Review: The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

I hadn't really meant to read this book. The Kane Chronicles was my least favorite series from Rick Riordan, and that's saying a lot, considering how apathetic I am in regards to the Heroes of Olympus series. This series has half-Black protagonists and a multitude of PoC characters, something I gladly eat up on any other circumstances, but this series never really did it for me. There was always something missing, and if there wasn't a sale on the hardcover edition that reduces it down to Rp. 41.000, I probably won't ever read it.

But there was a sale, and I bought it, and I read it. And now I realized why this series never clicked for me:

It's so goddamn cheesy.

Okay, so maybe a little bit of background is needed. Sadie and Carter Kane are brothers and sisters, descendants of two powerful line of magicians. They became the host of Isis and Osiris respectively because of their power. In the last book they manage to release the sun-god Ra, who is a senile decrepit old man, nothing like the all-powerful First King of the God they envisioned him to be, and who's certainly not fit to take on the serpent Apophis, the primordial representation of Chaos and Ra's nemesis. Apophis has set on a deadline for the end of the world at the autumn equinox, the most inauspicious day of the year, perfect for doing bad deeds. Sadie and Carter must find a way to stop him before that day, which is only a couple of days away, and they do found a technique by binding its shadow and destroying it (thus the book's title). But to do that they have to have immense power since, y'know, they're dealing with the very personification of Chaos itself.

This book made me laugh, both the oh-my-god-this-is-so-funny laugh and the oh-my-god-this-is-so-embarrassing laugh, and there were too many of the last kind. Both of the main characters were supposed to be teenagers (Carter is 15 and Sadie is 13) so I kind of expect some dramatics from them, but I wasn't prepared for their brand of hormonal drama. These two kids were on a quest to save the world from destruction  and they spent more time in their monologue wondering about their romantic partners and their ~feelings~. There are times when I want to reach into the book and smack these kids in their head so they can concentrate on preventing the goddamn Doomsday instead of wondering about boys and girls. Sadie's chapters is the worst offender, since she has two admirers in the form of the jackal-god Anubis and ordinary boy-magician Walt.

Here's one of her chapter's highlights:

 At the moment I didn't even care where it led, as long as it was away from that deathless creature I had thought I loved. (The Serpent's Shadow, pg. 273)

See? See what I mean? That quote is cheesier than the cheesiest cheddar cheese, and they're pretty goddamn cheesy. I was reading this on a train ride and upon seeing that passage I had to close the book and turn away to stifle my giggle-cringe. It was that bad.

Sadie Kane. Sadie. Sadie, girl. You're thirteen. Thirteen year-olds don't fall in love, and if they 'do' then it has disastrous consequences (see: Romeo and Juliet). More importantly, you're a mortal girl who 'fell in love' with a 4000-year-old god. Hon, the implications of an immortal-mortal relationship is huge, so don't get pissy when people tell Anubis that he better stay away from you, because they're right. Don't whine "Waah waah everybody's out to get me" because it's not about you, it's about him. He's a god, an immortal being without a fixed 'body' and there are a lot of things need answering if you two have a relationship. One of the gods called her out on her behavior, and I agree with him, even though she rebuked him and the scene was meant as a comic relief. Listen to your elders, Sadie, they know a thing or two about the world.

Can you tell that Sadie annoys me? I feel like an old guy screaming "You kids get off of my lawn" when I read her chapters and I'm only a year older than Carter. She's supposed to be this stereotypical goth-tomboy who has purple highlights and wears combat boots and unlike those superficial mean girls, yet she's the most boy-crazy thirteen year-old I have the displeasure to know, and I know a lot of thirteen year-olds. Her sarcasm is not funny 80% of the time and yet she's supposed to be this witty, charming girl who manages to catch the attention of two boys at the same time.

I can stomach Carter's chapters better since he only has one love interest and does not have the complication of having a completely unnecessary love triangle thrown in. He reminds me of Percy, somehow, though I know that their personality is different. His humor doesn't feel forced and I found myself laughing at some of his jokes. He is sweet and endearing, albeit a little bit boring sometimes, but maybe that's because it's a side effect of being a professor's son.

Despite that, I think this book is pretty good, structure and plot-wise. The pacing is good, the plot is tight, and the prose is not bad for a children's book. When I review, I have to remember the intended demographic of the novel, and whether or not it's good for that kind of genre/demographic. I can't put the Percy Jackson's series in the same category as Pride and Prejudice. They were written for a different demographic, different audiences.

And that's why I'm giving this book a four-star, despite my misgivings. Because, for all intents and purposes, it's a good children's/teen book. Maybe it's me who outgrew the genre.

Final rating:

Book information:

Title: The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publication: London: Puffin Books. 2012.

ISBN: 978-0-141-33568-1