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adventurous funny mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

- Really good story , but got a little slow at times 
- Loved the waystation and Emmie and Jo 
- Was great to see Leo again 
- Commodus is a fun villain 

I LOVED this book! Wasn't a fan of the first one but this COMPLETELY changed my mind. Apollo's character development is amazing. He goes from full of himself to caring and loving Meg. Definitely not as good as the original Percy Jackson books but I still LOVED it.

Book Review: “The Dark Prophecy” (Trials of Apollo book 2) by Rick Riordan

So…a while ago I read book 1 of Trials of Apollo, and, uh…it was *weird*, and not really in a good, charming, quirky way. It was just plain weird. Especially because of a character named Meg, who was plenty weird all on her own without everything else that went on in that book. The concept behind Trials of Apollo seemed really cool and interesting to me, and Percy Jackson’s world seemed like something that Rick Riordan couldn’t *possibly* stuff up with, but with ToA book 1…I wasn’t going to complain if I ended up just leaving it there and pretending ToA didn’t exist. And yet…given that by then book 2 was already out, part of me was always tempted to pick it up, in spite of the fact that book 1 had been one of the rare books I pick up that I don’t end up liking. Part of me was still curious. But I never picked it up until I saw some Riordan books on sale for a cheap price while shopping and picked up 2, 3 and a companion one on a whim. They were the only ones there I hadn’t read. They still were nowhere near the top priority of the TBR but hey, they were there if my curiosity got the best of me.
Anyway, I didn’t end up picking up book 2 until I did the “turn your TBR around so you can’t see the titles and commit to reading whichever book you grab” thing. So, I committed to giving the series another go. And what do you know…*I actually liked it!* I don’t know if Riordan got feedback from similarly unsatisfied readers when book 1 came out but book 2 was a vast improvement. It felt like it had more of a plot than book 1 (which felt very slow and they didn’t even really leave the camp once they got there). The new characters in this book were easier to get to like than those introduced in book 1.

Meg actually became more sympathetic and likeable, and her weirdness actually managed to grow on me (maybe because, due to the inclusion of other characters, it wasn’t shoved down your throat like in book 1). Spoiler: ||also Leo is back!!! Properly this time!!!|| Apollo also became more likeable, although I think his character development was a little fast for only book 2 in what I believe is a 5 book series, and this did also create some kind of cheesy and cliche kind of scenes, even for a book aimed at young teens and given Riordan’s usual standards. Again, maybe this was a response to the reception of book 1 because I know I’m not the only person who wasn’t a fan of it. Apollo wasn’t exactly likeable as a protagonist in book 1, and while his attitude made sense and was in character for him, an unlikeable person still makes an unlikeable protagonist. But him developing empathy as soon as book 2 when there are still three more books to go feels rushed and forced. That being said, the inclusion of previous characters worked better in book 2 as they weren’t used as such a “crutch” to get you invested in the story.

In summary, while I still don’t think Trials of Apollo has the potential to be on the same level as Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus, giving the series another chance did work out as I did actually enjoy book 2 and won’t be so reluctant to pick up book 3. Meg *is* way better and actually likeable in this one, trust me.
adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
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: Yes
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 mysterious 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: Yes

Again, I just don't think this series stands up to other Rick Riordan books. It does not have the same vibes as Percy Jackson, Magnas Chase or the Kane Chronicles, and I miss it. And again maybe if I was younger, or connected more with Apollo and Meg I would like this more. 
adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

An Apollo’s trial we shall tread,
Britomartis was the goddess of the net
Griffins, cages of magical animals, what fret!
A sonnet,
Recited brother of the man without head,
From failure and guilt Apollo’s ego fled

Typically I wax on with praise for these books but I’m not sure why this one in particular fell a little flat for me? Still love the series and would recommend them all to everyone but this instalment felt “not quite as good.” But the chapter haikus remain flawless.