Reviews with content warning for War - The Chalice of the Gods

➽ Percy Jackson is back with another adventure! I have to admit that I was sceptical about a sixth Percy Jackson book at first, despite loving Rick Riordan's work. The original series holds such nostalgia to me, that I'm always unsure if a new book can live up to that. We've also seen a lot of Percy in other series, but I'm happy to report that he's got one more adventure left in him! I really liked The Chalice of the God as it gives us another quest, that makes sense for Percy and where he's at. He's saved the world countless times, so this time the stakes are more personal. After finally being (somewhat) at peace, Percy plans to graduate and apply to New Rome University together with his girlfriend Annabeth. Once again the gods thwart his plans as they require him to get three recommendation letters ... by another god. Percy's shocked and annoyed, but not surprised that they are still punishing him for being a kid of the Big 3. The normal rules have never applied to him!

“Are you kidding?” He grinned at Annabeth. “A chance to do quests, just the three of us? Like old times? The Three Musketeers!” “The Powerpuff Girls,” Annabeth suggested. “Shrek, Fiona, and Donkey,” I said. “Wait a minute,” Grover said. “I’m fine with this,” Annabeth said.”

➽ The original trio - Percy, Annabeth and Grover - is back for another quest to get Percy his first recommendation letter! I love their dynamic so much, they have all been through a lot and are there to support Percy. Luckily, their quest is in New York, as they also have to focus on their school work. The cupbearer of Zeus, Ganymede, has a big problem: the chalice of the gods has been stolen! If he can't get it back by the next feast, Zeus will blast him into the stratosphere. Percy agrees to help in order to get a recommendation! As always their adventures are so much fun and told in Riordan's distinct, humorous writing style. I loved seeing different gods that hadn't gotten the spotlight, such as Iris and Hebe!

“You know,” he said, “sometimes it’s the smallest waves that knock you off your feet. Tsunamis—everybody knows they’re powerful. Tidal waves—big and impressive. But those small waves? They hold a lot of power. They prove what the ocean is capable of, even when no one is paying attention.”

➽ I loved the themes that were explored in this book! Between dangerous quests and deadly threats, Percy never expected to make it this far into adulthood. Now he's finally close to going to college and living a 'normal' life with his girlfriend. Most demigods never make it to their stage, but Percy desperately wants to have all the experiences, he thought he might never get. Things are changing for him, as he's also close to moving out and his mother and her partner are expecting another child. I felt for Percy, as he's still trying to orient himself and plan a future with Annabeth!

Content Warnings

cherub__'s review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I know this was written primarily as a way to generate interest in the Disney+ show, but Chalice of the Gods was a great throwback to OG Percy Jackson. The humor was similar, the characters were eminently themselves, the gods were extremely on-brand, everything felt right. It's not every day you get such a perfect, modern throwback to something you cherished growing up!

My only gripe, writing this as a non-teenager, is that post-PJO and post-HoO, there's so much possibility to really examine the consequences of previous series on our main characters, and I think Rick took a pass on doing so here. Obviously this is still a childrens' book so there is some ceiling on discussion of heavy topics, but the fandom has repeatedly demonstrated through fan-fiction preferences that they're ready for attention to be paid to the darker aspects of both Greek mythology and the world of PJO in particular. Given the lower stakes in CoG, it even felt that this was less interested in examining the heavier aspects of our favorite characters. But, this is a small gripe. I loved PJO for what it was a decade ago, and this gives me one more pearl to treasure going forward.

Content Warnings

daryn's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

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