making the book exciting. Although The Red Pyramid is pulled down somewhat by it's multiple similarities to the Percy Jackson books, the book is pretty satisfying on a whole, and I'm glad I read it.
Rating: four stars
Length: the print version is 516 pages
Source: Overdrive Media Console (Lewiston Public Library)
Other books I've read by this author: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters , and The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth. The Last Olympian, The Lost Hero
Next I will be reviewing The Coyote Road by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads
spends his days traveling around the world with their archeologist father and envies Sadie for her more normal life. Twelve-year-old Sadie lives with her grandparents in London, and wants nothing more than to spend more time with her father. Then one day Carter and Sadie's father brings them to the British museum, and something goes wrong. The ancient Egyptian gods have been released upon the modern world, and Cater and Sadie don't know it, but they're the only ones that can save the day.
The Red Pyramid is the first book in the Kane Chronicals by Rick Riordan, who is best known for his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. As the Kane Chronicles focus on Egyptian mythology much like the Percy Jackson books focus on Greek mythology, there are bound to be some similarities between the two. There were times when I felt The Red Pyramid was a little too similar to Percy's books. For example, both favor road-trip storylines, and emphasize family and lineage. Still, there were enough differences to keep the book interesting.
I really like that Carter and Sadie actually acted like brother and sister, and I felt that their personalities complimented each other very well (initially, Cater is much more obedient and knowledgeable of ancient Egypt than Sadie, and Sadie is more independent and impulsive). I think that Riordan has made a good choice in creating a mostly non-white main cast, seeing as the books are inspired by ancient Egypt. Much like the Percy Jackson books, The Red Pyramid has a great mix of action and comedy that kept the story moving quickly. Unlike the Percy Jackson book, the emphasis here is not on demigods, and the Egyptian gods are perceived much differently. I thought that this was a nice change of pace. I also enjoyed the more global feel. In his Greek books, the characters covered seemingly every corner of the US, so it was nice to widen the net I also like how the romance was kept to a minimum, as the characters are still rather young.
I chose to experience The Red Pyramid as an audiobook, and I highly recommend that others do the same, as the book itself is presented as being based off of actual recordings by Carter and Sadie. The narrators did a really fantastic job of giving the characters personality and making the book exciting. Although The Red Pyramid is pulled down somewhat by it's multiple similarities to the Percy Jackson books, the book is pretty satisfying on a whole, and I'm glad I read it.
Rating: four stars
Length: the print version is 516 pages
Source: Overdrive Media Console (Lewiston Public Library)
Other books I've read by this author: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters , and The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth. The Last Olympian, The Lost Hero
Next I will be reviewing The Coyote Road by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
xposted to temporaryworlds, bookish, and goodreads