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A review by katymul
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.0
I remember losing steam with the Riordanverse the first time I read this book. I stumbled hard over the non-sympathetic narrator, and I was not braced for Riordan's sympathetic reading of the more deplorable godly behavior toward their mortal love interests. I get it, these are kids' books and Poseidon is the nicest god in the franchise...you don't want a chapter with the true story of Medusa in the middle of that.
What I think I missed is that Apollo IS a fascinating character to do a complicated and messy redemption arc with. In many ways, his minor encouragement of Octavian during the near-miss battle between Roman and Greek demigods is the least of the sins he needs to atone fore. In fact, Lester is a great answer to the "Why is Apollo the worst in the original series?" questions that can't help but linger. The most competent god with more work and expertise than anyone but Hermes comes off as a lame poet who can't even tell...because he needs another stint as a human to restore the soul of his music and strategy and, well, his aim. Metaphorically and literally. Hermes, unlike Apollo, is portrayed in the first five Percy Jackson books as never forgetting the hard work of his skillsets. Apollo has been coasting on talent for, apparently, centuries.
It's a complicated story that leaves room for a lot of fun, correction of other misunderstandings and sour notes in the story, and the chance for some fun adventures and a messy road to redemption. This time, I'm all in.
What I think I missed is that Apollo IS a fascinating character to do a complicated and messy redemption arc with. In many ways, his minor encouragement of Octavian during the near-miss battle between Roman and Greek demigods is the least of the sins he needs to atone fore. In fact, Lester is a great answer to the "Why is Apollo the worst in the original series?" questions that can't help but linger. The most competent god with more work and expertise than anyone but Hermes comes off as a lame poet who can't even tell...because he needs another stint as a human to restore the soul of his music and strategy and, well, his aim. Metaphorically and literally. Hermes, unlike Apollo, is portrayed in the first five Percy Jackson books as never forgetting the hard work of his skillsets. Apollo has been coasting on talent for, apparently, centuries.
It's a complicated story that leaves room for a lot of fun, correction of other misunderstandings and sour notes in the story, and the chance for some fun adventures and a messy road to redemption. This time, I'm all in.