Sunday, November 11, 2012

The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena
by Rick Riordan
608 pages
Late Elementary+

This book joins together the heroes of Camp Jupiter and Camp Half Blood. Percy is finally reunited with Annabeth, new friends meet with old, and memories are back. Jason and Percy also get to meet the each other and size up the hero of the other camp. Now that the seven demigods of the prophecy are together, nothing can stop them, right?

The issues start right away when Leo uses his nifty new war boat to fire on Camp Jupiter.  The seven must flee the camp with little or no preparation, and rush as fast as they can all the way to Rome in order to save Nico, Hazel's brother. Along the way, the group meets more random gods and goddesses, fight each other, and evade possessed tourists.  Can they all get along long enough to defeat the giants and save the world?

This third installment of The Heroes of Olympus is fast paced, lots of fun, and a riot.  I really liked how Riordan brought out the tension between Percy and Jason, two very strong heroes, each used to leading the quest.  They have to learn get along and NOT be the main event on the quest. In addition to their strife, Hazel, Frank and Leo have got to resolve their issues.  I like how there is just more than actions; all the heroes must deal with their emotions and with each other, not just fighting monsters.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable book.  I like The Heroes of Olympus better than The Kane Chronicles, though they are fun too.  The ending is another cliff hanger (of course), and I can't wait for the fourth book, The House of Hades, which comes out Fall 2013 (too far away!).  Anyways, definitely a great book, one to recommend and worth the read!

No comments:

Post a Comment