03 December 2013

Review: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Release Date: October 8th, 2013
Hardcover: 597 pages
Publisher: Hyperion Books

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

So it's been a while since I've written a review. My life has been hectic, with many changes and things to do; however I had to make time to read The House of Hades upon its release. Why, do you ask? The reasons are obvious: Rick Riordan is a genius and his books are absolute must-reads. The House of Hades was no exception.

The previous book on the Heroes of Olympus series was already an amazing read but The House of Hades was impossibly better. I loved that Percy/Annabeth and the rest of the crew were apart for the most part of the novel, since it gave us two very different settings. Furthermore I found it interesting to see how Percy and Annabeth held their own in Tartarus; the visit of an old character was also a great addition. But even though my love is with the characters of the Percy Jackson series, the other characters also got their chance to shine by themselves. I love each and every character in this series! I'm bitting my nails already to know how things will close up in the final installment.

Somehow The House of Hades was a more heavy and sad read. There is no huge cliffhanger like in the last one but I found its ending beautiful and fitting. I couldn't put this one down not even for a second and even though it is full of ups and downs, this book didn't disappoint in the slightest. Sometimes I wish I had Rick Riordan's brain; he certainly has awesome ideas for the plot of his novels. I wish I could live in a world where his characters really did exist and Greek mythology wasn't just a myth. Nevertheless I'm so happy to be able to live in it through reading these novels.

Needless to say, I need the next installment of the Heroes of Olympus series on my hands right this instant. 




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