Heroes of Olympus, The, Book Four: House of Hades, The-(new cover) Paperback – September 24, 2019

It was an enjoyable read, a lot of humor, action, typical. But they just had to make my fav character ... anyways. It definitely wasn't needed for the story, they could have made ANYTHING else up but no.

It’s a pretty special thing, friends, when an author manages to create a world and fill it with characters that endear themselves to you for books and books and books and their story never gets old or boring or LESS endearing. The opposite, in fact. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson books are exactly like this. I read all five books in the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and instantly fell in love with the writing and the characters and the world, and now I’m in pretty deep with The Heroes of Olympus. The most recent installment in that new series, THE HOUSE OF HADES, is really proof of something that has been sneaking up on me for a while: Percy is all grown up, and I am NOT ready. But what an amazing young man he is, and what incredible young people he has around him.I don’t want to spoil things for people who haven’t read this series yet (WHAT ARE YOU DOING GO READ THESE), but I will tell you that in THE HOUSE OF HADES, Percy and Annabeth are stuck in Tartarus, where all the evil immortal things go when they are “killed” so that they can be reborn and again unleashed. Percy and Annabeth meet some familiar faces and encounter pretty nasty creatures there. Of course, they also need to make it to a certain spot in Tartarus by a certain deadline in order to prevent the annihilation of humanity, as one does. Meanwhile, the other heroes—Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Nico, and Leo—are trying to meet up with Percy and Annabeth to play their own part in the prophecy and to stop the annihilation of humanity. ALSO, they are trying to stop the Roman and Greek camps from going to war with each other. No pressure. As usual, Rick Riordan keeps things fast-paced, funny, and plenty emotional enough to tug on the ol’ heart strings.I love how Rick Riordan is able to make these books about everyone equally. In the original series, things were obviously about Percy, but The Heroes of Olympus series encompasses a group of unique, brave, smart young people who have to navigate their awkward teenage years while also trying to prevent the goddess Gaea from raising her army of monsters and giants to basically take back the earth from humans. We get just enough time spent with each of the heroes so that we know what they’re going through, what things look like where they are, and how they are dealing with being one of the prophesied 7. THE HOUSE OF HADES gives each character time to shine and show how important they all are to the story (and each other, let’s be honest).To me, though, the storylines that have stayed with me from THE HOUSE OF HADES involve Percy and Annabeth and Nico. SIGH. These kids. I’ve spent so much time with them over the years that I feel really attached to them, and I think they had some of the more emotional storylines in THE HOUSE OF HADES.Percy and Annabeth are, as they often seem to be, the heart of this series. Of both series. They are spending time together in the horrid waste that is Tartarus, running not just for their lives but also to save the lives of everyone and everything they know and love. It was lovely to see them fight for each other and worry about one another and find strength in each other. They’re growing up so fast! WAH! But it’s really impossible not to love them, separately and together. It’s been so great to see their relationship mature.And so that leads me to Nico. OMG GUYS. There are a million reasons that I want to give Nico De Angelo big squishy hugs, but his storyline in THE HOUSE OF HADES is kind of heartbreaking and very emotional and just makes me love him even more. Mostly, though, I imagine that it’s empowering for lots of readers and that’s what makes it so wonderful. Rick Riordan deals with an important issue with lots of heart and grace, and the way the other characters react to it is lovely. NICO ILYYYYYYY!Of course the drama surrounding our heroes in THE HOUSE OF HADES is, as always, full of surprises and fun and danger. Gaea is growing stronger the closer it gets to her appointed date for TOTAL EARTHLY DESTRUCTION. She’s making it almost impossible for the crew on the Argo II to make it where they need to go to help Percy and Annabeth. Plus, Hazel is coming into her magical abilities and realizes that she’ll need to play a really important role in the success or failure of their mission. The situation is growing more and more dire for our heroes. It was hard to put THE HOUSE OF HADES down because so much was going on.I honestly can’t recommend Rick Riordan’s Greek/Roman mythology books enough. Percy Jackson is an excellent hero: flawed, brave, confident. The other heroes in THE HOUSE OF HADES all have their own doubts and strengths as well, and Rick Riordan doesn’t shy away from showing us any of them. Honestly: READ THESE. You’ll be feeling like a mama bear over these kiddos in no time. THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, I need you and fear you all at once.

