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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
loved it so so much <3
quotes
-
"Lo!" I said. "I arrived at Camp Half-Blood as Lester Papadopoulos!"
"A pathetic mortal!" Calypso chorused. "Most worthless of teens!"
I glared at her, but I didn't dare stop my performance again. "I overcame many
challenges with my companion, Meg McCaffrey!"
"He means his master!" Calypso added. "A twelve-year-old girl! Behold her pa-
thetic slave, Lester, most worthless of teens!"
The policeman huffed impatiently. "We know all this. The emperor told us."
"Shh," said Nanette. "Be polite."
I put my hand over my heart. "We secured the Grove of Dodona, an ancient Ora-cle, and thwarted the plans of Nero! But alas, Meg McCaffrey fled from me. Her evil stepfather had poisoned her mind!"
"Poison!" Calypso cried. "Like the breath of Lester Papadopoulos, most worthless
of teens!"
I resisted the urge to push Calypso into the flower bed.
-
I was amusing myself by throwing grapes at Commodus's mouth. Of course, I never missed unless I wanted to, but it was fun to watch the fruit bounce off Commodus's nose.
"You are terrible," he teased me.
And you are perfect, I thought, but I merely smiled.
-
I imagined Trophonius's head transposed on his body—my son's agonized voice crying to the heavens, Take me instead! Save him,
Father, please!
This blended with the face of Commodus, staring at me, wounded and betrayed as
his carotid pulse hammered against my hands. You. Blessed. Me.
I sobbed and hugged the commode— the only thing in the universe that wasn't spinning. Was there anyone I hadn't betrayed and disappointed? Any relationship I hadn't destroyed?
After a miserable eternity in my private toilet-verse, a voice spoke behind me.
"Hey."
I blinked away my tears. Agamethus was gone. In his place, leaning against the
sink, was Josephine. She offered me a fresh roll of toilet paper.
I sniffled weakly. "Are you supposed to be in the men's room?"
-
"Cool. I'm Leo. And, uh..." He pointed at me. "I understand you can, like, control
this guy?"
I cleared my throat. "We merely cooperate! I'm not controlled by anyone. Right,
Meg?"
"Slap yourself," Meg commanded.
I slapped myself.
Leo grinned. "Oh, this is too good. I'm going to check on Calypso, but later we need to talk." He slid down the ladder railings, leaving me with a deep sense of fore-boding.
-
I thought she might cry again, but when she met my eyes, she wore her usual willful expression, as if she were about to call me Poop Face, or order me to play princess versus dragon with her. (I never got to be the princess.)
-
For a moment, I sat on the ledge, stunned and devastated. I didn't feel physically hurt, but I realized it was possible to suffer a thousand bites in this snake pit, even if none of the vipers came near you. There were other kinds of poison.
-
Leo was the first to speak. "What was that? Buy one prophecy, get three free? That
was a lot of lines."
quotes
-
"Lo!" I said. "I arrived at Camp Half-Blood as Lester Papadopoulos!"
"A pathetic mortal!" Calypso chorused. "Most worthless of teens!"
I glared at her, but I didn't dare stop my performance again. "I overcame many
challenges with my companion, Meg McCaffrey!"
"He means his master!" Calypso added. "A twelve-year-old girl! Behold her pa-
thetic slave, Lester, most worthless of teens!"
The policeman huffed impatiently. "We know all this. The emperor told us."
"Shh," said Nanette. "Be polite."
I put my hand over my heart. "We secured the Grove of Dodona, an ancient Ora-cle, and thwarted the plans of Nero! But alas, Meg McCaffrey fled from me. Her evil stepfather had poisoned her mind!"
"Poison!" Calypso cried. "Like the breath of Lester Papadopoulos, most worthless
of teens!"
I resisted the urge to push Calypso into the flower bed.
-
I was amusing myself by throwing grapes at Commodus's mouth. Of course, I never missed unless I wanted to, but it was fun to watch the fruit bounce off Commodus's nose.
"You are terrible," he teased me.
And you are perfect, I thought, but I merely smiled.
-
I imagined Trophonius's head transposed on his body—my son's agonized voice crying to the heavens, Take me instead! Save him,
Father, please!
This blended with the face of Commodus, staring at me, wounded and betrayed as
his carotid pulse hammered against my hands. You. Blessed. Me.
I sobbed and hugged the commode— the only thing in the universe that wasn't spinning. Was there anyone I hadn't betrayed and disappointed? Any relationship I hadn't destroyed?
After a miserable eternity in my private toilet-verse, a voice spoke behind me.
"Hey."
I blinked away my tears. Agamethus was gone. In his place, leaning against the
sink, was Josephine. She offered me a fresh roll of toilet paper.
I sniffled weakly. "Are you supposed to be in the men's room?"
-
"Cool. I'm Leo. And, uh..." He pointed at me. "I understand you can, like, control
this guy?"
I cleared my throat. "We merely cooperate! I'm not controlled by anyone. Right,
Meg?"
"Slap yourself," Meg commanded.
I slapped myself.
Leo grinned. "Oh, this is too good. I'm going to check on Calypso, but later we need to talk." He slid down the ladder railings, leaving me with a deep sense of fore-boding.
-
I thought she might cry again, but when she met my eyes, she wore her usual willful expression, as if she were about to call me Poop Face, or order me to play princess versus dragon with her. (I never got to be the princess.)
-
For a moment, I sat on the ledge, stunned and devastated. I didn't feel physically hurt, but I realized it was possible to suffer a thousand bites in this snake pit, even if none of the vipers came near you. There were other kinds of poison.
-
Leo was the first to speak. "What was that? Buy one prophecy, get three free? That
was a lot of lines."
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Again good but boring took too long
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
This book's biggest fault is that it is boring. Honestly, until the last 100 pages, I was just dying for it to be over. It's very difficult o find characters to like. The only reason this book didn't end up with two stars was because the last 100 pages were more interesting, and because I didn't actively hate it like I did parts of the second Magnus Chase book. But man... I really hope the rest of this series picks up, because it has been a slog to read.
I am glad Leo and Calypso found this home, and that we got more insight into where and how demigods can exist as a adults.
I do like the continual explorations into Apollo as a person. Without Will here as a crutch, we got to see a lot more of Apollo's healer abilities shine through naturally-- plus the creative healing knowledge as a weapon. More of Apollo getting his powers back too, with the singing to bring down the wall and the showing his true form, which I like less since it feels a little bit like crutches for him as a person.
One thing that struck me in this book is how much Apollo finds beauty in others. In all his flashbacks in this book and the first, he waxes poetic about the beauty of his past lovers. "Jaime" is the first time we see Apollo express this kind of attraction in the present, and it's for a throwaway character no less. He shows some interest for Thalia, but it feels more "for old time's sake" than anything else. It almost feel like he's holding everyone at arm's length out of fear-- which is understandable, given the fates of his past lovers.
adventurous
funny
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
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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