Rick Riordan – BookBunnies

Marshmallow reviews The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

As a big Rick Riordan fan, Marshmallow could not pass on the opportunity to read a new book about the world of Greek and Roman demigods he created. Today she shares with us her thoughts on The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, which came out this month. Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Marshmallow reviews The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. — Marshmallow reviews *The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure*, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, as far as I understand, this is supposed to be the story of the quest hinted at at the end of The Tower of Nero, which was the fifth and last book of the Trials of Apollo series and which you reviewed almost a year ago. Did you need to reread the series or at least that last book before you dove into this one?

Marshmallow: Well, it might have been a good idea I guess, but honestly, I did not reread anything. I just dove right in.

S: But at least you already knew who Nico di Angelo and Will Solace were, right? So should readers know them before they read this book?

M: I think it would be good to have read some of the earlier Rick Riordan books, so that you would know some of the characters, and the general thrust of the world they are living in, but the plot of this book is solid enough and can stand on its own, so I think one could actually enjoy this one on its own. Of course you would get much more out of it if you had read all of the other books before.

S: Okay, so let us talk about that plot. What is happening? And tell us in a sentence or so who Nico and Will are.

M: So these books are always about adventures of certain demigods. That means that the heroes are always children of one of the Greek or Roman gods or goddesses. So Nico is a son of Hades, and Will is a son of Apollo. And they fell in love some time in the third or fourth book of the Trials of Apollo series, and they are already a couple in this book.

S: Okay, now we know the main characters. And what is the quest they are on?

M: They are going to save Bob from Tartarus. Bob is a Titan but he eventually became friends with Percy Jackson and helped him and his friends but now is taken prisoner and so needs saving.

S: That sounds dangerous.

M: It is. There are many monsters and evil spirits that they have to fight along the way. And the place itself, Tartarus, is trying to kill them. Or rather driving them insane, by making them lose all hope and such. And Nico, being a son of Hades, already feels pretty dark and unpleasant feelings. Will calls him his “little grumpy ball of darkness”, or something. And Will is of course so opposite, always bright and cheery. Not to mention he can glow! But in this book he needs to also figure out the darkness in himself.

S: Ooh, that sounds intriguing.

M: Yes, Sprinkles, I think you should probably read the book some time.

S: I just might.

Marshmallow is reading The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. — Marshmallow is reading *The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure*, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro.

S: So overall what did you think? Two authors writing a book together is not that common. I know Caramel reviewed The Menagerie series by Tui Sutherland and Kari Sutherland, but other than that, I don’t think we reviewed any fiction authored by more than one person.

M: I did review one book like that: To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer. But you are right, I have not read too many other books like this one. And this book, especially the first half of it, did not sound like Rick Riordan’s other books. So it was clear it was not only him.

S: I understand that Riordan wanted to share this task with Mark Oshiro because the book centers two gay characters and he did not want to assume their perspective as a straight man himself. I think that is a good thing, but of course he also wrote several books where he told the story from the points of view of female characters.

M: I guess a lot of men write from female perspectives. And lots of women write from male perspectives. I’m thinking of the Harry Potter series for example.

S: I guess it is good that he was being thoughtful. It makes sense that he felt out of his element when thinking about a relationship of two young men and wanted to be careful.

M: Anyways in the end, the book turned out pretty good.

S: So you clearly enjoyed it. You did finish it rather quickly, and after all, it is more than 450 pages.

M: Yep. It was scary at times, and a bit mushier than some of the other books, but it was a lot of fun.

S: So how would you rate it?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

S: Sounds great! I will then have to borrow it from you for a while.

M: Sure.

S: And in the meantime, what would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro 100%. — Marshmallow rates *The Sun and the Star: A Nico Di Angelo Adventure*, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow has reviewed several book series by Rick Riordan for the book bunnies blog. Today she talks about a stand-alone book by Riordan, Daughter of the Deep, published first in 2021. Sprinkles was curious about the book, too, so she is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow let us start with your one-to-two sentences overview of the book.

Marshmallow: If you like to read books about family, friends, and ocean life, or if you have enjoyed books by Rick Riordan before, then this might be the book for you.

S: Well, that is a good start. Tell me a bit about the story.

M: There is this girl named Ana Dakkar, and she is wrapping up her second year at a special high school intended for young people who want to go into professions involving the ocean. The school is named Harding-Pencroft Academy, and honestly it sounds like an awesome place to be.

S: How so?

M: It is a fancy private school, but more importantly, the classes are all oriented towards the ocean. The students are split into four houses, a bit like the four houses in Hogwarts…

S: Well, I can see how that sounds similar, but a lot of boarding schools have such things.

M: In any case, the school is not like Hogwarts at all in any other way. For example, it is in Southern California. And they have climbing walls and cinnamon rolls and other fancy things, like a lot of exciting classes about the sea. And they also study things like cryptography, and navigation, and communication, and defense.

S: So okay, I see. HP is kind of like a naval academy, but at the high-school level. Let us get back to the story now. What is going on in the book?

M: On the last Friday of her second year at her school, Ana and her classmates go on a field trip, and they are supposed to face a challenge or something. But then the school blows up!

S: Wait, what??

M: Yes, everyone else in the school is gone, all at once. And Ana’s brother, who was a senior at Harding-Pencroft, was there, too. So Ana is understandably heartbroken. And Ana does not have her parents anymore, so she feels totally lost. Their teacher, who was coming along to the field trip with them, tells the class that their school was attacked by a rival school.

