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5 stars! (maybe 4.95 if I'm being super picky, but 5 stars for total enjoyments!) This review will be spoiler free, but will have spoilers from previous books!
Synopsis: "He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sadie Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld. Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles." Initial thoughts:
Was this book a rush or what?! I loved every single bit of this book. Sadie and Carter know how to make the action heart racing, the romance angsty, and the all out wars hella suspenseful! Finally a last book by Riordan has extremely impressed me. Usually its the first books I love, but this series definitely trended upwards from book one for me. Wasn't sure how he was going to top Throne of Fire, but he did. There were so many twists and turns and new Gods and new characters. All in all a wonderful story and conclusion. I WISH IT WASNT A CONCLUSION THOUGH. Plot: Rick wasn’t afraid to bring tragedy into this story. From the get go we have lives lost, battles lost, and an impossible task to take on. Carter and Sadie have to face all odds to find a way to defeat the all powerful God of Chaos. Their initial plan to capture a book containing the spell they need to defeat said God is thwarted. Now they have to go with the next plan they can conjure up and bet you, its going to be way more deadly, way more tricky, and way more interesting to accomplish. To juxtapose the tragedy, Riordan always has his comedic relief usually I unison with the romance. Sadie is one hilarious girl and may she be happy forever, but her + Walt + Anubis was a funny love triangle to witness. How in the world and her two loves like… friends… and still in love with a girl who hasn’t told either of them that she is talking to both of them? Who knows. Still enjoyed the way that played out. My fave scene romance-wise was Sadie and Anubis (duh!) at the school dance. I really appreciate how relatable Riordan makes his characters in this book. How is the world ending in 5 days and yet, we still manage to squeeze in a school dance? That’s how good Riordan is at writing. He can make these incredible outlandish mythology driven plots, but still throw in real world scenarios and characters that are going through teenage-things just like us (or us when we were younger in my case). Then there’s the family aspect of the whole story. Sadie and Carter are siblings (obvy) and they make such a great pair. Sadie is the voice and Carter is the brawn (usually). They care for each other and love each other greatly and that make me love them even more. Their parents Julius Kane/Osiris also adds in a heart warming element when they visit him in the hall of judgement. The way the lord of the dead hugs and greets his children even in the face of a very serious trial just makes my heart melt. “Uncle Vinny” though, kept pissing me off. I’m sure he’s written to be utterly annoying, but you know. I still have to send him to the depths of hell for what he put Carter through. Geezus. As the story continued, it really was PLOT TWIST à battle!! à running? à TWISTS à more fighting! The suspense was never ending. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through. Any time I had to put the book down, I was itching to reach for it again. The ending was so satisfying. Usually Rick’s last books disappoint me because the next book in the spin off is what’s supposed to catch my attention, but I feel that this is how I know there won’t be anymore Kane books. It’s because I loved this one and it felt complete. Still left me wanting more even with that small little epilogue, but I could use some more Sadie and Carter any day. If there was anything I could complain about it would be that I wish the “second half” of the final battle (the battle between Ra and Apophis) was a little more intense. I wanted to see both Gods use their abilities more and such. HOWEVER, the first half of the battle was still very satisfying especially due to the build up for it. Characters: CARTER’s magic has grown. He’s an incredible combat fighter and seeing his battle scenes is so fascinating. He has some internal struggles that are readily apparent in this book and I appreciate that addition to the story. He has to resist Horus and his persuasive tones about taking the throne of Pharaoh. He also struggles with his feeling for Zia, which is endearing because he wants her to know how he feels, but also wants to give her space. SADIE is still sassy, is still amazing, and is so witty. Her POV is so much fun the read from. I love being in her head and seeing things from her perspective. SHE MAKES THE FUNNIEST REMARKS. Best one liners in the story if I’m being honest. I must admit, I find it odd when she talks out loud about boys in this recording because wouldn’t it be weird to tell the whole world you’re talking to two boys at once while also recording in the presence or your brother? I don’t know. But since it is a story, I let this slide. WALT and ANUBIS are Sadie’s love interests and boy are they my fave love interests in this story. I can’t believe how their love triangle worked out. It almost NEVER happens this way. What a lucky girl Sadie is. Overall: THIS SERIES WAS THE PERFECT WAY TO END MY 2017! Definitely recommend!! I loved this series almost as much as PJO, I don’t know why it doesn’t have the spotlight. People should definitely read it. I promise the books only get better and better from book one. Just give it a chance to sweep you off your feet!