The House of Hades, which is the second last book before the finale (The Blood of Olympus) has a little something for all types of readers. Action, mythology, humor, romance, sacrifice, war, monsters, it’s all there for your reading pleasure. However, I have to say that it’s not my favorite in the series (so really it would get a 4.5 stars, but that's not an option on goodreads).This franchise started with Percy Jackson. And I think his POV in this book was too few and far between. The book is narrated by almost everyone, but a couple main characters like Nico and Rayna did not narrate. So it did not feel complete. If you’re going to almost get to everyone, do them all or choose a few. I would have preferred a narrower POV selection: Percy, someone from the ship (Hazel preferably), Leo when he gets thrown solo for a while, and Rayna as Camp Jupiter marches on Camp Half-Blood. Maybe even Jason here and there.I really did not get a good feel for Jason in this story, especially since it’s been a year since the last book. I felt his voice was not strong like the other narrators. I liked what he did narrate and how he has realized where his heart belongs (Camp Half-Blood versus Camp Jupiter). It’s a good juxtaposition to Percy, who wants to settle with Annabeth in Camp Jupiter, go to college, and have a life at the camp with other half-bloods (something not offered at Camp Half-Blood *hint, hint, hope for some development*). However, Jason is not as established as Percy and Annabeth or is as unique as Nico, Frank, and Leo, so his personality really does not stick in your head like the other characters. I hope to see a little more from him in the next book beyond being Piper’s boyfriend and the unquestioned leader of the group in Percy’s absence.I highly appreciated the little things that Mr. Riordan included. Percy’s Riptide is actually a functional pen! Who knew? Calypso’s life and (hopefully) hopeful future. “Bob” who comes to realize he’s more than just a titan. There were a lot of side characters and situations that were very fun to read about. I also liked how Percy really had to look at himself and analyze the things he had done, people he had left behind and/or not followed up on, and what it felt like being the human minority in a monster’s domain. I thought this was a huge turning point for Percy’s life. I’m glad he began to see things from the other side of the coin. Things are not always black and white, including titans, giants, and humans. Percy realized the accountability he has to hold for his actions, and I’m glad this was thoroughly explored.One thing I am getting a bit tired of is the stalling technique. I know that gods are fickle and vain and all that, but I have no doubt that Mr. Riordan can come up with another exciting way for the demigods to get out of life-or-death situations. I hope there is a little less of this in the next book, because too many characters seemed to use this plot device in this book. It became noticeable and a bit distracting.So let’s get back to more things I enjoyed about this book. (1) I loved Nico’s revelation. I think it’s great, and I hope he has a stronger voice in the next story. He needs more character development. (2) I loved how the characters on the Argo II became closer. You see them begin to understand each other and help each other more than in the past. They become more of a family than just a group of kids. (3) I liked how Frank began to find confidence in himself especially after his battle on the bridge. His character needed that turning point, and I felt it was well done. (4) The dwarfs were great, especially the mission they were given. (5) The action scenes were awesome. Exciting and charged with cinematic magic! (6) Loved Hazel’s development and her abilities. There is so much potential for her! What she did was very exciting. In this way, Riordan is able to narrate an exciting action sequence without an actual fight. Hazel does not need to pull a sword; she uses her wits to save a situation. I loved that contrast to the other scenes. (7) I really liked the last line. And thank you, Mr. Riordan, for not giving us a pull-your-hair-out cliff-hanger ending! We get a calm before the big battle/storm.That’s just a summary of a few of the many things I enjoyed. There is so much to enjoy about this book. Riordan is a master craftsman when it comes to blending mythology into a modern tale. He creates diverse characters, had a wicked sense of humor, and shines light into dark situations. I love this series and cannot wait until the next book. Sure, it’s not my favorite book he’s written, but it’s still thoroughly enjoyable, intellectually stimulating, and packed with some awesomely heroic moments.

Part of a great series

It was my favorite book of the series so far. It admittedly made me teary in certain parts. My only complaint is the constant attention on unnecessary relationships/romance. Not everyone has to pair up. It was getting annoying or cringing at times.