This was a beautiful LGBT+ story about being in love and overcoming your trauma and inner demons. I think the chapter where Will talks to Persephone was my favorite part. I will say though the climax of the book fell a little flat compared to the build up for me, but I loved every second of their journey together. I just wish this were a series and not a standalone book. It also bugs me that Will did not bring a weapon with him on this quest, I get he’s a healer but still! It was also an interesting choice to for the narrator to switch between Nico and Will as a limited third person narrator, I think it should have been an omniscient third person narrator. Also the cut scene canoe story chapters I think would have been better just being where they took place in the story instead of throughout the book. Overall though I think this is one of my favorite books in general and in the Percy Jackson universe. 

The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

3.5 Stars

I love the Percy Jackson world, and with the TV show currently airing, I am falling (no pun intended) right back into my PJO phase. So I figured, what would be a better time to read the Nico and Will standalone that has been sitting on my shelf for months than this?

And like most Rick Riordan books, I breezed through this in under 2 days. The writing style was a bit different as it is also co-written by Mark Oshiro, but overall didn't make too much of an impact on my reading experience. 

As for the story itself, I have a lot of thoughts, so bear with me. 

The overall plot itself…was kinda weak.

The threat of Nyx, who, despite being stated as being more powerful than Gaea, was underwhelming.

I feel like this book was mostly for the characters and their development, which is fine! But for a Percy Jackson book, I expected just a bit more plot, or at least more stakes. (Although I'm sure for standalones it must be much harder to do so I'm trying not to judge too harshly on that.)

The main conflict of the story seemed to be between Will and Nico and them becoming more secure in their relationship 

(as opposed to the literal goddess of darkness)

. They seemed to be annoyed at each other for the majority of the book. Their lack of trust within the relationship, and inability to see each others’ perspectives on a few things, added more to the conflict than 

Nyx 

for the majority of the book.

The real place this book shines is in its themes and in the development of the characters. 

The emphasis of taking care of one's mental health (especially for demigods who have been through so much), is something that really needs to be seen in more middle grade novels. 

Discussions of grief, depression, loneliness, guilt, shame, and the fear of change were all subjects that were touched on. The concept of processing grief was really a wonderful aspect of this book, as Nico, who had lost basically everyone who was important to him, was finally able to begin to work through these emotions, and learn to rely on others for support. 

The concept of change was an interesting aspect to the book that I really liked. Change is difficult for anybody, things like changes in environments and situations, the change in how you view yourself, how others view you, and the ability to make the conscious choice to change. And I think for a book that focuses around two queer characters it was a fitting topic. As the conversation with Piper at the end shows, sexuality and/or gender expression is fluid and can change as you grow and there is nothing wrong with that. It was a good way to end the story with this final acceptance of change not being a bad thing, but an opportunity to grow into yourself more fully depending on your stage in life. 

Since the book was focused around queer characters, the co-author, Mark Oshiro, was absolutely needed. As Riordan said on his website about the book: “It was really important to me that writing a book entirely from the perspective of two queer characters, I collaborated with a great queer author who could bring perspective, authenticity, and a different set of writing strengths to the project.”

When writing about experiences that are not your own you absolutely need to look to outside sources who do have that experience and/or knowledge. One thing I appreciate about Riordan’s growth as a writer is that despite his rough start with proper representation, he is very open to the fact that as he now includes new characters from a variety of backgrounds, sexualities, and genders, he reaches out to those who can help him portray these characters properly.  

I can't finish this review without including my one big critique of this book. Which is an issue with consistency which can be seen in other Percy Jackson books. 

In Son of Neptune, Bianca is said to have chosen to be reincarnated, which leads to Nico finding Haze and helping her leave the underworld. But in this book, during the last dream Nico has, she tells him that she is in Elysium. In this book the change allows for Nico to receive some type of closure. However, in regards to how that impacts the overarching story, it complicates it a lot. If Bianca never chose to be reincarnated, Nico would have tried to bring her back from the dead instead of Hazel as he claimed to have tried. I am confused on how this plot line could have slipped through the cracks, but in terms of how it affects this standalone, it's not too big of a deal. 

 

In conclusion, I did enjoy this! Going back into the world of demigods made me feel very nostalgic, and the book was fun for what it was. I wouldn't put it on my list of favourites, but overall I think it was a fun read with important messages. 

This book was incredible, I loved it! 

Just amazing , it’s a story ultimately about acceptance and it’s just done in such a delicate and beautiful way and just yeah I loved it . Enjoy xx

My personal feelings about this book: I was confused at first. I read the audiobook so maybe the narration was hard to decipher between characters but the POVs flip flop between both characters within chapters and I don't think that's really helpful. Maybe it would have been easier to read the hardcopy. The flashbacks and flashforwards were also hard to keep track of initially too.

But, I rounded up half a star from 3.5 to 4 because this book is so important in the general sense. A middle grade book written by a beloved middle grade mythology writer featuring queer teens. Not only do those teens navigate rough patches in their relationship during this harrowing journey into Tartarus (which is NOT easy to do when one of you is the son of Apollo) but they openly feel their feelings. There is no hesitation when it comes to conveying their emotions which might be one of the more healthier depictions of mlm queer teen romance I have ever read in a book.

I know a lot of reviews here say this reads like fanfiction and maybe it does somewhat, but so what?? It doesn't take away from the importance of Nico's journey with his own demons and his relationships with the people around him who he has both loved and lost or love but are still there. There's also a calico cat that can turn into a sabre-toothed tiger, and that itself deserves a few stars.