Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Serpent's Shadow

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The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

5 reviews

icedlemonade's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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yasidiaz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

“The Serpent’s Shadow” is the last book of the Kane Chronicles trilogy. Despite their best efforts, Apophis is back and has divided the House of Life and gods alike. Carter and Sadie's only chance is an ancient spell that has been lost for millennia. With not many allies and even having to turn to unfriendly subjects, the Kanes don’t know if they will make it out alive.

This series was a huge reminder that I can be in my mid-twenties and still enjoy middle-grade books. Of course, I am not the target audience of this series and I kept that in mind while reading it. I grew up with the Percy Jackson books and the Magnus Chase series was the first time I was introduced to a genderfluid character and had a part in helping me come to terms with my gender identity years after. This is to say, Rick Riordan has been one of my favorite authors for over a decade now, so, of course, I wanted to read this series.

I think it is fair to say that the Kane Chronicles is the least popular series of all of Riordan’s mythology series, and a part of me doesn’t fully understand why. I enjoyed the first two books immensely and this one is not an exception. I laughed so much with this book, just as much as I had with the Percy Jackson series, the Heroes of Olympus, and Magnus Chase. I love Carter and Sadie, their sibling dynamic is the best part of the series in my opinion. Most importantly, I love how different Carter and Sadie were from each other, which only made them compliment each other even more.

It’s honestly a fun action-packed book about Egyptian mythology in that usual Rick Riordan style. Not that the characters are a copy of previous characters, I actually heavily argue against that. At the beginning, they might feel similar to most characters in Riordanverse, but once you reach The Serpent’s Shadow, you see the growth between the Kane siblings. And believe me, as a writer and as a reader, my favorite thing will always be when the book ends when a character is doing something that you know they wouldn’t have dared at the start.

One thing that was a bit of a hard sell for me, though, was the romances in the series. However, when I reached the final book I actually enjoyed it. Not necessarily my favorite couples, but still cute.

In The Throne of Fire, I was slightly annoyed at how Carter almost got himself killed looking for Zia, but when I came to the realization of her purpose in all this and also truly seeing her character in this book I let it go. Sadie's whole thing with Anubis and Walt annoyed me for exactly a second until I reminded myself my bisexual ass was crushing on two people at the same time when I was her age. Like Yasi, you are the last person who should judge. Actually, after that reminder, it just made the whole thing even funnier for me. To the point, I completely called their ending.

My only other complaint about this book is that I wanted more. I don’t mind open endings, sometimes I think they are great. I even think this ending was great. However, it won’t stop me from asking for more.

I sincerely recommend this to anyone who is on the lookout for a fast-paced action-packed fantasy book about Egyptian mythology. Especially if you are looking for something to give to a middle-schooler. As someone who loved and devoured Rick Riordan’s books at that age, I can assure you this is a perfect read for those kids. It’s funny but it is still a complex story that others, no matter the age group, will be able to enjoy. And honestly, that’s my favorite thing about Rick Riordan’s book, they are hilarious and fun, but also heartbreaking and tense. It doesn’t shy away from heavy emotions and makes it accessible for its young readership.

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