The Longest Night in Egypt (The Shadow Prince 2) by David Anthony Durham

What worked:

Ash became Prince Khufu’s shadow, his bodyguard, in the previous book and he faces new challenges in this new story. The prince’s parents reveal a prophecy to Ash and swear him to secrecy. This information adds more pressure to his role as the prince’s shadow especially since he can’t tell Khufu. The news of Lord Ra’s disappearance forces Ash to take action and travel to the underworld where he’ll most likely never return. Of course, the prince insists on accompanying Ash so his other friends agree to go too.

Prince Khufu’s personality makes him an interesting character. He’s a thrill-seeker as shown by the book’s opening scene. The prince has two new sunwing suits made of suncloth so he thinks it will be exciting to jump off a tower and soar around the city. I picture it as base jumping while wearing a solar-powered suit. The prince’s parents adore him so the consequences for his poor, unsafe decisions aren’t too severe, hardly enough to curb his behavior. The prince’s questionable choices make him a wild card since readers will never know what to expect from him.

Most of the narrative follows Ash and his adventures in the Duat and these chapters are told from his point of view. The characters face a variety of fierce demons that present a wide range of dangers. Ash and his friends encounter physical threats from small and large creatures as well as mental challenges to pass through underworld gates. Ash receives a bag of memories before entering the Duat and some paragraphs describe these past events. Ash doesn’t think this gift is very important as the memories don’t seem special or significant. He discovers they’re more useful than he thought. In addition, some chapters switch to Lord Set so readers will be aware of his revolt against the other gods and the release of demons into the world. These chapters help to understand his anger toward humans and the other gods and his clever plot for revenge. Khufu’s brother is caught up in Set’s plans and this problem will continue into the sequel.

What didn’t work as well:

For the most part, the author shares a suspenseful quest to rescue Lord Ra but some elements of the plot add confusing levity. Light moments between characters are understandable as their relationships are developed. Some of the demons are cute or seemingly innocent only to become malevolent dangers to the characters. There’s nothing inherently wrong in these scenes but readers’ feelings may become muddled due to inconsistent information. The monsters can be left fearsome but maybe leave the humor to the characters.

The final verdict:

This exciting, dramatic adventure will appeal to many middle-grade readers, especially those interested in mythology and Egypt. Set’s plans are clever and present a tricky conflict to solve. Overall, this book is entertaining and I recommend you give it a shot.