A review by deedireads
The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The Tower of Nero was such a fun, resonant, beautiful conclusion to The Trials of Apollo and wrap on the Percy Jackson universe at large. I can’t believe it’s over! But my heart is happy.

For you if: You’re looking for a wholesome but deep and meaningful squeeze of the heart.

FULL REVIEW:

“I was tempted to promise we’d do this more often if we survived, but I’d learned that promises are precious. If you’re not absolutely sure you can keep them, you should never make them, much like chocolate chip cookies.”

Y’all. WHAT A RIDE. This is book 15 of 15 in the Percy Jackson universe, the conclusion of Rick Riordan’s third middle-grade quintet set in this world. And…I’m not crying, you’re crying! OK yeah no, I’m definitely crying.

The Trials of Apollo quintet is about (you guessed it), the god Apollo. At the start of the series, he was cursed/punished by Zeus and sent to live as a mortal teenager with acne named Lester Papadopoulos. He must earn back his immortality and over the course of the five books, works alongside demigod Meg McCaffrey to free the world’s oracles from the control of evil historical Roman emperors under the guise of an evil modern-day corporation called Triumvirate Holdings.

These books are just so good. I want every kid to read them and experience the inclusivity, sensitivity, representation, and giant-hearted life lessons they include. Uncle Rick’s cast of characters is intentional and beautiful. He addresses some really tough stuff in a way that feels real, but through humor and relatability. His balance of jokes and heart is perfect.

And the ending of this one was BEAUTIFUL and so good and so right and ugh I have no coherent words because books like these are what school libraries were built for and I just love them so much. Everyone should read them. They’ll warm your heart and give you hope and make you a blubbering pile of mush like me.


TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Emotional abuse/gaslighting of a child by a parent
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