Reviews

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

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_forestofpages's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.0

I loved the short stories in this one. I wish I had known about them before finishing the first five books. They connected the dots a little on some relationships and endeared me to a character before they die in the fifth book. I particularly enjoyed The Sword of Hades because watching the three big Demigods come together is always a treat. Also, seeing more titans is fun.

I particularly enjoyed the downtime and seeing old characters again post series, but next time I will be reading in order! For a critique, I would say they were too fast paced. I know it's a trio of short stories but just like with the Sea of Monsters, I found the pacing in the first two short stories to be a bit off.

eesh25's review

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4.0

2020 Reread

This is a collection of little tidbits, and it's mainly for fans. So if you were to skip it, it wouldn't affect your understanding of the story. That said, there are quite a few things that have relevance to future books. But before I get into that, some info about what the book contains.

There are a bunch of interviews with characters like Percy, Annabeth, the Stolls, Clarisse and Grover. There are also little character-introduction-like cards and some illustrations. There's a crossword puzzle, too. A couple of things might be different depending on the edition you have, but most important are the three short stories, and those are the same. And all three stories have side-characters that we don't get to spend as much time with in the main books.

The first is Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot. It features Clarisse and two of her godly brothers. We get more insight into the relationship Clarisse has with her dad and just into Clarisse in general. Plus, we meet two more gods. It's a fun little side adventure.

The second is Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon. There's a bronze dragon, obviously, and there are Myrmekes. We also get to spend time with Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard. It's a little more we're-all-going-to-die than the last story but no more than usual. And if you've read future books, you know some parts of the story are significant.

The last story is probably my favourite and one that I think everyone should read, especially before jumping into The House of Hades (that's pretty far off, I know, but still).

It's called Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades. We head back into the Underworld! But this time Thalia and Nico join Percy on a quest to retrieve a stolen sword. It's the most we're-all-going-to-die of all three, and it's such a cool story. We rarely get the kids of the big three together so this was a treat just in that. And it features one of my favourite moments of Percy sassing yet another god. It's Bob's first appearance, too.

Overall, this novella was a lot of fun, and I definitely recommend reading, if not everything, then at least the short stories. I think they add depth to some of the side-characters. And if you've read all of Riordan's novels, the stories will feel like they have little easter eggs.

***********************

This was such a fun book. I was saving it for when I really wanted to read something Percy and there was nothing new out. And this month, with the anticipation for Trials of Apollo, I couldn't not read it.

I loved all three of the stories and how well they tied in with the main storyline, the interviews were fantastic and so were the little godly details.

Really short and really fun read. If you like the series, you should definitely check it out.