The Son of Neptune: Yay! Percy is Back!!!

The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2)
By Rick Riordan
Hardcover, 521 pages
Hyperion Book, October 2011
Ages: 10+
Pricky rated it: 4 Bites and "Read it!"

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.


Percy is confused. Hazel is supposed to be dead. Frank is a klutz. 


Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven. (Abridged)




Pricky's Review:

Riordan's arrival to the "Roman Camp"

I don't know how he does it...After The Lightening Thief series (which if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for!), I thought Riordan wouldn't be able to produce another one just as entertaining...But I WAS WRONG! Thankfully...

The Son of Neptune is the second in his new series: The Heroes of Olympus. The first book, The Lost Hero, follows the adventures of 3 demigods: Jason, Piper, and Leo while The Son of Neptune begins at the "Roman" camp starring Percy, Hazel, and Frank.

Riordan's trademark humor and sarcasm is evident throughout the story, and I found myself laughing right at the start:

"Her Bargain Mart vest, her flowery dress, even her tusks were decorated with 50% OFF stickers. Her name badge read: Hello! My name is DIE, DEMIGOD SCUM!"

The chapters switch POVs seamlessly among the 3 characters. Each has it's own mystery, strength, and weakness. And Frank's Asian grandmother was so ON THE MARK!

There were only a few "buggy" things I noticed this time around:

1) The characters all seem to have the same "voice." I'm not sure if that really makes much sense, but while each of the characters have different backgrounds, they seemed to speak the same, have the same humor. It's not enough for a reader to notice unless there are being overly Type A...like me.

2) Definitely try to read the books without waiting MONTHS in between. It made for a frustrating read as I was trying to pull my amnesia back into remission. There are A LOT of tiny references to both Book 1 and The Lightening Thief series--not enough to take away from the story, but it would have been nice if my memory served me better.

Alas...Signing my book but talking to another reader.

Overall:

I highly recommend any of Riordan's books. The only bummer about finding an author you enjoy is that you're not the only one; Riordan's last book signing was INSANE and a bit of a disappointment. I literally was given less than 10 seconds to say hello and have him sign my book. Oh, wait, I didn't even get a chance to say hello because he was busy talking to the kid in front of me. I got a "head nod" and then herded out of line. Apparently, I haven't gotten over that. But still, go read the book. It was funny fun. 

Purchase The Son of Neptune on Amazon here.