I appreciate this effort to address the trauma of the previous books and to deepen the queer relationship. Also, despite the bleak setting, I did appreciate the moments of humor that still managed to shine through. 

This story really captures a lot of queer joy that is needed in the middle grade genre and just in books in genre and I loved every word of it. I also loved how the book took a deeper look into Will and Nico's characters,

especially regarding some of Nico's trauma and Will's troubles with extreme self doubt and anxiety

and how their personalities spanned into their relationship. This book was just all around a beautiful read and made me love Will and Nico's characters together and separate even more <3

fav quote: "'pain helps us learn'....'it is unforunate, but we rarely forget the lessons taught to us in moments of pain.'"

I loved being back in the riodanverse but there were some things that were lacking and wish we had gotten more of. Wills past/character could have been explored more and made the for an even more emotional book. Overall, it was incredibly heartbreaking but Nick got his happy ending 

A lovely story about change, grief, accepting your past, and embracing your demons. Plus, Cocoa Puffs.

I was scared that this book might not live up to my expectations but I think it might have even surpassed them.
Especially the way it adresses the trauma the characters, especially Nico, have gone through in the previous books surprised me in a good way. It's rare to see in fantasy that those things actually get talked about and not just brushed under the carpet so I'm glad that they really leaned into this topic and showed how Nico learned to not only acknowledge that his past was indeed traumatic but to also slowly start to unravel those issues. 
Furthermore, it's amazing to see their relationship throughout the novel and I love that it becomes clear that they aren't a perfect couple by any means and have to learn to communicate with each other but still love the other one deeply.
Imo Rick and Mark working on this together was exactly the right decision because it gave Rick a guide in writing a story centered around queer characters and probably also helped him to not shy away from adressing the characters' Ptsd etc., as it's the first time one of his books really delved into this topic extensively.
I'm happy to know that Rick worked together with a queer author to write this book and get it right; it shows that he actually takes his support for the lgbtq community seriously and continues to work on the representation and general diversity in his books. 
I haven't read any of Mark's other work but I can tell that both of them came together beautifully when writing this.

This book ripped my heart out in a good way while I also couldn't stop smiling during some scenes because Nico and Will being cute and goofy together just warmed my heart

This was my most highly anticipated book of the year and it did not disappoint! 

I was fortunate enough to be at the event in which Rick Riordan originally gauged interest in this book by asking the audience, and I couldn't believe how many screams and cheers there were for it. So I guess he must have taken that to heart! I really appreciate that he brought in Mark Oshiro to help him write the more tender parts. Mark brought such a wonderful, authentic perspective to this story about two LGBTQIA+ teens and their friends navigating their changing feelings and identities. Stories like this are so important, especially in this day and age.

From what I've seen of some online reactions, the response to this book ranges from absolutely loves to kinda lukewarm. I personally found this book very charming and impressive in how it approached some heavy themes in a way that is acceptable for the intended middle-reader audience. There were some silly moments and dialogue, but I thought it was sweet. I imagine that the majority of the more lukewarm responses come from fans who may have "aged out" of the middle-reader range and are finding that the writing style and humor aims a bit younger than they remember. It doesn't make their opinions wrong, but that's just how I interpret that response.

This story explores the theme of trauma quite extensively, but a very interesting part of trauma that often goes underwritten--the healing part.

Nico must learn that he cannot simply erase his trauma, but that living with it (in his case, literally!) and growing from it are completely healthy and normal. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Will, the indelible healer, must learn that healing others doesn't always mean forcing them to avoid pain completely. He must learn learn to accept pain, and understand that sometimes the best way to help someone is to meet them where they're at, rather than smothering them with toxic positivity.

I could go on for pages about this book, so in the end, I'll just say that even a day after finishing this book, I'm still thinking about it. Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro did a wonderful job. This is another jewel in the crown that is the Percy Jackson series.