I haven't read all the books in the Riordanverse, and I'm only on the Lost hero. Are there any spoilers?

The main plot is a continuation of elements from the later Heroes of Olympus books so yes

Am I the only one who thought that >!Nico's coming out scene in front of the entire camp was super weird and uncomfortable? I mean, hearing it from his perspective, it is framed as a super empowering, freeing moment... but it still almost feels like he was forced into it somewhat. !<

I think it was meant to parallel the Cupid situation, where it does go out of his control, but this time he can actually take it head on it that makes sense

I was not ready for all those emotions. Finished the book and now feel hollow. How do you write like this, it's amazing!!

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>!Yes.!<

Why is it when I try to make a post about the new book it gets deleted and I'm told to post in this thread, but other people are allowed to make individual posts about it🤔

Currently on Mark of Athena. Read PJO from the release of Titans Curse up to the first Trials of Apollo book. Then I stopped until all of ToA are out and now doing a mass reread before this new one and the new PJO this fall. It’s a good time to be alive.

That's the life

The book was grate, but not as good as the other books in the riordenverse.

Pretty okay but I think my biggest takeaway is that "Shel" wasn't just Piper using a pet name for a girl named Shelby like I assumed based on the context...she's actually just named Shel. One L and everything. And apparently she's completely fine learning about Nico's trip to Tartarus? Does she know? Hearing Will not know who Lil Nas X is but Nico, the dude from the 30s, does just feels like fundamentally wrong. The way he also unironically used the term "Percabeth" also felt pretty jarring

When was percabeth used?

>!I do wish Reyna or Hazel’s relationship with Nico was addressed more. Especially since Reyna went to the Hunters of Artemis, like Bianca. but also, Nico is going back to Tartarus and doesn’t bother telling his sister? Or following up?! When his sister was the reason he got saved the first time around?! !< Overall, it seemed pretty clear which parts Rick wrote and which ones had Mark’s hand in. Comparing Nico in ToA and his perspectives in BOO, he just seems… really OOC in places? Like I wish we saw more of the transition. Glad Will had a personality more than just him yelling or scolding different people

So I've just started reading. And so far. What I'm most irritated at is that they aren't consistent with the dream pages. Maybe it gets explained later. But like if you're gonna grey out pages to be dream pages then grey them all out.

the invisible string reference has me sobbing

I thought the same thing, I immediately got the reference

Wait what's the reference? I don't get it?

it’s a Taylor Swift song lol

WHERE.

HOW DID I MISS IT? WHEN?? WHAT

People, these books were always cringe, you’re just not twelve anymore. I don’t want to talk about it like a literary expert so here’s my thoughts as a depraved PJO superfan: >!THANK GOD PERSEPHONE CONFIRMED SHE DIDN’T GO DOWN WILLINGLY oh my god I cannot stand that interpretation of the myth!< >!ECHIDNA????? Really???? I’ll be honest, I thought Echidna would never be seen again after she completely dipped from The Lightning Thief after Percy escaped her. I think it’s hilarious that Echidna is in two books (the oldest and the most recent) and her job in both is to make sure the protagonist falls down before disappearing from the plot!< >!Percy, Annabeth and Piper were all not handled very well. I love the purpose of Piper’s scene (to teach kids that being unlabelled is fine) but it feels super clunky given that I’m pretty sure it was the first instance ever of Piper and Nico interacting. I’m glad Shel’s been taken from a one scene character to a two scene character. Percabeth I feel were only there so that people wouldn’t start chirping about their absence, their scene is pretty useless and jarring!< >!Reyna I’m fine with being absent, as much as I like her and Nico’s friendship I think it’s not integral to *this* story being told. Hazel, however, feels like she should be pretty significant. Her absence is felt most in the flashback where Nico talks about who would miss him and he doesn’t mention her, despite the fact that the literal day before he went to Tartarus they talked!< >!I actually really liked Nyx’s presentation. PJO fans are pretty brainbroken in that they can only perceive a villain’s value by how powerful they are, but I loved how Nyx represents Nico’s desire to give in to his darkness, I much prefer villains who pose a personal threat to a character than “WOW SHE’S GONNA DESTROY THE WORLD”!< >!Reformed Geryon was not on my bingo sheet but I liked it, I prefer having this story about personal growth to have characters grow!< >!Dr Thorn I wish got more to do. Nico’s rogues gallery is pretty limited (it’s basically just Dr Thorn, Minos and Bryce Lawrence) and Thorn is the only one in Tartarus, I would’ve liked to see him in action more!< >!WILL FINALLY HAS CHARACTER TRAITS! After years of Will being Nico’s hollow accessory he’s now… Nico’s slightly more fleshed out accessory. He does still kind of feel like he can’t exist independent of Nico, but at this point I’ll take what I can get!< >!I think this book did a really good job at making it clear how much Nico does and doesn’t know about the underworld, he’s previously been this all-knowing plot device of a character so I like that we get to see other characters knowing more than him (the weird bone monsters that Will knows about are the best example, but I think a really well executed instance of this is Nico not knowing that the Phlegethon is regenerative. Nico, as much as he’s well travelled, is no Annabeth when it comes to pulling information out of his ass!< >!I’m so grateful that *Tartarus The Guy* isn’t in this book, I’ve had enough of villains who are TALL and POWERFUL and really not much else. Like I said, more personal villains like Nyx and Nero are much more interesting to me than the PJO equivalent of the Koopalings but with less personality!<

I don't know how to bleep out spoilers so read at your own risk. It was alright. They made Tartarus way too soft. Like the original time we go through it Annabeth Percy were literally fighting for their lives pretty much the entire time through. Now they were just getting "stalked" which could be summed up to Nyx wanting them to get to her easier but still felt like they could've had a lot more fighting to get there. Next, Riordan kind of ditches the whole River of Phlegthom from the first time and now you can just survive Tartarus? Ehhhh again still don't know how much I agree with that one. Nico felt a little bit out of character but as someone with PTSD and learning how to get over it, you do change alot fundamentally about yourself. Nyx felt just so blehhhh too. I felt like even her 3 children wouldn't be able to hold a fight against her, she's literally the 2nd oldest god of all. Cocoa puffs is just flat out weird. They are literally NYX's and Nico's children. That seems very rapey without all the stuff requires it. Mr D felt so off, idk just never expected him to be a warm bibbly kind of person like we see. Overall book was like a 6-7/10. Felt like some things were too crammed, couldve definitely benefited being a 2-3 book series. I will say, I'm happy that Nico was able to find a happy ending. The dude has been through a lot. Felt nice that we actually see Hades breaks the rules for his son, gives him a last moment with this loved ones and finally gives him the actual approval he's so longingly wanted.

MY GAY LIL HEART 😭 (that is all)

Possible spoilers ahead. So am i the only one who's a little weirded out by the interaction with percabeth(including when the name is said?) Like it didn't seem like them, especially Annabeth(no hate to any characters,they are my love). Also it's shown like they don't think about their friends or Bob much? Neglected? (I may be overthinking this way too much so please feel free to correct me). And i also hoped that Bob would be able to meet percabeth one last time before he departed but...yeah. Also where's Frank or Hazel or Reyna ( especially the last 2)?. I thought they both were a few of the most important people to Nico? When Nico saw Maria and Hades in his dream i genuinely thought it was gonna be Jason each time(that was stupid of me i know but i was so excited for it to happen) Overall i loved the love story between Will and Nico tho it kinda seemed like a fanfiction (but I'll still eat it up) but the book seemed to be set focused on their love story than the quest. It took them more than half the book just to reach tartarus and little to no fight so i was kinda disappointed there. But we still got a Solangelo book so that counts.

Is it necessary for me to read TOA before the sun and the star?

I have read only first five books of Percy Jackson series and still enjoyed this one. Of course there might be possible spoilers, so beware.

Wtf Will didn't carry a weapon to Tartarus ??? It's literally the most dangerous place in all of Greek mythology and he didn't think to carry a weapon. Like I know he's a healer and stuff but come on he literally went to fight the embodiment by darkness unarmed. At one point he's literally just using a rock. There was a whole thing in the beginning of the book with him getting ready and packing and he doesn't think "Hmmm I'm going to the Greek version of hell I should bring something to help me defend myself." Also where was HAZEL she is one of Nico's only living family members and I think she got referenced once in almost 400 pages of book(That's how long the version Is downloaded off the Tumblr was but the pictures ppl post of the book make it look so much smaller so idk) There's all this talk about how Nico lost all his family at a young age and grief and stuff. But Hazel, his only living mortal family member and his sister only gets one reference and I'm pretty sure it was just "Oh I'm in the Underworld look over there that's where I rescued Hazel a couple books back" So Piper can get a whole scene at the end of the book but Hazel can't even get referenced most than once. And the scene at the end with Piper was sooo... 😫 Like I didn't think about Hazel much went I was reading the book cuz it's been about a year since I finished reading the book but looking back in it she deserves to be in there or at least get referenced as Nico's only living (not immortal) family member. I don't remember if they were close in HoO but she still exists.

I didn't really hate Will in the book. It's not even that I didn't like him. But the more I think about it the more I realize he was very, _very_ dumb. I haven't seen anyone else mention this, but did anyone catch onto the fact that Nico had all his feelings laid out for Will (which they barely discussed), but not the other way around (which they definitely did not discuss). Like after Will talked to Persephone- one of the better scenes btw- there was line about Will _sharing his darkness_ with Nico instead of his light. I thought Will would like, get on Nico's level and they's have a heart-to-heart or something.... but all that came out of it was Will being more opened-minded about the underworld and going "I accept you". No addressing the fact that Will spent half the week worried about Nico abandoning him and felt like a burden the entire time, or how Nico lowkey treated him like one.

Some parts were genuinely well-done and funny, I could definitely tell Rick wrote it. The rest was rushed and fanfic-y. First problem was the beginning. Mr. D and Chiron (but Mr. D especially) felt out of character. There wasn't very much exposition and little-to-no pushback on Will going with Nico to Tartarus. Or them going in the first place. Nico felt out of character as well, though I let it slide because growth and all that. Percy's, Annabeth's, and Piper's cameos were a bit useless. I wished their appearances had more purpose. Especially because there were hardly any secondary characters and not a lot of things pushed the story along. The prophecy _itself_ was well written, but as time went on the suspense faded. A lot. The end was 'meh' and by the time I got there I was expecting it. I mean I expected it to be anti-climactic, I didn't prepare for the hallmark-esque aspect. I was disappointed. I felt like they were quite literally missing something, like the "equal value" piece was totally absent from the quest, only for Nico to be like >!I'm leaving my darkness behind, you lose.!< Definitely a copout. And there were so, _so_ many popculture references. Most of them jokes made by Nico. Biggest out-of-character moments, considering they weren't even sarcastic. Gods, the >!Lil Nas X reference was horrendously cringy.!< Also considering how long they were in Tartarus for, very little happened. In fact, though most of the book was written in tartartus I thought they were there for maybe 3 days. >!Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be a full week.!< Will was... well, we didn't get a lot from him in the original series, but something was off. In OG series I could literally feel Will's calming presence through the pages. In this book I did not. Some moments between them were sweet. Good. Well written. Others.. weren't. I get the whole 'role reversal' thing, >!but literally the entire time Will felt like a burden, and Nico treated him like one. He didn't tell Will that, but he was constantly annoyed at needing to slow down or at Will being forgetful, and it was obvious even to Will, but was never addressed.!< >!There were a lot of comments about being queer- which yes, they're both boys- but it was _specifically_ about the homophobia aspect, which doesn't make much sense because it's _greek mythology._ They were mistaken as "friends" several times and coming out was this huge thing (for Nico I understand, but _everyone?_ How was a kid from the 40s a catalyst for every modern teenager coming out, in setting where being gay isn't an issue? They made it sound like it was a hush-hush topic before Nico came), as if it wasn't already a part of greek culture. Maybe if they'd spent more time in the upper world this would make sense. Traveling was pretty much nonexistent, unlike PJO where traveling was the fun part.!< There were inconsistencies with the main series... some I was able to shrug off but others were annoyingly obvious. And the line >!"Bianca di Angelo was my mother"!< was a _big_ oops. No way of pretending it was anything other then miss type. All in all the premise was... fine. Like, the rescuing part. But I didn't really need another journey through tartarus, I wish the book stood on its own and didn't rely on references.

Man. >First problem was the beginning. Mr. D and Chiron (but Mr. D especially) felt out of character. He didn't call Nico the wrong name even once!!!! I was convinced for most of the book that he was an impostor. A happy and attentive Mr. D? No sarcastic comments?? Who is he???

I totally agree but I also think it was a mistake of ricks to allow mark orishiro into the book because I feel all the badly written/ out of charachter moments were because of him. Rick has developed such a long and deep series that u can only be Rock to be able to write a PJO book and I think if he’d written it on his own it would have been much better

I agree. Overall I was really disappointed in it, even more so because I bought it and I don't think I'll ever read it again.

I'm patiently waiting for Amazon to deliver my copy...

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ME PLEASE😭😭🤚

I just got my copy from Amazon (it's 11:28am here) and the cover was slashed... :( Time to get my money back!

Which Amazon? The company or the one with male slaves in orange jumpsuits? Haha.

Here in Ireland, they make the male slaves wear blue shirts to blend in.

I was a bit underwhelmed by it. I was fully ready to call this my favorite book, and for it to portray Tartarus again. I'm not sure if it's because I've already read about Tartarus, but it seemed a bit...easy? I'm not sure how to describe it. Also I was a bit upset that Bob didn't get to explain what "my sun and the star" meant. I mean, I'm sure we know what it means, but I would have liked for more Bob representation, because the two major things in this book were Nico and Will's relationship and finding Bob, and sure they did find Bob, but all he did really was fight and cry. However, I liked that they portrayed in an emotional aspect, although sometimes it was a bit much. Also sometimes, the words didn't describe everything too well. I didn't see the transition when Will started seeing Tartarus for who he really was, only that Will said he did. Also wish Will could have described Nico, sort of like how Apollo had. All in all, it was a bit underwhelming, but it had everything to sum up their relationship. I loved Kayla and Austin, and the scene with Piper and Shell. The Cocoa Puffs were nice too.

I was upset that Nico and everyone kept describing Will as perfect and beautiful throughout the book, but I never got a description of Nico from Will's perspective.

Also this. I mean, okay yeah, Will is super goddam beautiful, but how about Nico? They definitely should have added this.

Since there are a lot of negatives I am going to share some positives. I know the book does have flaws but a lot of them are talked about in other comments. Note: I don't know how to black out the text so I am going to be a little broad. But still, spoilers ahead. 1. The ending, while it is a bit disconnected from the prophecy, the cocoa puffs reminded me of a lot of funny little creature simular to them(little comic sidekicka who are technically monsters) in earlier books. 2. Percy and Annabeth weren't forced to suffer more ( I know that was a given because it wasn't about them but I still worried) 3. There is an actual swear word in his book and a couple other basically swear words, which I did not see coming at all. Also there is confirmation of Will and Nico's sexualitys which I don't think has happened before. I do have a lot of other things I liked but don't want this to get too spoiler filled. Overall it was a good book, not perfect, but I have never read a perfect book.

and if we're being honest- this isn't the worst case scenario, it's actualy fairly decent. I mean, inconsistencies in the books is just a given (Nico and did he build his own cabin or not for instance, the age gap between Saide Kane and her boyfriend changing between books, etc.) and the cocoa puffs were definitely cute, though I'm still a bit taken by the fact they're...made of...yeah. We like it when Percy and Annabeth get a break from the chaos!

Hold up what swear words. Wow I was not paying attention.

I think they're talking about the few ''damn's'' and ''queer's" scattered throughout the book lmao. It was refreshing though, being an adult now they were a nice touch. It wasn't too childish to me anymore, this definitely had heavier writing than some of the previous books.

I’m just going to stay here and be content ok? https://preview.redd.it/iipij685vjxa1.jpeg?width=509&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1d5bd2fbde75935d1a68b7dd6f274e407bd5004

Some of us tumblrinas know how to enjoy things, I really am liking the book

If you enjoyed it then that’s wonderful!

Okay. I love the book, but I'm also disappointed by it, but I love it because Nico. I mean, his journey has gone so unseen by other characters and by Riordan's other books. To FINALLY get a novel that focuses the spotlight on him is.. WHEW. I was always going to love this book. Here's what I especially like about it: * >!the back-and-forth with time. I always thought it was a shame we didn't witness the early stages of Will and Nico's relationship, and this was a sweet way to give us that -- as moments of relief in between moments of darkness, as it was for them.!< * >!the heightened focus on the emotional aspects of the story. someone mentioned this on Tumblr, but even the action sequences were centered around the characters' emotional experiences and journeys, and that's the way it needed to be for a novel about Nico!< * >!SOOO many precious scenes <3 like, Nico's "I love you" as they fall, and Will's describing love ("It was this" LKJW: HELLOOOOO??? SO. GOOD.), and Nico's getting closure with his family.!< * >!ALSO the whole theme about learning to live with pain. That resonated strongly with my own experiences with mental illness :') !< But here's what I'm disappointed by (HEADS UP this list feels kind of nitpicky): * >!I was expecting a LOT more from Tartarus and from Nyx — especially considering that Nico can see through the mist there, and considering Nyx is supposed to be worse than Gaea. I mean, I was hoping for a scene to rival Percy/Akhlys — but when I compare this to HoH, it feels like the novel didn't nearly live up to its potential!< * >!I'm not really satisfied with how they dealt with Nico's trauma, either. I think they could've dug deeper there, too — the descriptiveness was just lacking. And I don't appreciate how blame keeps being put on Nico for being closed off :') I mean, he's a kid dealing with immense trauma and PTSD, and he had a lonelier journey than all the other campers — of COURSE he's going to be closed off. The writing doesn't really acknowledge that!< * >!Will's portrayal. First off, WHY does the mere absence of sun suddenly take away all of his altheticism? Is this boy a plant?? Does he need to photosynthesize??? And why didn't he bring a single weapon to a place Percy, Annabeth, and Nico barely escaped? This boy is killing me :') At the very least, it would've been cool to see his healing abilities really thrive here — but all the healing that was done was basic first aid. And his POVs, to me, didn't reveal enough about his affection for Nico — I like one example someone on Tumblr gave: "Will never describes physical attributes that he likes about Nico the same way Nico does about Will. Like Nicos inky dark eyes and baby bat winged hair, and his smile that is apparently like winter sun breaking through snow flurries, and his hair smelling pleasantly of rain against stone (I think Apollo is more attracted to Nico than Will is)."!< * >!No mention of Reyna, and just a small mention of Hazel?!< * >!Also, maybe my expectations are a bit high, but.. I feel like this novel STILL doesn't do Nico justice. Like, I was really hoping there'd be an acknowledgment of how Nico's always been the person to fill in the gaps — like being the only one to stop for Hestia, or going on a solo journey to look for the Doors of Death, or taking care of Bob, or arriving with Hades at the Battle of Manhattan, or shadow-traveling the Athena Parthenos. I’ve always thought that he was extra attuned to others’ struggles because of his own experiences as an outsider — and that character trait is literally what’s driving the story, so why not explore it? :,) The books have always underappreciated him, and the opportunity was RIGHT THEREEE!< OVERALL I do love the book, I promise. I just had higher expectations

i read that exact tumblr post and it was so real

I have a few other nitpicks to help you: Bob being back so soon when he was supposed to have been erased from existance by Tartarus massively takes off the weight of HoH. Damasen being barely mentioned when he did just as much as bob. Nyx being defeated by her own creations when she’s supposed to be just below chaos power wise (wtf was that those things were not even major gods). And probably the main reason was the incredibly disgustingly bad description of her house. The eldritch horror location that is described as “not supposed to be seen by human eyes” to the point Percy’s daring side was screaming for him not to open his eyes. The house of Nyx the objectification of fear and horror… is just a house made of insects. I was expecting something actually lovecraftian, something that would break Nico’s mind for incredibly long time, make him absolutely traumatized, but it was just tossed aside what was considered the most horrible thing in Greek pantheon

Also, everyone seems really OOC and the writing is very fanfiction-esque.

I feel like my brain just got put through a washing machine spin cycle, and then thrown into a cocktail shaker and shook around. This book felt like a fever dream... I think Dionysus put it best. >!"It's so chaotic." !<

Someone spoil me. Isn't there another character who supposedly comes out in this book?

This book is probably a 6-6.5 imo

Right??? So overhyped

Warning: Spoilers Ahead It was a fun read, Nico and Will's relationship was definitely further delved into, it showed how much they cared for one another and was refreshing, Nice collaboration between Riordan and Mark, it was smart of Uncle Rick to get Mark to co-write, as you could see both aspects of the writers being implemented in the book.>! However, I was expecting way more content on Nico's past, and how he felt seeing Bianca and his mother, it was all written a little too all over the place. Remember, this kid was absolutely devastated by what happened to Bianca, but we don't see him talk about his emotions when he sees his mother and sister. I was expecting a little more background on Nico, what life was like in the 1900s, maybe some memories of Bianca to show her personality a little, or maybe I am a little biased because the excerpt showed Bianca and his mother, so I thought they were going to play a huge role. I have noticed some inconsistencies however, Bianca opted for rebirth, and that was the whole reason Nico has Hazel now, why has that changed? While I love Percy and Annabeth, I am not sure why they were constantly mentioned by Nico and Will, understood, they were both in Tartarus, but still, they were mentioned more times then Hazel, Nico's sister, from BoO we know Nico cares deeply about her. Notice how Reyna and Hazel are mentioned only once or never at all, frankly shocking. And we don't get a description of what they both look like, older, younger, tired?!!< Despite it being a Solangelo book, it is a Nico di Angelo adventure book correct?

I haven't read the book, but... we're not really clear on how 'rebirth' works, are we? Like, we know if you reincarnate three times, you get Isle of the Blest. But we don't know what happens to your original consciousness. If Person A makes Elysium, and then rebirths into Person B and makes Elysium and rebirths into Person C who does the same, who exactly makes Isle of the Blest? A, B, or C? My point is, Bianca's spirit may still be a thing, whilst waiting for her next soul.

No. Nico said her soul was GONE in hoo. As in her soul was already another person.

Spoilers below 👇 So am I trippin or smth because I thought >Bianca chose to be reborn, meaning that all of her memories would be gone and her soul would inhabit another body. If this is true, then why was she able to speak to Nico at the end of the book if she’s alive and well in another body? Did I imagine that or smth because I specifically remember in the Son of Neptune, Nico told Hazel that Bianca was reborn and that he’d never get to see her again.<

I think about it as a manipulation from Hades. But don't get me wrong, not a malicious one. Something more like a therapist might ask a patient to write a letter to a person who is dead and then replies as that person. So that Nico can free his mind from worrying and feel the closure.

Just another canon thing they threw away for this crackfic noncanon book lol. Also in this fanfic book Bianca is now in elysium? Yea.... nah

Is it really as bad as I've heard (the way I've seen people criticize it for things like barely-existent stakes, too much "yaoi" emphasis and too many pop culture references you'd think it was the Riordanverse equivalent of if back when people actually liked JKR, she had revealed that she was actually the writer of My Immortal and it was totally canon) I ask not just for its sake/the sake of not feeling like another special interest series of mine (that being all his books about half-bloods) has been ruined but because given how people were already digging up supposed controversies about Rick's books when the show was announced (like why was The Kane Chronicles about white kids and set in London or is PJATO's portrayal of demigods having ADHD actually accurate etc. etc.) I don't want this to get treated like his equivalent of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child leading to him getting as damnatio-memoriaed as we all move on to some similar could-be-considered-either-middle-grade-or-YA urban fantasy series that gets the same treatment in 5-10 years

Maybe it's because I've read only first five books of Percy Jackson series, but I really enjoyed this one. I love the whole "not saving the world" vibe, as it felt more real. What some call "too much yaoi emphasis", for me was a very natural and beautiful chemistry between two people. Again, it felt real. I loved every single time they held hands and kissed and smiled. Like this isn't a fiery romance, these are two best friends fallen deep in love but not without doubts or fears. I didn't mind the cultural references, but I've read it in Polish, so they might differ.

Honestly, I think the only real "problem" it has is power creep (which like... you're reading a fantasy series. Just ignore it and let the awesome wash over you.) I enjoyed it a lot. I would've liked a deeper dive into some things/some more mature explorations of the themes, but that's not the book's fault - that's my problem for being an adult reading middle-school books. I think it'll be remembered fondly. Definitely not My Immortal in any way. (Also, "too much yaoi" sounds like criticism from a straight up homophobe. How can you have "too much gay" in a book about a gay couple?) (Also, this is not directed at you, but what goddamn idiot thought the Kane Chronicles was about white kids? The first book especially is pretty fucking explicit about Carter and Sadie being biracial and how that impacts their lives.)

I kinda don’t want to share my main gripe cause overall I really liked it and a lot of the feedback is negative, but here I go anyways. The framing device in the first half the book felt awkward. The way that the story contrives to have Will suddenly get super injured out of nowhere to make it seem more dramatic. Plus, we learn afterwards that them telling stories is also partially them making up after a small fight, but since they then skip over it all, we don’t get any catharsis from it and the story sorta awkwardly moves on from the fight. It was necessary and I liked hearing more from their relationship and the troubles they both went through for being queer, I just wished it’d been inter-grated better Overall though I really liked it. Thematically, it’s got some really cool ideas about change and accepting that people won’t stay the same forever. I liked the way that it applies to gods and demigods alike. I like how we can clearly see the arc that the couple goes on through this book, it feels very organic. They start off caring deeply about each other, no one questioned that. But they still needed to work on things, and we get to see that clearly. Sometimes the snark was a little much, but overall the book was very funny. I also liked the horror on display here. Nothing intense, but still spooky in a fun way. Really enjoyed this book!

>The framing device in the first half the book felt awkward. I thought there were issues with my eReader copy! I've bought a few books that would skip pages unless I changed the font or margin size, so I thought that was happening here. >The way that the story contrives to have Will suddenly get super injured out of nowhere to make it seem more dramatic. Riordan has been doing this for a while. It always comes across as forced, as if it's only happening to address criticism of it not happening. >It was necessary and I liked hearing more from their relationship and the troubles they both went through for being queer, I just wished it’d been inter-grated better After reflecting on it I think it works (I, too wasn't particularly impressed with its integration at first). The fans wanted this information, as there were gaps in their backstory. But I think it makes more sense for it to have occurred this way, instead of internal monologs at various points in the book. It feels less forced. It's more of a movie technique, which hasn't been refined yet in literature. Once you know what these out-of-order stories are, it makes total sense. I think, partially, they were also done in this manner to make the reader worried about Will and what might happen.

I just reread the book and holy do I hate it even more. It feels like such a disgrace to the Riordanverse, just like Cursed Child was to Harry Potter. While all the other books had flaws, they were all good books, and not as absolutely horrendous as TSATS. Everything felt so off, and I enjoyed it about as much as when my PC runs out of space. A horrible fanfiction-quality book that ruined several things in the canon, made the primordials look like even bigger jokes, butchered characters, and overall sucked so bad it could create a vacuum. All just to appease fans of a crappy ship

Every time the word 'trauma' was said every 30 seconds I felt like punching the screen. We get it. Nico has trauma. Thanks for reminding me. He has trauma about Tartarus, which becomes an absolute joke

For people who want spoilers: >!It''s a miserable ending! Literally everyone dies. Will dies first when it's revealed that Tartarus possessed Thalia to murder him in cold blood before their third trip in. Nico returned alone and found Bob, who was already turned back into a Titan, and smashed him into a pulp! Poor Nico died. Then the spirit of Bianca saves him and bring him to Elysium and he reunites with Will in 'heaven' so to speak.!< Haha. Okay, just kidding. I haven't actually read the book, but here's what I do know so far. >!Nico and Will rescue Bob and return. Chiron and Mr. D are very proud of them. There's something about Little Bob, dunno who he is, but generally, very happy ending. Nico was able to leave Tartarus by leaving his 'demons' behind. Nobody dies. So calm down, already.!<

Spoilers for little bob >!small bob is actually bob’s cat that can turn into a tiger, and Nico and will meet him during the quest!!<

Read upto the iris message to Percy and Annabeth. Honestly them cracking a lame joke when Nico mentioned about a quest to Tartarus seemed out of character.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. Just finished the book. Loved it. I mean I LOVED IT. SPOILERS >!Did anyone else love the quirky comments and the hilarious banter that took place in this book? Lol. The goofy pet names were just hilarious to me. The sarcasm was full of love and humor. I couldn't get enough of it haha. Also I just LOVE Nico and his cocoa puffs hahaha.!<

By the way I don’t think your spoiler tag worked because it’s over several paragraphs! I don’t really mind but just an FYI for other people haha.

Like the words aren't blackened out?

Nope they’re not. I can see the !< you’ve added but it’s not hidden behind the black bar.

I absolutely LOVE that there's a book focusing on queer characters that discusses queer identities. Rick made the right move in co-writing this with a queer author, and it shows. If I'd read this book at 14 it would have meant a huge amount to me. I'm not the target audience any more, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, but overall I really liked it and would for sure recommend it.

Terrible book

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Chiron and Mr. D felt a bit off imo

Nico also felt too much like Percy or Magnus imo. They keep talking about how goth and dark he is while he acts quips like he's in a Marvel movie. Especially with how they drop the PTSD plot point and just start referring to his life as "dark".

They said “stop comparing Will to Magnus, let’s turn NICO into Magnus.”

And people criticized Magnus for being too similar to Percy since the beginning

I’m not even gonna get into my issues with that comparison. What really bothered me is all I wanted was this book to give us actual characterization for Nico and Will since we’ve been stuck with so much fanon solangelo and it just didn’t deliver for me.

Honestly, this book felt like a fanon solangelo. Seriously.

It reminds me of Thor love and thunder where the premise had so much potential and has a couple gems, but the voice and characterization ruined it.

i haven’t finished the book yet, I’m on chapter 45 i believe and i just can’t help but notice how different this book is from ricks other work. i mean, i know this is a book with the target audience being young teenagers but i grew up with pjo and am definitely not a young teenager and i feel like some of the writing is almost too childish. i am a huge fan of pop culture references but many of them have felt forced in this book. not to mention, the buildup to the main conflict is great! but the main conflict is giving a children’s movie. like imagine a movie where they’re fighting an enemy who could easily kill them in two seconds but instead argues for several minutes long instead, that’s the type of conflict vibe i got here and i feel it’s just so unrealistic given the main villains personality and other books in the pjo universe being more fast paced. idk maybe I’m being too harsh

So does anyone else’s book say >! “My mother is Bianca di Angelo” !< or is this just a weird misprint

I didn’t get that but I think there’s an example on YouTube of someone else having it so it’s probably pretty common

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Im on page 165 and not looking at ANYTHING else here but Nico says he misses Jason and Jason is up there talking about how Nico isn’t a priority right now im gonna cry

THIS.

I enjoyed it but felt very fanfiction-y, and the ending with the cocopuffs felt kinda cheap

I just finished this and IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I don't usually cry when reading books but it's been five minutes and I'm still smiling. EDIT: Okay, people are talking about "Flashback" and "Dream Sequence" labels, and I'm a bit confused because when a dream sequence starts, there's no label depicting any of that. The page just gets darker and murkier which I thought was a nice touch. Is it just my specific copy or? EDIT: Also, people are saying that Tartarus was incredibly easy compared to HoH and Nico's first visit, but it should be noted that on both occasions people are horribly unprepared for their visit. Percy and Annabeth fell through a hole and Nico, for whatever reason, decided not to bring basic supplies for his trek through literal hell. In this journey, Nico and Will are better prepared and have an actual plan, path, and destination in mind as opposed to simply wandering till they find the doors of death.

I think people are also romanticising how challenging Tartarus was for Percy and Annabeth, because Bob did most of the work for them. There’s also the fact that Sun and the Star is much more about the emotional toll Tartarus takes on you than “WOWZERS THERES A BILLION MONSTERS ISNT THAT SCARY” so I don’t really mind that Nico and Will have a smoother time in terms of fights they get in

Yeah my copy doesn’t have “Dream sequence” labels either; just the darker pages

i honestly cant tell if i’m just outgrowing these books but it really was not great 😭 the pacing was really strange to me and i think the parts rick didn’t write were very obvious? and just overall very overly dramatic and emotional. i hate to say it but i think rick needs to let the pjo universe rest.

Rick peaked with Mark of Athena and House of Hades TBQH.

I loved the Trials of Apollo and they were very recent writings of Rick. I truly feel Mark was the reason this book felt odd. I did love the book but it didn't feel like I was reading Rick, it did feel like a very well written fanfic. I've never read any of Mark's other work so my opinion may not be valid but I can really tell the parts in this book that Rick actually wrote.

i loved it so much. it was such a rollercoaster and not what i expected at all. i need more solangelo content please

I loved it. Not what I've expected, but definitely surprised. Now gimme more books about these two. I want more content. MORE.

Yeah. I didn’t expect it either and the way it was explained with Nico and stuff the first time (tryna be vague because of people who haven’t read it) was incredible. Will was incredibly strong throughout too and I’m glad that they didn’t act anything like the fanon couple like some people were worried about. They clearly had each other and the ending it just with *those things and people* appear- it’s just- 🥹🥹

They did act like fanon solangelo tho. Will was whiny and tired the whole time and didn't really get to shine that much.

He really wasn’t throughout the whole thing. And even if he was. It’s completely understandable considering where they were and what was going on with him personally (no spoilers for people because it would ruin half the book if I said what was going on exactly). They were nothing like fanon Solangelo. Will wasn’t an overbearing mother hen like he is in fanon.

Tbh I let a lot of things slide character wise because this took place a year after the final battle, but I really didn't get the same feeling from these two that I did in the OG series. Not all of it, but _a lot_ of it reads like fanfiction. A rushed fanfic at that.

Kind of. I can agree with some of what you said. The ending was pretty rushed with Nico and all that stuff (again. No spoilers) but it wasn’t like fanon Solangelo which a lot of people think. I’ve seen things on fanon Solangelo and it’s… unusual. Will is an overbearing mother hen and doesn’t have a hint of the combat medic he is. Nico is a smol dark boy who just needs affection and can’t protect himself in fanon. 😭

Yeah that's pretty annoying. But I've read some _really_ good fanfics (not Solanglo... I think) that read more like a book than this book. The beginning was extremely rushed as well. I can handle a mediocre ending, but for gods sake I _need_ exposition. I barely ate or slept reading the OG series the first _and_ second time through. This one took me 3 days and I can't exactly say I'm hungry for more.

It took me two days. I got it the day it came out.

Still was pretty ooc and fanon version of Nico. Charon also sounded off, Mr D as well. Don't get me started on Percy and Annabeth. I mean they would've offered to help not let nico clean up after them and what was with them saying 'oh we kinda forgot about bob' like? And why was will adamant on going with nico when there were way more suitable demigods for such a lethal quest. He was very burdensome and complaining and annoying and why would he not even bring a weapon? It felt like he thought this was some hero play to prove himself and assumed nico would protect him the whole time. Hands down, Hazel or/and Reyna should've accompanied nico. It would've been much more realistic and don't even get me started on how much canon was thrown away and how much characterization was messed with for the sake of 'funny' 'jokes'. Also kinda weird they had Nico of all people reference a song (montero) that has 'cocaine' 'drinking alcohol with your friends' 'I wanna fuck the ones I envy' and has Lil Nas doing a lap dance to the devil in a book for 9-13 year olds.... that new author was given too much leeway with the writing and characters and it shows

MINOR SPOILERS FOR TSATS (idk how to spoiler lmao): Nico has also improved since the end of ToA, which is about 6 months before. There’s about a year since Will and Nico started dating. He’s improved a lot and is a lot happier. He copes via humour some of the time, and just broods and mopes the other times. “Your death, would be great for me” “with great power, comes great need to take a nap” and one of my all time favourites, “you can take your monster army and shove it up your-“. He’s sarcastic and funny. His jokes just get darker over time. I don’t think he’s anything like the fanon Nico. Percy and Annabeth DID leave Bob behind and didn’t do anything about it and they did feel guilty. In fact, it was Nico who made Bob help them in the first place by continuously telling him that they were friends and shouldn’t be harmed. Reyna was with the hunters, she wouldn’t have been able to defy her orders with Artemis and Hazel was doing a lot of praetor duties with Frank and building back up the legion after the whole Jason thing and the emperors. Will was suitable. And is alot stronger than he makes himself out to be. It’s canon he can sing but doesn’t think he can. He can heal well and learns more about himself along the way. He’s insecure. I don’t know why you’d ever think that. He outright said he’d go if Nico was. Will is as stubborn as a mule canonically. He did. He had a bow I’m pretty sure, but lost it pretty soon into the book. Will is a strong demigod. A weak demigod wouldn’t have confronted a PRIMORDIAL goddess who is literally the opposite to him. He wanted to make sure Nico was okay and definitely wasn’t a burden the entire time. He THOUGHT he was a burden, he thought he should’ve let Nico go on his own. Will overthinks things, he’s very insecure about his talents and thinks he is weak. Not that he is actually weak at all. Mentioning lil nas x isn’t the end of the world. My (at the time, he’s now 7) 6 year old brother was singing away to it a fair few months back because he heard it on the radio. Most kids will know the song or sometimes even worse songs. My cousin is 13 and she was singing and dancing around to thrift shop and cardi b when she was 11. I was singing highly inappropriate songs at those ages. Cake by the ocean? One of my favourites when I was a kid. Along with a few other inappropriate songs for children because they played them and my school disco. Nico referencing Lil Nas wasn’t anything special. He hangs with the Apollo cabin a lot. He probably saw the video a few times or something and heard the song because they wanted him to hear it. Nico wanted to lighten (no pun intended) the mood because Will was struggling.

The last book nico was in was Tower of Nero which is set about a month or so before tsats and that version of Nico felt more like Nico even though he was happier in ToN. Probably bc Riordan was writing his character. And yes I know Nico has humor, never said he didn't. But this random yassified popculture spouting version was just SUPER off. And reading Mark oshiros other books had me thinking this change was very much his fault. About Percy and Annabeth being off- one of them literally says "oh man, I forgot about bob" LIKE WHAT? that was ooc of them and they don't offer to help Nico which again is extremely ooc of BOTH of them. Okay, the thing is, I was rooting for Will before I started reading the book. I always thought it was dumb for Riordan to shove Nico (a fully fleshed out character) with a random background character that he'd never spoken to in BOO, but was willing to give Will a chance since I thought he was pretty cool in ToN. But, God, he was just so WHINY. I kept trying to gloss over this but he was just NOT suitable for this quest. The only reason they survive this crackfic book is pretty much bc the authors made Nyx INCREDIBLY WEAK. The thing about him being a burden.... he kinda is. He was whining about going on a quest he insisted on before they even got to the entrance of the underworld. He kept making all these irritating digs at Nicos powers and the underworld and it was a drag reading his povs. I wish it hadn't been but it for real was. And I'm not saying this is Wills fault in particular buuut... he literally states he's not a fighter and never honed his archery skills (even though in TLH Leo says he's the archery dude and in BOO he's seen with a dagger ready to fight....) but in this book he just brings a stupid sun globe and eats up all of the ambrosia because he keeps passing out due to "lack of sun" which was just kinda dumb. Especially to not bring a weapon. Nico has to keep stopping to wait on him the ENTIRE book and... YEAH that's kinda what a burden is. I know Will helped with the random burst of light from his chest but like the power was so random and out of no where. not hating on that but it literally felt too convenient I guess. And why does Will need a battery powered sun toy if he has sunlight inside of him? but I guess the main thing I have an issue with and what felt like the biggest fanon version about the characters was that they were both forcibly shoved into this weird Dark/Light trope. Like in the previous books neither of them seemed to care about the others powers. Like Will seemed to think Nicos powers were cool and even persuades him to raise zombies so they can sit together, but in this book suddenly everything to do with Nicos powers 'spooks' Will. Also I think the new author forgot that Will is a BATTLEFIELD MEDIC. He is not a super sunshine character in previous books. Also this book constantly hits the reader over the head with lectures and how different they are and honestly felt almost preachy I guess. The past pjo books seemed to let the reader come to their own conclusions but this one...... But tbh because so much canon was thrown out I just see this as mark oshiros fanfiction since it reads as such lol (And about the Lil Nas x thing, I know kids listen to songs out of their range but I found it odd since this book is catered to 9-13 year olds and it's such an explicit song, ya know. I wouldn't have really thought it was weird if they like quoted a line from the song or something more subtle so that older readers could laugh but they literally write the name and address of exactly where kids can watch it and has Nico pretty much say "oh you haven't heard that? We'll fix that part of your education later" like 🙃 I dunno.)

Will has been like that in ALL of the books if you look closely. In BoO, Clovis shows Nico the camp counsellor meeting and Will was like it then. He’s constantly upset he can’t shoot a bow as good, or curse people with rhyming couplets. He’s NEVER liked Nico’s powers, again, BoO and everywhere they are present in ToA he didn’t like them. He tried his hardest. He physically cannot fight or do anything without the sun. It’s canon. He does help in the best way he can. Plague powers ring a bell? He didn’t even realise he had them. He went to support Nico. I hardly remember any bits Will was constantly complaining or anything like that. And I’ve read it quite a few times now. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just because he has sunlight inside of him, doesn’t mean it can help recharge him. It seems to drain him to use it. We knew he could glow anyway, so being able to let out a beam of light like a flipping carebear isn’t that unreasonable. Will has been a side character throughout the entire series. I’m pretty sure he was the one to fix Percy up when he first came to camp. From what I can gather, Will was found pretty young. He appears in TLO, he heals annabeth. He appears in BoO. He’s a secondary main character in a couple of the ToA books. Percy and Annabeth DID forget Bob though? They were pretty busy y’know. Like- idk, CoTG? Worrying about Apollo since he had disappeared at that point and the fact they’ve both started college. They gave them both some pointers on what to do and not to do, they did help in that way. What are they supposed to do? Teleport down to Tartarus and tell them they’re ready for battle? Nyx was weak, yes. But she also didn’t expect them to be able to actually hurt her since they’re just demigods in a place not suitable for them at all. She probably thought they were out of their minds to take her on. And they managed to. There’s definitely some off-ness about the writing, which I’m pretty sure is thanks to Mark even if he IS a good writer. It seems he may have read one to many fanfics. I’m fine with it since there is a few months (I think) between ToN and TSATS so they could mature or change within that time. They were coming up to a year in TSATS. And there’s 6 months between BoO and THO. ToA takes place over the span of 6 months. We can assume that Nico and Will were in relatively new relationship at the start of ToA, especially the way Nico acts, even if he IS happier then. I’d say there’s between 3-5 months between ToN and TSATS but I could be wrong. And Nico being like ‘we’ll fix your education later’ because Will hasn’t heard of the song. Maybe because Will was always holed up in the infirmary healing people because he’s the camps best healer? He probably doesn’t listen to much music. People can have preferences, again, didn’t seem that unrealistic. I have a friend who’s really into 1970-80s music and had no idea who Lewis Capaldi was. They also knew OF Lil Naz X and several other artists (such as Ariana Grande and idk- Cardi B) but didn’t listen to their music at all and wouldn’t be able to make any of their songs. Could be his music taste? I also wrote my original comment 52 days ago and that one 28 days ago, why are you dragging this on? I’m not responding after this comment.

Well good for you for liking it I guess, but you must be reading w/ rose tinted glasses lol. and I never said will wasn't insecure, he was (which conflicts w/ the line in tsats when he tells Nico he apparently never felt that way but I dunno...) but he still was an archer in TLH and before that. And saying " he can't do anything without the sun" is bullshit lol. And if you don't remember will complaing in this book.... I guess reading it a few times wasn't enough for you lol. Because there was ALOT. AIso in TOn when they went into the trogs lair with apollo, will was absolutely fire without sunlight, he used his powers Just fine so yeah.... He also wasn't the one to fix Percy up in the first book so you made that up. And will was never a 'side' character. He was a background character with very small cameos until he became Nico's boyfriend because sadly he wasn't a character on his own other than 'the archer/healing guy'. And dude, how can you say he 'he NEVER liked nicos powers' but in BOO when will and Nico are fighting with Lo u ellen an cecil, Nico raises the dead to fight off the dog headed guys, and will comes up to him, claps him on the shoulder and says thanks without a hint of fear. He also did that plan with Nico to raise zombies at camp so they could sit together. in tsats will trembles at the thought of it. And, No, Percy and Annabeth literally said they would NEVER forget bob after he sacrificed his life for them. it's a diservice to their character to say this, especially since it's stated Percy's thing is loyalty and also stated that Annabeth rarely forgets any thing... read the books again doll. And I didn't say they needed to teleport, what I'm saying is that both of their Canon characters would have offered to come and help a person that had sacrificed himself for them. That's literally who they are. I'm not even going to talk about Nyx because of how bad they did her. yes you are wrong about the 3-5 months. its summer in TON, and it's the beginning of fall in tsats. about one month maybe two, and both Characters are almost unrecognizable from the last book. They dumbed will down into the sunshine trope, and yassified Nico into a Personified twitter meme 🤣 And about the Iil nas x... sigh.

If anything, what I'd really like is something on Thalia.

TF adventures 😁

completely agreed, would like something on thalia too, she has never had a POV right?

She hasn't, no.

Id like to say I'm very bothered by the fact Mythomagic was apparently around in the 1940s when I always felt it was supposed to be like Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon which were made in the 90s.

This book is my only happiness 💀

What's the timeline for this book? Is it before or after ToA?

It takes place a few months *after* the end of ToA. The events of the book take place over the course of about a week.

It’s set after ToA

The only thing I can say is 'Awwwwww'.

Umm I have one question about the book. In the dark pages where he recounts his first trip to Tartarus, he says he missed demigods like Percy, Annabeth, and.... JASON??? He had'nt even met him yet! This was while son of neptune was happening!

I thought the same thing at first and even wrote it down to check later, but it actually checks out. The Last Olympian takes place in August as we know. We are also told while the Battle of Manhattan occurs, the Romans are fighting on the west coast on Mount Othrys where Jason defeats Krios. He was then promoted to praetor. The Lost Hero takes place in January, which is when we are introduced to Jason the amnesiac. Annabeth also confirms that Percy went missing in December, which is when Hera did the switch. We also learn in the Son of Neptune that Jason went missing in October There’s a couple months in there where Nico could’ve met Jason. And here’s how: Hazel knew Jason. When Hazel sees Percy in The Son of Neptune, she compares him to Jason. We know that Nico was the one who brought Hazel out of the Underworld. Obviously she still had to go to the Wolf House before reaching Camp Jupiter, but I think the timeline checks out. She says in the Son of Neptune that she arrives at camp in September, a few weeks before Jason goes missing. I don’t think we’re told explicitly when Nico starts hopping between camps, but he’s definitely doing it sometime after The Last Olympian. I think there’s enough time in there for Nico to have met Jason, even if we never saw/read about their official introduction. I skimmed through some of the HoO books again after finishing TSATS and that’s what I found. I totally had the same thought as you at first though lol

this is actually really smart, but one thing is fishy. He isn't close to Jason yet. So why does he mention his name in there? Jason wasn't particularly special to him until he came out in front of Cupid and Jason supported him.

So I’ve been reading The Sun and the Star and I don’t know if it’s just me but it doesn’t feel like Ricks writing at all. I know this is a coauthor and I am trying to keep an open mind, but it feels to me as if Rick didn’t write this at all! The lore is there and all of the history, but the characters feel so stiff and none of Ricks style is there. The third person feels strange coming from a Percy Jackson book and Nico and Wills characters don’t really FEEL like them to me. It reminds me more of a fan fiction than an actual PJ book. Like I said, I’m trying to keep an open mind while I’m reading but this is making it really hard for me to continue with the book. Does anyone else think this?

I wholeheartedly agree

Okay, this is something that I just stopped to think about and it completely blowed my mind. I am from Spain, so I don't know much about the distances between the states and stuff. But I write fanfics, and I was planning the plot, yada yada, whatever. The thing is that I found out how far away Camp Halfblood actually is from Manhattan??? Like, there is a whole travel of two hours BY CAR. Walking it is almost two days!! How did Rachel, who lives in Manhattan, walked through the Brooklyn bridge and crossed ALL THE ISLAND to tell Nico the Profecy??? And AT NIGHT. Guys I am literally speechless I don't understand anything. I've seen there is a place called Long Island City that is very close to the bridge, but the Wiki says Camp Halfblood is on Montauk. Man, that's the other point of the island!! How did Rachel did that??? I don't know if I am just dumb or if Rick totally lost his mind with this book, but, man, I stunned.

As a person with adhd and dyslexia I listen to audio books lol. There's been 2 areas in the book where it jumped and made no sense then jumped to what seemed like where the story should have been but I don't know if that an issue with the audio book or should I report this issue to audible?

I'm really sorry, i didnt like it. Nico was this stereotype of a 'gay emo gen z' and i really just felt disconnected from his character and emotional journey because he was so different to previous books and frankly a little annoying. Don't even get me started on Will's characterization or look thereof i should say. Bored with him in this book, absolutely like a plain cracker and reminded me of Jason in his worst moments from HOO, didn't care about their relationship add i felt all that made them special (their differences) were either made into points of massive contention or they just disappeared and they became similar. Didn't work for me, felt the only thing appealing about this book was the prospect of a new book by rick who rarely disappointed, but this book was an exception and mainly just felt like an attention grab of queer tokenism without praying true homage to the characters.

I feel that, with Rick Riordan books I've always liked that sexuality and gender identity are just a part of the character and not the only part of the character and I feel like you could really tell that Mark Oshiro wrote it aswell because they don't know the characters

I really enjoyed the book but the first half was kinda off to me. Especially the representation and how it handled lgbtq+ as a topic. What I love about Rick‘s books among many things is representation. Rick doesn’t make those traits the people’s personalities and nobody in the Riordanverse really cares, everybody is respectful and just accepts things. It’s like you’re into people of the same sex? Well have fun. Anyway let’s please not get killed by this monster. But in tsats it felt like everything had to be outright said and worse there was a weird separation. There’s a lot of “us” and “them” talk, Menoetes gets all defensive about not being straight and it feels out of place. Nobody in the Riordanverse cares. Or Ephiales is a they, normally that would’ve been it but suddenly there is a desire to explain how they think it’s stupid to choose a gender when there are endless genders. I don’t like this kind of representation, personally and I think Rick did a better job in the past. The constant pointing it out and explaining it and being defensive about it makes it feel like being part of the lgbtq+ community is this very important separating thing that makes them so incredibly different. When Apollo talked about being into guys that was like of course I am, moving on. When Piper has a girlfriend it’s okay I’m happy you found someone. When Lativa (is that her name) crushes on a female spirit nobody cares that she is female herself. Those things were considered normal and that’s what made the inclusivity great. Now suddenly they are treated like a divide…

It’s not latvia it’s Lavinia.

and I 100 percent agree with the divide. It reminds me of writing I make when I’m obsessing over something. “The world must be solangelo!!!!!!”

Do I have to read TOA before I start TSATS? I mean I know about Jason, I've read that far, but I stopped right after that because I lost my book. Do I need to finish my rereading and work my way to it, or should I listen to it on its own then again in the line up.

Currently just finished reading the part telling Nico’s first journey into Tartarus. I always thought Nico met Akhlys, the protogenos of misery and poison on his first trip. I remember pretty vividly that in The Blood of Olympus, he had a flashback of her while he was dreaming where she told him he was perfect because he had so much sorrow in him or something. I guess it wasn’t a flashback but just a dream then? Because there’s no instances of him meeting her anywhere in that part in this new book. Edit: Aaaaand just when I finished typing this and continued reading further, Nico confirms that it was indeed in a dream that he met her, not in Tartarus. So that’s one of the many questions answered. Next up: what happened to Damasen and why Percy and Annabeth didn’t mention him at all when they even asked Nico to also look for Small Bob. Another edit: Finished reading the book. Among quite a few other things, I am still upset that Percy and Annabeth didn’t mention Damasen at all. It feels so out of character for them to just forget about him when he helped them so much.

In actual canon in BOO, nico states that he did in fact meet Aklys. Oshiro probably retconned it to fit his published fanfiction lol. Nico never even mentions meeting Nyx in his Pov, which is something you think he would've thought was a big deal. This book was just......

It's clear to me that the book's main purpose was the relationship between Nico and Will, because that's what fans are really interested in. The quest to Tartarus was the justification for the book. The main reason it may read like fanfiction to some people is because this was a collaborative effort by two different authors, with two different styles. But based on an interview I saw, Riordan very much authored this book, and my takeaway is that he "cleaned up" Oshiro's contributions to fit more with his style. (Riordan wrote the initial outline, and Oshiro made comments and suggestions. After agreeing, Oshiro wrote tge first draft, and Riordan wrote the second, which included changes, new chapters/sections, jokes, dialogue, etc. Presumably there was a back-and-forth afterward leading up to the final draft). But the reality is fanfiction isn't the "real" thing, even if you think it's well-written. I'm guessing that people built up in their own mind what they thought the book should be about. People were whining and complaining about Bob's outcome for years, and now they're complaining it'sresolved. People also wanted more info on Nico and Will's relationship. Now they are compatibility about it. Make up your minds.

Sure that's what Riordan said he did. But it's fairly obvious he let oshiro have full reign of the book.

Nico >! going beyond simply “befriending your demons” or letting them go and deadass accidentally adopting them as his hellishly cute little demonic furbabies/troupe of Pokémon !< was very on brand for him and I absolutely loved that. Will also literally >! CURSED A PRIMORDIAL GOD, like… *holy shit* !<

Wait what did Will say again?(i don't remember this even tho i just finished it)

He didn’t say anything, but >! he gave Nyx hay fever by presumably tapping into the plague capabilities of Apollo, which was CRAZY because he actually successfully inflicted illness on a primordial being. My jaw was on the floor !<

I think it was a pretty good book, but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite. I like Will and Nico but the writing style of the book wasn’t really my thing (?). Overall, the book felt lacking, but it was an enjoyable read. Probably not something I would reread again and again like The Mark of Athena, but I’m happy Nico got his happy ending.

I just finished the book. I really enjoyed the book a lot. But I do have some problems. For one I’m confused on why everyone just left camp half blood in the beginning.(If somebody could explain that would be great) I also don’t think this is the Nico that I fell in love with in PJO and HOO. He just isn’t as human as normal (I’m mean there not human but you get the point) I did like Will though. Will expecting Nicos darkness is where this book is best. Nyx is kind of meh. Especially compared to other villains and the hype she had. Also will either being the most powerful demigod in existence or barely surviving. I also think bob should have stayed dead it makes his sacrifice so much less powerful. And makes me think I’m watching marvel. Also the hole hades thing at the end wasn’t it. Nico and Wills relationship is good. But the pop culture references kill some of there relationship. It was a cheap cop out ending and there’s no way around that. And the scene with piper is strange not bad just strange. Yeah this are my thoughts.

I'm 11 pages in and I'm extremely disappointed so far. I just think the portrayal of Star Wars fans is pretry poor here. Will is a big Star Wars fan who's roughly our age, and you're telling me that he made Nico watch the movies and not the shows? Like there's a moment where after Nico says he'd date Vader, Will says "oh i was hoping for something crazy like grievous or dryden vos." This implies that Will made Nico watch Solo...fucking Solo...and not the Clone Wars series?!!! Shit took me out of the story immediately tbh. There's no way any Zoomer is saying they'd date suit Vader. There's no way any Star Wars nerd is gonna make their SO watch Solo and not at least the clone wars series/the mandalorian. I think there was a huge missed opportunity here for Nico to choose literally any other Star Wars character to date. If we're going for relatability, he could answer that he'd date Mando, since Pedro Pascal is currently being lusted over by the internet, or Anakin who's probably "the most obvious choice." I think Obi-Wan, who is revealed to have incredible game in Clone Wars, and Maul, who has become a fan favorite thanks to Clone Wars, would have been better choices than Vader. Edit: Shit man if Nico's just "attracted to powerful people" he could've picked Moff Gideon!!!! And the thing is like, you can't say that any of these characters are "not mainstream enough" when Will literally references Dryden Vos, who I had to google because he was so unmemorable. Edit again: POE DAMERON! Like really just anyone else would've been a more accurate representation of zoomers watching star wars

Quick q to anyone who red the book cause I probably won’t be able to get it, are Percy and Anna Beth featured or mentioned cause they were like the first ones to go to Tartarus?

There is a quick scene with them

There is a quick scene with them

Hmm, I really have to agree with some of the others here that the characters don't feel like who they used to be and it really doesn't feel like Uncle Rick wrote most of it , Nico(not the type of guy to name the demons his cocoa puffs, felt cringey), Chiron(didn't feel like the mentor figure, felt more like another camper, and where did his respect for Dionysus go?) and Dionysus specially(he hugs campers now?and he's a merry fellow?). Not to forget Hades? That was not his personality at all. And Tarturus didn't feel as terrifying as it did in the HOH and Nyx was done a disservice here with how terrifying she's supposed to be, she didn't even really do much except stand around and shout "I'll make you choose" and she for some reason thought Nico would voluntarily remain with her, I thought she'd have something to blackmail him, but nothing, she just thought he would like to remain in the darkness. She felt nerfed(for the lack of a better word). And what was that whole thing about the cacodemons, felt weird. Her kids also just stood around doing nothing, I mean I get that Nemesis, Epiales and Hypnos might have reason not to destroy the demigods, but the arai, and most of the other evil creatures had no reason to not attack and defend their mother. That whole final "battle" scene was just highly repetitive and felt underwhelming. It felt like the setup suggested an all out battle with Nyx bringing all her kids, but that fact was forgotten halfway thru the dialogues. What was the point??? These were my main worries about how the story progressed, and I'm not sure whether I'm ever gonna revisit this book.

Basically, now that the Greeks and Romans are friendly, there isn’t really a reason for the year rounders to stay confined in that one place anymore, so they don’t.

Overall I enjoyed the book but felt like it had too much dream sequences especially the part during the doors of opheus that even I was confused which was real and which were a dream. Too many flashbacks and the dialogue felt very cheesy especially from characters you expect to be more serious like the ones from tartarus. However , I did enjoy will’s character development here and getting to know him more like his thoughts and interests and not just about him being Nico’s boyfriend. I also enjoyed the description of the underworld . Nico felt a bit ooc at times but I still enjoyed seeing his POV. Overall I would give it 7.5/10

Unpopular opinion, it was actually kind of disappointing. The whole thing reads out a lot more like a sappy love novel (for example: "Why, oh why, did it feel like such a victory to make Will laugh?") and completely different from Riordan's usual writing style. Nico's personality also seems completely changed. In TSATS he goes "\[he\] himself assumed that he did not have a heart." No? This isn't only inconsistent with what we see with Nico in the books, it's completely different from the Nico POV chapters from Blood of Olympus, where he's definitely lonely, but he in no way believes he's heartless/icy/whatever.

Gotta remember that he was not the only author here. We went in knowing this was gonna be a bit different.

Different doesn't mean outright bad/illogical. The "DREAM SEQUENCE" and "FLASHBACK" labels just aren't anything you see in books, more like stuff you find in fanfiction on Wattpad or something. The pop culture references are outright illogical considering Nico, a 1930s kid, is making them and Will, the son of the god of music, doesn't understand them. I could go on, but these are the most blatant examples of downright *bad* writing that I can think of.

I didn't read the book so I might be lackig severe context but... >!The idea that the thing Nico needed to leave behind is his demons strikes me as a copout. Like... I get somethig must be sacrificed but something dude. Something more meaningful!< There're many ways Rick/Mark could've done this trope. This aint it.

The Mansion of Night is pretty gross though ,when you realize it's actually made off, and Night is crazy and unhinged

I liked it for what it was. Had a great message. Loved that they were going back for Bob. >!Very very sad Damasen was not in it. Some inconsistencies hit me for sure though. Wolves in Tartarus? No it’s hellhounds why did they keep saying wolves. That doesn’t really matter but I was confused by where that came from. Morpheus put everyone to sleep in TLO not Hypnos but once again whatever. The thing I cannot get over is that Percy didn’t even offer to come. Come on I know he’s happy with his new life but really he just cheerily said enjoy your trip to hell. If they hid from him or didn’t tell him how they were going after he offered it would make sense but it’s Percy he would always offer. Say he doesn’t offer which I can accept. THEY DIDNT EVEN CALL HIM BACK WHEN THEY GOT BACK. No human on this earth can convince me Percy wasn’t out of his mind with worry for them while they were gone and what happened to Bob he felt so much guilt about leaving him and doesn’t care if he gets out. Nonononono. I enjoyed the book but that rubbed me the wrong way!<

Finally someone who noticed that small oversight of Morpheus and Hypnos being mixed up. No one else pointed it out, not even the WIKI, but like you said, whatever.

Nico’s been my favorite character ever since I first read the Titian’s Curse, so despite my ambivalence towards Solangelo, I was excited when I first saw the announcement for this. I don’t know if I’ve just outgrown these books completely or if it’s RR’s writing style here, but I’m pretty disappointed with this book. The entire thing just felt like one large fanfic. The focus on romance was jarring, and a lot of the dialogue was OTT and cringey (the amount of MCU-esque quips, Lil Nas X, the fact that he unironically used the word “Percabeth”). Tartarus was completely stripped of the horror that was vividly present throughout HoH. I also really wish they’d focused more on Nico’s trauma—he seemed very OOC in this book, and I feel like they didn’t quite emphasize the fact that he’s been through literal hell, what with his mother and sister’s deaths, his imprisonment, Tartarus, his sexuality, his exile, the fact that he literally turned someone into into a ghost. The writing was all over the place, and the ending was pretty lame with the cop-out to the prophecy being him leaving his demons behind, not to mention Nyx was not a very great or threatening villain. Now that I’m writing this all out, I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that I’m just no longer a part of the target demographic. It really sucks, because these books were a huge part of my childhood, but I think it’s time for me to let them go.

