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jayecard's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the book that was written specifically for me.
I can't even put into words how it feels to go from Nico being a favorite character, to him becoming more and more beloved and relatable for me, to him becoming a protagonist and going on a journey that struck me terribly deeply. Nico and Will's story is not about falling in love, it's about going from "in love" to loving each other fully and truly. And I've never, NEVER seen that written with such a powerful authenticity. Every emotional interaction, every little misstep, and every little progress, felt like a punch right in the gut. I'm mentally ill, I have a relationship, and this is EXACTLY what it's like. Nico being scared that letting Will help him will scare Will away or put too much strain on him. Will not knowing how to reach Nico and how to really help him when he's struggling. Them having to accept parts of each other that are so terribly hard to open up about. It's so real and raw and not at all what I would have expected when I first got into Percy Jackson all the way back.
And at the same time, it still IS a PJO book. It's quirky and there are silly incarnations of old legends and monsters, there's adventures and sudden troubles and a touch of mysterious force from gods that more and more are becoming a reflection of their concepts. I was having fun and processing emotional trauma at the same time. What more do you want. This is probably one of my all time favorites now.
I can't even put into words how it feels to go from Nico being a favorite character, to him becoming more and more beloved and relatable for me, to him becoming a protagonist and going on a journey that struck me terribly deeply. Nico and Will's story is not about falling in love, it's about going from "in love" to loving each other fully and truly. And I've never, NEVER seen that written with such a powerful authenticity. Every emotional interaction, every little misstep, and every little progress, felt like a punch right in the gut. I'm mentally ill, I have a relationship, and this is EXACTLY what it's like. Nico being scared that letting Will help him will scare Will away or put too much strain on him. Will not knowing how to reach Nico and how to really help him when he's struggling. Them having to accept parts of each other that are so terribly hard to open up about. It's so real and raw and not at all what I would have expected when I first got into Percy Jackson all the way back.
And at the same time, it still IS a PJO book. It's quirky and there are silly incarnations of old legends and monsters, there's adventures and sudden troubles and a touch of mysterious force from gods that more and more are becoming a reflection of their concepts. I was having fun and processing emotional trauma at the same time. What more do you want. This is probably one of my all time favorites now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Outing and War
A character's behaviour closely reflects (and could be considered allegorical) to an abusive parent. There are brief moments of evil spirits trying to tempt characters into suicide.icedlemonade's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing
inej_chase's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.5
really cute and wholesome - many cheesy and comic moments but nothing too horrible hskadn if anything the cheesy moments made the story more lighthearted and wholesome
Nico coming to terms with his (especially queer) identity and learning to accept his dark past and move on <33333 and Will learning to accept Nico's "dark" moments <333
ALSO THE "KIDS" WERE SO CUTEE <- Nico using Nyx's weapons against her
Sometimes I did feel like the stakes were not high enough, especially since they were in Tartarus. The story felt more like an average quest rather than literal Hell.
ALSO THE "KIDS" WERE SO CUTEE <- Nico using Nyx's weapons against her
Sometimes I did feel like the stakes were not high enough, especially since they were in Tartarus. The story felt more like an average quest rather than literal Hell.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
maylinmunoz's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
a great follow-up to the riordanverse that explores how to heal from your past and navigate relationships. the book also addresses and ties up a lot off loose ends and places of discomfort from previous books, such as Nico's forced outing by Cupid and the ethical/moral implications of Bob the titan, in a way that felt very satisfying. it feels like such a safe place for conversation around mental illness as well as explicit queer representation, I'm sure in large part thanks to Mark Oshiro's contributions. the way it handled Piper's unsureness about any particular label at the end felt so genuine. the writing of it itself if great even if my own personal headcanons around Piper were technically confirmed false. I always felt like she never was really attracted to Jason; it felt like textbook comphet. so for her to say directly that she was felt strange to me, and as a bisexual person now makes me feel more disappointed in that form of representation throughout HOO retroactively. i think it could have been a cool thing to show her come to that conclusion, as it is a process that can be very difficult for lesbians to go through and accept in themselves. though i also think the message of it's okay to not have a label or have everything figured out is also a very important one, so I'm not terribly upset at this alternative. my only other critique I can think of at the moment is that I don't buy straight Percy Jackson for a second lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Bullying, Eating disorder, Homophobia, and Outing
little_white's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Outing
Minor: Child death, Eating disorder, and Homophobia
besohappily's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Outing
avocadosocks's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
alesehunter's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
fernnoweh's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is a very queer book. At least in the way I’ve experienced my life (+ the tism). There’s just something about hurt and lonely people gaining hope that things will be better. I truly did not want this book to end. This book could go anywhere and I would follow it happily.
My suggestion: don’t read this on an airplane for 3 hours if you’re prone to crying at emotional things cause let me tell you…………
My suggestion: don’t read this on an airplane for 3 hours if you’re prone to crying at emotional things cause let me tell you…………
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
maranda_maria's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was probably my most anticipated book for this year. I’ve been a Percy Jackson fam since 5th grade (I am now 24), and Nico has always been one of my favorite characters. I had high hopes for this book because I feel like there is so much potential in both Will and Nico as individual characters and as a couple. There are parts of this book I absolutely adored, and parts that disappointed me. First, I loved the flash backs to Will and Nico’s early relationship milestones. I think the addition of Gorgyra was amazing, heartwarming, and also a bit heartbreaking at the same time. Moreover, I love how Will and Nico’s relationship is challenged, and that their insecurities are laid bare. It is clear that these insecurities could be the downfall of their relationship if not worked through, and that they both have trauma to unpack before they’ll be able to fully commit to each other. My main critique is that the plot feels rushed. There was so much build around Nico’s forgotten time in Tartarus, but Nyx as a character does not feel like a fully fleshed out villain or threat especially compared to the villains these characters have faced in previous books. Moreover, I was expecting the same terrifying depictions of Tartarus from House of Hades, but the deepest pit of the Underworld felt underwhelming in this book. Overall, this book was okay. It is not the best book within the Percy Jackson universe, but it’s not the worst (imo). My disappointment largely lies in the fact that I feel like so much more could have been done with these characters, especially Will Solace. I really wanted to get a deeper look into his past, especially get into the grief and trauma of losing his siblings in the Second Titan War. Maybe my expectations for this book were too high. All I know is I feel like there is still more story to tell with these two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Content warnings are ranked with the intended audience of the book in mind.