They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.
Review: What can I say about Rick Riordan that I haven't already said? The House of Hades is quite possibly my favorite book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The book begins at the horrible cliffhanger of The Mark of Athena as Annabeth and Percy plunge into the dark pit of the Underworld. Leaving their friends, both in and out of the side of the book, stunned and on edge for the fear of their safety. Riordan splits his novel by the on-goings of the mortal world and those of the Underworld and continues to have his book narrated from multiple point of views.
In many cases writing effective multiple points of views is a challenge that can either make or break a book, but in the case of The House of Hades it enhances it as each main character is faced with making touch decisions, both individually and collectively as a group, never resorting to brooding and angst. Each of the seven demigods we have met in the Heroes of Olympus series battle their own demons of doubt, insecurity, and vulnerabilities and are forced out of their comfort zone in several mini journeys as they find their ways to achieve their over arching goal: help Percy and Annabeth to keep the doors of Hell closed and sealed from the mortal world. Despite being a demigod, Riordan strips them of their godly powers for most of the book and reminding his characters of their humanity which sets these children of the gods apart from their selfish, manipulative parents and allows them to grow, evolve. I loved Riordan's message of self confidence and that power, success of an individual comes from within first and foremost. I also loved how I got to know some of the characters a lot better particularly Nico, Frank, and even Piper.
Though the book is close to 600 pages, I was never bored with reading The House of Hades. Actually, there is really no time to get bored while reading the book as it is filled with plenty of battle scenes as our crew fights mythological monsters, giants, titans, and outwit lesser gods. There are lots of moments of comic relief too to balance the dark mood of the story along with lots of cute moments of romance (some new, others building, and a really nice surprise). I'm being intentionally vague to avoid spoiling the book for passionate fans of the series. All in all The House of Hades has once again raised the bar of what readers can expect from Rick Riordan and thankfully, the conclusion to the series is just one year away. However the title, The Blood of Olympus, has me worried that some of our heroes may not survive.
Rating: 5 stars
Words of Caution: There are plenty of battle scenes in the book, however, they are not graphically described. Recommended for strong Grades 5 readers and up.
If you like this book try: Seven Wonders series by Peter Lerangis, Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver, Loki's Wolves by Kelly Armstrong and Melissa Marr
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