Tag: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Marshmallow reviews The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan

The book bunnies have read and reviewed many books by Rick Riordan through the years. Today Marshmallow reviews a relatively new one: The Wrath of the Triple Goddess was published in September 2024 as the second book of Riordan’s new series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures.

(Marshmallow had already reviewed the first book in the series, The Chalice of the Gods back in September 2023.)

Marshmallow reviews The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow reviews The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you liked Rick Riordan’s previous books, enjoy books based on Greek history and mythology, or just like reading fun books about family and friendship, then this is the book for you!

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Percy Jackson has had enough to worry about. As the son of Poseidon, his world is one of danger and death. Sure, he has an amazing family, awesome friends, and heroic adventures, but his senioritis is starting to get to him. As he approaches his graduation for New York City’s Alternative High School, Percy wants to apply to New Rome University, located in Camp Jupiter (the protective home of the Roman demigods, which was first introduced in The Lost Hero). Specifically, he wants to go to New Rome to be with his girlfriend Annabeth (a fellow demigod and the daughter of Athena) with whom he has shared many trials and tribulations. But in order to get into New Rome University, he has to get three letters of recommendation from three different Greek gods for completing quests for them.

In the first book of The Senior Year Adventures series, Percy got one from Ganymede, the cupbearer of the gods for retrieving the titular Chalice of the Gods. Now, he has been tasked with another quest, this time by Hecate the goddess of magic: he has to babysit her pet polecat Gale and hellhound Hecuba during the week of Halloween. Simple, right?

Percy accepts the assignment for two reasons. First, he’d probably end up as some unsavory type of animal if he didn’t, and, secondly, he needs that letter. So Percy, Annabeth, and Grover (Percy’s best friend who happens to be a satyr) stay over at Hecate’s house to complete this quest. But magical pets cause magical problems that need to be fixed … especially when Grover accidentally sets them loose in New York City. Can Percy and his friends find them before Hecate turns them all into candy corn?

Marshmallow is reading The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow is reading The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really enjoyed reading this book! It gave me nostalgia for the original Percy Jackson series while simultaneously getting me hooked on this new one. I don’t always like add-on series for franchises—for example, I love the Harry Potter series, including many of the supplements like The Unofficial Ultimate Harry Potter Spellbook and The Unofficial Harry Potter Bestiary, but in retrospect, I didn’t like The Cursed Child quite as much. But—perhaps because the time jump is not as jarring—this book makes an excellent addition to the Percy Jackson world of Greek mythology and magical adventure. Rick Riordan clearly hasn’t lost his touch and his authentic writing voice that makes his books so amazing to read! I love the way The Wrath of the Triple Goddess jumps right back into his world, starting to further develop the characters and their lives.

Overall, there wasn’t a single part of the plot that made me sad or disappointed in this book. I can’t speak for all Rick Riordan book fans, but I found The Wrath of the Triple Goddess to be a really fun addition to the franchise and I didn’t find any flaws.

I should also note that while this book was really fun, it was also surprisingly nuanced. This is something I think Riordan excels at. He composes text that is extremely exciting and entertaining to read, but he also makes the reader think. I think Riordan is very sensitive and finds a way to make all of his characters have many dimensions. Even in the original series, all the heroes and—most admirably—villains are fully developed characters who have stories and backgrounds that have shaped them to be the way they are in the story. In this book, in particular, I thought that Riordan did a great job for Gale (the polecat), Hecuba (the hellhound), and Hecate (the goddess of magic). For example, Riordan introduces Gale as a comedic, farting pet but eventually peels back the layers to reveal the deep injustice of her past, her astounding strength, and her raw talent. Hecuba, who is set up as a dog who is hard to walk, is transformed into a tragic hero. And Hecate’s history is uncovered by Riordan, step by step. Riordan, I have noticed, has a remarkable ability to paint these Greek gods as powerful, immortal, incomprehensible beings, yet also simultaneously and unmistakably human. This level of nuance and depth is not as recognized as it should be, given the fact that Riordan accomplishes this in a children’s book while writing the funniest lines known to bunnykind. 

On a final note, the plot is fantastic! I am really excited for the third book of The Senior Year Adventures to come out. Riordan Wiki and Reddit claim the next book will be out some time in 2025 or 2026. I can’t wait to read it!

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%. 

Marshmallow rates The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan 100%.
Marshmallow rates The Wrath of the Triple Goddess (Book 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Senior Year Adventures) by Rick Riordan 100%.

Marshmallow reviews The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow already reviewed the first three books of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for the book bunnies blog. Then Caramel took over and reviewed the graphic novel versions of the full series. The two little bunnies through the years reviewed many many more books by Riordan. This week, The Chalice of the Gods, the much awaited new Percy Jackson book, hit the bookstores around the country, and Marshmallow managed to get her paws on a copy. Today she writes about her thoughts on this book and on revisiting the world of Percy Jackson.

