It has been a 10-book journey with Percy Jackson, the demigods of modern time, and the gods of Olympus. I've been with them the whole way, first as they saved the world from Kronos and then as they defeated Gaea. It has been a long ride, but so much fun. The good thing about it being a 10-book experience is that I feel satiated with the series ending. I don't need another book to add any more to the shape of the characters. This ending feels right and I can let everyone go on to live the rest of their (fictional) lives without intruding further.
The final book in Riordan's second series involving mythological Greek goods puts Roman and Greek demigods on the brink of civil war as Gaea rises to destroy everything. The gods aren't any help as each wars within themselves between their Greek persona and their Roman. As long as the demigods are against each other, Gaea will rise unopposed and win. It's up to two groups of demigods who were able to look past their heritage to come together - to become a family. One team sails to Athens to try and stop Gaea from rising even though it has been prophesied that their blood will aid in her ascension. The other rushes to the front lines of battle at Camp Half Blood, a gigantic statue of Athena in tow, the only thing that can stop war from breaking out. It takes the skills and talents of both Greeks and Romans working together to win the day.
As big as the story is on one level - the world ending, large groups of people going to war, traveling around the world, etc. You're only following a few main characters so you really feel like you're a part of the action. And although I sometimes had trouble remembering who was who as far as back-story went, Riordan does a great job of jogging the reader's memory as he goes along with the story. There wasn't anyone I didn't like as far as the good guys go and they were all very different in personality. I hated the bad guys, cheered for the good, and was properly annoyed by the gods' inability to get themselves together. The action-packed final chapter definitely delivered, and after such a long investment, it was a refreshing change to not be disappointed at the end (see Hunger Games.)
Action-packed as all these books are, there's never really a dull moment in the story. Even when a character is taking a minute to reflect or process some new knowledge, there is so much coming on the horizon, you, the reader, don't really get to take a breath. I like that in a book. I appreciate how hard it really is to come up with so much and not make it feel forced. It doesn't feel forced in this book. Things have to happen fast, time is running out.
This is the longest I've stayed with one character in a series that I can recall. I more often go for the trilogy - keeping it short and sweet, but this has been worth the investment. I know these are YA novels and I know the movies of the first two Percy Jackson books may leave something to be desired, but the books are just great reads overall. They're fun and powerful at the same time, focusing on bigger issues of friendship, finding your place in the world, figuring out who you are as a person and being okay with that person, accepting differences in others, and finding strength when life throws you those crazy curve balls. I would definitely recommend these books to the YA reader's out there, regardless of your actual age. It may take some time to get through them all, but it's worth it.
Riordan did such a smart thing with this book, he took the two best-known characters and put them in Hades. Forcing Percy and Annabeth to strike out on their own, in a place where they couldn't get help from their fellow demigods, keeps them isolated and finally allows someone else to really shine. In a series where fans already "knew" who the hero was, shuffling characters around finally lets Riordan show off the heroic qualities in all his characters. And, he does an amazing job bringing Tartarus to life. His descriptions of the Underworld are better than of actual places he sends the other demigods to visit.
I know know why Riordan waited so long into the series to position his characters in this way. I knew he had to build out the story slowly since it's a long series with a lot of moving parts, but still, this is the first time I really felt like I was getting to know anybody. The narrative finally goes beyond simple back story for each demigod and in addition to all that we start learning about who they all really are and what they're experiencing on this quest, how it's changing them. In the midst of all this character development there is an actual mission the demigods much achieve - to reset the Doors of Death and prevent the monsters loyal to Gaea from quickly regenerating once defeated. The trick is in closing the Doors properly and they have to be accessed at the same time from both the entrance in Tartarus and the one in our world (located in the House of Hades in Greece.) Percy and Annabeth end up falling into Hades so they take on that part of the quest while the rest of the crew - Hazel, Piper, Frank, Leo, Jason, and Nico travel topside to the House of Hades. Everyone knows they're coming so there's no shortage of monsters trying to defeat the demigods at both ends of the quest.
As the journey continues the demigods are really given a chance to grow their talents. Frank evolves into a true son of Ares and a mighty warrior. It even changes his physical appearance. Hazel learns to manipulate The Mist, a new talent that really comes in handy in the major battles of this quest. Leo develops in a different, more personal way, but still changes for the better in a way that benefits the whole team. This particular quest really teaches the characters so much about themselves that I found this book to really be the most meaningful in the series.
Focusing less on Greek and Roman myths and more on the actual character of the characters makes House of Hades by far the best book I've read by Riordan since wrapping up Percy's own series. I'm excited to see where all these characters end up and am sad I've finally caught up to the publisher and now have to wait something like six months for the final book.
