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bibliothecla 's review for:

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
5.0
adventurous tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Rereading this as an adult, I have so much more appreciation for this first book in The Heroes of Olympus Series.

The original Percy Jackson series is an iconic, mythic coming-of-age story, but The Lost Hero unveils an intense, heroic tale in which Percy’s individual journey was only the preface. He will have to join with six other demigods for the new Great Prophecy, and this book introduces us to the first three: Piper, daughter of Aphrodite, Leo, son of Hephaestus, and Jason, son of Zeus(?) - three 16 year-olds belatedly brought to Camp Half-Blood for reasons that are revealed later in the story.

The Lost Hero shows us just how complicated the new battle will be, and the story is so masterfully crafted that I can’t believe this is considered middle-grade. This reads like the type of young adult fantasy that I enjoy: unique, complex characters, high-stakes missions, and precious bonds formed in the process.

When this was first released, I recall people not loving the lack of Percy, and therefore not loving the new characters. Here are my arguments:
  1. Percy and the other loved characters are mentioned/featured quite a bit, and it’s not just through cute little Easter eggs. While our old favorites aren’t the main characters of this book, they are still integral to the story, and the growing bonds between them and our new MCs are important to explore.
  2. You need to trust the process. In addition to the appearance of our new MCs, the DISappearance of Percy Jackson is one of the most crucial plot devices here. Camp Half-Blood will figure out where he is at the end, and you just need to pick up the next book if you want to get your next dose of Percy Jackson, a hero yet again getting his life messed up by the gods.

TLDR; The Lost Hero is a PHENOMENAL beginning to the second series in the Percy Jackson universe. If you loved following his journey leading up to the Battle of Manhattan, you simply MUST pick up this book to see what happens next.