Percy Jackson & the Olympians

 Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

By Rick Riordan

Pages: 1,737

A fun YA series that brings mythology into the present day. I originally started to re-read them to follow along with a book club podcast, but could not stop until I had finished the entire series. The pacing is great with little to no filler in the plot lines and the writing is full of witty one-liners The story follows Percy, who we learn is a demigod (the child of a Greek god or goddess and a human) after his math teacher turns into a Fury of the Underworld and tries to kill him. He then heads to a summer camp for demigods called Camp Half-Blood run by none other than Chiron the Centaur, and the god Dionysus who is there as punishment by Zeus. Cue a Great Prophecy and a Titan lord slowly rising from his prison in the depths of Tartarus and our group of demigods are charged with a series of quests to save the world, arguing the whole way there. Grover pretty much sums up the whole experience, "“Well … sure good to be together again. Arguing. Almost dying. Abject terror. Oh, look. It’s our floor.”

The Trials of Apollo: The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

......so it got a little preachy about mental illness, but also like....it's for the kids. and I appreciate that books are actually talking about healthy coping mechanisms, and about manipulative and verbally abusive relationships and how awful that can be. 
"Sometimes you have to let someone else pay [the price]"....so like....don't talk to me about how with mental illness you have to allow people to help you and take burdens of their own volition.
Mt. Dew.....it does indeed do those things...unless you combine them with Starbucks and chocolate within a very short time period or have that all built up in your system.....We're just going to forget freshman year of college.

So I have feelings about my babies. with all their cameos. Percy is too good for this world. 
416 Pages 

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 3: The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan

...So banana boat, anyone?
Alex is so sassy and exasperating (but in an 'are you kidding me' way)
Go Sam. I love her. I love her so much. I love that she believes in God, and she's fasting and she's fierce.
Loki reminds me of a mixture of Envy and Kimblee from Fullmetal Alchemist.
464 Pages

The Trials of Apollo: Book Four: The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan

FRAAAAAAANK. I love him so much.
Oh my gosh, Tyson. I love Tyson.. and Ella.
Reyna is a queen.
I do and always will love Apollo's narrating style.
448 Pages

The Trials of Apollo: Book Three: The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan

So I loved getting to see more of my babies...
Leo. I love him. Piper. Heart eyes. Jason. Cinnamon roll.
There's a vine "Let's go get some tater tots" which is a mood.
I didn't know Houyhnhnms were going to show up.
Apollo character growth.
464 Pages

The Trials of Apollo: Book Two: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

I love Leo.
Insert "Let's go get some tater tots" vine.
HTTYD "A Chief protects his own"
So now this feels like the finale of Fullmetal Alchemist, with Apollo being Greed...
Ok but bringing back my babies. Heart eyes
Griffins are precious and deserve the world.
I love Apollo's narrative style.
464 Pages

The Trials of Apollo: Book One: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Sucky haikus. I can get behind that.
Percy Cameo. Heart eyes.
Reading books that are easy and quick are great.
Apollo....you stupid.
...Did Nico just say "this is my emotional support boyfriend"...
And now I present my haikus:

Apollo is a jerk
Character development
Dramatic as heck

Haikus better now
Should I even be surprised?
Humans aren't that bad

A plot twist I guess
Commentary on abuse
Dramatic entrance.

416 Pages

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 2: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

I do love when one character is exasperated by the ridiculousness of the characters and situations around them... And there was a knitting shout-out...so I feel acknowledged.

Magnus, you are stupid and oblivious..But you're protective and it's adorable. I love getting to know more about how his powers work.

Sam I love you. Never. Ever. Change She must be protected at all costs.

Did I hear a Catholic reference..Yes. Yes I did... Am I living. Yes I am.

496 Pages

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 1: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

So I've been trying to read this book for like three years....so it was kind of hard for me to get through it....but once I sat down and listened to it, it went by pretty fast... maybe I'm just not in the right head-space for it.... Maybe it's because it's not Percy. *shrug emoji* I'm tired.

544 Pages

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

In this first book in the newest series by Riordan, The Trials of Apollo, the Greek god Apollo finds himself cast down to earth as a mortal, bound to a demigod, and forced to undergo a series of trials in order to regain his divinity. The power of prophecy has deserted the Oracle (aka Rachel Elizabeth Dare) and it is up to Apollo, now a sixteen-year-old boy with a major case of acne, along with his fellow campers to return the prophecies and defeat a new evil.

In this new series we see a lot of familiar faces from Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus, though of the main characters only Percy and Leo make an appearance. As a fan of mythology I continue to enjoy these books, though some of the originality and excitement has worn away as Riordan continues to build on previous story lines from his earlier series.

376 pages