May was another busy month of home improvement and social events. I only read two books, but both of them were over 500 pages, so I wasn’t wasting my time!
Click here to see the other books I’ve read so far this year.
My rating system:
- 5: I enjoyed it and I’d read this again.
- 4: It was a good story written well, but not my taste. Or, it was a great story, maybe just not written well.
- 3: I am not a fan of the story/writing style/themes.
- 2: This a pretty painful to get through.
- 1: There is nothing good to say about this book.
Rick Riordan, The Lost Hero
Synopsis: Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up on a school bus holding hands with a girl. Apparently she’s his girlfriend Piper, his best friend is a kid named Leo, and they’re all students in the Wilderness School, a boarding school for “bad kids.” What he did to end up here, Jason has no idea–except that everything seems very wrong.
Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, and her vivid nightmares reveal that he’s in terrible danger. Now her boyfriend doesn’t recognize her, and when a freak storm and strange creatures attack during a school field trip, she, Jason, and Leo are whisked away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood. What is going on?
Leo has a way with tools.His new cabin at Camp Half-Blood is filled with them. Seriously, the place beats Wilderness School hands down, with its weapons training, monsters, and fine-looking girls. What’s troubling is the curse everyone keeps talking about, and that a camper’s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist they are all–including Leo–related to a god.
Rick Riordan, the best-selling author of the Percy Jackson series, pumps up the action and suspense in The Lost Hero, the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Fans of demigods, prophecies, and quests will be left breathless–and panting in anticipation for Book Two.
My Rating: 5/5
I started this blog after I read this series for the first time, so I don’t have a review posted for any of the HoO books. If I had to pick one Heroes of Olympus book that was my least favorite, it was probably this one. It took a long time for me to start to resonate with the characters after the first time I read it. However, now that I’m on reread number…3, and I already know more about the characters because I know what happens to them in following books, I can care about them a little more. Leo is my favorite character from the new trio; Jason and Piper were just a little too overly dramatic for me in this one. Another reason I think I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the others is you spend the whole novel wondering where Percy is, instead of trying to be invested in the new characters. I think if we had gotten more glimpses of Jason’s past during this book, it may have been more interesting. Of course I’m going to read this again; I love this series.
Rick Riordan, The Son of Neptune
Synopsis: Percy is confused. When he awoke after 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. Somehow Percy managed to make it to the camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he had to continually kill monsters that, annoyingly, would not stay dead. But the camp doesn’t ring any bells with him.Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn’t do a very good job of it. 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.
Frank is a klutz. His grandmother claims he is descended from ancient heroes, but 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. His big and bulky physique makes him feel like a clumsy ox, especially in front of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely–enough, even, to share the secret he holds close to his heart.
Beginning at the “other” camp for half-bloods and extending as far north as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment in the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all of whom are destined to play a part in the most important quest of all: the Prophecy of Seven.
My Rating: 5/5
I enjoyed this book much more than the first one. Instead of new characters reintroducing us to a world and characters we’d already met, we get to experience a whole new world of demigods. There is so much more world building in this book, especially since we get to learn about a whole new camp. Mysteries become clearer by the end, because not only do we learn about Hazel and Frank’s secrets and get a better understanding of them, but we get a better understanding of the Prophecy of Seven. All seven demigods are finally introduced to us, and we we can guess how they will interact with each other. And, of course, Percy is back. I enjoyed learning more about Frank and Hazel, and they’re probably my favorite “new” characters from the Seven.
Let’s see if I can get through the rest of the series in June! Three books over 500 pages might be a stretch, but I’m going for it.
Words From the Riverbed 