Book Review: Blood of Olympus

 

Book Review: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan 

Goodreads Description: Nico had warned them. Going through the House of Hades would stir the demigods' worst memories. Their ghosts would become restless. Nico may actually become a ghost if he has to shadow-travel with Reyna and Coach Hedge one more time. But that might be better than the alternative: allowing someone else to die, as Hades foretold.

Jason's ghost is his mother, who abandoned him when he was little. He may not know how he is going to prove himself as a leader, but he does know that he will not break promises like she did. He will complete his line of the prophecy: To storm or fire the world must fall.

Reyna fears the ghosts of her ancestors, who radiate anger. But she can't allow them to distract her from getting the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood before war breaks out between the Romans and Greeks. Will she have enough strength to succeed, especially with a deadly hunter on her trail?

Leo fears that his plan won't work, that his friends might interfere. But there is no other way. All of them know that one of the Seven has to die in order to defeat Gaea, the Earth Mother.

Piper must learn to give herself over to fear. Only then will she be able to do her part at the end: utter a single word.

Heroes, gods, and monsters all have a role to play in the climactic fulfillment of the prophecy in The Blood of Olympus, the electrifying finale of the best-selling Heroes of Olympus series.

My Review: Every time I sit down to review a Riordan book, I go through the same thought process. First, I wonder if there’s even a point. I struggle to find any major flaws to discuss, and I feel it’s not much of a review if all I’m saying is “This good. Buy this.” Second, it’s hard to dig into each book, since not only are they chunks to a bigger story, they’re not as independent as some book series. Each one flows into the next to create this epic adventure, so it’s hard to understand the context of one without reading them all. As well, Riordan books follow a very particular formula that makes each book kinda the same. Not in a way that becomes boring, thank god, but in a very brand-specific way that means I know exactly what I’m getting from each book, without there being a lot to differentiate it from the others.

Every Riordan book I read, I’m determined to find a reason, any reason, NOT to give it 5 stars. And without fail, every time, Riordan sinks his claws into me and plays my heartstrings like a lyre, and reluctantly I have to admit to myself that the Riordan machine has pumped out another banger. 

Blood of Olympus is no exception. 

The finale to the prophecy of seven has come to fruition, as our seven demigods arrive in Athens to stop the giants from resurrecting Gaia. They bounce from one trial to another, bringing them closer and closer to the Parthenon of Athens, where the resurrection will take place. The thing that really keeps me hooked into these stories is not so much the action, but the heart that Riordan weaves into the quiet moment between every big battle. Don’t get me wrong, the action is smashing, and Riordan describes it in a way that is not only simple and easy to follow, but also very visual, but it’s those character pieces crammed in between that keep me slobbering for more. Riordan has a way of weaving both action and character into scenes so they’re not distinct. It’s not a case of action in one box and then character moments in the next box, but instead woven together so characters may be having pivotal interactions while dealing with dangerous creatures, making it feel more real. Sometimes the feelings a character has for another interferes with the mission, and that makes the story much more delicious to read. 

I mentioned earlier that I thought Riordan’s book were a bit repetitive, and I feel like I need to expand on this before the Riordan stans come breaking down my door. Riordan’s formula for his books is rolled out in a way that you know exactly what to expect of his stories, even if the characters, events, and obstacles will vary from book to book. Before opening a Riordan book, I hesitate because of this. Will this be the same story I’ve read before? How much longer can I find this formula entertaining? And yet every book is thrilling, funny, and difficult to put down, even if due to the structure of the narrative, it feels like the same shit, different day. From a branding perspective, this is incredibly powerful. Riordan knows exactly what to keep the same and what to change. From a narrative perspective, I’m struggling to find a huge fault in this method as well. Because even if every book feels similar, I’m still coming back for more and walking away happy each time. 

It’s been a few years since I read the House of Hades, but it wasn’t difficult to pick up the story when we left off. As a finale to the prophecy of seven, Blood of Olypmpus slaps, and the series on the whole is a great read. Riordan’s books also get more and more inclusive as time goes on. The cast has become much more diverse racially and ethnically, but it was exciting to see Nico coming out as a gay demigod, as well as reckon with his feelings as an outsider. Nico’s perspective felt refreshing in this book, since his experiences are so different from many of his demigod counterparts, and that also helped to flush out the feelings of ‘diversity’. Even kids who are hurting have someone they can identify with, and Nico does an excellent job in this book of showing how you don’t have to stay in the shadows forever. 

TL;DR: All in all, I cried, I laughed, I just can’t believe how good this man is. 5/5 stars. An epic conclusion to this demigod adventure that measures up to the true meaning of the word epic.