My review here is light on plot because I had a baby while reading this. Most of what I read before the baby was born got a little fuzzy after, but I definitely liked the book a lot and am still pretty happy with the series overall.
So much happened in this book, but I guess when you're juggling seven story lines it's to be expected. Even though our seven prophecy-chosen demigods are all questing together in this book, there are a lot of moments of fragmentation - small group off-shoots - that end up keeping the overall story moving forward. It honestly got a little confusing who had done what and where at times, but like I said, this was a very busy story.
Finally, the seven demigods meant to save the world have come together: Percy and Annabeth who you know really well by now if you're a Riordan fan, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, and Leo. Their group quest is to travel to Rome and destroy twin giants - Gaea's minions - before they destroy Rome, but a separate quest has been given to Annabeth to find an old statue of Athena that went missing in Rome centuries ago which Athena has been trying to get back ever since, sacrificing her demigod children along the way. Apparently the statue is necessary to ultimately stop Gaea so Annabeth has to succeed on her quest as much as the group as a whole needs to stop the giants.
After traveling across the the U.S. with a few heart-pounding pit stops (because nothing is easy for these guys,) they head out to Rome. As they travel, more pieces of the puzzle of exactly what needs to be done and who can potentially help them fall into place. In the end, they have to find and retrieve the statue, kill the giants, and save their friend Nico (also Hazel's brother) who has been kidnapped and is near death. They face many monsters and immortals we haven't seen yet (surprised there are so many left) from both Greek and Roman origin and enlist the help of a very unlikely God. Any success they find is made bittersweet by the cliffhanger ending that divides the group in a way that makes it uncertain whether they'll ever come back together.
So much happens and it's all very fast-paced with a lot of jumping around that, as I said, gets a little confusing. I also felt like the action took center stage here just as we were getting to know everyone and I was sad that often personality development was set aside so we could watch the characters simply do things. While we do learn a little more about some of our demigods, their motivation for what they do becomes a little muted at times. I also just kept getting Piper and Hazel confused. I couldn't help it and I felt like that was a flaw from the story.
Two more books in the series though with the last one publishing later this year, so I've almost caught up to the author :) I think it's definitely a series worth finishing. I might even go through Percy Jackson withdraw when it's all over. It's fun to have something exciting and easy-to-read in my book queue though.
I might be partial to Percy Jackson as a character because I found this second book the The Heroes of Olympus series to be much more exciting than the first book. The characters have better secrets to share, the threat is more immediate, and the quest for our lead characters feels more intense.
We pick up in time after the first book with the same evil threatening the world, Gaea, and the same prophecy of seven coming together. This time though, we're at the camp of the Roman demigods, Camp Jupiter, which we've never seen before, and Percy is our hero with a missing memory (you might want to check out the review of the first book so this makes a little more sense.) He wanders into camp, is questioningly accepted, and befriends two other campers, Hazel and Frank. Again, there are characters who know Percy's true identity, just like in book one, but they're keeping the truth to themselves to not disrupt the master plan (whatever that turns out to be.)
A quest gets issues to find and free Thanatos, who's basically the Grim Reaper, from a giant who also happens to be Gaea's son. They also need to help prevent an army of monsters from destroying Camp Jupiter. It's a tall order for three kids especially when they're all grappling with a very personal issue. In addition to Percy's memory loss, Frank is trying to figure out his family's big secret and how it applies to himself, and Hazel is wrestling with the guilt of a very bad deed nobody knows she's committed.
So all three set out to Alaska to fulfill their quest with nothing but the deeds they do to prove their character to each other and earn trust. They run into a lot of monsters, a few gods, and some other characters with mythological makings. Fewer immortals appear than in the Percy series and they mythology is very Roman-focused (which I know a lot less about,) so this book felt more like a pure adventure story to me than the first book of the series. I really enjoyed and it and am definitely Team Percy over Team Jason if such a thing exists.
Riordan continues to introduce compelling and intricate characters in extraordinary scenarios in his world of demigods that keep the pages turning. I think these are great YA books outside of the overly popular dystopian-framed books and are more worthy of your time to read if delving into this genre as a whole.
Needing a break from all my 2013 rereads, I decided to revisit the world of Percy Jackson and start Riordan's second series about the demigods that live among us. This series, set in the same world, introduces us to a whole other set of demigods - those sired from the gods while in their Roman incarnation. Therefore we meet Jason who is the son of Jupiter rather than Zeus. Riordan does a good job of explaining how the gods are all the same but were given different names to suit different aspects of themselves and how the gods can exist in multiple forms at once.
