The Blood of the Olympus by Rick Riordan
Series: Heroes of the Olympus #5
Publish: October 7th 2014 by Disney-Hyperion | Puffin
Genre: Fantasy | Mythology | Young Adult | Adventure
Pages: 516
ISBN-13: 9780141339238
Brubl: Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.
The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.
The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.
My Thoughts
WARNING: This review contains reference from previous books; to continue you should have read Percy Jackson and The Olympian series and the first four (4) books of Heroes of Olympus series before. Note that even if I try to make my reviews spoilers free I can’t guarantee since this is the last of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles’ book. Beware yourself.
I don’t have a large history with Percy Jackson as other people. I didn’t start reading it like when I was ten years old or play with my sisters like we were part of Camp Half-Blood (which I would love to). Actually, it wasn’t until last month that I pick up the books just because I wanted to know more after watching The Sea of Monsters’ movie (why I didn’t read it before? I don’t know, I ask it myself too). This first series was awesome as you can read my review of The Lightning Thief, and I enjoy the world Sr. Riordan had created.
I won’t review each book of the second series, as I didn’t review the rest of the book of the first series. But I would do a round out about them all before getting in The Blood of Olympus. Which, for me, was slower than the previous one, with lots of thing going on that sometimes made me even lose the track on things and disperse me from the read. After reading Percy Jackson and The Olympians, I was happy to continue with this world as I knew that Percy and Annabeth will come back to the new series but I wasn’t very fond of the new characters. I was shocked to find the new book from Piper, Jason and Leo’s POV. Like they were replacing those characters that I just started to love so much (I even miss Clarisse!).
And then when Hazel and Frank were with Percy, I was so mad because Annabeth was left behind and wipe out from Percy’s mind. Though, while the series was unfolding I was starting to get into every character and actually care about them. Already by the end of The House of Hades (I will not comment about The Mark of Athena and the HUGE cliffhanger) each of the new five had proved themselves to me, how much they worth to be as great as Percy and Annabeth.
Also the whole Greek/Roman thing of the Gods. I have to admit that I spoil myself a little (actually kind of a lot), so I knew already some things of this plot, but I was so confused and I wonder myself how Riordan would put all this together. But frankly it was good, a little too crazy and bizarre (as Thalia and Jason situations), but good.
So starting with The Blood of Olympian’s review; I have to say that after I struggled to embrace Jason, Leo, Piper, Hazel and Frank, I wasn’t happy to find out that now I'll be reading from Reyna and Nico’s points of view. All that cost me to care about each character and then I have these other two that, it wasn’t that I didn’t think they were great, but I preferred those who I was fond of already. But it was a pleasant surprise. They give something unique and fresh to the story as they teach us more about themselves.
The Characters:
Jason: Throughout the entire series I thought that Jason was a washed copy of Percy. Like, he HAS to be a leader just because he is the son of Zeus/Jupiter, and not because he wants to. For me, it was like the situations just happened for him to be there like all girls wanted him because there wasn't another cute guy around or that he was who everybody looks after because Percy wasn’t there. The whole internal fight between his Roman and Greek side take so long to read that sometimes I want to slap him and yell at him, decide already, boy! Though in this book I can finally see him as a great leader, I think he has potential to create great things on the demigods world but also felt so lame that it was Percy idea from the beginning and he was just following it. I would like that he could bring out something more original.
Piper: I’m proud of what Piper archived through the series. She had proved herself in so many ways that I just can’t see any other character that grow more than her. Since the first book she has embrace new facets of her personality, growing on courage, confidence, but also be so tender, sweet and lovely. She keeps the crew together. Also, she learns sword fight, release awesome things from her cornucopia, get stronger on cheamspeak and even saving the crew in different situations. Whoever thinks she doesn’t worth it I really can’t understand it. She was my favorite character from the five new and I think that she deserve more recognitions.
Leo: Oh my… everybody is over their heels because how heroic Leo was, though I have to admit that what he did was amazing, I think that it wasn’t a surprise at all, maybe because since the very beginning he always has been the seven wheel, the outsider. He enchants me with his humor but I always find him a little weird. It just I can’t explain it, because I really like Leo but I just can’t be that he blew me away because I knew what he would do, what he have to do, and it just didn’t impact me. I was sad but just that.
Frank: I like Frank and I think that just as Piper, he grow up so much. I like that he keep his tender personality even when his body chance so much. But it bothers me that he got lot of help from his dad. Jason only saw his father at the very end, Annabeth got a crazy mother and a horrible legacy through The Mark of Athena, Percy never received help from his father and few of his siblings wanted to kill him, Leo only got frustrate words from his father, Piper never get a proper help from his mother and neither Hazel, who only help was Hecate and she wasn’t helpful at all. So, Frank was so lucky to got that father and gain everything because the god was with him. Also, I got really frustrated with his mother’s side of the family. But what I think make him special is the fact that he embrace all of that and make it his own. Never let down any of his friends.
Hazel: I think that her background story is one of the most tragic of all. She has to battle with her own demons but I’m so glad that she did it so well. All she learns in the journey make her strong and capable, a true leader, so different from the silent girl she was at the beginning. I love who she became and is an example for the all the girls out there to make them find their courage to face the world no matter how horrible it looks like.
About Nico and Reyna, well, I felt for both. For Nico, because it was horrible to lost his sister but for feeling so much and can’t let it out, it was so sad to see how much depressed he was feeling. But I’m glad that through the journey they make a bond and help to heal each other. Reyna got lot of demons on her own and guilty but she was capable of get over them and help not just to Camp Half-Blood but also Camp Jupiter and become a more qualify praetor.
As more general I like that trio from the first book Jason, Piper and Leo was back. I think that they were good together and I happy that they were until the end. Also that last scene of Jason and Piper was my favorite, because just as Jason said “we creating our own story”, it a beautiful way to end the book. From the fact that they relationship was false and made of pretence, It was just a message that no matter how much the gods massed with them, it will always be a way to create their own destiny. Also for all of us who read the book.
The big BUT of this book is the fact that there’re so much opens. This book wasn’t a closure. It hanging few question and keep you wanting more. Even the very end, the last chapter, the last few pages and words, are like: NOOOOOOOO, what you did this to me!!!! Tell me more!! But you won’t get it. So probably you’re asking why I give it 5 starts if there’re buts? I give it that ranking because it fulls me like I wanted to full me. I enjoy this book more than the previous (only for the second series, the first was way better), and even with all the buts, I think that for me, this book ends as it supposes to end.
Maybe, yes, my 5 is very much subjective, though, I can't give it 3 stars because a) Riordan is a wonderful writer and his way to engage the reader into the story is marvelous. b) This book give so much to the reader that I can’t even start to say, not just the story itself but the emotions, the lessons. The author make the reader live what he is telling. c) I super recommend this book to every person in this world. Neither can I give it 4 stars because simply I enjoy more this book that the previous fours. I just can’t see myself give it less than 5. I think that it deserves it.
Overall, I recommend to read the whole series because it really wonderful. Each characters will bring the best and the worst of you, and will keep you guessing, loving and laughing at every move. And also, I think it was a good end.
About the Author
Rick Riordan is the creator of the award-winning, bestselling Percy Jackson series and the thrilling Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus series. According to Rick, the idea for the Percy Jackson stories was inspired by his son Haley. But rumors has it that Camp Half-Blood actually exists, and Rick spends his summers there recording the adventures of young demigods. Some believe that, to avoid a mass panic among the mortal population, he was forced to swear on the River Styx to present Percy Jackson’s story as fiction.
Rick lives in Boston (apart from his summers on Half-Blood Hill) with his wife and two sons.
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