Scan barcode
A review by jayecard
The Sun and the Star by Mark Oshiro, Rick Riordan
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This is the book that was written specifically for me.
I can't even put into words how it feels to go from Nico being a favorite character, to him becoming more and more beloved and relatable for me, to him becoming a protagonist and going on a journey that struck me terribly deeply. Nico and Will's story is not about falling in love, it's about going from "in love" to loving each other fully and truly. And I've never, NEVER seen that written with such a powerful authenticity. Every emotional interaction, every little misstep, and every little progress, felt like a punch right in the gut. I'm mentally ill, I have a relationship, and this is EXACTLY what it's like. Nico being scared that letting Will help him will scare Will away or put too much strain on him. Will not knowing how to reach Nico and how to really help him when he's struggling. Them having to accept parts of each other that are so terribly hard to open up about. It's so real and raw and not at all what I would have expected when I first got into Percy Jackson all the way back.
And at the same time, it still IS a PJO book. It's quirky and there are silly incarnations of old legends and monsters, there's adventures and sudden troubles and a touch of mysterious force from gods that more and more are becoming a reflection of their concepts. I was having fun and processing emotional trauma at the same time. What more do you want. This is probably one of my all time favorites now.
I can't even put into words how it feels to go from Nico being a favorite character, to him becoming more and more beloved and relatable for me, to him becoming a protagonist and going on a journey that struck me terribly deeply. Nico and Will's story is not about falling in love, it's about going from "in love" to loving each other fully and truly. And I've never, NEVER seen that written with such a powerful authenticity. Every emotional interaction, every little misstep, and every little progress, felt like a punch right in the gut. I'm mentally ill, I have a relationship, and this is EXACTLY what it's like. Nico being scared that letting Will help him will scare Will away or put too much strain on him. Will not knowing how to reach Nico and how to really help him when he's struggling. Them having to accept parts of each other that are so terribly hard to open up about. It's so real and raw and not at all what I would have expected when I first got into Percy Jackson all the way back.
And at the same time, it still IS a PJO book. It's quirky and there are silly incarnations of old legends and monsters, there's adventures and sudden troubles and a touch of mysterious force from gods that more and more are becoming a reflection of their concepts. I was having fun and processing emotional trauma at the same time. What more do you want. This is probably one of my all time favorites now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: War and Outing
A character's behaviour closely reflects (and could be considered allegorical) to an abusive parent. There are brief moments of evil spirits trying to tempt characters into suicide.