thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a re-read, but my first time listening to the audiobooks. I think this book is an excellent conclusion to the series. The poor kids have to truly assess the meaning of sacrifice as they work to save the world. While it's sad that the weight has fallen on them, they handle it with poise. It truly is impressive how everything comes together in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, Death, Violence, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death
While this book does get a little sad, it should still be appropriate for a young adult audience.betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.0
Alas, we have finally gotten to the point where I haven't read these before. Don't ask me why I got to book 4 in this series and never finished it. The only answer I have for you is I think I was in grad school when this book first came out. But I digress!
Despite their length, Riordan books are quick reads for me because of the way they are paced. I can see why kids of all kinds come into the library and say they've flown through these books because it is easy to do! Not only are all of the characters fun, but there's action and humor and it's just an all around good time, despite the impending doom.
Also, Nico! I can see why people say he's one of their favorite characters because I just want to wrap him in a big hug. I'm glad we finally get to see from his point of view. And his interaction with Percy at the end? Gold.
While this one doesn't end on a cliffhanger, you can kind of tell that Riordan is setting up for another series. It's an overall good conclusion to this story arc, but there's an opening there at the end for another series.
Despite their length, Riordan books are quick reads for me because of the way they are paced. I can see why kids of all kinds come into the library and say they've flown through these books because it is easy to do! Not only are all of the characters fun, but there's action and humor and it's just an all around good time, despite the impending doom.
Also, Nico! I can see why people say he's one of their favorite characters because I just want to wrap him in a big hug. I'm glad we finally get to see from his point of view. And his interaction with Percy at the end? Gold.
While this one doesn't end on a cliffhanger, you can kind of tell that Riordan is setting up for another series. It's an overall good conclusion to this story arc, but there's an opening there at the end for another series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and War
Moderate: Grief, Animal death, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent, Suicide, and Homophobia
nevermoregothic's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexism, Homophobia, Death of parent, Vomit, Suicide, and Pregnancy
sophie42's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Moderate: Blood, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Suicide
val_theburrowofstories's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
brekker_by_brekker'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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
icedlemonade's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, and Violence
Minor: Suicide, Murder, Genocide, and Death of parent
xmifeng_'s review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.5
The final battle was rather anticlimactic, but it was overall decent.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, War, and Child abuse
hales_1243's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Blood, Death, Violence, Vomit, and War
Moderate: Death of parent
jenny_librarian's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I love Rick Riordan’s books. You’d think this being the last of the Olympians double series, I would love it the most. And I do for some of it.
But the way the chapters are arranged bothers me. I feel like a big part of why I couldn’t get 100% invested during the second half of the book is because the author uses “boomerang storytelling”: writing a few chapters from one character’s POV, then going back to the beginning of that timeframe and doing the same for another character that’s somewhere else. It might have been impossible to write otherwise, but that’s probably because by the time he sat to write this book, Riordan had way too many characters in way too many different places.
It’s a great ending nevertheless and I’m looking forward to finally read Trials of Apollo (the reason behind this massive reread I started 2 years ago).
But the way the chapters are arranged bothers me. I feel like a big part of why I couldn’t get 100% invested during the second half of the book is because the author uses “boomerang storytelling”: writing a few chapters from one character’s POV, then going back to the beginning of that timeframe and doing the same for another character that’s somewhere else. It might have been impossible to write otherwise, but that’s probably because by the time he sat to write this book, Riordan had way too many characters in way too many different places.
It’s a great ending
Spoiler
(even though I really couldn’t care less about Leo and Calypso)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Blood, and War