The Throne of Fire: The Kane Chronicles, Book 2

This book is awesome! It's funny, interesting, & a great read. Lots of action and intriguing story lines. The main characters are 12-14, so it may be better for kids around that age, but there is nothing particularly inappropriate. Teaches a lot about Egyptian mythology, has good messages and strong characters. Reading this book was like going into the Duat; you completely lose track of time!

I absolutely love this series! It has great humor between two siblings, and it displays the theme of saving the world masked from younger kids by this humor but its a great book for older thinkers. I read the book at the library and then bought it at the store! It displays the emotion of Carter, Sadie, and all the other characters so well, i recommend it to all ages. ~Note~ it may be on "pause" for ages 7-10. But then, you parents know your children!

Like everybody else, I was excited for the next book in the "Kane Chronicles" series. The moment my birthday presents were all opened, my sister drove me to the nearest Walmart where the first place I went to was the book section, prominently displaying the new arrivals. So, did they deserve all that prominence? I'm still trying to figure that out. But let me first get the newbies to Riordan's piping hot best sellers up to date with things. "The Kane Chronicals", in brief, is about a tempestuous brother-sister team, brainiac Carter and stubborn Sadie Kane, and how they save the world from Egyptian mythology's greatest villain, Aphophis. Throughout their wild adventures, they encounter and play along with ancient Egyptian myths and beings, like the cat goddess Bast and the desert god Set. As with the first book, Riordan bakes a scrumptious cake with a unique, vibrant, adventure cake mix; velvet if you want to have a a texture referring to the flow of his writing and story. Between and around the layers, he frosts it heavily with humor, action sequences, and Egyptian mythology lessons with flair and interest. On top of that, sprinkles crown the cake; sugars of teen love, gem-like rocks with heart-felt descriptions of Adele's 19 and Egyptian tourist stands, and memorable characters. This may look, and taste, like a masterpiece for teenagers who are familiar with Riordan's outstanding writing (The Lightening Thief, anyone?), but for me, though it had much of what it promised, I realized that this here cake was made for ten to thirteen year-olds. We all remember the time when our favorite book from ten years-old just didn't satisfy like it used to for the now-fourteen year-old. I'm afraid that I'm experiencing that change, wishing that Riordan wouldn't treat those poor and "ignorant" mortals like dummies. I mean, some of those screaming people went to Harvard or Oxford! Really, make them the smart ones for a chapter and not the main characters that are "in the know". You see? Evidence that I'm growing up. But not even that can stop me from wanting to see how it will all end. Overall, it is a great story for Riordan fans, 10 & up. Plenty of historical value; a few, and hard to discern, positive messages about caring for your brother or sister no matter how annoying, verbally abusive, mind-blowingly smart, and old they are; I wouldn't consider the main characters to be perfect role models (eh-em, Sadie?) though they do stand up to save the world when duty calls. Now, for the iffy stuff. Killing monsters daily without gore and magical fights; a brief kiss, a growing fancy between the boy main character and another girl who controls fire (wolf-whistle), a girl talks about her crushes on a god and another boy, and last but not least, an awkward moment where a boy comes to talk to the girl main character in her room (no making out). The two main characters call each other names, mostly why I put language down as a concern as to know it might influence your child. iPods and other stuff are mentioned. I'm doing this during study hall at school so better go.

I wasn't a fan of The Red Pyramid, although I enjoyed it more than The Lost Hero, and I wasn't planning on reading the sequel, but a friend bought me a copy for my birthday, and not wanting to waste a book, I left it for the end, and soon I was opening to chapter one, and was surprised to be very eager to find out what would happen next. I do recommend re-reading The Red Pyramid, because The Throne of Fire was a little bit confusing, (I did end up reading The Red Pyramid again, a little ways into it, but I still stand by about it not being great.) The characters are more real, and relatable this time around. The blend of humor, magic, and action is wonderful. The violence includes some heavy magic violence including a battle with a huge snake; one scene describes a man with gauged- out eyes. Also the story centers on the fact that the world is about to be destroyed. There is some kissing, and crushes are a part of the plot. One god only wears Speedos. The language is present in the random acts of violence scattered through out the novel, only saying su**, and British slang words. I would like to say I like that fact that there is a glossary in the back of the book, which I used a lot. The book has the humor that was missing in book one. The role models were great, and head- strong. The book is well paced and opens real nicely for the third book coming soon. Enjoy!