Jason has no memory of his childhood and becomes conscious on a bus heading toward the Grand Canyon. He's a teenager. His two close friends, Piper and Leo, know who he is and have memories of him, but Jason is clueless. He's given about an hour to ponder all he's forgotten before the whole busload of children are attacked by monsters. It's a rough introduction for Jason, Leo, and Piper, who all turn out to be demigods, into the world of mythology. They end up at Camp Halfblood and meet Annabeth. She's pretty absent from this book since she's on her own mission to find Percy who's strangely gone missing.
A new prophecy is revealed foretelling the end of world and how seven demigods will be chosen to work together to prevent it. With three assembled already, Jason, Leo, and Piper set off on a quest to rescue Hera, who has been kidnapped by giants. The whole plot of the series unfolds as they quest to find Hera who of course is in California, the seat of all evil for Riordan (not really sure why,) things are looking pretty interesting for the rest of the books. What's different about this series already is the human connection. In Percy's series, you felt that everyone was connected through a common cause automatically, but for Jason's story line, it's not that easy. Not only are the demigods and gods going to have to work together (and the gods hate that,) but two groups of kids who didn't even know each other existed will have to figure out how to team up successfully, overcoming centuries of inherent animosity. It sounds like it's going to be interesting.
Conflicting with the interesting plot though are the new characters. I'm not sure I like them all. There's almost too much insecurity between them which I assume will improve, but for now. Jason is insecure because of his lack of memory, Piper just a teenage girl who second-guesses a little too much, and Leo has issues in his past keeping him doubt of his abilities. I know they'll grow because that's what Riordan characters do, but it's almost like they started at more of a deficit than I expected.
I'm not dying to get into the second book in this series the way I was with Percy's books, but I will eventually read it These books are a fun break from heavier reads and I really do like the world Riordan has created for them. It's fun YA fiction that features an ensemble cast rather than a single strong female battling her way through dystopia, and that's a nice change too.
I was so excited to get to the last book in this series. Percy Jackson's five books have proven to be an intelligent and entertaining read full of Greek mythology and young characters determined to keep the world safe. They only have their own demigod abilities and strength of character to sustain them and while it's not always enough, the sheer will of these demigods exceeds the expectations of their enemies as well as their parents.
This fifth book takes us to the final battle foretold in a prophecy about a child of one of the big three gods - Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. This demigod will have to make a decision that will determine whether Olympus falls or survives. We have no hints as to what this decision is going to be, but Percy, the son of Poseidon, internalizes the prophecy and decides that he just has to fight as much as he possibly can. He does everything to hone his skills and enhance his chance of defeating his enemies. He thinks he has to do it all on his own. Without giving away the final decision of the prophecy, the biggest lesson Percy learns is that it's not about how strong you are, but who you can depend on that really makes you a hero. His friends are imperative components in this battle and Percy would never get to the "decision" without the fight and support of those closest to him. Even his mom, a regular human jumps in when the time comes to do battle.
The theme of this book is trust. You see what happens when trust is threatened. You see what happens when trust is given even in uncertain terms. You see the reward of trusting your friends even when your brain is telling you to run off alone. It's a wonderful lesson for young readers to learn - that you aren't alone, that you can build important relationships through your actions, through trust. It's almost like a subliminal lesson since a younger reader would definitely be all caught up in the action of a very fast-paced book.
The series wraps up but it doesn't feel like it's over. I haven't ready up on the rest of Riordan's books, but I believe these demigods reappear in other series. I definitely would like to see more of Percy Jackson and his friends. It has been great to find a young adult series that's so engaging and fun and intelligent to read.
The 4th book in the Percy Jackson series takes a departure from the central action of the series and focuses on the life-changing events of our characters - what's really shaping who they're becoming. Sure, Kronos is still rising and amassing a giant, angry army to descend on Camp Half-Blood before taking down Olympus and it is what propels our heroes into the Labyrinth but once down there the focus shifts just a bit. We see Grover, who's really under a time crunch, devote himself entirely to tracking down Pan, ignoring the coming doom of Kronos. Percy and Annabeth are really turning into teenagers and those overpowering emotions of first love and utter teenage confusion begin to surface. Even as the end of the world draws near and supernatural creatures start appearing around every turn the human characters still act appropriately human confronting what's going on inside of them as well as what role they'll have to play a demigods.
