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Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'
Le soleil et l'étoile : une aventure de Nico Di Angelo by Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro
47 reviews
thesvnthsense's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder and Homophobia
jojo_fiction_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
3.5 Stars
I love the Percy Jackson world, and with the TV show currently airing, I am falling (no pun intended) right back into my PJO phase. So I figured, what would be a better time to read the Nico and Will standalone that has been sitting on my shelf for months than this?
And like most Rick Riordan books, I breezed through this in under 2 days. The writing style was a bit different as it is also co-written by Mark Oshiro, but overall didn't make too much of an impact on my reading experience.
As for the story itself, I have a lot of thoughts, so bear with me.
The overall plot itself…was kinda weak. The threat of Nyx, who, despite being stated as being more powerful than Gaea, was underwhelming. I feel like this book was mostly for the characters and their development, which is fine! But for a Percy Jackson book, I expected just a bit more plot, or at least more stakes. (Although I'm sure for standalones it must be much harder to do so I'm trying not to judge too harshly on that.)
The main conflict of the story seemed to be between Will and Nico and them becoming more secure in their relationship (as opposed to the literal goddess of darkness) . They seemed to be annoyed at each other for the majority of the book. Their lack of trust within the relationship, and inability to see each others’ perspectives on a few things, added more to the conflict than Nyx for the majority of the book.
The real place this book shines is in its themes and in the development of the characters.
The emphasis of taking care of one's mental health (especially for demigods who have been through so much), is something that really needs to be seen in more middle grade novels.
Discussions of grief, depression, loneliness, guilt, shame, and the fear of change were all subjects that were touched on. The concept of processing grief was really a wonderful aspect of this book, as Nico, who had lost basically everyone who was important to him, was finally able to begin to work through these emotions, and learn to rely on others for support.
The concept of change was an interesting aspect to the book that I really liked. Change is difficult for anybody, things like changes in environments and situations, the change in how you view yourself, how others view you, and the ability to make the conscious choice to change. And I think for a book that focuses around two queer characters it was a fitting topic. As the conversation with Piper at the end shows, sexuality and/or gender expression is fluid and can change as you grow and there is nothing wrong with that. It was a good way to end the story with this final acceptance of change not being a bad thing, but an opportunity to grow into yourself more fully depending on your stage in life.
Since the book was focused around queer characters, the co-author, Mark Oshiro, was absolutely needed. As Riordan said on his website about the book: “It was really important to me that writing a book entirely from the perspective of two queer characters, I collaborated with a great queer author who could bring perspective, authenticity, and a different set of writing strengths to the project.”
When writing about experiences that are not your own you absolutely need to look to outside sources who do have that experience and/or knowledge. One thing I appreciate about Riordan’s growth as a writer is that despite his rough start with proper representation, he is very open to the fact that as he now includes new characters from a variety of backgrounds, sexualities, and genders, he reaches out to those who can help him portray these characters properly.
I can't finish this review without including my one big critique of this book. Which is an issue with consistency which can be seen in other Percy Jackson books. In Son of Neptune, Bianca is said to have chosen to be reincarnated, which leads to Nico finding Haze and helping her leave the underworld. But in this book, during the last dream Nico has, she tells him that she is in Elysium. In this book the change allows for Nico to receive some type of closure. However, in regards to how that impacts the overarching story, it complicates it a lot. If Bianca never chose to be reincarnated, Nico would have tried to bring her back from the dead instead of Hazel as he claimed to have tried. I am confused on how this plot line could have slipped through the cracks, but in terms of how it affects this standalone, it's not too big of a deal.
In conclusion, I did enjoy this! Going back into the world of demigods made me feel very nostalgic, and the book was fun for what it was. I wouldn't put it on my list of favourites, but overall I think it was a fun read with important messages.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Eating disorder, Gore, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, and Abandonment
hayleyvem's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Eating disorder, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Child death, Homophobia, and Death of parent
robertjspradlin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Outing and Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder and War
lumari3's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Eating disorder and Death of parent
annahamburger's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Blood, and Outing
nevermoregothic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Was this the best written book I've ever read? Not necessarily, no. But I couldn't put it down for the last half of the book. I loved how Nico and Will were able to work and grow throughout their journey, especially with Nico's past trauma and subsequent PTSD. Part of the core of the story is them learning how to open up to each other, how to work with both of their pasts and move forward as a couple.
The care taken with the mental health rep overall in this book is wonderful. Will is learning that Nico doesn't need to be fixed, and Nico is trying to learn how to move forward with his darkness. They are so wonderful together. I am so happy they got their own book, and that Nico finally got his time to shine. I would definitely read another book with them at the center!
The care taken with the mental health rep overall in this book is wonderful. Will is learning that Nico doesn't need to be fixed, and Nico is trying to learn how to move forward with his darkness. They are so wonderful together. I am so happy they got their own book, and that Nico finally got his time to shine. I would definitely read another book with them at the center!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Outing
camiandkitread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder and Death of parent