Hello! My name is Chie. I am likely to be the girl you'll see whose eyes would bulge out of their sockets at the sight of a book store and be seized by waves of epileptic shock whenever there is a book bargain. I'll probably be the one pushing you out of my way to get through the book bargain bins and tediously combing through the pile. (I forget my manners when it comes to books). I am tone deaf and have two left feet. But I would endure the embarrassment of a performance in exchange for books (terms and conditions apply). I have created this blog in order to find kindred souls. Those who would gladly share the same passion for books and reading because although reading is solitary task most of the time, it's no fun having no one to ramble to after..
Synopsis: In this adventure, Annabeth encounters more oddities in the subway than usual, including a younger blond girl who reminds her a little of herself. Annabeth teams up with Sadie Kane.
Review: When Rick Riordan announced The Son of Sobek excitement was high. As the official crossover between the Percy Jackson and The Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series and The Kane Chronicles series, the story was a huge news. Whilst The Son of Sobek was a solid read, it didn't really have the high magnitude we were expecting. However, Riordan continues the storyline in a sequel called The Staff of Serapis, which stars female leads of the respective series and has managed to send the series soaring.
The Staff of Serapis far beats out its predecessor, creating the ultimate crossover. There were many things Riordan got right with this sequel. First off, he finally created a set time period this series of crossover stories is set. The Son of Sobek was vague in whether it was set around the period of time between The Last Olympian and The Lost Hero or it took place after The Heroes of Olympus, meaning any story threads he has going on in the main series does not interfere with The Staff of Serapis, as this set in the not so far future. It leaves this crossover series free to take any direction it wants to take, meaning some big things can finally happen, making this second entry more satisfying than its predecessor. The only problem is that this confirms Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase do not die in the finale for The Heroes of Olympus.
The second great thing about this story is the character work. Annabeth and Sadie are already well established and popular characters in their respective series, so Riordan is freed from the task from fleshing them out and can dive right into the interactions and dialogue between the two. This was a strength in The Son of Sobek, and is strong here as well. The dialogue here is also very refreshing as Riordan utilises Annabeth and Sadie's differences from their male leads to create a new style of banter, where the cooler heads of the girls provide a new type of team-up story. His work is still strong in this area and is a common strength of The Son of Sobek and The Staff of Serapis.
A place The Staff of Serapis succeeds where The Son of Sobek faltered is the antagonist. The Son of Sobek featured a baby crocodile that finds the amulet of Sobek, Egyptian God of Crocodiles, and becomes a monster known as the son of Sobek. However, this crocodile was a weak, boring villain basically summed up as a knockoff Sobek, who was a minor villain in The Red Pyramid. Not very impressive. In the sequel though, Riordan provides a villain with real threat. This villain is the Alexandrian god Serapis, a fusion of Greeks and Egyptians. The level of danger he possesses is real compared to the mindless giant of the former story.
The final element that makes The Staff of Serapis great is that it takes a clear direction for this budding mini series. The Son of Sobek was more a chance to see Percy and Carter meet and interact, but they never confided in each other their backgrounds and thus, the crossover managed to keep the two worlds separate for a little longer. This was disappointing, but it is rectified in The Staff of Serapis. Annabeth and Sadie open up to each other and now the Egyptians and Greeks are finally aware of each other. This opens the door for exciting new possibilities and sends the storyline spinning forward. We learnt some shocking reveals and twists, mainly the villain behind the shadows responsible for the Greek/Egyptian meetings, and the information is mind-blowing and fits in perfectly, making perfect sense. The Son of Sobek was the launchpad of the series, but The Staff of Serapis is the rocket, where this mini series really soars and will only continue to reach new heights.
Synopsis: In this adventure, Annabeth encounters more oddities in the subway than usual, including a younger blond girl who reminds her a little of herself. Annabeth teams up with Sadie Kane.
Review: When Rick Riordan announced The Son of Sobek excitement was high. As the official crossover between the Percy Jackson and The Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series and The Kane Chronicles series, the story was a huge news. Whilst The Son of Sobek was a solid read, it didn't really have the high magnitude we were expecting. However, Riordan continues the storyline in a sequel called The Staff of Serapis, which stars female leads of the respective series and has managed to send the series soaring.
The Staff of Serapis far beats out its predecessor, creating the ultimate crossover. There were many things Riordan got right with this sequel. First off, he finally created a set time period this series of crossover stories is set. The Son of Sobek was vague in whether it was set around the period of time between The Last Olympian and The Lost Hero or it took place after The Heroes of Olympus, meaning any story threads he has going on in the main series does not interfere with The Staff of Serapis, as this set in the not so far future. It leaves this crossover series free to take any direction it wants to take, meaning some big things can finally happen, making this second entry more satisfying than its predecessor. The only problem is that this confirms Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase do not die in the finale for The Heroes of Olympus.
The second great thing about this story is the character work. Annabeth and Sadie are already well established and popular characters in their respective series, so Riordan is freed from the task from fleshing them out and can dive right into the interactions and dialogue between the two. This was a strength in The Son of Sobek, and is strong here as well. The dialogue here is also very refreshing as Riordan utilises Annabeth and Sadie's differences from their male leads to create a new style of banter, where the cooler heads of the girls provide a new type of team-up story. His work is still strong in this area and is a common strength of The Son of Sobek and The Staff of Serapis.
A place The Staff of Serapis succeeds where The Son of Sobek faltered is the antagonist. The Son of Sobek featured a baby crocodile that finds the amulet of Sobek, Egyptian God of Crocodiles, and becomes a monster known as the son of Sobek. However, this crocodile was a weak, boring villain basically summed up as a knockoff Sobek, who was a minor villain in The Red Pyramid. Not very impressive. In the sequel though, Riordan provides a villain with real threat. This villain is the Alexandrian god Serapis, a fusion of Greeks and Egyptians. The level of danger he possesses is real compared to the mindless giant of the former story.
The final element that makes The Staff of Serapis great is that it takes a clear direction for this budding mini series. The Son of Sobek was more a chance to see Percy and Carter meet and interact, but they never confided in each other their backgrounds and thus, the crossover managed to keep the two worlds separate for a little longer. This was disappointing, but it is rectified in The Staff of Serapis. Annabeth and Sadie open up to each other and now the Egyptians and Greeks are finally aware of each other. This opens the door for exciting new possibilities and sends the storyline spinning forward. We learnt some shocking reveals and twists, mainly the villain behind the shadows responsible for the Greek/Egyptian meetings, and the information is mind-blowing and fits in perfectly, making perfect sense. The Son of Sobek was the launchpad of the series, but The Staff of Serapis is the rocket, where this mini series really soars and will only continue to reach new heights.
