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mrchandler's review against another edition
3.0
Well, look at it this way, it was better than the first book.
For those of you who don't know, I was not a fan of The Hidden Oracle, the first book in the Trials of Apollo series. I felt that it was difficult to read and understand, given that it was constantly trying to justify its own existence and the threat of the three immortal former emperors of Ancient Rome. So, with this in mind, I decided to proceed with the series, as I heard that it got better. Does that theory hold true for this book? Yes, but that isn't saying much.
When it comes to this book, I think that the characters are slightly better than their book one counterparts. For example, Apollo is slightly less of a jerk here, and Meg is slightly less annoying. There is also the added benefit of seeing how Leo and Calypso are getting along after they got together at the end of the series. In general, the characters are vast improvements over the previous books. I liked the understanding that a god sometimes has to live up to his mistakes or, at the very least, irresponsibility. This made for a good lesson for the reader.
On the other hand, the plot is as convoluted as ever, with this Dark Oracle being the one that Apollo must face next in his quest to restore his godhood. Riordan works this into the story so that we see new myths that we may not have seen before, but I thought that it seemed like he was running out of ideas in terms of enemies to face.
Overall, with the exception of characters that have seen a vast improvement from the previous books, I would say that this book is better. Not great, but better. This makes me want to give this book a three out of five. Here is to hoping the trend of better books continues.
For those of you who don't know, I was not a fan of The Hidden Oracle, the first book in the Trials of Apollo series. I felt that it was difficult to read and understand, given that it was constantly trying to justify its own existence and the threat of the three immortal former emperors of Ancient Rome. So, with this in mind, I decided to proceed with the series, as I heard that it got better. Does that theory hold true for this book? Yes, but that isn't saying much.
When it comes to this book, I think that the characters are slightly better than their book one counterparts. For example, Apollo is slightly less of a jerk here, and Meg is slightly less annoying. There is also the added benefit of seeing how Leo and Calypso are getting along after they got together at the end of the series. In general, the characters are vast improvements over the previous books. I liked the understanding that a god sometimes has to live up to his mistakes or, at the very least, irresponsibility. This made for a good lesson for the reader.
On the other hand, the plot is as convoluted as ever, with this Dark Oracle being the one that Apollo must face next in his quest to restore his godhood. Riordan works this into the story so that we see new myths that we may not have seen before, but I thought that it seemed like he was running out of ideas in terms of enemies to face.
Overall, with the exception of characters that have seen a vast improvement from the previous books, I would say that this book is better. Not great, but better. This makes me want to give this book a three out of five. Here is to hoping the trend of better books continues.
ioq's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.5
juniorpalo's review against another edition
4.0
2 books in and I’m obsessed that Rick decided to do a character study on Apollo. The writing for his character is phenomenal
thosewhodream's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
santibueno's review against another edition
4.0
Una secuela muy buena para esta saga. Muy sólida. Con su propia trama pero aportando a la trama principal de la serie. Tuvo un comienzo un poco aburrido. Las primeras 50 páginas no fueron de lo mejor pero luego fue mejorando. Nuevos personajes aparecieron y se volvieron a ver personajes viejos, todos como siempre muy divertidos y aportando a la historia, cada uno a su manera. Se nos presenta a otro de los emperadores, tengo que decir que el primero me gustó un poco mas, me pareció mas interesante. Pero debo admitir que fue buen antagonista de esta historia. Poco mas se puede decir de esta novela que no se haya dicho del primer libro de la serie. La verdad que estuvo a la altura de este. Todavía me parece que puede mejorar y me voy a reservar las cinco estrellas un poco mas, pero no dudo que alguno de los siguientes libros se las lleve.
tonisalvatore's review against another edition
4.0
With every book, Rick improves a little more. It's obvious he's working hard to better himself as a writer for tweens and teens. The representation in Heroes of Olympus was markedly better than PJO, with the introduction of many POC main characters, and now The Trials of Apollo are stepping it up even more, with many new (and old) LGBTQIA+ characters. He's not perfect by any means. He makes mistakes that have caused me to cringe once or twice. However, I think he was trying before it was mainstream or popular, and I appreciate that immensely.
astridagirl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
just_catarina's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.25
readingamber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0