Monday, February 24, 2014

Jenn's Review: The Son of Neptune



Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus, book #2
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Pages: 513
Obtained: purchased
Genre: YA Fantasy, mythology
Rating: 4.5
Bottom Line: Percy's back!
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!
 Blurb:  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 wished 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 infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart. 

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

Review:  I just couldn't help diving right into this after The Lost Hero.  Rick Riordan has pulled out all the stops for this series, and it's so hard to stop reading.  Plus, it was wonderful to have Percy back, even if he was on his own.

Seeing Percy out of his element was difficult.  I missed Percy while reading about Annabeth in The Lost Hero, but she wasn't around too much.  But reading an entire book about Percy without Annabeth just seemed ...wrong.  I was glad that the memory Juno/Hera left him with his memory of Annabeth.  I was a little afraid she wouldn't because Hera and Annabeth certainly have a bad trackrecord and the godess can be cruelly vengeful. Still the goddess knew Percy needed something to keep fighting for, and that is certainly Annabeth.  

Camp Jupiter is so different then Camp Half Blood that it serves as a great distraction... and I won't spoil it by saying anymore than that.  Of course, Percy falls in with the misfits immediately.  Hazel is an interesting child of Hades... er, Pluto.  Her gifts are quite different than Nico's and it was hard to see how she was going to fit in on the quest.  Frank is not only a misfit, but he has yet to really come into his powers making him an unlikely hero.  Together with Percy they are sent on an impossible quest, and though Frank is in charge, it is Percy who assumes the leadership role naturally.  As things progress, I learned to appreciate Frank and Hazel; it is hard not to after they come into their own fighting alongside Percy, but their presence was a constant reminder of Percy's absent friends. 

I find the Heroes of Olympus even more compelling than the Percy Jackson series.  As the novel comes to a close, we are left on the verge of uniting the two camps, which is more complicated than you might think.  And we still have yet to unite Percy and Annabeth, so of course I couldn't leave things here.  Once again I'm propelled forward into the next novel, The Mark of Athena.  


Share/BookmarkGoogle+

No comments: