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Teen SRC 2020 – The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus - Riordan, Rick

Hey guys! It’s been a while… jeez. I promise I’ll be posting a lot more after Summer School’s over, so around the beginning of August.

Anyways, today I’ll be reviewing yet another nostalgic read: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan.

This is the last book of the Heroes of Olympus, and boy did I cry. I also finished it at like Midnight so I was really in my ~feels~

Summary: Again, I’m assuming you’ve read the first 4 books as I write this summary, so if you haven’t, jump down to My Thoughts! Percy and Annabeth have come back from Tartarus and managed to close the Doors of Death. However, their troubles are far from over; Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge are still struggling to bring the Athena Parthenon back to camp, and Leo and the rest of the crew are on the Argonaut II trying desperately to fulfill the prophesy and stop Gaea. Unfortunately, the Earth Mother is growing stronger and more conscious every second…

My Thoughts: Brilliant. When has Rick ever let me down?? This is definitely not yet a teen book, but I can attest to the fact that you would like it. The characters have gone through so, so much, and the entire world and plot is SO well thought-out and executed, which just doesn’t happen much anymore… And, remember how I promised you guys I don’t hate romance? Well this is my proof. Percy and Annabeth: absolute chef’s kiss. And best of all? The story isn’t overly focused on their romance!! It’s subtle, yet super duper deep and always developing! SHOW, not TELL!! Now that’s how you do it ladies and gents :)) When I finished it, it felt like a part of my childhood was leaving and that’s why I was like sobbing at midnight so… warning??

Before I leave, my final rating is a 10/10, wouldn’t say anything less. (oh, and Hazel’s 13… HAhaha I’ll let you ponder over that).

Teen SRC 2020 – The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena

Hey guys! This week I’ll be reviewing The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

This is a bit unusual, as this is a spin-off from the Percy Jackson series and I don’t usually review Children’s books. However, I do believe that this series is quite mature and I have no doubt most of you would still enjoy reading it now.

This is the 3rd book in the series: The Heroes of Olympus, and takes place after the original Percy Jackson books. Percy and Annabeth are still main characters, but we are also introduced to quite a few new friends, including… some Roman demigods!

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Teen SRC 2019 – Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe

Circe by Madeline Miller

(This review is kind of long, so there’s a TL;DR at the end for those who don’t want to read the whole thing.)

Buckle up kiddos, because this book is a wild, wild, ride. Prepare to be hurt. Prepare to cry. Prepare to enjoy every second of the madness. When I say I would lay my life on the line for Circe, there is hardly any hyperbole. 

Background: I discovered Madeline Miller a year or two ago, when I read her Song of Achilles. It’s an intense, sweeping tale, but that’s a review for another day. The point being, I was super excited when I found out she was doing a new book, as she’s an amazing writer. More on that later. 

Anyway, Circe, as you probably expected, is a retelling of the life of the enchantress Circe. She is known in Greek mythology as a goddess of magic and transformation, most famously in Homer’s Odyssey. The book follows her through her father’s halls (her father is Helios the titan), various adventures, whirlpools and remote islands. As far as I can tell, most, though not all of the plot elements are taken from original texts about her. 

(At this point, I’ll say that I don’t think I’d recommend this book for younger audiences. There’s swearing and, y’know, other things going on that could be considered pretty unsavoury. No explicit sex scenes or anything, this isn’t Fifty Shades, but still. It can get to be a little much.)

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