Saturday, August 30, 2014

The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan Book Review

The first thing I'm going to say is I LOVED the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series! I've always been interested in Ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology and Rick Riordan brought the Greek myths to life in his series. I read them all! I don't like the movies, however. The first one they messed up so bad in my opinion they should have re-done it before moving on to the second one, but oh well. Onto the review!



This is the Great Prophecy issued by the Oracle of Camp Half-Blood at the end of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series:
"Seven half-bloods shall answer the call.
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath.
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death."
This Prophecy is what this series is based on.

The story revolves mainly around three young demigods, Jason, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez and their satyr, er coach, Gleeson Hedge.

At the beginning of the story, Jason wakes up in the back of a bus, with no clue where he is or who he got there. The poor guy doesn't even know who he is, much less who the girl is he is holding hands with...

Jason: He's an amnesiac thrust into a school for juvies called the 'Wilderness School'. He wakes on a bus heading for the Grand Canyon. He has no knowledge other than his name and the feeling that he isn't supposed I be there. Things don't start looking up for him either as his first day with no memory rolls on. He's different from any other half-bloods I've read about so far.
Piper McLean: She's a pretty half Native American girl who is a friend of Jason's. She's the one who's holding his hand when he wakes up. She is frequently picked on by other juvies in their school. Jason described her as 'cute, smart, and violent', which after finishing this story, I completely agree with. :) She's haunted by dreams of a horrible voice telling her to follow their instructions or harm will come to her father, who has been kidnapped.  She discovers she can charmspeak, which is a trait that comes from her Greek godly parent. No, I'm not telling you who that is. :) 
Leo Valdez: He's a mischievous little Hispanic boy. He's Jason's friend and he's great at inventing things out of objects that he keeps in the pockets of his army jacket. Leo always has his hands moving. He's great with machines and carries a deep dark secret with him that frequently haunts him. He is always on the run, from foster homes, schools, you name it. He's the first to be claimed when they make it to Camp Half-Blood by his Greek godly parent, but you have to read it to find out who it is! ;)
Rick Riordan wrote this story with switching perspectives. He changes between Jason, Piper, and Leo.
Things go wrong when one of the students turn into a ventus, a storm spirit, and attack Jason, Leo, and Piper. After the fight, Coach Hedge is kidnapped by the ventus, Jason discovers he has some pretty strong powers and two teenagers ride in on chariots pulled by flying horses. One is the great Annabeth  Chase from the last book. She is searching for her missing boyfriend, Percy Jackson (!!!) and she and her friend Butch take them back to Camp Half-Blood in New York where they learn about the Greek gods and goddesses still exist and that they are part of the Great Prophecy.  They have to embark on a quest to free the goddess Hera, who has been captured, before the winter solstice ends.  The Oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, gives Jason his own prophecy:
"Child of lightning, beware the earth,
The giants' revenge the seven shall birth,
The forge and dove shall break the cage,
And death unleash through Hera's rage."
With the help of a mechanical dragon Leo fixes and names Festus, the demigods travel north to find Hera and Coach Hedge. Their journey begins in Quebec, Canada.

While I don't believe in Greek gods and goddesses, I really enjoyed this story. I remember trying to read it when it first came out but grew bored after the first couple chapters because it just seemed too different than the Percy Jackson series, plus there was no Percy. I have to say that I'm really glad I gave this book another try. It was a great beginning to what I'm sure will be an awesome series! Definitely giving this book five stars!!

I do wonder something, however. Who is the lost hero? Jason, with his missing memory? Or Percy who is literally gone?

Have you read this book? If you have, what did  you think? If not, read it and tell me what you think! :)
Kayley

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