The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan - Heroes of Olympus Book Three

*This review contains spoilers.*

So, The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan, third in the Heroes of Olympus series.

I absolutely loved this book. I really love the Percy Jackson stuff in general, as I love Greek mythology, and I think the books have the perfect balance of humor, action, romance and tragedy, i.e. the makings of a classic. Needless to say, I was ecstatically looking forward to getting this book, because I love all of Rick Riordan's stuff, and expected this to be no different.

 Even then I was surprised how much I loved this book.

Of course, I love Riordan's style, and the general premise of the Percy Jackson books, and you do, too, if you've searched for this post, i.e. if you're a fan of the series, this will not disappoint. Books where people lose their memories or are lost for some time usually irk me, and even though I love this series enough for that not to happen, I was very pleased that Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, Percy and Annabeth were all back together, knowing who they all are.

Another aspect of this book was the emotional growth of the characters. I feel like we saw a lot more of Percy and Jason in terms of how they feel about their leadership, which was a fascinating and enjoyable delve into their psyches. Also, and I've never really felt much of a connection to Annabeth, there was a little more depth to her, and I guess I saw her as less of an abstraction in this installment.

Okay, romance! Piper and Jason are wonderful...I think they have what I consider the ideal relationship archetypes for some reason, with him being a child of Zeus, and her of Aphrodite...it just feels like the way things should be...and they're all sweet and caring about each other and such. ...And Percy and Annabeth...I actually had a tear brought to my eye by this one. There was a point where Percy had just gotten Annabeth back, and he says that he always feels like he's walking on eggshells and that any second he might shatter his relationship...and that made my tear up, all vulnerable sounding and such. They were also more open then we've ever seen them, which I really enjoyed...and I've always nursed a bit of a thing for Percy...so, yeah.

In short, the book was absolutely excellent! The romance, the humor, the style, the mythology, the pacing, the plot, the everything was completely perfect! I even liked the ending...both joyous and tragic, in its way.

Complete Tangent: This book just brought me back to the good old days...I decided to read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in the stairwell of my middle school. I talked to some girl I thought I hated in chem my junior year because she had The Lost Hero...yes, it was probably started with 12 year old boys in mind, but I don't care. Warm and fuzzy feelings, I say! Not as many feels as Harry Potter, but just pleasantly familiar and good and such. I've started college, and I'm disappointed with the way it all turned out and I'm just kinda miserable about it...put Percy Jackson made me happy in a way I haven't been since I got here, and I thank him for that.

Back on track: Basically, best book ever and you should absolutely read it!

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan

The third and apparently final book in The Kane Chronicles. To be totally honest, as I only am with you, dear blog readers, I had no idea this came out until I saw it at the store and bought it. I loved it, like I do all Rick Riordan's books, and here's a little bit about why.

My Thoughts

1. I started this book today at about 6:00 PM and read it straight through in five hours. Like all of Riordan's books, it's a very engaging read. Some people think quick books indicate a low level of literature, but I strongly disagree: it's so good, you just plow right through three or four hundred pages, completely unaware of even turning them you're so absorbed. His writing is accessible or relatable or something...I don't know, but I highly recommend his works.
2. I am, of course, fascinated by mythology. I'm particularly partial to the Greco-Roman  pantheon, but I'm still quite interested in the Ancient Egyptian deities as well, so that was very interesting to me. 
3. As always, there's a fair bit of light humor, which never ceases to make me giggle. 
4. I'm not gonna lie: at the end, as Carter was waxing poetic (and I love poetry, so I use that phrase without a hint of sarcasm) about civilization before they took on Apophis, I teared up. I know, realistically, that in no book/film/TV show is the world ever really going to dissolve away into nothingness/chaos/hellfire - that just doesn't happen - but I still got emotional..and I love a book that can make me cry.  
5. I'm not going to lie about this either: I have totally had a thing for Anubis in these books. Their relationship, and the Walt element, a Sadie's mother's line about them being awkward in the mortal world just made my heart melt. You have to admit, it's probably the world's only unique ending to a love triangle. Ever. In the history of love triangles. 
6. I love everyone's premonitions about the "other gods" at the end of the book. :)

Final Score: 10/10

It's a fun read, with great characters and engaging plot and adorable romance...I recommend this, as well as all of Rick Riordan's other books like it, i.e. the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Heroes of Olympus series, and of course, the first two books in this series. 

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

This book is the second one in the Heroes of Olympus series, which is the continuation of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. We're seriously diverging from format here, mainly because I am too excited about this book to do anything but gush!

This series is the most amazing ever and this installment did not disappoint! First, we're back in Percy's perspective (instead of Leo, Jason, and Piper's like in The Lost Hero)!!!! And there's some Nico (and you know I love him, too!) And at first I really didn't like the Romans (all this discipline and duty stuff...give me the Greeks and their arts, philosophy and poetry any day!) but they grew on me. Percy is so freaking amazing! I'm a little worried about what Rick Riordan is setting up with Annabeth and how Percy can't make a sacrifice (that Frank WILL make) because he's too loyal.....I am a die-hard Percabeth fanatic...so that better make it through this series!!!

In short, I love Percy and I love this book and I love this series and you should all read them all!

Here's a link to this series' site; check it out! And read it! Read them all!