Audiobook Review – The Serpent’s Shadow (Kane Chronicles, Book 3) by Rick Riordan (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy/Mythology
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1423140573
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd (and final) book in the Kane Chronicles series
Source: Audiobook through Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the third, and final, book in the Kane Chronicles. It was a good conclusion to this series. Although this series is well done and I enjoy it, I still don’t like it as much as Percy and the Olympians.

I listened to this on audiobook which is something I don’t recommend. Although they have two voice actors (one who reads Sade’s part and one who reads Carter’s) the girl who reads Sade’s voice is very shrill. At points her voice actually distorted on the speakers in my car because she was just so shrill….so stick to reading this one in printed format if you can.

Sade and Carter need to destroy the snake of chaos, Apophis once and for all. Unfortunately for them the magicians are on the brink of civil war; those who follow the way of the gods (Sade, Carter and crew) versus the magicians from the House of Life who believe the power of the Gods shouldn’t be wielded by humans. Sade and Carter are forced to rely on the ghost of an evil magician to help guide them to a way to destroy Apophis for good.

If you liked the previous books in this series I think you will enjoy this book as well. The plot has a lot of twists and turns as the Kanes try to find some way to destroy Apophis once and for all. The path to destroying Apophis is complicated and intriguing. I love the mythology in this book and it is interesting to learn more about Egyptian mythology.

All of our favorite characters are here. There is a side quest to find the shadow of the dwarf god to see if they can revive him as well. Bast the cat goddess is present in spurts and she is a lot of fun like usual.

More of the plot is dedicated to Zia and Carter’s relationship problems than in previous books. Similarly a lot of the story focuses on the Sade/Anubis/Walt love triangle as well. I have to say this was one of the most creative ways I have ever read of solving a teenage love triangle problem; it was pretty darn amusing. I didn’t enjoy that the book focused on these relationships so much, but they are wrapped up nicely so I guess I can’t complain too much.

My biggest problem with this series has been that I just don’t enjoy the characters that much. Part of it might be that the story goes back and forth between Sade and Carter. But both Sade and Carter come off as a bit annoying to me. The other problem I have is that things are fairly predictable; the plan is outlined pretty early on and there are some twists, but in the end you know what is going to happen very early in the story.

There are hints that tie this book to both the previous series (Percy’s) and a possible future series featuring other gods (I’ve heard rumors that Norse mythology is next on Riordan’s list).

Overall a decent conclusion to this series. I don’t enjoy the characters as much as Percy and the Olympians and thought this series as a whole was just more predictable than that series. It is still a well done series and I enjoyed learning more about Egyptian mythology. If you’re already a fan of the Kane series then definitely read this book as well. If you enjoy adventure/fantasy/mythology this is a good series to read.

This series goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge