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kreadsbooks's review
5.0
This book came out on my birthday, but i wasn't able to get it until this past saturday. Really liked Haley's story and i kinda hope Rsquared can include this into the HoO story because it would be interesting to read more about him again. Missed sarcastic Percy and his story with hermes was great. Can't wait for MoA.
chasmofbooks's review
3.0
The Demigod Diaries was a cute addition to The Heroes of Olympus series and after almost a whole year without him, it reminded me why exactly I like Jason so much. Well, more honestly, it reminded me how I instantly liked him when he was first introduced in The Lost Hero.
The Diary of Luke Castellan
Luke took center stage in the first short story, which I was really looking forward to. I know Luke was a bad guy, but I have to admit that I liked how he was portrayed before his turning evil and all.... Luke and Thalia are traveling together and meet a son of Apollo, Halcyon, who almost gets them killed and foretells Luke's foreboding future and Thalia's well, what do you call a future in which you are turned into a tree? This was actually the highlight of the story for me. Seeing their reactions was great and they were (of course) spot-on. And how can I not mention the Greek fire? Yes, they make Greek fire. All in all, it was enjoyable.
Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes
Next we have Percabeth on one of their typical adventures. One of the Greek gods (this time Hermes) interrupts them and sends them on a quest. My favorite aspect of this one was probably Hermes' and Percy's interactions. Hermes has always been one of the more gracious Greek gods without loosing any of his respectability. Percy's narration was wonderful and sarcastic as always, which makes the story fun. Annabeth was....meh. She was Annabeth and, honestly, who expects a celebration for their one month or two month anniversary? *sigh*
Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford
My favorite story of the four was most definitely the third one which featured Leo, Jason, and Piper. Oh man, I love them so much. Leo brings a serious but sarcastic vibe to the story. Jason is all calm and cool. Piper is the straightforward, no nonsense girl. Together, they set off into the woods of Camp Half-Blood searching for Buford (a walking, temperamental table) and meet some of Dionysus's crazy followers that even the Olympian avoids. In the mean time, they only have a hour before Bunker 9 explodes if they don't find Buford. I really love how the three demigods interact with each other. And, honestly, this one felt the most like the good ol' light-hearted aspects of Riordan's Greek mythology series which was definitely wonderful.
Son of Magic
The fourth and last story by Haley Riordan.... I was most excited for this one. We were finally going to see the goddess Hecate! While the portrayal of Hecate was wonderful and great, the story as a whole was disappointing. The writing was fine but I wish the demigod, Alabaster, had been the narrator. Instead of him narrating, we have a middle-aged man (Dr. Claymore) and I didn't like that. I think it would have been more enjoyable and more informative if Alabaster had narrated and it would have brought the story's focus more on him. As it was, the story was about Dr. Claymore more than Alabaster, which was really disappointing because Alabaster seemed like an interesting and even honorable character. There were a few interesting revelations though (how monsters can smell demigods and who controls the mist) which were probably the highlights of the story.
The Diary of Luke Castellan
Luke took center stage in the first short story, which I was really looking forward to. I know Luke was a bad guy, but I have to admit that I liked how he was portrayed before his turning evil and all.... Luke and Thalia are traveling together and meet a son of Apollo, Halcyon, who almost gets them killed and foretells Luke's foreboding future and Thalia's well, what do you call a future in which you are turned into a tree? This was actually the highlight of the story for me. Seeing their reactions was great and they were (of course) spot-on. And how can I not mention the Greek fire? Yes, they make Greek fire. All in all, it was enjoyable.
Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes
Next we have Percabeth on one of their typical adventures. One of the Greek gods (this time Hermes) interrupts them and sends them on a quest. My favorite aspect of this one was probably Hermes' and Percy's interactions. Hermes has always been one of the more gracious Greek gods without loosing any of his respectability. Percy's narration was wonderful and sarcastic as always, which makes the story fun. Annabeth was....meh. She was Annabeth and, honestly, who expects a celebration for their one month or two month anniversary? *sigh*
Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford
My favorite story of the four was most definitely the third one which featured Leo, Jason, and Piper. Oh man, I love them so much. Leo brings a serious but sarcastic vibe to the story. Jason is all calm and cool. Piper is the straightforward, no nonsense girl. Together, they set off into the woods of Camp Half-Blood searching for Buford (a walking, temperamental table) and meet some of Dionysus's crazy followers that even the Olympian avoids. In the mean time, they only have a hour before Bunker 9 explodes if they don't find Buford. I really love how the three demigods interact with each other. And, honestly, this one felt the most like the good ol' light-hearted aspects of Riordan's Greek mythology series which was definitely wonderful.
