gabyhs's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Minor: Abandonment, Blood, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, War, Death, Torture, and Violence
finnft4's review against another edition
- 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
And at this point, the characters are definitely starting to click more for me, now. My favorite is definitely Leo. I like Percy and Annabeth a lot more than I thought I would when I started the series. I think they're a bit boring at times, but this book definitely strengthened them for me.
(I go into spoiler territory below here.)
RANKING
[1] PJO: The Last Olympian
[2] HoO: The House of Hades
[3] HoO: The Mark of Athena
[4] PJO: The Lightning Thief
[5] PJO: The Titan's Curse
[6] HoO: The Son of Neptune
[7] PJO: The Battle of the Labyrinth
[8] HoO: The Lost Hero
[9] PJO: The Sea of Monsters
[10] HoO: The Blood of Olympus
Graphic: Outing, Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: War and Murder
Minor: Death of parent
Spoiler
Annabeth and Percy in Tartarus was an insanely interesting plot line. Annabeth's outsmarting tricks were cool at first, but at a certain point it just became unbelievable how gullible the monsters were. Absolutely not a book-ruiner, though.Spoiler
Bob and Damasen were absolutely fantastic. I didn't get that emotional over their sacrifices, but they were incredible nonetheless, and it was still emotional. Percy and Annabeth reflecting on whether they're really "the good guys" added a lot of moral complexity that I appreciated. The moments where Percy exhibits uncharacteristic violence are surprisingly dark for the demographic. I did read one review for this book that called it his "bully Maguire arc" which made me laugh a lot. Still. The fact that he scared Annabeth into crying was so powerful, and his arc with Bob really makes you question who is "good" and who is "evil." Complexity. And the two of them facing so many curses for all the monsters they killed, man... I didn't think the book would take that route. I'm absolutely not complaining, though. I'm SHOCKED by how dark some of this stuff got.Spoiler
I'm glad to see my homeguy Leo get some development. Same for Frank and Hazel; they were dope as fuck in this book. Even Jason was more tolerable than usual (I don't have anything serious against him; I just find him boring).Spoiler
I probably have to mention this, but I was NOT a fan of the Cupid scene. I heard some people mention it before reading, so I knew it was coming, but JESUS CHRIST. I really didn't like it. Though I'll keep in mind that this book was published in 2013. But I'm perfectly fine reading books without OUTING, thanks. Being LGBT+, it was extremely uncomfortable. I get that it's just a product of the times, though, and this was probably a crazy moment when the book initially came out. On that note, I'm glad people were able to find Nico relatable. I mean, I do, to an extent, with his mannerisms and touch aversion. But I don't think the scene should be treated as a super heroic and brave moment for Nico - and generally good queer representation to begin with. He was outed by this dumbass loser of a god (but I thought the message about love being painful was interesting) who refused to give them information if he didn't, while continuously berating him for being cowardly in the process. It wasn't a consensual thing. How Jason handled it was mostly fine, other than the one line he said to Nico about him "not even trying" after he isn't ready to tell other people that was pretty fucked up. And holy shit I wish the fandom would stop infantilizing him ðŸ˜majamarzec2008's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Torture, Gore, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Child abuse
the_othersidewv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Homophobia and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture
allison_lennon's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Torture
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, and Outing
jstarshine16's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Violence