[Through the years, the book bunnies have reviewed several of Rick Riordan’s series, such as Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and Kane Chronicles. Here are Marshmallow’s three reviews from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse. And here are Caramel’s five The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian.]

Marshmallow reviews The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow reviews The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about Greek mythology or have enjoyed reading other books by Rick Riordan, then this might be the book for you. Just make sure you have read at least some of the Percy Jackson books before.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Percy Jackson is now a senior in high school. We meet him in this book just when he is trying to survive his first day of school. (So in terms of chronology, this book is happening after all the books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus but I believe it is before the events of Trials of Apollo.) But as any Rick Riordan fan would know, things never go according to plan for Percy Jackson. Being called to the office, Percy finds out that his guidance counselor happens to be a Nereid, or (sort of) a spirit of the sea.

Percy wants to go to New Rome University (in Camp Jupiter) with his girlfriend Annabeth. Unfortunately, he learns that, since he was not supposed to be born (his father was not supposed to sire any more demigod children), he is ineligible for it. It turns out, however, that if he goes on three quests for the gods and acquires three letters of recommendation in return from those gods, he may apply to New Rome University.

Luckily the Greek gods never tire of finding new things to have the heroes take care of. And in no time, Ganymede, cup bearer to the gods, seeks Percy’s help in finding the stolen Chalice of the Gods. This chalice is extremely valuable, because if a mortal drinks from it, they become immortal.

Percy and Annabeth want to fulfill their college plans, so together with their friend Grover, they set out to complete this first quest. Ganymede needs Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to find the chalice quickly, before Zeus calls for “a toast!” or hosts a feast in which case Ganymede’s cup bearing skills, as well as the special chalice, will be needed. In order to find the thief, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover must question several suspects and investigate to find out where the chalice is.

Marshmallow is reading The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan.
Marshmallow is reading The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I really liked reading this book and found it to be a very nice visit back to the world of Percy Jackson, from Percy Jackson’s perspective. I enjoyed reading about these familiar characters again. Riordan’s writing style was again hilarious and touching.

That said, I don’t recommend reading this book before reading the previous Percy Jackson books or some other book written by Rick Riordan. If you’ve never read about the world of Percy Jackson before, many references and the overall experience will be lost and possibly confusing.

I felt like The Chalice of the Gods is aimed for older readers. Maybe Riordan wants his readers to grow up along with Percy and his friends. That said, there is nothing inappropriate or violent (there is just one bad word: c@$p). But the book grappled with coming to terms with change (e.g. going to college, big life changes, etc.) and had a lot of deep topics.

I really enjoyed The Chalice of the Gods and found it to be a worthy addition to my Rick Riordan book series collection! Fans of Percy Jackson will be very much satisfied.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%. 

Marshmallow rates The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan 100%.
Marshmallow rates The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan 100%.

Caramel reviews The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

While tidying up his books this weekend, Caramel happened to come across his copy of The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, and just realized that he had not yet reviewed it for the book bunnies blog. As he had already reviewed the first four books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, he thought it would be only appropriate if he also reviewed this fifth book. So today that is exactly what he is doing. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

The whole book bunny household loved reading the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Marshmallow reviewed the first three novels (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse), and Caramel reviewed the graphic novel versions of the first four (The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, and The Battle of the Labyrinth).

Caramel reviews The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.
Caramel reviews The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.

Sprinkles: So Caramel you have reviewed the fourth book a little bit more than a year ago. So maybe let us start by reminding our readers what the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is all about.

Caramel: Okay. The series is about Percy Jackson, who is a demigod, which means he is a half-god. Percy is the son of the Greek god Poseidon, and the whole series is about him and his friends trying to help save the Olympian gods from Kronos, who is a titan and wants to take them down.

S: Okay, I think this is a good overview. So what happens in this book?

C: Percy first tries to attack Luke’s ship, Princess Andromeda. You might remember Luke as the demigod who is working with Kronos. But there is an explosion, and one of their friends dies. Or actually, the friend sacrifices himself by blowing up the ship. Then Percy finds himself in Poseidon’s underwater palace, which is under attack itself. He is then sent to Camp Halfblood and then eventually goes home, too, to see his mom. Along the way he picks up Nico, who is the son of Hades, and they try to plan a new strategy.

S: I remember Nico. He also had a sister, right?

C: Yes, but the sister, Bianca, joined the Hunters of Artemis in Book Three, The Titan’s Curse. And then she died. Anyways, then, Percy bathes in the River Styx and becomes invulnerable except in one single point on his back. Then there is a big fight on a bridge, and then many many more fights, in Camp Halfblood, in New York City, by Olympus, and so on.

S: Yes, I remember reading this book and thinking that it was probably the most action-filled book in the series.

C: I agree with that.

S: But now that you are reminding me of the plot once more, I am thinking there were so many characters and so many places introduced through the series that it would be pretty hard to describe them effectively to someone who has not read the first four books. Would someone who has not read the first four books understand anything from The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel?