So, the plot. An entrance to the Labyrinth is discovered on camp grounds and if Kronos' army can navigate the Labyrinth successfully, they can use the entrance to bypass the camp boundaries and invade. Our heroes, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson journey into the Labyrinth themselves to attempt to locate Daedalus who they believe is still alive and who can help them learn the secrets of the Labyrinth before anyone else. However, the Labyrinth is an organic place, ever-changing, presenting almost more obstacles than out heroes can survive. This isn't a quest our heroes can beat on their own and outside help comes from other demigods, mortals, Goddesses, and other assorted immortals, but it's the connection our lead characters have with each other that leads to victory. Knowing each other as only true friends can really proves to be the saving grace for all obstacles these guys run into.
One more book to go in this series and I almost feel like Percy's battle against Kronos will be overshadowed by his confusing teenage emotions for his female friends. I really can't decide which story line I'm more interested in reading, but either way book five is going to have an amazing battle to read and, I think, a great conclusion to this wonderful story.
This second book is Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series is no less exciting than the first. It's a little more mystical than Lightning Thief but the basic plot is the same - there's trouble among the gods and kids from Camp Half-Blood must go on a quest to save the day.
More characters come into play this time around and we start to get to know more campers. The gods are more prevalent as well even without playing directly into the action. They're really still only big behind the scenes. The same evil is being fought as Luke assists Kronos who's literally trying to pull himself together to destroy Olympus, but nothing is as obvious as it seems. Motive is always a little sneaky when working with the gods and what might feel like a win to Percy and his friends initially might not actually turn out for the best.
The primary impetus for this book's quest is the attack of Camp Half-Blood. Protective spells keeping the camp safe have been weakened enough that monsters are getting in to wreak havoc. Thalia's tree has been poisoned and is slowly dying along with the spirit of Zeus' daughter. The only thing that can save both the tree and the camp is the Golden Fleece. By chance (and I feel like that should really be in air quotes) this long-lost item is discovered by Grover, the satyr, who comes upon the fleece on a cyclope's island during his own quest to find Pan. All these pieces come together and the quest to bring back the fleece and save Grover begins.
With a lot of missteps and near-death run-ins on the way, our adventurers, Percy and Annabeth, strike out with new allies: Tyson, a young cyclopes who's also a son of Poseidon and eventually Clarisse, a slightly dense demigod of Ares' making. It's another exciting adventure written in a way that makes you truly believe the unbelievable. It's really hard to put the book down.
Two books into the series (of 5 I believe) and I'm really enjoying Percy Jackson's adventure. With a prophecy now revealed, we know this all leading up to some big climax to take place when Percy turns 16 and I"m really looking forward to the big reveal.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 1
It felt good to get back into some YA fiction, especially when it didn't involve vampires or dystopia. This is the real world as we know it today with the tiny difference being that all the Greek gods are actually real and still thriving...and still creating demigods.
Percy Jackson is just a normal "troubled" kid; severe ADHD, frequently getting kicked out of school, struggling with an unhappy home life, but strange things start to happen as he becomes a teenager. He can read ancient Greek, a monster posing as his math teacher attacks, a pen turns into a sword. All the strangeness leads up to the discovery that he's a Demigod with a serious problem: Zeus has accused him of stealing his lightning bolt. With the help of Grover, a satyr, and Annabeth, a fellow Demigod, Percy is charged with the quest of traveling to the Underworld to retrieve the bolt from Hades and prove his innocence. He's prepared for his quest at Camp Half Blood where Demigods are trained to be Greek heroes. Of course, the quest is more than Percy bargained for, but he's given the many chances to show off the heroic stuff he's made of.
There's no shortage of mythological Greeks in the story either - the part I liked the most about the story. Medusa runs a garden shop/statuary, Ares is an angry biker, Charon, the boatman across the River Styx, has a think for expensive Italian suits, etc. The mix of Greek myth with a modern adventure is so perfectly done in these characters, you real feel like that how these ancient gods and creatures would have evolved. And, I like Percy. He's confronted with these outlandish truths about himself with no time to process them and just accepts that change in his reality. He takes all the doubt that's perfectly normal to have and faces it head-on. It's obvious from that start that Percy is a real hero.
On a side note, I checked this book out from the library which I've rediscovered taking Olivia to story time each week. I forgot how much I loved the crinkle of the cellophane book cover on a library book. I found myself adjusting the book in my hands more often than I really needed in order to hear that sound. Of course, the drawback of the library is that now I have to wait for the second book to be back on the shelves.
Percy goes on four more adventures in his series and I'm looking forward to reading Book 2. It's so much fun getting caught up on Greek mythology without having to "travel" back in time to ancient Greece.
