Review: The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles # 2)

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.

Format:

Audiobook

Narrated by: 
Joseph May & Jane Collingwood

Duration:

12 hrs and 15 mins

I don’t think it’s any secret how much I love Rick Riordan’s books. He beautifully blends mythology and fantastical adventures that are packed full of action with a healthy dose of real-life teenager and all that goes with it.

The Throne of Fire is no exception!

Picking up months after the events in The Red Pyramid, we find Sadie and Carter Kane as the de facto leaders of Brooklyn House while their uncle Amos is back at the first nome in Egypt recovering from his ordeal with Set.
Sadie and Carter are mistrusted by the Magical community due to their insistence on following the path of the Gods but have managed to recruit a cadre of untrained young magicians who they are training to use their magic while preparing for whatever the evil god Apophis has in store for them next.

It doesn’t take long for Apophis’s evil plan to begin unfolding which thrusts the Kane siblings and their recruits into a high stakes race against time to bring back the Sun God, Ra.
Here we have a tale of friendship, family, and first-loves. Of growing up and never giving up… The characters shoulder so much responsibility but they’re still kids. It results in a fast paced story that entertains from start to finish packed full of wacky humour and soul.
Riordan has an amazing gift… His story-telling is absolutely wonderful and I’m left in happy awe whenever I dive into one of his worlds.
If you haven’t read this series - and Egyptian mythology is your thing - then you absolutely must give it a try! You won’t be disappointed. The characters may be teenagers but the themes represented are universal.

On a side note, I’ve been listening to this series in audiobook and the narrators are absolutely amazing! They both do such a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, giving each a distinct voice and, where applicable, a different accent. Even more amazingly, they mimic the other narrator's accent, tone and inflection, for a character so well that even though the narrator switches between male and female - Sadie and Carter - you are never in doubt who is speaking regardless of who is narrating that chapter. It is a freaking skill!

❤

“The right choice is hardly ever the easy choice.”

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“Sometimes, it takes us a while to appreciate something new, something that might change us for the better.”

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“Sometimes you have to lose a piece to win a game.”

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“Don't get starry-eyed about somebody you can't have, especially if it blinds you to somebody who's really important.”