C: No. I really don’t think so. As you said, there are a lot of characters and events from the first four books that you need to know to follow everything. It is best if you have read the first four books before this one. But they are all good books anyways, so why not read all of them? And in order?

S: I agree Caramel.

Caramel is reading The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.
Caramel is reading The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.

S: Okay so tell me a bit about the graphics. Looking over the book I see that it is pretty dark most of the time.

C: Well, a lot of the story is in the Underworld, or at night, or in the underwater palace of Poseidon, which was not too long, but you get the point. A lot of things happen in dark places.

S: I see.

C: The art is created by the same people, so the book looks quite similar to the others actually. Other than the whole being a bit too dark thing, of course.

S: I can see that. So did you know that Rick Riordan is publishing a sixth Percy Jackson book this fall?

C: Really? I did not know that. I want to read it, too.

S: Sure. But I think Marshmallow will want to read it first and review it too. And you like to review the graphic novel versions, but that will probably take a while. But The Lost Hero, the first book of the next series did already come out as a graphic novel. You might recall that Marshmallow reviewed that already.

C: I read that series, too. And I want to see the graphic novel version of it.

S: Maybe we will see if we can get you a copy, Caramel.

C: Yes, let’s.

S: Okay, Caramel. So as we are wrapping up this review, what three words would you use to describe The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel?

C: Exciting, philosophical, well-concluded.

S: Hmm, I can see what you mean. The book does tie things up and finishes the series really well.

C: Yep.

S: What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed (re)reading The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey, and diving back into the world of Percy Jackson after so long.
Caramel enjoyed (re)reading The Last Olympian: The Graphic Novel, by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with art from Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey, and diving back into the world of Percy Jackson after so long.

Caramel reviews The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

All three of the book bunnies enjoy reading the many books of Rick Riordan based on various mythologies. Caramel has already reviewed for the book bunnies blog the graphic novel versions of the first three books of Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Today he talks about the fourth book, the graphic novel version of The Battle of the Labyrinth. As usual Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

(Before continuing, you might want to check out Caramel’s reviews of The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan’s Curse.)

Caramel reviews The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.
Caramel reviews The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I know you had misplaced your copy of The Battle of the Labyrinth and only recently got your paws on it again. How did it feel rereading it after so many weeks? Or months?

Caramel: It felt good! I missed my book!

S: So it is worth the rereading, I can see that. Can you tell us what it is about?

C: It’s about Percy Jackson. We met him before in all the other books of the series.

S: Yes, you reviewed the first three books already.

C: And Marshmallow did too. She read the original books. And I reviewed the graphic novels.

S: Actually you read the original books, too, right?

C: Yes. I did. But I like the graphic novels a lot more. I like looking at the pictures, and they arw so much more full of action!

S: I can see that. And yes, the graphic novel format brings the people alive somehow. Right?

C: Yes.

S: Okay, let’s assume we all read the first three books and know Percy is a demigod, that is, a son of the Greek god Poseidon, and he is on a quest to save the world from Kronos, one of the titans, who is trying to take over and overthrow the Olympian gods. Can you tell us what is happening in this book?

C: Percy and his friend Annabeth find the labyrinth. You know the labyrinth, right?

S: What should I know about it?

C: It is Daedalus‘s lab more or less, but it is a living thing, it keeps changing, and popping up new branches, and moving around underground. And Daedalus is a son of Athena, and he is a genius, and his labyrinth is a work of genius.

S: Okay, so why do Percy and Annabeth want to find it?

C: They don’t. They just accidentally fall into it. And then they realize how important it is. And there is a battle. Of the labyrinth. As you could imagine, given the title of th book.

Caramel is reading The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.
Caramel is reading The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey.

S: So on one side of this battle are Percy and his friends, I can imagine.

C: And the gods, of course.

S: Okay, and on the other side?

C: The titans, and of course, Kronos who is leading them.

S: Hmm, and since this is the fourth book in a series of five, I am assuming that there is still a lot left for our heroes to do by the end?

C: Yup, but this one does end with some sort of a conclusion to a part of the story. So you leave the book satisfied but wanting also to read the next one. Of course.

S: Of course. I found it really interesting that the labyrinth shows up in many of the other books. It shows up in the Trials of Apollo series, for example.

C: Oh, but you are not supposed to give things away!

S: Oops! Okay, you are right. Then maybe I should stop talking. Why don’t you tell us your three words for the book?

C: Exciting, thrilling, and suspenseful.

S: Hmm, those are all pretty cool words Caramel! And I agree, they fit this book well. Okay, let us wrap up our review then. What do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel loved reading The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey, and he is looking forward to the fifth and last book in the series.
Caramel loved reading The Battle of the Labyrinth: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan, adapted by Robert Venditti, with Orpheus Collar, Antoine Dodé, and Chris Dickey, and he is looking forward to the fifth and last book in the series.