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

Good book. Definitely had the feel of the other 5 books in the PJO series. There are definitely some inconsistency though in regards to Poseidon's and Paul's appearance (are they suppose to be described similarly?). I thought that half bloods could stay at Camp Half Blood if they are the heads of their cabin. I'm not sure how the aging out of camp works. Also, as someone who is a fan of the first series for most of their life, while I love this series I also like feel bad for Percy as like a person. He's been through a lot and I want him to like rest. Anyway, interested in seeing the other two books and how Percy will get those recommendation letters

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nicosta_music's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

The Chalice of the Gods was a really promising start to what feels to me like the Percy Jackson Farewell Tour. It kept the fun and adventure of the original books and I really enjoyed how it focused on the original trio. As an older reader who grew up with Percy Jackson, I especially loved how the book was themed around growing up, touching on ideas like trauma and healing and the mentality of expecting that you'll die young.

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mxdegroot's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

On the one side, it was a little weird reading The Chalice of the Gods because it's been so long since I read Percy Jackson for the first time. The experience is completely different, as I noticed as well when I read The Sun and the Star. Was this my favorite book? No, but that is entirely because of the way I and my taste in books have changed since I dipped my toe into the Riordanverse for the first time.

Generally, I don't enjoy books with low stakes, but it's perfect for this trilogy and makes for some great comedic content. Rick also did a fantastic job at making this book wonderfully nostalgic for long time fans, while still making it readable for readers who might only just be starting to get into the Riordanverse. Moreover, the gives a beautiful insight into the lives of 'older' demigods, particularly their facing adulthood while having spent most of their childhood having to fight to simply live the next day.

While the plot felt slow and insignificant to me at times, the messages that were sent towards the end were beautiful. I mentioned the facing adulthood, but also the demigods reflecting on their younger years at Hebe Jeebies and the importance and beauty of possibly growing old were perfectly written. It's especially nice to see Percy, Annabeth and Grover living some normal lives (or as normal as it gets for a teenage demigod). At the centre of The Chalice of the Gods was never the quests or the action, but the characters and their coming-of-age.

What I particularly liked and what was important to me, especially as an older reader, was the clear critique on the gods. I can talk about this for hours, but will take as an example Ganymedes, as he is the centre of the story. Yes, he is a funny character, but it's also made clear how tragic his story truly is, and gives an example of how much of a creep Zeus regularly is in the ancient times. The way Rick was able to send so many important messages by weaving the development of the characters and multiple histories together is a testament to his abilities as an author.

December 31st, 2023 - January 1st, 2024.

“I am a guy of limited talents. If I can't kill it with water, a sword, or sarcasm, I am basically defenseless.”

“Find someone who loves you the way my girlfriend pushes me off a cliff."

“he hadn’t killed me yet, so I decided to keep talking. (This is a mistake I make a lot.)”

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lindseyhall44's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Reading this series feels like returning home.

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camiclarkbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rick Riordan never misses with Percy Jackson!

Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood are BACK in a brand new adventure—something I never thought I’d get to see!

In “Chalice of the Gods,” Percy discovers that saving the world wasn’t enough to get him into college, he also has to earn recommendation letters from three separate gods. To earn them, the trio embarks on a quest to find a magical stolen cup that can grant mortals immortality. The three battle new foes and run into old acquaintances along the way with the same trademark sarcasm and humor readers have enjoyed since 2006.

It was so incredibly heartwarming to read a new story about my childhood favorites and to see them taking on new adventures—college, serious relationships, and quests for Greek gods.

While I’m already much older than basically everybody but Sally Jackson, it’s a great feeling to know that new readers get to grow up even more with these beloved characters.

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lunep's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-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

4.75

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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.

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