mythology – Page 11 – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews The Son of Neptune (Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow reviewed several books by Rick Riordan before. (See her reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse. You might also like to check out her reviews for Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes.) Last week she wrote about the first book of his Heroes of Olympus series: The Lost Hero. This week she is on to the second book: The Son of Neptune. Sprinkles, who has just finished the book, is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, what do you want to tell our readers about The Son of Neptune, another 500-pager from Rick Riordan?

Marshmallow: I think if someone liked other books by Rick Riordan, this is not going to be a disappointment. It is a very good book!

S: What is the story about? What happens in the book?

M: It’s about Percy Jackson, who doesn’t remember anything. He gets himself to Camp Jupiter, which is a place for Roman demigods, half-bloods who are children of Roman gods.

S: So you probably need to know who Percy is and so on. You should have read the previous books in both of the series, it seems like. Right?

M: Yes.

S: In the first series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we meet Percy Jackson, a son of Poseidon, who goes to Camp Half-Blood, where there are other demigods, that is, children of Greek gods. In this second series, Heroes of Olympus, we learn that there is also a camp for demigods who are children of Roman gods.

M: Yes, in The Lost Hero, we learned about Camp Jupiter, but there, the main characters were also in Camp Half-Blood. In this book we finally get to go to Camp Jupiter.

S: Yes, I think the author set the stage for that very well in the first book of the series.

Marshmallow is reading The Son of Neptune (Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *The Son of Neptune* (Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan.

S: So let me see… Who is your favorite character in this book?

M: Probably Reyna.

S: Why?

M: Because she is a strong leader. And she is a good fighter. She is not a main character in this book actually, but she will become more important in the later books in the series.

S: Hmm, spoilers spoilers! I haven’t yet read the other books. But I liked Reyna too. She is not squeamish and she is not mean. She is a strong leader, like you say. She holds on to her principles and stands up to bullies.

M: Yes. I agree. But I must repeat that you cannot really get much out of this book if you have not read the first book of the series, but you also probably should have read all five books of the first series. People from the first series do show up or at least are mentioned. So to get the most out of this book, you should probably read things in order.

S: I agree. And the people from those earlier books show up unexpectedly sometimes. I think Riordan does a great job making these connections.

M: The plot is really complicated even when you have read all the other books.

S: So you are not going to tell us what that plot is, it seems like.

M: Well, in the first book we learned that Gaea is evil. And she is angry at the Olympian gods and wants to get rid of them. In this book that thread continues, with a few new plot twists that come with the new characters introduced to the story.

S: Yes, I think that is a good summary without giving away much! But this distinction between Greek and Roman gods, where Percy is the son of Poseidon, but in this book, people think he is the son of Neptune, the Roman version; that part was a bit fuzzy at first, wasn’t it?

M: Yeah, it was kind of confusing how they are the same but not the same, but in this book it is explained a bit more, so I think I understood it better.

S: Yes, I appreciated talking it over with you, and we figured things out together a bit, right?

M: Yes, i suggest that parents might want to read these books, too, so they can discuss them with their little ones.

S: I definitely am enjoying reading them!

M: They are good books! And I am really glad that I read Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes before reading this new series. Some of those characters show up and it is good to know their backstories.

S: I know you are trying to get me to read that book for a while Marshmallow. We’ll see. For now I will continue with this Heroes of Olympus series. So let us wrap up this review. What is your final verdict on The Son of Neptune?

M: I rate it 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Son of Neptune (Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Son of Neptune* (Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Lost Hero (Book 1 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has reviewed several books from Rick Riordan before. in particular she reviewed three books from his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: check out her reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse. But she is now eager to share with you her thoughts about the first book of The Heroes of Olympus series: The Lost Hero.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked some of Rick Riordan’s other books or if you just like reading about Greek mythology, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary: Jason opens his eyes and finds himself in the Wilderness School, a school for delinquents and misfits. His best friend is a boy named Leo Valdez, put in the school because he ran away six times after his mother died. We soon learn that Leo has a talent with tools. His girlfriend, Piper McLean, stole a BMW. Piper says she didn’t, but Jason doesn’t know, because he doesn’t remember anything. All he knows is that they are on an educational field trip to the Grand Canyon with a teacher named Coach Hedge.

Everyone seems to think that Jason is part of the class except Coach Hedge. He seems to know that Jason was not in his class before. But Leo and Piper seem to think that they know him. When they arrive at their destination, one of their classmates turns into a ventus, a storm spirit, which tries to kill them. Piper falls and starts to plummet towards the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Jason jumps and finds out that he can fly by using winds to hold him up. They battle the ventus, but more of them come. Then Coach Hedge comes and saves them, but is kidnapped by the venti that manage to escape.

In the middle of all this, a chariot shows up in the sky and a girl named Annabeth is there to collect them. From Annabeth we (readers who are familiar with the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series) learn that Percy Jackson is missing. But Jason, Leo, and Piper have no idea who Percy is.

The three friends are taken to a camp called Camp Half-Blood. There they spend some time until they are given a quest. Hera has been captured and they need to rescue her. But remember, Hera is a powerful goddess. And someone that can trick her into stepping into a trap must be very powerful.

Marshmallow is reading *The Lost Hero* (Book 1 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that The Lost Hero is a great book to start a great series. Rick Riordan tells the story in a way that makes you have to read the next chapter. This book is great and its plot sets the stage for the next book in the series.

I think that if you want to read this book, though, you would have to read the series that Rick Riordan wrote before, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

The characters are also well written themselves. Each character has a mystery about their past. By the end of The Lost Hero you feel like you know what the characters would do in a certain situation.

I think that if you are looking for a book that is not part of a series, then this is probably not the book you are looking for. If you read the first book, you will just have to read the rest of the series.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%.

Marshmallow rates The Lost Hero (Book 1 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Lost Hero* (Book 1 of the Heroes of Olympus Series) by Rick Riordan 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan

Last week Marshmallow described Rick Riordan’s introductory book on Greek gods: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods. This week she wanted to talk about a related book, again by Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Sprinkles decided to join her and will be asking questions.

Sprinkles: So this week we will be talking about Rick Riordan’s book about Greek heroes. This is another 500-page book and you have been reading it over and over again.

Marshmallow: Yes, I think it is a pretty good book.

S: So what is this book about really?

M: It’s about Greek heroes like Hercules and Perseus and Theseus. And Perseus is apparently who Percy Jackson was named after.

S: I think we had learned that in one of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books. It was at least in one of the movies.

M: Oh yes, I remember that scene.

S: So just like in his Greek gods book, in this one, too Percy Jackson is narrating and telling us stories about these famous heroes of ancient Greek mythology.

M: Yes.

Marshmallow is reading Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes* by Rick Riordan.

S: I know you knew about some of the Greek gods before. But did you know about any of the heroes in this book before reading it?

M: Yes, I knew a little bit about Theseus and Perseus, and Atalanta, and Orpheus, and Hercules.

S: Oh, I didn’t know you knew that much about all these characters. Then did you learn anything new when reading this book?

M: Yes. I didn’t know about Otrera who started the Amazons. It is kind of a sad story really. And most of them are kind of sad stories anyways. But the chapter names are really funny.

S: Tell me some of your favorites then.

M: There is one called “Phaethon Fails Driver’s Ed”. And there is “Otrera Invents the Amazons (with Free Two-Day Shipping!)”. I also like “Atalanta vs. Three Pieces of Fruit: The Ultimate Death Match”.

S: I get the point. It seems like Rick Riordan always finds amusing chapter titles.

M: Yes, in his other books, the chapter titles are funny, too.

Marshmallow is looking at the colorful insert in Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan. The first page displays artwork by John Rocco of Perseus defeating a monster. — Marshmallow is looking at the colorful insert in *Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes* by Rick Riordan. The first page displays artwork by John Rocco of Perseus defeating a monster.

S: There is once again an artwork insert in this book, right?

M: Yes. There are eight full-page illustrations by John Rocco in full color, in the middle of the book.

S: Is there a picture for each chapter?

M: No, there are more than eight chapters. Okay, let me count them. Twelve chapters.

S: I’m guessing folks who enjoyed other Percy Jackson books will like this book, too, right?

M: Yes. But maybe it might be better for older readers (9 and up). There are some words that some parents might not approve. But actually Percy Jackson always uses that kind of language. He does not always use bad words, but sometimes a few less savory words slip in.

S: Then again maybe this is almost always the case for middle-grade books. You told me before that the FunJungle books also have somewhat similar language.

M: That may be true.

S: Okay Marshmallow, I am guessing this is a good time to wrap up this review. Do you want to rate this book?

M: Yes! I rate it 95%.

Marshmallow rates Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes* by Rick Riordan 95%.

Marshmallow reviews Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has already reviewed the first three books of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. (Check out her reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse.) Today, instead of continuing with the series, which she strongly recommends readers to do, she wanted to talk about a different Percy Jackson book: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods. Sprinkles has not read this one just yet, so she is asking Marshmallow questions and taking down her answers. Enjoy!

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow you have read this 400-page book rather quickly!

Marshmallow: Yes, it’s a pretty good book. It is also very funny.

S: So what is it about?

M: The book is about the Greek gods and goddesses, and the Greek myths. Percy Jackson adds his perspective on each of the stories.

S: So the book is narrated by Percy Jackson, the hero of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series?

M: Yes. You know what’s quite funny? Depending on whether he likes the particular god or goddess he is talking about, he inserts his opinions into the narrative. For example we know that Poseidon is his father, so he says that Poseidon is the coolest. He starts the chapter “Poseidon Gets Salty” by these words:

I’m biased. But if you’re going to have a Greek god for a parent, you couldn’t do better than Poseidon. Sure, I’ve had my problems with him. He’s not the most attentive dad. But, hey, none of the Greek gods is.
At least Poseidon has awesome powers and a laid-back attitude (most of the time).
He’s amazingly cool, considering how hard it was for him as a young god. He was the middle boy. He was always being compared to his brothers, like: Wow, you’re almost as handsome as Zeus! You’re almost as powerful as Zeus! Or sometimes: You’re not as much of a loser as Hades!
That can really grate a guy after a few centuries.

M: I don’t really understand why they are always so mean to Hades. But you get my point? Percy is a funny narrator.

S: I can see that! So it seems that you might need to know who Percy is when reading this book, Is that so?

M: I guess knowing who he is can be useful, but just having read the first of the series (The Lightning Thief) might be enough. He does mention Piper, a character from the Heroes of Olympus series, which I have not yet read.

S: But it still worked for you, right?

M: Yes.

S: So what else do you want to say about this book?

M: In the middle of the book there are eight pictures of the gods doing stuff. There is a picture each for Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Ares with Hephaestus, Apollo, and Dionysus.

S: Yes, that is a neat addition. They are full color and were drawn by John Rocco, the artist who illustrated the book covers of the five books of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Marshmallow is reading Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan. She is at the beginning of the full-color insert of artwork by John Rocco. — Marshmallow is reading *Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods* by Rick Riordan. She is at the beginning of the full-color insert of artwork by John Rocco.

S: It seems like this is a book I might like to read! You had said that the Percy Jackson books could be good reading for all ages. What about this one? Is this a good book for bunnies of all ages?

M: It is probably best for ages 9 and up because it has some scenes that might be scary.

S: Alright, that is definitely good to know. How abut the myths? Do you think this is a good source for people looking to learn about Greek mythology?

M: I am not a Greek mythology expert so I honestly don’t know.

S: But maybe at least you can say whether it is a good book to get started or get more curious to learn more about Greek mythology?

M: Yes, I think so.

S: This might be a good place to wrap up this review. Would you like to rate it?

M: Yes. I rate it 95%.

Marshmallow rates Percy Jackson's Greek Gods by Rick Riordan 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods* by Rick Riordan 95%.