The Serpent’s Shadow: Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

The book opens with the threat of more destruction from Apophis and the Kane siblings trying to stop it.  Then you realize it is only a few weeks since Throne of Fire ended.  The magicians at the 21st Nome in Brooklyn have increased in number, but not necessarily age.  Carter and Sadie are trying to help the magicians realize that Uncle Amos is the rightful Chief Lector and that there really is a problem with the Gods.  Against all odds the Kanes attempt the impossible with some Peculiar decisions made by all characters and the results bring the story to a nice ending.  Kind of sad to see these characters go, but hopefully, Rick Riordan will have cross-overs briefly into his other series.

The Kanes save the world after being given a short time frame to do so, and pull it off in the nick of time.  Carter and Sadie have to work together and split up to accomplish their tasks, while getting a little bit of time with their parents.  Kind of odd for parents to be giving advice on how to live when they are dead, but maybe that might be the best people to give advice on the topic.  Sadie’s love life is resolved in a heartbreaking and charming way (which sounds conflicting, and it is but it isn’t).  Carter manages to snag the girl, even if it isn’t sure how he did it, or what to do.  Walt has heartbreaking news about how much time he has left, but he and Anubis create a plan to cheat death.  Uncle Amos shows that he is the rightful Chief Lector, but Carter is the leader of the magicians and comes through at the end.

Character List/Book Summary:

Sadie = has feelings for Walt and Anubis, separates from Carter to go to Egypt, her powers grow, and she gains more control over her abilities as the adventures continue.

Carter = officially in charge of the 21st Nome (Brooklyn), works with Zia for his part of the mission, is afraid to be the leader of the magicians, but steps up and accepts his new role

JD Grissom = leader of the 51st Nome (Dallas, TX), wears a silver lone stare belt buckle, ends up playing in the band for Osiris (Carter and Sadie’s dad)

Anne Grissom = JD’s wife a magician too, taught Zia healing magic when Zia was younger, ends up playing in the band for Osiris

Apophis = chaos snake, trying to rise and eat Ra, plans on doing so at the Autumn Solstice, is going after scrolls that tell how to destroy his shadow

Felix = magician in training, loves to summon penguins, 10 years old, wants to follow the path of the God of Ice

Khufu = baboon that protects the 21st Nome

Walt Stone = does great with amulet magic, will die before the mission is completed, has been talking with Anubis on how his curse will work and possible ways around it

Alyssa = earthen elemental magician that trains at the 21st Nome

Bes = had helped Carter and Sadie, lost his soul, is at Sunny Acres, Sadie wants to restore his soul, because she promised him she would try

Setne = Prince Khaemwaset, son of Ramses the Great, one of the most villainous magicians who ever lived, Sadie and Carter are forced to help him escape justice in Orisis’s court, helps Carter, Sadie, Walt & Zia while trying to hinder them, escapes in the end

Anubis = Sadie sees him as a teenage boy, instead of the God of Funerals, most of the time, is forbidden from spending time with Sadie as he is a God and she is human and they should not interact

Uncle Amos = in Cairo, 1st Nome, running the House of Life for the day-to-day details

Zia Rashid = fire magician, has special meaning to Ra, struggles to control her magic, cares for Carter, ends up hosting Ra while fighting Apophis at the end

Bast = Goddess of Cats, watches over Sadie and Carter, considers them her kittens and is proud of how they are growing up

Jaz = magician at 21st Nome, healer

Julian = trainee at 21st Nome

Shelby = younger trainee, in Kindergarten, likes rainbow animals

Cleo = trainee at 21st Nome, self-appointed librarian, speaks 6 languages, Brazilian, in a fight she turned a rogue magician into a book

Sarah Jacobi = leader of the rebel magicians, exiled from Antarctica for causing a tsunami, working with Apophis, going to attack 1st Nome

Kwai = exiled magician from North Korean Nome for murdering another magician, part of the rebel group

Thoth = (God of Knowledge) in Memphis, been fighting demons every  hours for days

Lacy = mortal friend of Sadie, Sadie made Carter dance with her at a school dance before they started off on their mission to save the world (again)

Drew Tanaka = mortal classmate of Sadie, not the nicest girl

Shu = (God of Air) Anubis’s great-grandfather, bring Leonid to Sadie then tells her she can’t spend time with Anubis

Leonid = former member of the Russian Nome, comes to Brooklyn to warn Sadie of the plan to attack the 1st Nome

Tawaret = (Goddess of childbirth) takes care of the Gods and Goddesses in the nursing home, has seen Bes’s shadow and tells Sadie where to find it.

Disturber = (God of Judgment) adviser to Osiris, judges those guilty of losing their tempers

Neith = (Goddess of Bees) a hunter, friend to Bes and Tawaret, cuts a deal with Walt and Sadie

 

OF NOTE: A Nome is basically provinces in the world, here are the ones mentioned in this book (here is the continued list)

1st Nome = Egypt (Home of the Chief Lector)

9th Nome = London

14th Nome = Paris (Desjardin’s Headquarter)

18th Nome = Russia (Menshikob’s Headquarter)

21st Nome = Brooklyn, New York

51st Nome = Dallas, Texas

100th Nome = Toronto

235th Nome = Tokyo

300th Nome = North Korea

360th Nome = Antarctica

 

5 parts of the soul

1 = ba – personality

2 = ka – life force

3 = ib – the heart (good and bad deeds)

4 = ren – secret name

5 = shadow