S: Wow, that is some serious rivalry.

M: Yes. It is called the Land Institute, and they are pretty serious. They are also a marine biology oriented school. But HP is more research-oriented, and the Land Institute is more militaristic. Anyways, from here on, it is open war with the Land Institute, and it turns out that along the way Ana learns a bit about her own family history.

S: Hmm. That is kind of cryptic.

M: I don’t want to spoil it too much. Okay, but if the readers have read Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and some of his other books, then they have a lot of fun revelations to look forward to.

S: Hmm. I’m getting quite curious. And I have some ideas…

M: Maybe you should read the book then.

S: I think I will.

Marshmallow is reading Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Daughter of the Deep* by Rick Riordan.

S: Okay, so how did it feel like reading another book by Rick Riordan?

M: I thought it would be about mythology again, and I was kind of surprised that it was not. It was a pleasant surprise. It is a really well-written book.

S: Tell me more about how it is written.

M: Well, the story is all told in first person through the voice of Ana herself. And as you might recall from my reviews of the Percy Jackson books, Riordan is really great at channeling the thoughts and voice of his characters.

S: Is Ana funny?

M: Not as funny as Percy, but she felt like a real person, and I really liked her. Though I was kind of confused about how she could be so empathetic towards the sentient submarine that killed–

S: Wait, don’t you think that is kind of a big spoiler??? And a sentient submarine! Wow!

M: Yes, it is a really interesting book! You just have to read it Sprinkles.

S: I am starting to think that Caramel might like it, too, with his love of robots…

M: We did watch the movie version of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea together. So I agree, he might like this book, too.

S: Okay, then, but I will have to read it first.

M: Sure.

S: So let us wrap up this review then. What would be your rating, Marshmallow?

M: I’d rate it 100%.

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

M: Stay tuned for more amazing book reviews from the book bunnies!

Marshmallow rates Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan 100%. — Marshmallow rates *Daughter of the Deep* 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.

Marshmallow reviews Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds by Rick Riordan

Marshmallow is clearly a Rick Riordan fan. Most recently she reviewed for the book bunnies blog the three books that make up the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series: The Sword of Summer, The Hammer of Thor, and The Ship of the Dead. Today she writes about a companion book to the trilogy: Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you like books about Norse mythology or enjoyed reading the Magnus Chase books by Rick Riordan, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): In Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds, characters from the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, including several of the most prominent gods and goddesses, introduce readers to the nine worlds of Norse mythology and tell stories. All throughout, we learn new facts about Norse mythology in creative ways: there are advice columns, interviews, rap battles, and more.

The book starts off with an introduction to Hotel Valhalla, the place where einherjar (the chosen warriors of Odin) wait to fight in Ragnarok. The managers of the hotel introduce the Norse worlds (there’s nine!) to the readers, assumed to be incoming einherjar:

Dear Valued Guests,
On behalf of the staff, welcome to Hotel Valhalla. We recognize that there were other options for your afterlife. We thank you for the selfless sacrifice that landed you here among Odin’s chosen warriors instead of elsewhere.
Helgi, Manager of Hotel Valhalla since 749 C.E.

Some of the gods and goddesses we met in the Magnus Chase series tell us stories and cool facts about themselves and other things that make up Norse mythology. For example, there is an interview with Odin, the all-father. We met Odin before, in The Sword of Summer, and he was a little annoying, always trying to give PowerPoint presentations and sell his courses. The same character is in full display in the interview, but we also learn about some of his backstory. Then there is an advice column featuring Frigg, the wife of Odin, who while dispensing advice retells some old stories involving her and her family.

This book is divided into different sections. There is a section on gods and goddesses, one on mythical beings, and another on fantastic creatures. Also, at the end of the book, there is a glossary which tells you how to pronounce the words and names in Norse mythology.

Marshmallow is reading Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds by Rick Riordan. — Marshmallow is reading *Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds* by Rick Riordan.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that this is a great complementary book to the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. It helps explain some things that were mentioned in the series and adds context. Hotel Valhalla continues the tradition of companion books, similar to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Unofficial Ultimate Harry Potter Spellbook, and The Demigod Diaries, as well as Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes. Just like how the first two complemented the Harry Potter universe, and the latter three complemented the world of Percy Jackson, I like how Hotel Valhalla complements the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.

One thing that I really liked was that the author, Rick Riordan, managed to find many different, unique ways to tell the stories in the book. There are many different formats. Some are interviews and others are just written in the first person from the perspective of some of the gods and goddesses. I particularly found the advice column one funny, as it reminded me of a book I recently read and reviewed: Dear Student by Elly Swartz.

Unfortunately, there are not too many images in Hotel Valhalla. There are just a few sketches to help us visualize some of the gods and goddesses, but all are black and white, and there is no color, unlike the full-color images in The Demigod Diaries. They are still pretty neat images though.

I think that Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds is a great book to read before or after reading the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. Reading it before might give you a platform, sufficient background to use. It is also perfectly enjoyable afterwards, when you want to revisit the world of Magnus Chase. You also learn a lot of new stories from Norse mythology.

Marshmallow’s Rating: 95%.

Marshmallow rates Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds by Rick Riordan 95%. — Marshmallow rates *Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds* by Rick Riordan 95%.