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fernnoweh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
This is a very queer book. At least in the way I’ve experienced my life (+ the tism). There’s just something about hurt and lonely people gaining hope that things will be better. I truly did not want this book to end. This book could go anywhere and I would follow it happily.
My suggestion: don’t read this on an airplane for 3 hours if you’re prone to crying at emotional things cause let me tell you…………
My suggestion: don’t read this on an airplane for 3 hours if you’re prone to crying at emotional things cause let me tell you…………
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Outing, Death of parent, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
softgalaxy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Nico Di Angelo and Will Solace. What a book. I’m emotionally destroyed. I’m in heaven. I’m in hell. I am so fucking thankful for this book - the justice finally given to Nico and his story.
A beautiful nuanced look at darkness and light in relationships, literally.
A beautiful nuanced look at darkness and light in relationships, literally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
maranda_maria's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.0
This was probably my most anticipated book for this year. I’ve been a Percy Jackson fam since 5th grade (I am now 24), and Nico has always been one of my favorite characters. I had high hopes for this book because I feel like there is so much potential in both Will and Nico as individual characters and as a couple. There are parts of this book I absolutely adored, and parts that disappointed me. First, I loved the flash backs to Will and Nico’s early relationship milestones. I think the addition of Gorgyra was amazing, heartwarming, and also a bit heartbreaking at the same time. Moreover, I love how Will and Nico’s relationship is challenged, and that their insecurities are laid bare. It is clear that these insecurities could be the downfall of their relationship if not worked through, and that they both have trauma to unpack before they’ll be able to fully commit to each other. My main critique is that the plot feels rushed. There was so much build around Nico’s forgotten time in Tartarus, but Nyx as a character does not feel like a fully fleshed out villain or threat especially compared to the villains these characters have faced in previous books. Moreover, I was expecting the same terrifying depictions of Tartarus from House of Hades, but the deepest pit of the Underworld felt underwhelming in this book. Overall, this book was okay. It is not the best book within the Percy Jackson universe, but it’s not the worst (imo). My disappointment largely lies in the fact that I feel like so much more could have been done with these characters, especially Will Solace. I really wanted to get a deeper look into his past, especially get into the grief and trauma of losing his siblings in the Second Titan War. Maybe my expectations for this book were too high. All I know is I feel like there is still more story to tell with these two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Homophobia, Outing, and Death of parent
Content warnings are ranked with the intended audience of the book in mind.ashsparrow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Mental illness, and Outing
pey333's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Outing and Homophobia
swiftie_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Death, Blood, Grief, Mental illness, Torture, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
frantically's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a fun read! This brought back all the love I have for these characters and I'm so glad we got to spend a whole book with Will and Nico. Their relationship was handled really well and we got to see them be teenagers in their first relationship while also dealing with much harder topics.
Of course, a lot of it was pure nostalgia. I don't pick up a lot of middle grade anymore, so there are some things I struggled with. The build-up to the fight with Nyx was really good but the battle itself was disappointing and gave me Gaia flashbacks. I also wish we could've seen more character development from Will instead of just Solangelo relationship development and a lot of Nico development. We've already been through that! Give me more Will content 😭
I'm also not the biggest Bob fan and I don't understand all the hype about him which probably didn't make me the target audience.
My favourite parts were probably all the times we learned about how Nico and Will got together, their first kiss, first date etc. I must've read at least 100 different "Three Days In The Infirmary" fics since 2016, so it was nice to get some definite answers after all this time. I was worried that all those infos wouldn't feel natural in the story but Riordan found a good way of working around it.
Despite its faults, still a must-read for all of us former depressed emo kids who were a little too obsessed with Nico di Angelo.
(Don't know about you but now I'm more of a Will girlie. Is this healing?)
Of course, a lot of it was pure nostalgia. I don't pick up a lot of middle grade anymore, so there are some things I struggled with. The build-up to the fight with Nyx was really good but the battle itself was disappointing and gave me Gaia flashbacks. I also wish we could've seen more character development from Will instead of just Solangelo relationship development and a lot of Nico development. We've already been through that! Give me more Will content 😭
I'm also not the biggest Bob fan and I don't understand all the hype about him which probably didn't make me the target audience.
My favourite parts were probably all the times we learned about how Nico and Will got together, their first kiss, first date etc. I must've read at least 100 different "Three Days In The Infirmary" fics since 2016, so it was nice to get some definite answers after all this time. I was worried that all those infos wouldn't feel natural in the story but Riordan found a good way of working around it.
Despite its faults, still a must-read for all of us former depressed emo kids who were a little too obsessed with Nico di Angelo.
(Don't know about you but now I'm more of a Will girlie. Is this healing?)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Eating disorder, Death, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Homophobia, Outing, and Death of parent
mythian's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
theliteraryteapot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Since the first time I met Nico di Angelo in The Titan's Curse 10 years ago, I have LOVED him. I became very attached to him and even more while witnessing his character development throughout the camp half-blood chronicles. I probably feel so drawn to Nico as I was going through hard times myself. What a joy it was to finally read a book entirely dedicated to Nico. It fills my heart with joy, peace and relief to get to finally see him heal and find peace after all this time -- just like I did. So, as Hades said, Nico deserves everything.
I prefer to start with the things that bothered me a little so I can end the review on a positive note. Honestly, this co-author thing didn't work great because I thought the voices didn't merge well: you can feel who wrote what. And what happens when you let your characters be used by someone who hasn't spent the same amount of time with them, or who hasn't being working on them for decades, is that you get some characters such as Mr D. who don't feel like their "authentic" selves; they don't feel like and act the way they've been for the rest of the series. It also felt like the authors suddenly at one point remembered that Hazel is Nico's half-sister, but there wasn't enough of her in Nico's story, like he barely thought of his half-sister. Maybe it's because Hazel is one of my favourite characters, but it felt wrong to not give her an important place in a Nico di Angelo book.
Now, the thing that bothered me the most was how a few times, it felt a bit like fanfiction. Like this was a fandom version of Nico, Will and Solangelo. I'm not sure how to explain it though and that feeling actually left after hitting like the 50-60% mark.
As for the rest, I simply enjoyed it. Loved it. It's Nico and I love this fictional character so so much idk man he's everything to me.
Although reading about Nico's trauma again, his nightmares and his doubts hurt, I loved reading Nico's flashback tartarus journey (those dark pages in the book). I thought Nyx had great potential as the villain and made sense in a story about a child of Hades, filled with a lot of darkness within him. And I enjoyed the talk regarding darkness vs. light and realising and embracing both at the same time. That was good for Will's character development too. About the whole miscommunication stuff.... I know it's annoying, frustrating, but they're kids, and queer kids (same as how it is in Ophelia's After All it was frustrating but understandable cause they're children and queer). They're finding themselves, learning, growing up. Both Nico and Will grew a lot out of this journey, especially in regards to their relationship.
I do have mixed feelings about how Will was treated because: I kind of thought he wasn't enough developed like yes he's the son of Apollo, he's a literal sunshine, but somehow I still felt like I didn't really know his personality? Like his personality traits are being a child of Apollo, being Nico's boyfriend, being an extrovert and? (Then again I have yet to finish The Trials of Apollo series so maybe we learn more about him there). I also felt soooo bad for Will because he was really trying his best in the most hostile environment that can exist for him while feeling useless at the same time (he was not useless). This was very brave of him to not give up. So to add to his personality traits: he's brave and very loving. I'm glad we got Will's point of view, it added to the storytelling and showed us how much love Will has for Nico.
The plot twist towards the end with Nyx was a bit... weird but at the same time made sense?
ALSO, oh my god chapter 48!! I'm not someone who cries or even has one tear while reading but seeing that little reunion with the di Angelo family made me fight tears stuck in my eyes!!! Bianca!!!! Mamma Maria. Nico is so loved! This was very much needed.
