Book Review: The Red Pyramid

Star Rating: 5/5

The Red Pyramid

By: Rick Riordan

Christmas Eve is supposed to be fun, but Sadie and Carter Kane are skeptical about their dad’s idea of enjoyment when he takes them to the British Museum. Sadie is particularly annoyed since this is one of the few times a year she sees her dad. After their mom’s death, she’s lived with their grandparents in London. On the other hand, Carter isn’t enthusiastic about the idea either because he’s been dragged from museum to dig site year-round with their dad. Both of them are in for a surprise when their field trip literally ends with a bang. In one night, the two siblings who feel like little more than strangers are left with the monumental task of saving their dad, themselves, and the world from the rise of the Egyptian gods their father just set free. Sadie and Carter have no idea where to begin or what really is happening. They quickly learn from their Uncle Amos that they are born magicians and their parents were members of a secret group known as the House of Life. With little time before the freed gods’ plans destroy the world, Sadie and Carter’s lives depend on working together and discovering what they can do.

Rick Riordan’s The Red Pyramid is a catchy, dramatic read. The novel is written as a transcription of the two main characters as they retell the events as they experienced them. Riordan gives Sadie and Carter their own voices, and even includes fun “real-time” interchanges between the two as though they were defending their statements to the other while recording. Interestingly, even though Sadie and Carter’s characters follow the familiar seemingly-ordinary-but-actually-extraordinary character model, they do not instantly gain full control or knowledge of their “extraordinary” side. In fact, they don’t gain either by the end of the novel. This is a delightful turn from the usual and much more realistic. I absolutely loved that I didn’t have to severely dislocate my imagination and believe that they had mastered their unknown abilities within hours of discovering them. This switch allows the reader to connect more easily with the narrators. It makes Sadie and Carter more believable, trustworthy, and, in this case, likeable. While The Red Pyramid packs a whole lot of danger into a few days, the characters spice up the story with their retelling and imperfections.