Reread | “The Son of Neptune” by Rick Riordan

This was such an enjoyable reading experience that I wonder why I didn’t like it much my first time through. I’m convinced that I probably wasn’t in the mood for it back then (and unfairly blamed Riordan for my lack of enjoyment), but it was exactly what I needed when I reread it a couple weeks ago.

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GENRE

MG Fantasy

SERIES

Heroes of Olympus, book 2

PUBBED

2011

QUICK SUMMARY

The Son of Neptune is the second novel in the Heroes of Olympus series, which follows the Percy Jackson books and is also about demigods. In the first of these Heroes of Olympus books, The Lost Hero, we’re introduced to Jason, Leo, and Piper, who do the usual: must survive until they make it to Camp Half-Blood and then go on a quest to save the world. In that book we learn that Gaea, mother earth, is awakening. Also in that book we learn that Jason has lost much of his memory and doesn’t remember where he’s from.

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“The Lost Hero” by Rick Riordan

This was another book that helped with my reading slump, and that’s because it was a reread of a favorite. Reading it again reminded me why I enjoyed it so much my first time through. It’s a quick read, it’s funny, and it’s about Greek and Roman mythologies. What’s not to like?

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Genre

MG Fantasy

Series

Heroes of Olympus, book 1

Pubbed

2010

Quick synopsis

The Lost Hero kicks off a new batch of books by Rick Riordan, the Heroes of Olympus series. This series immediately follows the Percy Jackson series, middle grade fantasy about the demigod children of Greek gods, but focuses on a new cast of characters and is told from various points of view.

“The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan

Back in 2016, I decided to take my time rereading Riordan’s Percy Jackson books. I’d enjoyed them when I first read them and was curious to know if I still would. I first read the books when I was in college. I wanted something light but similar to Harry Potter to read to break up the heavy texts I had to read for class. I was skeptical of the Percy Jackson books thinking they might be a rip off of Harry Potter and was pleasantly surprised to find that they weren’t.

I enjoyed the books back then and I still enjoy them now. However, I was worried at first because I read Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief by audio book and had such a horrible experience with it in that format that I wondered if the story had soured for me. It hadn’t. It was just that the narrator had done a horrible job. When I switched to the physical book to read the third book, Titan’s Curse, I quickly got swept up in the fun and adventure.

It took me almost three years to complete my reread because I took my time with it. There was no rush. I’d just pick up one of the books whenever I felt for something light and fun. I did so again in June this year after completing The Devourers by Indra Das, Tweak by Nic Sheff, and Becoming by Michelle Obama, all heavier, more serious reads. I needed something simple and light to cleanse my palate and The Last Olympian was just the thing.

Reread Double Up: “The Battle of the Labyrinth” and “Wild Magic”

The best thing for me to do when stressed is return to a favorite novel, preferably one that’s a quick, fun read that’s sure to make me momentarily forget my troubles. That need led me to reread these two novels a couple days ago. It’s been years since I’d read them, but I still enjoy them.

These two seem an unlikely pair, but they share several similarities. They are both YA novels that target readers on the cusp of adolescence. I usually think of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympian novels as middle-grade reads, but I think The Battle of the Labyrinth is where the books start to lean more heavily toward YA because Percy Jackson is now a 14-year-old but still trying to protect his friends and survive until his supposedly fateful 16^th birthday. Tamora Pierce’s Wild Magic, the first of her Immortals novels, is YA fantasy and has content that is more mature than what’s presented in The Battle of the Labyrinth, but the protagonist is a 13-year-old girl who has lost her family and is seeking a new home while learning to accept who she is.

I immensely enjoyed reading both books and while reading them, both filled me with nostalgia for when I first encountered them. I first read The Battle of the Labyrinth when I was in college. That’s when I learned of the Percy Jackson series, got hooked, and marathon-read them. I did the same when I discovered Tamora Pierce’s books in middle school. Until I reread Wild Magic, I was convinced that the Song of the Lioness books were my introduction to Tamora Pierce. But now I believe I first encountered Pierce through the Immortals books, with the third book, Emperor Mage, to be exact, before I hopped to the Song of the Lioness series.

But no matter how I discovered them or who their target audience is, I’m glad that I’m able to return to them now and still be entertained by them.

Heroes of Olympus Book Tag

Continuing from the Greek Mythology Book Tag, here is the Heroes of Olympus Book Tag created by Jasmine at Flip That Page. The tag is based on Rick Riordan’s middle-grade fantasy series of the same name of which I’m a fan. It’s an entertaining story that follows the adventures of teenage demi-gods who are trying to save the world.

Heroes of Olympus

Percy Jackson: a brave, spirited, natural leader with a sarcastic sense of humor and a will to save friends and enemies alike.

Favorite protagonist.

Greek Mythology Book Tag

I found this great book tag on My Tiny Obsessions. It was created by Jasmine at Flip That Page, who called it a bookish survey and included a section based on the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, which I, of course, will do in a separate post since this would be quite long otherwise.

Gods of Olympus

Zeus (Jupiter): God of the Sky and Thunder / King of the Gods

Favorite book (choose your own category!).

Two Audiobooks: “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and “You” by Caroline Kepnes

A couple weeks ago, I decided to give audio books a shot. Many readers find it a convenient way of reading in this busy world that we live in. With audio books, we can read while exercising, driving, and even working. We don’t have to carve out time to read, we can read as we go about our day.

For me, it was convenient but ineffective because I didn’t glean much from the stories other than having something to occupy my mind while doing repetitious tasks. The audio books I read were a middle-grade fantasy story, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and an adult thriller, You by Caroline Kepnes. Both were rereads. I’m a visual learner so I retain materials better when I see it, in this case, when I read the physical book. I easily forget things I hear so listening to an audio book doesn’t work for me. However, because of the praise audio books have received, I decided to give it a shot. Maybe I am mistaken in assuming that they won’t work for me, I thought.

Top Ten Tuesday #19: Spring 2016 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic:

Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven’t Talked About Enough/In A While

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts. I really wanted to do last week’s topic, which was about Spring TBRs, but I didn’t feel like doing it then. Plus, I forgot to do it. But, on a positive note, I’m much more in the mood to do a TBR this week and participate in this week’s topic. I usually stay away from TBRs because I hardly ever adhere to them, but I really want to do one now so here it is.

Top 5 Wednesday #11: Please Write Another

I’m extra early with my Top 5 Wednesday this time. I’m turning in early so this Wednesday meme is going up on a Tuesday.

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by GingerReadsLainey. For more information on this meme, visit the Goodreads group. This week’s topic:

Book series you wish had more books

Exploring My Bookshelves: A tour of the Riordan shelf

Exploring My Bookshelves is a weekly meme created by Addlepates and Book Nerds.

First, you post a picture of your bookshelf (preferably literal but e-shelves work too):

Since I don’t like broadcasting the untidiness of my overall bookcase, I’ll just show the shelf I’ll discuss. Fingers crossed that I get a new bookcase soon to manage the overflow.