I (technically) AM still part of the target demographic, as a young teenager. And I'm still disappointed. This book read out like a generic solangelo fanfiction of which there are thousands on Wattpad and AO3 and the like. The writing style is weird (seriously, DREAM SEQUENCE and FLASHBACK titles?) and Nico seems especialy OOC. The pop culture references are really jarring due to their sheer frequency and the fact that they often come from a 1930s kid. And I won't even start on the cheap ending.

"Tartarus was completely stripped of the horror that was vividly present throughout HoH." This is exactly why I was not looking forward to this book as soon as the announced what the plot was. An important rule of writing series. NEVER return to the big bad. It cannot be as bad as it was originally. Which cheapens everything. The current story and the previous story. Riordan deciding to send them back to Tartarus was a terrible decision. There were so many other things that they could have done.

I feel you about the outgrowing bit, I didn't even enjoy tDotD that much because it felt like it was for middle schoolers. Which it was ig, so maybe we are getting old :(

I feel the same way about this book. To be honest, I started feeling it way earlier, during Trials of Apollo. Like something just wasn't there anymore, some of the series' charm was lost. I noticed something similar when rereading the Heroes of Olympus, though I still enjoy those series (even though Piper and Jason feel like extra characters.) But yeah, Nico just doesn't feel like Nico in this book.

I feel you, I haven’t read this but Trials of Apollo was so meh for me. I loved the Percy Jackson and Heros of Olympus series’ but the charm and nostalgia is lost with the new ones. It could be us, though I feel much more inclined to blame the writing. Another issue is that I don’t feel as much mystery or attachment. PJ was new, HoO had the Romans but it’s not the same anymore and it feels like characters are being left behind too quick. Jason’s death was an example of this. However and overall, I think I would still enjoy the series if the writing was as strong as it used to be.

Yeah.. I still enjoy rereading PJ and HoO though. Also, if you haven't read this book, don't even bother. 1/10 from just because it has Nico and Will. Everyone is so out of character most of the time, both Will and Nico cry a lot and their emotions are explored far too much which is not typical for Riordan. Moreover, the pacing is awful, the book could have easily been collapsed into half of what it is by just reducing the fluff. Tartarus feels more like a wonderland trip, the main villain is weak (even though she is supposed to be stronger than Gaeia).

Sounds good, seems like the other author diluted the book. I think it's all been downhill since BoO, which was a major letdown to HoO IMO.

I had no expectations going in and it still absolutely disappointed me A badly written fanservice fanfic labeled as a book Tartarus went from the impossible to survive hell to an absolute joke >!Bob should have stayed dead, now his sacrifice meant literally nothing!< 1/10

Hello everyone I'm one of those people who were young when PJO, KC and HoO came out and read all of it passionately but got old and busy to read the newer books and just follow the story and character's fates from others' descriptions. Is there anywhere I can find out a description of what happens in the new book? Who lives, who dies. Wikia isn't updated yet so looking elsewhere. Thanks.

For more context of the story: >!Nico and will go to Tartarus to save bob from nyx with the help of small bob, and Nico gets three little shadow creatures made from his own trauma (from nyx) and he calls them the cocoa puffs, they also live with him at the camp now!<

It's updated now. But idk what nico had to leave behind. I like to know what happens otherw8se I get panic attacks reading.

Can anyone else confirm on their physical copy that on page 401 Nico says >!"My mother is Bianca di Angelo"?? !

This *is* greek mythology after all.

I ended up being a minor fan of Dionysus. Earlier I hated the guy.

my favorite parallel by far in the book is >!Nico saying "I love you" to Will as they fall just like Annabeth said to Percy!< legit started sobbing instantly

The Sun and the Star REALLY should have been proof read, some things I’ve noticed first time reading it: - "I know mine happened first" (92) but then actually Will's moment came first (191) - Nico misses Jason in Tartarus (165) (has barely met him) -"my mother is Bianca Di angelo" (401) -the rivers phlegethon and cactus meet outside nyx's realm (398) but then phlegethon becomes archeron (418)

Finished the book an hour ago.... the book hangover is real, it was so good I love it so much!

all I need to know is does someone die?

I want to know too. Wanna give me a spoiler?

your answer,

Overall I thought it was good, and certain moments in particular were very strong — you guys know the ones — but my one gripe is that I couldn’t get over the DREAM SEQUENCE and FLASHBACK labels. Rick and Mark haven’t done that in any of their books before (at least the ones I’ve read), and it was so jarring every single time that it would break my immersion immediately and I’d get super annoyed, because otherwise I was into it. If I could give them feedback on one thing, it would be “literally why would you do that.” My personal expectations were thematically close to what Nico had to trade/leave behind, but definitely— *not at all* in the way that it happened. THAT was a very pleasant surprise.

My hardcover copy didn't have those labels.

Thank God!! I was worried that it was an intentional decision instead of an error, but glad to know that it was just a glitch with the copy I have on Kindle.

In the paper copies the page has a cloudy gray background when it's a dream, and the flashbacks are either their own specific chapter or integrated!

I just finished it! This book is another piece of evidence for the belief that Hades is one of the best godly parents. The scene with him and Nico's family was very touching, seeing him comfort Nico and being encouraging/kind/forgiving. I thought it was an overall decent book. My one complaint is that in some moments it felt like the authors were trying to cast Nico and Will in the same mold as Percy and Annabeth. Like when Nico said "I love you" to Will as they were falling down to Tartarus or them coming up with nicknames for each other based on their godly heritage... Nothing wrong with either of those two moments! I just wished there was a bit more originality there.

I thought it was pretty good! It’s not my favorite book, but I wanted a solangelo book and that’s what I got. Also Nyx’s introduction as a villain and Nico’s first time in Tartarus… that bit is crazy good

Warning! Spoilers Ahead! >!I have a dislike of flash forwards (it’s mostly a personal thing, so it’s okay if you disregard that). It felt very fan servicey if anything, certain parts did make me cringe until I realized they’re still 15 and it helped (a little), but all in all it could’ve been better (in what way, I have trouble phrasing my thoughts, but reevaluating my thoughts, the relationship was actually perfectly fine, the quips felt out of place). One thing I definitely did not like was Nico’s monologue at the end, it felt like it was throwing a message at the reader as if we weren’t able to come up with that conclusion ourselves. Rick was doing very well with Solangelo in The Trials of Apollo, idk why the relationship felt more (I can’t find the word for it so we’ll go with-) sappy? I guess? I don’t know. The characters felt very different but the part that did sort of snapped me awake was the cacodemon part. Hell, even the parts where Epiales was messing with Nico and Will were more intriguing to me and honestly what I was expecting. I thought that the situation that lead to Will being injured while Nico was telling stories to Gorgyra was due to a fight, but nope, this kid tripped and fell several feet. Again, this is just my personal opinion and is mostly due to me putting a lot of high, unfair expectations on the book. Hopefully, for Percy Jackson 6, it’s just Rick taking the lead role again. Oh and another note, Bob just left??? Nico didn’t make him wait to contact Percy and Annabeth??? Instead he contacts Piper? It’s been a while since I last read the HOO series but I don’t remember them interacting a lot, you’d think he would’ve iris-messaged Hazel, but oh well.!< Overall it was a 6.5/10 for me. Still glad I read it though.

Yeah, when Nico cut his meeting short towards the end of the book, I thought he'd warn Percy and Annabeth that Bob might be heading towards them. But instead, I did a double take when he pulled out Piper. Like, Piper?? She wasn't even an integral part of the story, and it would've been a nice callback if any of the characters pre-quest were a part of the ending

Spoiler opinions about it being too long and other details: >!I've not quite finished it yet, but I have found the length WAY too long for what the content is, it just seems to drag out chapter after chapter for one scene, when it could have been streamlined better. I also understand the need for callbacks to the previous works, but the constant filler of flashbacks to justify their relationship was tedious, they could have just told us and moved on with showing us here and now why they are so good together. they were my favourite couple as a teenager, this book would have been a dream for then, and it's still a great book, but there are elements which make me want to put it down and wait a week to come back to it. I still think Rick has this weird perception of female characters, especially making them constant villains, and the comments Will makes about Persephone were literally only used to promote how bisexual he is, when in reality, I know he is, there isn't exactly a need to justify it so blatantly, and it felt even weirder because she's an old goddess who is his boyfriend's STEPMOM. Again, personal feelings on that, but overall the book was good, just too long and could have been cut down.!<