Overall, as it's a middle grade book, I'm glad queer kids will have this story. And I appreciate R. Riordan's effort in inviting a queer co-author to tell Nico's story, so we can have a queer author telling stories about queer kids.
The Sun and the Star is Nico's quest yes but it's mostly him facing his trauma, learning to let go of his pain while not ignoring his past, and learning to let people in, let people love him for who he is. It's about Will learning to not have so much prejudice against something that is so different from what he knows and learning to love someone for all they are and have. And it's about romantic love, friendship love, family love, and self-love.
Some quotes were quite emotional lol but I can't remember the pages and where to find them again so I'll end with this one, still fresh in my mind and which, although used here quite literally, I find it very poetic. It is from Will's point of view:
"Will had heard love described in so many dramatic, bizarre ways over the years, but no one had described it like this: it's like drifting down a river of pain and knowing you are safe."
I prefer to start with the things that bothered me a little so I can end the review on a positive note. Honestly, this co-author thing didn't work great because I thought the voices didn't merge well: you can feel who wrote what. And what happens when you let your characters be used by someone who hasn't spent the same amount of time with them, or who hasn't being working on them for decades, is that you get some characters such as Mr D. who don't feel like their "authentic" selves; they don't feel like and act the way they've been for the rest of the series. It also felt like the authors suddenly at one point remembered that Hazel is Nico's half-sister, but there wasn't enough of her in Nico's story, like he barely thought of his half-sister. Maybe it's because Hazel is one of my favourite characters, but it felt wrong to not give her an important place in a Nico di Angelo book.
Now, the thing that bothered me the most was how a few times, it felt a bit like fanfiction. Like this was a fandom version of Nico, Will and Solangelo. I'm not sure how to explain it though and that feeling actually left after hitting like the 50-60% mark.
As for the rest, I simply enjoyed it. Loved it. It's Nico and I love this fictional character so so much idk man he's everything to me.
Although reading about Nico's trauma again, his nightmares and his doubts hurt, I loved reading Nico's flashback tartarus journey (those dark pages in the book).
I do have mixed feelings about how Will was treated because: I kind of thought he wasn't enough developed like yes he's the son of Apollo, he's a literal sunshine, but somehow I still felt like I didn't really know his personality? Like his personality traits are being a child of Apollo, being Nico's boyfriend, being an extrovert and? (Then again I have yet to finish The Trials of Apollo series so maybe we learn more about him there). I also felt soooo bad for Will because he was really trying his best in the most hostile environment that can exist for him while feeling useless at the same time (he was not useless). This was very brave of him to not give up. So to add to his personality traits: he's brave and very loving. I'm glad we got Will's point of view, it added to the storytelling and showed us how much love Will has for Nico.
ALSO, oh my god chapter 48!! I'm not someone who cries or even has one tear while reading but seeing that little reunion with the di Angelo family made me fight tears stuck in my eyes!!! Bianca!!!! Mamma Maria. Nico is so loved! This was very much needed.
Overall, as it's a middle grade book, I'm glad queer kids will have this story. And I appreciate R. Riordan's effort in inviting a queer co-author to tell Nico's story, so we can have a queer author telling stories about queer kids.
The Sun and the Star is Nico's quest yes but it's mostly him facing his trauma, learning to let go of his pain while not ignoring his past, and learning to let people in, let people love him for who he is. It's about Will learning to not have so much prejudice against something that is so different from what he knows and learning to love someone for all they are and have. And it's about romantic love, friendship love, family love, and self-love.
Some quotes were quite emotional lol but I can't remember the pages and where to find them again so I'll end with this one, still fresh in my mind and which, although used here quite literally, I find it very poetic. It is from Will's point of view:
"Will had heard love described in so many dramatic, bizarre ways over the years, but no one had described it like this: it's like drifting down a river of pain and knowing you are safe."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Homophobia
building_a_bookdom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Mental illness
Moderate: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Dementia, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, and Blood
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, and Gore