The Serpent's Shadow
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Kane Chronicles (#3)
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
How Received: bought
He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sade Kane can’t seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos.
To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent’s shadow... or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld...
The final book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy by Rick Riordan did not disappoint; my only real problem with it is that it’s the last one! This exciting chapter in the story of Carter and Sadie Kane features their biggest adventure yet; as well as their most dangerous foe: the Chaos snake Apophis.
Before reading this book, I recommend brushing up on the story lines and characters of the previous two, as there isn’t a lot of time taken aside to re-explain them. The book is very readable, even if you haven’t just finished the others, but having the details fresh in your mind will only serve to enhance the experience of this novel. One of the best parts of this installment of the series was the “coming together” aspect of any good finale. Characters from across the three books all put into one place, battling to save the world; it doesn’t get better than that! Because of this, however, make sure you know who they all are!
The action in The Serpent’s Shadow is just as good as that in the previous books. There’s plenty of sword fighting, elemental magic (any Avatar: The Last Airbender fans out there? Zia Rashid’s fire elemental magic reminds me of firebending! There are earth and air elemental magicians in this book too!) and godly power to take in. The relationships between Carter, Sadie, and their friends with the Gods are very important and remain a pillar of the series. The inclusion of not-so-friendly demons and much-more-friendly griffins, baboons, and crocodiles provide a good level of comic relief as well.
As a middle-grade series, romantic relationships aren’t the major focus of the story, but they did keep me eager to see what would happen next! I was happy that although it wasn’t the main story, there was the element of romance; these kids are teenagers after all; and Riordan’s books are loved by many people of all ages. (And let me just say, no matter how bad you think your dating problems are, remember that at least your crush isn’t dying of a mysterious Egyptian disease, a five thousand year old Egyptian god, or randomly blacking out and throwing balls of fire at potted plants).
As well as wrapping up the storylines of old characters, The Serpent’s Shadow also introduces us to a new one, the ghost Setne. A real slime ball of a guy, this is one ancient Egyptian you cannot trust. Unfortunately for the Kanes, he’s the one person who can help them on their quest to defeat Apophis and restore Ma’at (order) to the world. I won’t give away too much, but even after the end of this book, it seems that the Kanes aren’t through with this undesirable creature...
Although this is the last book of the series, there are definitely some hints that there will be more to come for the Kanes and their friends, as well as some heavy suggestions that the goings on in the world of Percy Jackson and Jason Grace, heroes of Riordan’s other current series The Heroes of Olympus may be in store: “I see murky visions of other gods and rival magic.” “Egypt always faces challenges from outside… even gods from elsewhere.” “We’ve even got reports of unexplainable magic as close as Long Island. Probably have to check that out.” I don’t know what, if anything, Riordan is planning, but merciful Zeus, if a crossover is in our future, I’ll be hard-pressed to contain myself.
The Serpent’s Shadow was most definitely a worthy read and a satisfying conclusion to an epic series. I can only hope that my above speculation is correct and this won’t be the last time we see Carter and Sadie Kane and their friends!
Julia is Nicole's rooommate and middle grade reviewer for WORD. She likes costuming. Check out her Tumblr at Adventures in Nerdland.