Teen Speak

The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, #1) by Rick Riordan

Genre: Juvenile Fantasy

Published: May 2010

The Red Pyramid is the first book in Rick Riordan’s new series, the Kane Chronicles. Carter and Sadie are not the normal youths of this world. They are descendants of the Egyptian pharaohs. Despite what the general populous may say, Carter and Sadie find out that the Egyptian myths and gods are real, and magic doesn’t only belong at Hogwarts. On Christmas, Dr. Kane, Sadie and Carter’s dad, unleashes five Egyptian gods and as a result, he is dragged into the underworld. Set, the god of deserts, storms and evil, is one of the deities released from the stone and is intent on wreaking havoc on the world and causing trouble for the Kane family. Now Sadie and Carter must embark on a journey to save their father and restore order to the world.

A wonderfully charming mesh of magic, wit, and mythology, Riordan delivers another fantastic book that can charm readers of any age. I absolutely loved the characters, as all of them were well developed and by no means flat. The wit and well written dialogue made this book a pleasure to read. Riordan mixes modern day life and mythology in a way that is brilliant and believable. He breathes new life and fantastic personalities into the Egyptian gods and goddesses. I finally have all of the Egyptian gods sorted out and can remember which is which. After I read this book, I had to get the sequel, The Throne of Fire, and finished it off in no time at all. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a good adventure, mythology, or a fun read. People who loved this book would enjoy the 39 clues series and Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.

 ---Posted by Lauren G.

Abandon (Abandon, #1) by Meg Cabot

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 Genre: YA Fantasy

At the age of 15, Pierce experienced an NDE – Near-Death Experience. As if that wasn’t bad enough, while dead she met John Hayden, death deity and ruler of the Underworld. And he wants her for his own. Though he has the brooding bad boy image down, Pierce isn’t ready to spend eternity with a stranger in what very possibly could be Hell. So with a little help from a warm beverage, Pierce makes a run for it.

Two years later, Pierce is still trying to get over ‘the event’ while navigating the wreckage her life has become. Her parents are divorced, she’s become completely disengaged from the world, and when things get really bad he shows up to help her out. So when her mom moves them to Isla de Huesos, Florida to be closer to family, Pierce sees it as the perfect opportunity to start over. That is, for the first five minutes at least. That’s about how long it takes Pierce to run into John, causing even more uncertainty and questions to rise up: Who exactly is he? What are Furies? and Why do people around her keep getting hurt?

I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology, and the story of Persephone and Hades is a favorite of mine. I loved Meg Cabot’s 1-800-Missing & Mediator series, so when I saw she had written a mythological spin-off of Persephone’s story I just had to read it. The book takes place over a period of three days, but most of it is told in flashback so we know what happened since Pierce left the Underworld. It takes a while to find out what the ‘incident’ was that led up to Pierce having to move to Florida and why she was so traumatized by it, which was a little frustrating at times. What I really enjoyed about this book was the modern twist to the story. The original story has Mama Demeter doing most of the fighting for Persephone. In Meg Cabot’s version, Pierce is no damsel in distress. Abandon isn’t my favorite Meg Cabot book, but I will definitely be looking out for the second installment to see what mischief Pierce will manage to get herself into next time.