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noorandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
The morning sun blazed in the east. It had risen today, as always, but no thanks to me. It didn't care if I was driving the sun chariot, or if Helios was raging in the tunnels under Los Angeles. No matter what humans believed, the cosmos kept turning, and the sun stayed on course. Under different circumstances, I would have found that reassuring. Now I found the sun's indifference both cruel and insulting. In only a few days, Caligula might become a solar deity. Under such villainous leadership, you might think the sun would refuse to rise or set. But shockingly, disgustingly, day and night would continue as they always had.me, getting to the halfway point after telling myself repeatedly the book would be horrible: perhaps I've treated you too harshly
me, finishing: perhaps you're treating me too harshly
only 4 stars because the beginning was slow but oh my god... THAT SECOND HALF... THAT IS... THAT WAS... NNFNDSFKDSLJF SD imagine incoherent babbling. which is what I'm doing. WHY. WHY WHY I literally KNEW WHAT HAPPENED AND YET. my heart still has the AUDACITY to hurt
I give you my heartbest haiku in the entire book, this is what happened to me. there was a knife that went through my heart
I mean metaphorically
Put away that knife
"I can't even..." Jason sat heavily on his bed. "I don't know whether to laugh or yell."oh.. I am going to miss this :(
"Don't limit yourself," grumbled Piper. "Do both."
"Don't allow them to win! All you have to do is rest. Return to the ether of Chaos, my old friend. Be at peace."no matter how much I complain about Apollo as a protagonist, he gives some HEAVY lines sometimes and I just go. you. YOUUU
Spoiler
I could hear Jason's voice in my mind, saying my name, asking for one favor: Whatever happens, when you get back to Olympus, when you're a god again, remember. Remember what it's like to be human.there is no joy in this world
This, I thought, was being human. Standing on the tarmac, watching mortals load the body of a friend and hero into the cargo hold, knowing that he would never be coming back. Saying good-bye to a grieving young woman who had done everything to help us, and knowing you could never repay her, never compensate her for all that she'd lost.
itslorei's review against another edition
5.0
I HATE THIS BOOK. SO MUCH WITH BURNING PASSION. HOW COULD YOU UNCLE RICK ??? WAS THROWING ANNABETH AND PERCY WEREN'T ENOUGH FOR YOU? WAS KILLING ZOE WASN'T ENOUGH ? WAS ALMOST KILLING LEO ENOUGH FOR YOU ? I JUST CAN'T.
As much as how I loathed this book so much for breaking my heart more than House of Hades did. I really praise Uncle Rick for the character development that had happened in this book, specifically for Apollo. For making Apollo a relatable, remourseful as the story goes on, sympathetic and empathetic which made him even more human.
Also for the new information and details with the Roman Empire and the Roman Emperor which I never heard before in our class.
This book was roller coaster ride. A page turner. Breaker of hearts. And I loath this so much for breaking my heart.
As much as how I loathed this book so much for breaking my heart more than House of Hades did. I really praise Uncle Rick for the character development that had happened in this book, specifically for Apollo. For making Apollo a relatable, remourseful as the story goes on, sympathetic and empathetic which made him even more human.
Also for the new information and details with the Roman Empire and the Roman Emperor which I never heard before in our class.
This book was roller coaster ride. A page turner. Breaker of hearts. And I loath this so much for breaking my heart.
kaishi01's review against another edition
5.0
rick riordan you are public enemy number one for that watch your back
abby_can_read's review against another edition
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
📱
This was a good book. It was wonderful to see some of the characters again. With Grover, I know there will be smiles and laughs. I used several tissues.
This was a good book. It was wonderful to see some of the characters again. With Grover, I know there will be smiles and laughs. I used several tissues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Child abuse
Minor: Body shaming and Gaslighting
martapaviaa's review against another edition
5.0
Necesito un psicologo para superar los traumas que me esta dejando la saga y este libro.
kaiyapieya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
2023 Reread:
Why did I think it was a good idea to reread this book? I was sobbing for half an hour.
***********************
I'm going to start with the dedication. I like Rick's dedications; like the evil one in House of Hades or the sweet one in Son of Neptune. This time, it's more of a fun little warning about what's to come.
And having read the book, I find it to be spot-on. I don't think any of his books so far have hurt quite this much. So keep some tissues handy because Uncle Rick did not pull any punches.
And on that happy note, let's get to the review. At the end of The Dark Prophecy, Apollo got a very long prophecy (a sonnet) telling him about his next quest, one that would involved the labyrinth. Initially, I thought that's what the title of the book meant. But the burning maze is different. It's a part of the labyrinth that's been... infected, you could say. It's controlled by the third and last emperor and the third Oracle is in the middle.
