Book Review + Summary: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Kane Chronicles, Book One

Hey there, everyone! Welcome to this review session. I'm Paige, and today, I’m beyond excited to share my honest thoughts on The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, book one of The Kane Chronicles. Brace yourselves, because this book took me on an unforgettable journey filled with both laughter and mythological mystery.

I was torn between awarding it four or five stars because it struck the perfect balance between humor and myth. However, after careful consideration, I've settled on giving it a solid four-star rating. So, let's dive right in and find out why.

We’ll be covering three things in this review: a spoiler-free summary, my thoughts/the book’s statistics, and the rating breakdown.

Summary of the book/Teaser:

"The Red Pyramid" by Rick Riordan is an exhilarating adventure that immerses readers in the captivating world of Egyptian mythology. The story follows Carter and Sadie Kane, two siblings with a complicated family history, as they embark on a quest to save their father and prevent a catastrophic event. The siblings were kept apart all their lives, and they are slowly uncovering why.

With the help of ancient Egyptian gods, the siblings must navigate treacherous tombs, face mythical creatures, and master their newfound magical abilities. Along the way, they uncover shocking secrets about their heritage and encounter memorable characters from Egyptian mythology. Riordan's signature blend of humor, action, and mythology shines through in this book, creating a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

My Thoughts + Statistics:

Can I just start off by saying I feel really guilty about giving a Rick Riordan book four stars? Especially because I absolutely loved this book. It struck the perfect balance between humor and mythology, and I laughed so much while reading this novel, particularly the second half. The book obviously integrated mythology, this time Egyptian, Rick Riordan’s trademark. If I could, I’d rate this book 4.5 stars because the book was spectacular.

So, why didn’t I? Well, the book integrated a lot of myth (of course) but the plot was a bit too heavy for my taste. I found myself skipping a decent amount of pages until the characters got to the point. There was a lot of beating around the bush, and the plot was really repetitive. Look at the rating breakdown to learn more about that.

Official Lexile Level: 650 L

Grade Range: I’d say about 5th grade to 8th grade

Series Status: This book is the first in the Kane Chronicles Series.

Romance: Really light

Genre: Fantasy/mythology- his trademark style

Rating Breakdown:

Plot: 4/5

Pretty good, but also meh. The plot was dragged on, as I previously mentioned, but that’s not all. The storyline is basically as follows: Twins meet, get into trouble, get rescued, get into trouble again, escape, get into more trouble, freak out, try to save everyone, get into deeper trouble, break free, etc.

Characters: 5/5

The characters were really well developed. You could tell who was speaking even before the author said so. For example, Sadie’s words always contain British slang, and Bast speaks like a classy aunt (yes, I just compared a famous Greek goddess to an aunt-)

Humor: 5/5

The unique attribute I chose was humor, because this book was full of it. Like I said earlier, I burst into giggles at every other page. Here's one of my favorite quotes that may seem mundane now, but hilarious with the context: “Oh, no,” I said, panic rising in my chest. “No, no, no. Somebody get a can opener. I’ve got a god stuck in my head.”

Conclusion

All right, that’s about it. I would recommend this book to everyone. Although there were a few things I diskiled, this book was overall a good read. I read it on my Kindle, but the book is also available online and at most libraries. IIf, after reading this review, you still think this book is not for you, I would recommend reading The False Prince instead. The two books are fairly different, but I liked both of them.

One more thing- if you want a way to track the books you read, look at three free printables here. They really helped me, and they’ll help you, too!

Paige, signing off.