:) i picked up the kane chronicles because it was rick riordan's latest work (author of percy jackson, one of my favorite series) and hell it's summer i'm going to read. it's aimed at the same age level as percy (9-12) (HEY IT GOT REALLY DARK IN THE LAST BOOK OKAY).
eh...i just like reading kid books :B because i am a kid.
the difference from this one and percy, is that it focuses on the ancient egyptian gods, magicians, and mythology unlike the greek gods.
summary from the book: (as always, rick riordan - you fail at summaries.)
"Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.
One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.
Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set--has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe--a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs."
this will be my attempt at a review without spoiling anything. i have written this for the reference of my friends, but if you are a percy fan - feel free to read :D
hm, well first off - it was way too long. a wonderful idea for a book, but it was over 500 pages and it rambled quite a lot. much different from percy jackson, where everything was concise and had a meaning. harry potter is one book that can be 500 pages and use every one perfectly, but i felt this easily could have been shortened to 300-400 pages (like the pj books)
the narrators are sadie AND carter, so from chapter to chapter it changes perspective and gets potentially confusing. the thing is, when you have two different narrators - you don't get that close to the character (ex: percy) but on the other hand you do get a "full" coverage of what happens, since they're both the protagonists. i have a good idea on who sadie and carter are, but not "a full understanding." you know what i mean, right?
it wasn't as funny as percy jackson - the chapter titles tried to give off some humor, but kind of failed. also, percy was 12 in the first book - and so is the little sister sadie. i can't help but feel she's my age - or at LEAST 14. no 12 year old thinks like that...do they? carter is fourteen, and i think it would've been much more interesting if they were twins. and would make more sense. personal preference though.
but don't get me wrong, the book itself is quite giid. it has to be, because i read it nonstop all today. :) started around lunch and just finished. the concept itself is wonderful, but the book as a whole felt just very long. it feels like watching a 2 hour movie and trying to remember the beginning. so pacing wise, not that good. i just wished it was more organized and more concise and less jumpy.
i also felt the descriptions weren't as good as the could have been - i'm still a bit confused as to what everything looks like.
but one line i totally appreciated (not a spoiler) was "oh, there are other gods in manhanttan - you don't want to mess with those"
but picky-ness aside, it was a very good book told in the same fantasy meets reality way rick riordan does so well :) the idea is amazing, i love it. it has a ton of potential but i'm not quite sure if it was fully utilized. (it could have been so much better) my only real opposition is that this book was way. too. long. and disconnected and made me discombobulated. (of course, it wasn't as good as percy.)
that's my attempt at a book review. HAW.
Reading is kind of fantastic.
ReplyDeleteyes it is XD
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