The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Title: The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Heroes of Olympus #1
Spin off to: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Pages: 557
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Publishing date: October 12th, 2010
Rating: 5 stars
Spotify playlist: none, but I am currently quite addicted to Daughter's album Not To Disappear
Previous reviews: take a look at my reviews for Percy Jackson and the Olympians
I knew it from the get-go: this book is amazing. I started reading this during my test week -- yes, I dragged this heavyweight around in my school bag -- and I could not put it down, even when my classmates stared at my Longman-dictionary-sized hardcover. I was a little depressed at times about Percy's absence, but Leo, Piper, and Jason made up for it most of the time.
Synopsis: It's a spin-off to PJO, so I'd have to refer you to my review for The Lightning Thief where you will find my opinion, rating, and a synopsis. This being the spin-off, you have to read PJO first. Whereas that's more of a middle-grade series, I feel like Heroes of Olympus is more YA. The writing is a lot more mature and the plot is even more complicated than in The Last Olympian (PJO #5).
Spoilers down below
'We've got less than twenty-four hours to rescue a goddess and [character]'s dad. Let's go see the king of the winds.' - accurate summary of Rick Riordan's books.I wanted to make sure I read this series during the summer. They just have that crazy holiday vibe and I love them for it. They're not cozy like winter reads as Harry Potter, they're not grim and brownish in my mind like The Hunger Games, and they're not fluffy in spring like The Selection. They're quirky and fun and still occasionally serious, which fits the ultimate summer binge read just perfectly.
Jason
Oh, Jason. Amnesia has a special role in modern fiction. I continue to experience it time and again in YA and, quite frankly, it's not my favorite story arc. At all. I felt so angry when it was revealed that Percy had amnesia as well, especially because I'd seen his name when I checked how many pages the book had and assumed that meant he had returned.
Jason is a very likable character and now that the genetics are out of the way, I'm ready to ship him with Piper with the force of an avalanche. I was spoiled for his connection with Thalia, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the details.
Piper
I liked Piper's storyline a bit more than Jason's primarily because she had more backstory available to cause extra conflict. Where Jason could only puzzle over the present, Piper had the past and her family relations to think about. Also, her power is so cool. It kind of reminds me of the glamour in The Lunar Chronicles and Medea is the perfect equivalent for Levana. That whole part in the warehouse was so intense and I read through it with incredible ease.
Leo
Leo is by far the most accurate depiction of ADHD I have encountered in YA lit yet. At some point, Jason explains the plan and Leo keeps interrupting with these little remarks and that's exactly what my younger brother would do. I think he's my favorite character thus far next to Percy. (Has it ever happened that my favorites are all guys?)
Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Nico, the cast, and crew
Guys, I missed you all so much. We only saw a tiny bit of Annabeth, Grover is completely absent as is Nico, and Percy is gone with amnesia and might fall in love with some crazy Roman girl. After feeling all emotional connected to them at the end of The Last Olympian, I'm pretty sad that they'll have a less prominent role in this series. Reading the second book, I feel this automatic grudge against everyone for not being from Camp Half-Blood. (YA discrimination and prejudice, people.) Even though it was a lot of fun seeing a new set of demigods adapting to the life of mortal peril, I missed my old friends.
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| Lol is that Charles Xavier? |
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