The Throne of Fire

The Throne of Fire, written by Rick Riordan, is an action-packed sequel about two siblings: Carter and Sadie Kane. Their story begins when their father unleashes the gods of Ancient Egypt in an attempt to help face the ultimate enemy: the ancient and powerful snake god of Chaos, Apophis. Carter and Sadie must prevent him from breaking free of his prison in several days’ time or the world will end. Realizing the only way to stop Apophis is to awaken his enemy, the sleeping sun king of Egyptian gods named Ra, Carter and Sadie journey around the world in search of pieces that will awaken him. To make matters worse for the Kanes, Ra is rumored to have lost his mind and to have become weak. Carter and Sadie travel to ancient tombs and foreign countries, encounter the strangest of gods, and gamble parts of their souls in search of Ra. In the nick of time, the Kanes wake Ra only to discover that he has become senile. When it seems all hope is lost, Desjardins, predominantly an enemy to the Kanes, appears and performs a powerful act of magic that contains Apophis, buying time, at the cost of his life.

The Throne of Fire is a light, entertaining, and easy read with alternating narration between siblings: Carter and Sadie. Their voices are honest and humorous. Altogether, The Throne of Fire does not have any underlying themes or have any insights to be gleaned. In my opinion, The Throne of Fire was simply meant as an easy but entertaining read.

Carter and Sadie Kane are the protagonists stumbling through their lives in The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire. Though the siblings are close in age, they are two very different people. Carter is a quiet and thoughtful 14 year-old boy. Sadie, however, is a very tenacious and willful 13 year-old. They are also described as having very different coloring from each other. Carter is the “look before you leap” character of the duo, while Sadie is more prone to rash actions and words. Though having spent most of their lives apart from each other and obvious personality differences, they are fiercely protective of one another. Other characters, regardless of magic, power, and immortality, all have quirky, memorable voices along with a modern twist written into their personalities.

Throughout The Throne of Fire, Carter and Sadie have to deal with many conflicts such as Apophis rising, magicians with personal agendas, police, gods, as well as your usual mix of teen angst. Though most of the events that take place in the story are highly implausible, Carter and Sadie Kane are written like any 14- and 13 year-olds, albeit thrown into the middle of mythological, world-changing events. Because of this, Carter and Sadie are relatable, especially in the “over your head” sense though not quite on the same standard.

All together, The Throne of Fire was an enjoyable and entertaining read recommendable for someone looking for a light and humorous adventure.