Son of Magic
The fourth and last story by Haley Riordan.... I was most excited for this one. We were finally going to see the goddess Hecate! While the portrayal of Hecate was wonderful and great, the story as a whole was disappointing. The writing was fine but I wish the demigod, Alabaster, had been the narrator. Instead of him narrating, we have a middle-aged man (Dr. Claymore) and I didn't like that. I think it would have been more enjoyable and more informative if Alabaster had narrated and it would have brought the story's focus more on him. As it was, the story was about Dr. Claymore more than Alabaster, which was really disappointing because Alabaster seemed like an interesting and even honorable character. There were a few interesting revelations though (how monsters can smell demigods and who controls the mist) which were probably the highlights of the story.
depleti's review
3.0
This book is basically divided into two parts: what Rick Riordan wrote and what his son Haley wrote.
Everything Rick wrote was, as usual, charming and funny and exciting and cute. He's one of my favorite writers because he knows how to balance the light and the dark, and it never gets too dark, even in life or death situations. His books are perfect "escape" books. They're fluffy, and I love that. I know I'm going to enjoy myself no matter which world or character he's writing.
I would have given this book four stars, but the very last story, "Son of Magic", knocked one off. Haley is a great writer for 16, and his stuff is years ahead what I was writing when I was 16, but the story just didn't fit. The main protagonist wasn't a demigod, and wasn't very likeable even at the end of the story. He uses a gun to try and kill a monster, and for some reason the appearance of guns, working guns that shoot bullets, in this world was disconcerting to me. It's almost too "real", and it knocks the tone down from exciting to a bit dark. Especially when the main protagonist kicks a monster's jaw so hard it flies off her face (as dust, but still). I also didn't like how Hecate was portrayed as a white-robed Virgin Mary wannabe praying at a church altar. What's that supposed to tell us? It's left unanswered but I definitely don't like the idea of these mythical Greek gods worshiping the Christian god. That sends a bad message.
Haley did not write badly. He knew how to pace and describe things, and it didn't feel clunky and choppy. It just didn't fit the tone of the world his father has established. He might be trying to inject some maturity into it, but I don't want that at all. I'll stick with Rick.
Everything Rick wrote was, as usual, charming and funny and exciting and cute. He's one of my favorite writers because he knows how to balance the light and the dark, and it never gets too dark, even in life or death situations. His books are perfect "escape" books. They're fluffy, and I love that. I know I'm going to enjoy myself no matter which world or character he's writing.
I would have given this book four stars, but the very last story, "Son of Magic", knocked one off. Haley is a great writer for 16, and his stuff is years ahead what I was writing when I was 16, but the story just didn't fit. The main protagonist wasn't a demigod, and wasn't very likeable even at the end of the story. He uses a gun to try and kill a monster, and for some reason the appearance of guns, working guns that shoot bullets, in this world was disconcerting to me. It's almost too "real", and it knocks the tone down from exciting to a bit dark. Especially when the main protagonist kicks a monster's jaw so hard it flies off her face (as dust, but still). I also didn't like how Hecate was portrayed as a white-robed Virgin Mary wannabe praying at a church altar. What's that supposed to tell us? It's left unanswered but I definitely don't like the idea of these mythical Greek gods worshiping the Christian god. That sends a bad message.
Haley did not write badly. He knew how to pace and describe things, and it didn't feel clunky and choppy. It just didn't fit the tone of the world his father has established. He might be trying to inject some maturity into it, but I don't want that at all. I'll stick with Rick.
bbliophile's review
4.0
*3.5*
This was fun, but not *that* amazing. The first story was definitely my favorite.
This was fun, but not *that* amazing. The first story was definitely my favorite.
raafi's review
4.0
Cepat sekali membacanya. Sehari semalam dengan tidur, makan, tidur, makan. Ceritanya keren, seperti biasa! Dan, buah memang tidak jauh dari pohonnya. Haley mendongeng dengan sangat cakap, mengingat umurnya masih 16 pada waktu itu. Semuanya diceritakan dari perspektif yang berbeda.
Ulasan ada di sini.
Ulasan ada di sini.
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