after finally finishing trials of apollo i can confidently say it was worth it. this book felt like a warm hug. i love rick riordan's writing and the way he handles darker subjects so that younger audiences can understand. loved the wee nods to tkc and mc, and the set ups for tsats and tcotg (i can finally read them now😭). character development was amazing, i absolutely adore apollo/lester. im happy this book kept lester's humour and wit. this book was a great finish to a great series, the 210 haikus across yhe series were always amazing (i applaud rick for writing that many), and i cant wait to read tsats!! ty uncle rick🫶

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jerrysaywhaaa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

I didn’t know how Rick would top book 4, but he did it! I think the last two books were my favorites of the whole series. I don’t know if I ended up liking Meg in the end, but I don’t actively hate her. I just wish all the Gods had gotten to learn the lessons that Apollo did in his trials

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mengzhenreads's review against another edition

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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

4.0

A very cute conclusion to a very cute serious. Lots of suffering and this didn't hit as hard as other series have in the past, but it's still a good serious. The final battle with Python was fire and even if the ending was very neat and tidy, those hints at three more potential books were very sneaky indeed. Good stuff.

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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous funny 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

5.0

In true Rick Riordan fashion, the action picks up right at the beginning of this book and doesn't really let up until the end. Riordan doesn't wait until the very end of the book for the final epic battle; instead, you get a bunch of battles leading up to the battle with the Big Bad. As a series structure, and for middle grade readers, it actually works really well, I think. Definitely makes you want to just keep reading instead of putting the book down, anyway.

What I appreciated specifically about this particular series is that Riordan really shows character growth with Meg and Apollo. You can see their arcs throughout the entire series, and their development and changes are well done. There are also some fantastic explorations of mental health, both in this book and in past books in the series, and the emotions someone might go through dealing with an abusive parent.

All in all, a great ending to a very entertaining series. Just in time for the new book to come out next week!

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jasmineslibraryy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

the ending was even more beautiful than i was anticipating. apollo/lester's development through the series HOLY SHIT it's like you can't recognize the man anymore. i love that he went and visited everyone, it was such a nice way to wrap up the series. i loved seeing everyone again!

will & nico <3 can't wait to read the sun and the star.

overall, while it takes immense patience to get through book 1&2, i'm so happy with how this series turned out.

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