We always knew that the third emperor was the worst of them, the most dangerous. Even in this book, Apollo's afraid the moment he starts to suspect about the emperor's identity. And boy does the emperor live up to the hype. The guy is evil with a capital everything. He's also smart, swift and very resourceful, with a bunch of evil and powerful allies and minions. It's not hard to understand why Apollo's afraid.
Speaking of Apollo... He's still brilliant. I've loved his perspective from the first book and even as things get more and more grave, we can always rely on him to cheer us up. But more than, I'm so proud of how far he's come. You can tell just from his narrative that he's a very different guy from the one he was at the beginning of the series. He's more compassionate and considerate. He's learning about the hardships of life as a hero. He hasn't become this utterly selfless person (which is neither all that bad nor surprising since he's still a four thousand year old former god) but he no longer expects others to simply do stuff for him. He cares about others and is willing to risk his own safety and comfort for them. That's a pretty big thing, if you ask me.
Also, I love Meg now. She's not the easiest person to understand but the more time we spend with her, the better we get to know her. She was scarred heavily by Nero and she's not someone who's eager to talk about her feeling. But I find her tendency to shrug off big news, or simply give a one-word response, quite charming. She's a girl of a few words but she's good for Apollo.
Last few characters I wanna mention are Jason, Piper and Grover. I liked meeting up with the former two again but honestly, Grover stole the show. He's another character who's come very far from his first appearance in The Lightning Thief. Grover's always had a very pure heart and a desire to help. Now, he's more capable, more sure of himself and braver than ever. He's become a leader, something I wouldn't have expected of him. He and nature are a very crucial part of the novel
Overall, I loved this book, even if it did hurt a lot. This is the most series book in this series so far and, hopefully, the most tragic because I don't think I can take any more. Still, I can't wait to see what more Rick has in store for Apollo.
Why did I think it was a good idea to reread this book? I was sobbing for half an hour.
***********************
I'm going to start with the dedication. I like Rick's dedications; like the evil one in House of Hades or the sweet one in Son of Neptune. This time, it's more of a fun little warning about what's to come.
To Melpomene, the Muse of Tragedy, I hope you're pleased with yourself.
And having read the book, I find it to be spot-on. I don't think any of his books so far have hurt quite this much. So keep some tissues handy because Uncle Rick did not pull any punches.
And on that happy note, let's get to the review. At the end of The Dark Prophecy, Apollo got a very long prophecy (a sonnet) telling him about his next quest, one that would involved the labyrinth. Initially, I thought that's what the title of the book meant. But the burning maze is different. It's a part of the labyrinth that's been... infected, you could say. It's controlled by the third and last emperor and the third Oracle is in the middle.
We always knew that the third emperor was the worst of them, the most dangerous. Even in this book, Apollo's afraid the moment he starts to suspect about the emperor's identity. And boy does the emperor live up to the hype. The guy is evil with a capital everything. He's also smart, swift and very resourceful, with a bunch of evil and powerful allies and minions. It's not hard to understand why Apollo's afraid.
Speaking of Apollo... He's still brilliant. I've loved his perspective from the first book and even as things get more and more grave, we can always rely on him to cheer us up. But more than, I'm so proud of how far he's come. You can tell just from his narrative that he's a very different guy from the one he was at the beginning of the series. He's more compassionate and considerate. He's learning about the hardships of life as a hero. He hasn't become this utterly selfless person (which is neither all that bad nor surprising since he's still a four thousand year old former god) but he no longer expects others to simply do stuff for him. He cares about others and is willing to risk his own safety and comfort for them. That's a pretty big thing, if you ask me.
Also, I love Meg now. She's not the easiest person to understand but the more time we spend with her, the better we get to know her. She was scarred heavily by Nero and she's not someone who's eager to talk about her feeling. But I find her tendency to shrug off big news, or simply give a one-word response, quite charming. She's a girl of a few words but she's good for Apollo.
Last few characters I wanna mention are Jason, Piper and Grover. I liked meeting up with the former two again but honestly, Grover stole the show. He's another character who's come very far from his first appearance in The Lightning Thief. Grover's always had a very pure heart and a desire to help. Now, he's more capable, more sure of himself and braver than ever. He's become a leader, something I wouldn't have expected of him. He and nature are a very crucial part of the novel
Overall, I loved this book, even if it did hurt a lot. This is the most series book in this series so far and, hopefully, the most tragic because I don't think I can take any more. Still, I can't wait to see what more Rick has in store for Apollo.
zoe_vdv's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75