The Red Pyramid [Book Review]

The Red Pyramid is a new series of YA novels written by Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson novels. Whereas the latter incorporates Greek gods into a modern-day adventure, this one is very much the same idea but using Egyptian mythology instead. There's nothing wrong, per se, with The Red Pyramid--it hits all the right notes for a YA adventure story: cinematic actions scenes, young protagonists who discover they have secret powers, an epic quest to save the world, etc. It's also very well researched, incorporating a lot of real-world Egyptian mythology into a story about the return of the old gods to a modern world. I think what it's missing, however, is that subtle spark of wit or insight that really makes a story crackle. It just feels kinda . . . okay, but never really good. On the other hand, I'm clearly outside the intended audience and a lot of teens on Amazon seem to love it--so it might work better as a gift instead of a book that both adults and YAs will want to read.