Book Review ~ The Serpent's Shadow

The Serpent's Shadow (Kane Chronicles #3)
by Rick Riordan
published by Hyperion Books
genre: MG/YA, mythology, fantasy

Summary (Goodreads): 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.

My Thoughts: Mixed feelings on this one. I really liked the story itself but I didn't like reading the parts that were told from Sadie's POV. Usually I like the self confident strong females. In this book it felt like more whining and me, me, me. It could also be the love triangle drama that I disliked. The resolution of the triangle fit well with this series and what we know of the magicians and gods but I didn't need all the rest that came before.
I liked Carter's POV just because it seemed to be more about the story as a whole than just Carter by himself. Carter's role in the final battle and the way he and Sadie worked together in the end was a nice conclusion.
Even though this was the final book in this series there are still some things left open that could lead to either further books in this series or bringing the magicians into another series. The way they were talking about other gods made me think about the Olympians and combining the two series. I'm not saying it's going to happen but I would be interested in reading it if it did.

Rating: 3.5