The Heroes of Olympus:
The Demigod Diaries
Rick Riordan
Published by: Hyperion Book CH
Released: August 14, 2012
Published by: Hyperion Book CH
Released: August 14, 2012
Description from the ever-so-helpful Goodreads:
What dangers do runaway demigods Luke and Thalia face on their way to Camp Half-Blood? Are Percy and Annabeth up to the task of rescuing stolen goods from a fire-breathing giant who doesn't take kindly to intruders? How exactly are Leo, Piper, and Jason supposed to find a runaway table, dodge a band of party-loving Maenads" ("who just might be a little psychotic), and stave off a massive explosion...all in one hour or less?
Finally! Something to satisfy myself until The Mark of Athena comes out. After reading this, I really want to read that book now! Why can't October come quicker? I was only saisfied for an afternoon. But oh well. It was well worth it.
So with this book I'm going to review each section separately because that's how it is broken down. It's similar to The Demigod Files, only much larger :)
Letter from Camp Half-Blood
So this isn't one of the stories, just basically a letter of introduction by Rick. I just love how he makes it sound like everything exists and actually there. I'm tempted to go down to Long Island and search for Half-Blood Hill. It summarizes the whole book in Rick's own fun way.
The Diary of Luke Castellan
Mini Summary:
Follows Luke and Thalia when they were young. Brought into a mansion from a magical Pepsi depensing goat, Luke and Thalia become trapped and have to fight their way out. This was just before they met up with little Annabeth and started their journey to Half-Blood Hill.
There are no cons. None. What-so-ever. It's a Rick Riordan book. Did you seriously expect cons from a Rick Riordan book? No. This is just all pros.
You get some insight into Luke's mind. I really like that. I don't know about anybody else, but I always liked Luke. I was really upset when he died in The Last Olympian. It made me really really sad. It was interesting to read from his head. I'm use to how Percy looks at the world or how you follow Jason, Piper, and Leo.
You finally see the good ol' days. Thalia and Luke talk about what they went through in order to get to Camp Half-Blood. You only had what Percy gained from them telling him. Here, you get it from them, the actual source.
There was some dramatic irony that drove me crazy! AAWW! Hal would tell Thalia and Luke stuff that you know based off of reading Percy Jackson. It drove me crazy. I kept laughing and yelling because I knew what would happen to the both of them. I knew Thalia would become a tree. I knew that Luke would basically betray everyone. But they didn't. Because it's set before Grover found all of them.
I like how after the story, there was a diagram of the house Luke and Thalia were trapped in. It helped me visualize it better. Very helpful. Then there was a quiz on which Greek God was a match to their Roman side (I got 100 :D )
Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes
Brief Summary:
Percy and Annabeth in Central Park, 1 month exactly after the end of The Last Olympian. Hermes need them to go save the amazing George and Martha who were stolen from him by a "mini" giant who happens to breathe fire and lives below Manhattan's Meatpacking industry. Lovely!
WE ARE FINALLY BACK IN PERCY'S MIND! Oh how I missed being in Percy's head. I almost started crying when I began to read. It brought me back to the good ol' days when I was just reading The Lightning Thief for the first time and then again and again until my paperback needed some repairs (Tape fixes everything. Even a well loved book). It just felt amazing to be back in his head. I really missed it.
You got your epic Percy/Annabeth adventure again. Again, something to do with the good ol' days. I never realized before how much I missed that. My head has been wrapped around The Heroes of Olympus for so long, I forgot how different they are set up from the first ones. This was really a nice refresh of that. And...PERCABETH! Not the reunion I have been waiting for for two years, but something just to hold me over. The only thing we need now is Grover chewing on a tin can.
Return of the Seaweed Brain. Yup. He get's called Seaweed Brain again :D I missed both of their bickering.
**MINOR SPOILERS**
You get to see laser mode. Yes. Laser Mode. Very exciting indeed. Go George and Martha.
Percy and Annabeth get to go to Paris. WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS IN APRIL? If I knew those two were written into Paris before I went, I would have worn my Camp Half-Blood shirt to one of the restuarants or even the Eiffel Tower dinner. Of course, my French teacher probably would not like that, I would have most likely done it. After all, I can place it next to me inside the Empire State building in my orange camp shirt, make them two of a kind. Am I obsessed? Definitely.
**END OF MINOR SPOILERS**
Afterwards, you get an interview with George and Martha similar to the ones in The Demigod Files. I just love those two. Hate snakes, but love those two. Then there's a picture of the giant's er...lovely home.
And da da da DA! A picture of the totally amazing Thalia Grace.
(Sorry if the quality is horrible)
Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford
Summary:
Leo needs the help of Jason and Piper to go find Buford, the magic table. If they don't find him within the hour, the uncompleted Argo II will explode and take half of the forest with it. They also need to escape Dionysus's biggest stalkers, I mean, fans who want to party then kill them. You know, typical stuff for this trio.
I really missed these guys. Before the book came out, I was just excited to see Percy and Annabeth together again. I completely skipped over this trio. I suddenly realized halfway through the story, that I really missed them. Like really really missed them. I really love these guys.
Those Maenads are seriously messed up. Completely messed up. Wow. Let's party with Dionysus! You're not him? DIE! (That last one sounded a lot like Coach Hedge...)
I seriously doubted good for a second. I thought everything was going to turn out horribly. Then again, I know that everything should be fine because of The Son of Neptune. I still thought something horrible was going to happen. I should never doubt the power of good ever again. And yet....I still do.
Everyone gets a special peak at some of the wonders of Bunker 9. And the seven demigods of the prophecy are now official! With my extreme guessing skills, I got everyone. It was nice to be confirmed :D (Poor Percy. You always get stuck with horrible prophecies). Then an Olympian Word Search which I skipped because I am horrible at word searches.
Son of Magic written by Haley Riordan
Ever since I heard that there was a story written by Rick's son in here, I was really excited to read it. I'm the same age as him and I want to go to college for writting and hope to someday get a book published. So this was really cool for me to read, something that someone who was my age wrote himself.
Wow. This is some seriously good writing. Haley Riordan, if you are reading this, you are an amazing writer. I will read anything you publish, because you have some serious talent.
You get some info that was always a mystery before. You find out what happened to those demigod betrayers from the second Titan war. You find out the mystery behind the Mist. You now know why monsters can sniff out demigods. It was nice to know these anwsers! I guess I just have always accepted that not everything can be explained. But I'm like a child of Athena who just craves knowledge, and I'm glad I have these now.
I hope to see Claymore and Alabaster in some possible future books. I think it would be cool if they showed up suddenly in say...The Mark of Athena. I want to know what Alabaster would do if he saw Percy. I think that would be very interesting!
So if you are a major Rick Riordan fan and haven't picked up this book. Okay. What is wrong with you? (Just to put it bluntly) PICK UP THIS BOOK! It will help stitch up the broken heart The Son of Neptune left behind until The Mark of Athena will do it fully. So yeah. Go buy this book. Help yourself.
Review by Calypso
I agree! This book is really good.
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