The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

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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

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