Rick Riordan – BookBunnies

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%.

Caramel reviews Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel by Kwame Mbalia

Both of the little book bunnies love reading books by Rick Riordan, and both enjoy graphic novels. So Caramel jumped on the opportunity to read and review the graphic novel version of Kwame Mbalia’s Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, published in 2022 as part of the “Rick Riordan Presents” series. Today he is talking to Sprinkles about this neat book.

Caramel reviews Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens. — Caramel reviews *Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel*, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens.

Sprinkles: Okay, Caramel, can you tell us a bit about this book?

Caramel: Yes. The book is about a kid named Tristan Strong. Tristan’s best friend Eddie dies in a bus accident, so Tristan goes to Alabama to stay with his grandparents for a bit.

S: Okay, so what happens in Alabama?

C: In the middle of the night, a baby named Gum Baby comes into his room and steals Eddie’s journal. That was the last thing Tristan had of Eddie, so he does not want to lose it. So he pursues Gum Baby and punches something called a Bottle Tree, and so opens up a hole into another world.

S: So is that how he “punches a hole in the sky” as the title says?

C: Yes, because he punches a hole in the sky of this other world.

S: Hmm, that is really interesting! Tell me more about this other world.

C: All the African folk tales are real and they exist on that other world.

S: So it is a world of African mythologies.

C: Yes, African and African American.

S: I see. So Tristan goes into this world and …

C: So he tries to mend the world he kind of broke, but he also meets a lot of interesting characters. There is Anansi the storyteller and Nyame, the sky god. And there are folk tale heroes, like John Henry and Brer Rabbit.

Caramel is reading Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens. — Caramel is reading *Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel*, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens.

S: Some children might have read or heard about these characters before, but I think you met them only in this book, right?

C: Yes.

S: So was it a book full of strange characters you did not recognize? Or did the author and the illustrator introduce them to you effectively?

C: Yes! I think they both did an amazing job. I think I got a really good sense of them just by reading this book. Of course if I knew about them beforehand, maybe the book would be even more fun. But it was great fun all the same.

S: So I think fun would be one of your words to describe the book then?

C: Yes. I really like how it ends too. It ends with a bang, I liked it, but also they left a door open for a followup. And I think there are two more books about Tristan.

S: Yes, I saw that too. But I am not sure those are in graphic novel form. Would you like to read them?

C: Sure, I would.

S: Okay, then Caramel. Tell me how you would describe the book in three to five words.

C: Fun, funny, and action-packed.

S: I can see it! I flipped through the pages. The pictures are very dynamic and there seems to be a lot of action.

C: Yes!

S: Okay, then, let us wrap up this review so we can figure out how you can move on to the next book in the series. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel enjoyed reading Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens, and eager to read more. — Caramel enjoyed reading *Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky: The Graphic Novel*, written by Kwame Mbalia, adapted by Robert Venditti, and illustrated by Olivia Stephens, and eager to read more.

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%.

Marshmallow reviews The Serpent’s Shadow (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has already reviewed The Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire, the first two books of Rick Riordan‘s Kane Chronicles series. Today she reviews the third and last book, The Serpent’s Shadow, first published in 2012. Having read the first two books herself, Sprinkles was curious about this third one, and so she is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, tell us a bit about this book.

Marshmallow: Well, things end conveniently for Sadie! Though it is a bit unrealistic…

S: I’m guessing you are talking about her romantic pursuits.

M: Yes. Oh and the world does not get destroyed.

S: Well, I could guess that because the author wrote several more books after this one, and in some, the Kane siblings themselves show up.

M: Yes. And some of those stories are published along with these books. In the first book, The Red Pyramid, there was a story titled “The Son of Sobek”, which featured Carter Kane and Percy Jackson. In the second book, The Throne of Fire, there was a story titled “The Staff of Serapis”with Annabeth and Sadie. In this third book, there is a story titled “The Crown of Ptolemy” and all four of these characters work together. These three stories all apparently happen after the three books of the Kane Chronicles. So yes, there were some clues about the world not ending.

S: And I thought the stories were really neat, but the first one told me a bit more than I knew about, for example, about the kids training with Carter and Sadie, and the second one kind of gave away the resolution of Sadie’s love triangle dilemma. So maybe people should not read the stories if they do not want any spoilers.

M: You are right. The spoilers are not terribly explicit, and they just give you some hints. But they are there, and if you want no spoilers, then you should hold off on them. But maybe we should talk about the actual book itself.

S: Yes, I am quite eager to learn more about what is going to happen, but you need to promise me: no spoilers!

M: I’ll try.

Marshmallow is reading The Serpent's Shadow (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *The Serpent’s Shadow* (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan.

S: So, how would you describe the plot without giving away too much?

M: Hmm, well, the serpent in the title is Apophis, as you could imagine, the snake of Chaos, who has been trying to take over the world.

S: Okay.

M: Carter and Sadie need to find a way to stop him, and remember in the previous book, they had already woken up Ra, but he was old and more or less senile. So in this book, they have to figure out how to handle that situation, too. And the solution involves souls and magic and deep Egyptian mythology stuff like that.

S: Okay, maybe this is enough, because I can see you struggling not to give away anything.

M: Yes. I want to tell you everything and talk about them. But I know you don’t want to just yet. You just have to read the book Sprinkles.

S: Okay, I will read the book, I want to, but I am curious, did you like how Riordan tied things up in the end?

M: Yes. I think he is very good at this. I’m not a huge fan of the very last sentence but the resolution is very good.

S: And of course, there is an open door for more adventures, I am assuming?

M: Yes, some minor plots are unresolved, but the ending still feels pretty complete. And yet you want to know more about these characters and their worlds. All in all a very satisfying reading experience.

S: So let us wrap this up so I can get the book and start reading.

M: Sure.

S: So how would you rate this book then?

M: I’d rate it 100%. It is a satisfying finish to a really neat trilogy.

S: Sounds good. So what do you want to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies! We will be back in August!

Marshmallow rates The Serpent's Shadow (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Serpent’s Shadow* (Book Three of The Kane Chronicles series) by Rick Riordan 100%.