The Son of Neptune (2011)

4.5 stars

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The Quest
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

In true Rick Riordan fashion, the half-bloods are once again sent on a quest by the Gods, but this time Percy is on a quest with Hazel and Frank, two half-bloods from Camp Jupiter. Percy has lost his memory and can barely remember anything, and if he does it’s quite fuzzy in his mind. The three set off on their quest to release a God who has been captured by Gaea, the God responsible for keeping dead things… well, dead. With him captured, the enemies on their quest don’t die, which certainly makes things interesting and quite dangerous for the trio.

Thoughts
I’m a huge fan of Rick Riordan and his Percy Jackson series. His books are always lighthearted and funny, although sometimes I’m reminded that these are in fact children’s books when the occasional goofy statements thrown in. Like how Amazons run amazon.com. (Sighing and eye rolling did occur). But there were some funny lines that had me gigglging.

”Um… is that thing tame?” Frank said.
The horse whinnied angrily.
“I don’t think so,” Percy guessed. “He just said, ‘I will trample you to death, silly Chinese Canadian baby man.’”
“You speak horse?” Hazel asked.
“’Baby man’?” Frank spluttered.

I gotta admit, the first half of the book I was pretty much indifferent and I had a hard time staying interested at first. It’s such a confusing storyline because Percy has amnesia, Frank and Hazel have multiple secrets, and nothing is revealed so you pretty much feel like you’re stumbling right along with the characters in the book. The characters were great, as usual, and I loved the introduction of the new characters Hazel and Frank. Once things started coming together, I was completely swept away and will be waiting quite eagerly for the next installment. ( )

I have to say, I'm liking this series even more than I did the Percy Jackson series. Maybe it's because the characters are a bit older, maybe it's the influx of new characters with the old (Ella the harpy is awesome!), maybe it's the blend of Greek and Roman mythology. It might even be all three. Rick Riordan definitely has hit on the winning formula here. This book has me--and many of my students--anxiously awaiting book three. Write faster, please! ;-) ( )

It just ENDED!!! I'm going to cry. It couldn't have lasted 15 more minutes (in the story's time)??? REALLY??!?!!???!??? So rude, Rick. So incredibly rude! The boys who read this review will probably be like, "Huh?" But you girls/ladies know what I'm talking about! Don't lie.

PERCY IS BACK!! Yay!! He wakes up and he doesn't remember anything but his name and the name "Annabeth". (Thank goodness! I think this means good things for Jason and Piper, too!)

Hazel and Frank weren't as strong as Piper and Leo, but then, everyone has different strengths, and when they all come together, the entire group is stronger for it, you know? Plus, don't lie. Frank turned out pretty freaking cool in the end, didn't he? Yes, he did. Plus, I liked that he was descended from Roman gods, but was Asian! Sweet! As for Hazel... She was all right. Her powers were certainly interesting, and definitely came in handy!

*reading other people's reviews*

Ohhhhhh... I forgot about that! Holy crap! Big spoilers: How Hazel's old beau is probably Leo's grandfather! That's gonna be FUNNY in the next book! I wonder if there will be a Hazel/Leo/Frank love triangle??? Oh, and the whole Jason/Piper/Reyna thing (although I don't really think Jason and Reyna feel that way about each other... or do they?)

I'm excited about the next book, entitled [b:The Mark of Athena|12127750|The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus, #3)|Rick Riordan|http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg|17115055]. That is a seriously INTRIGUING title. Annabeth is gonna cause a ruckus, I daresay!! So excited!! September can't get here quick enough! (In more way than one! We should be back in Texas by then!) ( )

Placeholder for the library edition. ( )

This book brings Percy back as one of the main narrators. Once again, his humor and bravery in impossible situations makes you wish he were your best friend in real life. The storytelling is fantastic, making this book unbelievably difficult to put down. ( )