This is the second book in the Kane Chronicles by Riordan. The Kane Chronicles is supposed to be a trilogy with the third, and final, book being released in Spring of 2012. This was a great addition to the series.

Carter and Sadie are back at home training their initiates in the use of the old prohibited magic of the Egyptian gods. Then via dreams and messages they realize that they must find the Book of Ra and wake Ra in seven days or the world will end. Of course nothing is ever easy and Carter and Sadie have a billion obstacles to overcome if they are going to get the pages of the book of Ra.

This was a fast-paced and action filled follow-up to the first book in this series. There is a lot of humor woven throughout the story and I found myself laughing outloud a number of times and really enjoying Riordan's writing style. I don't know nearly as much about Egyptian mythology as I do about Greek mythology; so there are lots of interesting things in this book to learn about Egyptian mythology. It is also interesting to watch Sadie and Carter struggle to work through problems together as a family when they still don't know each other that well.

I was a bit disappointed that Bast wasn't in the story more, she is hands down my favorite character in this series. She is replaced by the God of Dwarves who was an okay character, but kind of gross and not nearly of funny as Bast. I am going to be honest and say that I am still not totally sold on Carter and Sadie; I don't know if I just don't relate to them well or what but I just don't find them as engaging as Percy and his friends.

A lot happens in this story and it ends well, but I am eager to see what happens in the next installment of the series when the group finally takes on the God Apropos.

Overall an excellent addition to this series. Full of interesting Egyptian mythology and lots of adventure and action. I am still not totally sold on Carter and Sadie, and because of that I was a bit slower reading this book than the Percy Jackson ones. I still really enjoyed it; there is a lot of humor and the book is hard to put down. I am eager to see how all of this concludes in the third book. Definitely a good series for those who enjoyed Percy and the Olympians. I would also recommend checking out the Theodosia series by R.L. LaFevers; this series is also humorous and features Egyptian mythology, although it is told from the viewpoint of a young girl.

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Anything by Rick Riordan is amazing! His research is top notch. The story he weaves is intoxicating and you don't want to put it down.

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As a story, the Kane Chronicles is as exciting as the other Riordan books. You get very involved in the characters and you learn a lot about Egyptian history, rituals and mysticism. The 3 stars is for the mysticism. For readers who may want to avoid heavy mysticism and occultic practices, this book is heavy-ladden with both. For example, the two main characters had indwelling of Egyptian gods in their bodies, the spirits of Osiris and Isis, in which the gods could speak to them in their heads, and the gods' powers could be channeled through the children. Many characters used amulets & other items as a channeling medium, and dieties could reside in artifacts. There's also the concept of a god or person's secret name, in which if that name be known by another person, you are now controlled or fully-known by that other person, and they can use that knowledge to control you. Finally, there's the concept of each person is made out of various souls or spirit forms, the ba for example could leave your body & travel through great spaces undetected while they sleep, and the ren, if removed makes your body "uninhabited" or like a catatonic idiot, your body becomes a shell of your former self. I hope I'm remembering the terms correctly. Anyhow, just be aware of what you are reading, and what your children are reading.

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