Month: January 2024

The Blood of Olympus

Rick Riordan

Published October 7, 2014

Read January 18-20, 2024

5 out of 5 stars

Summary: Nico had warned them. Going through the House of Hades would stir the demigods’ worst memories. Their ghosts would become restless. Nico may actually become a ghost if he has to shadow-travel with Reyna and Coach Hedge one more time. But that might be better than the alternative: allowing someone else to die, as Hades foretold.

Jason’s ghost is his mother, who abandoned him when he was little. He may not know how he is going to prove himself as a leader, but he does know that he will not break promises like she did. He will complete his line of the prophecy: To storm or fire the world must fall.

Reyna fears the ghosts of her ancestors, who radiate anger. But she can’t allow them to distract her from getting the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood before war breaks out between the Romans and Greeks. Will she have enough strength to succeed, especially with a deadly hunter on her trail?

Leo fears that his plan won’t work, that his friends might interfere. But there is no other way. All of them know that one of the Seven has to die in order to defeat Gaea, the Earth Mother.

Piper must learn to give herself over to fear. Only then will she be able to do her part at the end: utter a single word.

My Review: I’m not going to lie this book made me cry. So much happened in a few hundred pages and it recked me! I love hearing from old friends back at Camp Half-Blood and joining the two camps was almost heart-wrenching! (In a good way)

Yet again, Rick wrote a few different plot lines in one book, using them to complement each other. He left the reader on cliffhangers jumping back and forth. It made the book impossible to put down!

He closed off the series with a great ending leaving space for more to happen.

He took Leo and added a whole new side to him and allowed Nico to begin to become himself. It is an amazing ending and the reason it’s my favorite series forever. I have no complaints about how amazing it is! Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus will forever hold a special place in my heart!

-Nina

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House of Hades

Rick Riordan

Published October 8, 2013

Read January 11-17, 2024

5 out of 5 stars

Summary: Hazel stands at a crossroads. She and the remaining crew of the Argo II could return home with the Athena Parthenos statue and try to stop Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter from going to war. Or they could continue their quest to find the House of Hades, where they might be able to open the Doors of Death, rescue their friends Percy and Annabeth from Tartarus, and prevent monsters from being reincarnated in the mortal world. Whichever road they decide to take, they have to hurry, because time is running out. Gaea, the bloodthirsty Earth Mother, has set the date of August 1 for her rise to power.

Annabeth and Percy are overwhelmed. How will the two of them make it through Tartarus? Starving, thirsty, and in pain, they are barely able to stumble on in the dark and poisonous landscape that holds new horrors at every turn. They have no way of locating the Doors of Death. Even if they did, a legion of Gaea’s strongest monsters guards the Doors on the Tartarus side. Annabeth and Percy can’t exactly launch a frontal assault.

Despite the terrible odds, Hazel, Annabeth, Percy, and the other demigods of the prophecy know that there is only one choice: to attempt the impossible. Not just for themselves, but for everyone they love. Even though love can be the riskiest choice of all.

My Review: This book had a lot of moving pieces to it. Not only were we following the journey of Argo II but also Percy Annabeth and Bob. Rick wrote two stories without making either suffer! It was really well done!

Percy and Annabeth both experienced extreme trials in this book. The end of this book shows little to how it affected them but I think we will see more. Leo was faced with a different challenge. You could see the effects of it immediately and it plays t a new side of his character. Hazel and Frank both had huge trials and gifts that changed them not just physically but mentally. I really liked how Rick controlled those events.

Other than that it’s the normal praise of writing and story arcs. Rick is truly a fantastic writer!

-Nina

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The Mark of Athena

Rick Riordan

Published October 2, 2012

Read January 7-11, 2024

5 out of 5 stars

Summary: Annabeth is terrified. Just when she’s about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon figurehead, Leo’s fantastical creation doesn’t appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that’s only one of her worries. In her pocket, Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving command: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth’s biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he’s now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader—but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side

My Review: In my opinion, writing a series is hard because you hate to have a good plot that can easily be picked up in the next book. Rick’s writing picked up right from where he left off. He continued with different points of view pulling together the Lost Hero and Son of Neptune. The best thing was having each demigod’s thoughts, feelings, and adventures separate while tying them into one plot. Rick’s writing is truly that of another world!

This book was the beginning of something bigger. It pushed the series from some little quests into huge pre-war plans. Rick really wrote a huge plot that made it obvious it was bigger than just this book. He used all these challenges to show the levels of Gaia and the giants. He was also able to allow each character to learn new things and fit these 7 together as a team. While doing this Rick left ideas on what’s to come for the gods, characters, and world. It was a great way to create suspense while building a story. The anticipation builds through Rick and these character growths and plot ideas!

This is why I’m so in love with these books and series!

-Nina

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The Son of Neptune

Rick Riordan

Published October 14, 2011

Read January 1-5, 2024

5 out of 5 stars

Summary: PERCY IS CONFUSED. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn’t know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn’t ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth.

HAZEL IS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem—when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her “gift” for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn’t say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wishes she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

FRANK IS A KLUTZ. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn’t see it. He doesn’t even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery—although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely—enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

My Review: Rick Riordan has done it again! This is such an amazing book. Heroes of Olympus and all Rick Riordan books have short chapters. It’s really nice to have them because I feel like I’m getting through the book faster! In Heroes of Olympus Rick has multiple Povs which is one of my favorite things. Unlike PJO we got the perspective of the three main characters instead of just one. But, Percy’s narrator still held to the PJO books. He still made jokes and it never for a moment felt like a new character we had never seen before. But Hazel and Frank’s narration showed us something different.

The plot of this book was absolutely amazing! It goes hand in hand with the lost book and contributes to a larger storyline. It feels very much like old PJO quests while adding a new spin to it.

This book really showcased Rick’s ability to write character development. Percy didn’t have much to get his memory back, but Frank and Hazel!

Rick took two new characters, building one as clumsy and self-conscious and the other as nervous and suffering. Without underwriting that, he grew them into strong and confident (ish) and grounded and joyous even. He managed to write and grow characters in a way that only Rick could.

Truly an amazing author and an amazing book!

-Nina

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