The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1)

I don't know why I put off reading this series for so long. I had finished with Percy Jackson around a year back and while I liked that series, I didn't like 'love it'. Sure, the books were good, there is even a movie franchisee now, but I was still a bit 'meh' about it. And maybe that's why I didn't give this series a chance until I saw the copy of The Lost Hero lying in my library. (The fact that I finally find out that the series crossover did factor in - hey, I did like the Percy Jackson series!) Even 500+ pages did not deter me - I wanted to delve into Greek mythology once again. And boy, was I pleased with this one. This one totally breaks the spin-off streak - stood up to the expectations of the early series; in fact, it more than delivered. The Lost Hero was a hold-your-breath kind of experience.

The story begins with an amnesiac demigod, Jason, who is suddenly plopped into a new life (field trip actually) where he finds out he has a girlfriend, Piper, and a best friend, Leo, that he doesn't remember. Before he can even make sense of this fact, they are being attacked by angry storm spirits. They fight off with their Coach who turns out to be a satyr (totally saw that one coming) and their extraction team arrives in the form of Annabeth (from Percy Jackson series, yes) who came here in hopes of finding Percy Jackson, who has been missing. They all come to Camp Half-Blood, where we get another intro of the Camp, and that night itself, voila, a quest is put up on them. The Great Prophecy is coming to fruition - apparently, the Titan war wasn't the worst. Hera has been kidnapped and the captor is someone way powerful - a primordial deity which isn't revealed until the near ending (I saw this coming too). So the three of them - Piper, Jason and Leo set out on their first great quest - meet up with various minor gods, famous mortals and other awesome monsters.

The writing was very fluid and well-written. The induction of the former famous well-known Greek characters was constructed very smartly, most of the myths staying true to the story. I love that fact, in a retelling, when the original story's soul is still preserved. I must say, though, those Greeks sure had a thing for collecting things.

Piper is an extremely likeable character - she is smart, almost Athena-smart and resourceful. She truly uses her talents to the best. Likewise, Leo was a very hilarious character - but he wasn't limited to comic relief, and played quite a part in their quest. I am a bit unsure of Jason though. It wasn't that I didn't like him, but he didn't endear me to him as much as the other two did. I certainly enjoyed Annabeth and Thalia's presence as well as Chiron. If only we get to meet Percy in the next book! Hera was likeable to me too, even though she hasn't been kind to the demi-gods. I think she did what she had to do - even if she didn't like it, just for the world.

The books sets a nice base for the series - we know there is a danger of the deity waiting to rise, there is another quest and some other demigods to find. The addition to the Greek mythology was genius - the way the different aspects of the Gods were drafted into the storyline. A very enjoyable read.

This book was awesome. I love companion series. They're like series, but better. Because the story never ends and you just find out more amazing things about the world the author has created. For instance:

The Greek Gods are sometimes the Roman Gods instead (or too, whatever - it's kind of confusing to be a god), and their demigod kids are different from the Camp Half Blood people.

That is so not a spoiler. It's like the whole point of the book, and it's evident from early on. Yet, even though you kind of know where it's going, the book continues to dangle tantalizing hints in front of you, so you have to obsessively read and forego sleep to figure stuff out. By the end, a lot of things are made clear but questions are raised as well. Which is great. I love world-expansion. The author does it so, so well. I'm really looking forward to finding out more about the Romans in the next installment (also, I totally missed Percy), even though I'm pretty sure I like the Greeks better. Discipline and war - not into them. Also, you have to be brave and confident or you get eaten by a wolf? What if you're, like, a child of Aphrodite or Demeter - that doesn't really go with the nature of those deities. Anyway - I suppose I'll find out more about that in the next book. I'm hoping Camp Jupiter won't be like military school or something.

Jason was a little bland, but I think that was on purpose. He was a blank slate, after all, and he was loyal to his friends, which is always good. Leo was hilarious. "A Latino elf." Yep. Perfect description. And who wouldn't want a giant mechanical flying dragon? His story is really moving, even if he tries to deflect from it with humor. His character arc is great to watch.

Piper was a really great addition. We had Annabeth in the Percy Jackson series, and I love her, but she's not really emotional and feminine like Piper is. Which is fine - that's just not who she is. But I absolutely love how Piper shows that you can be very strong and not a "fighter" - that love is the most powerful motivator in the world. I've often noticed this, and yet it is generally overlooked and undervalued. She's just an awesome character. I've always hoped there was more to the Aphrodite cabin, and I always liked Silena.

It was really cool seeing Camp Half Blood from new perspectives and I was totally squealing over all the new cabins! I want to be in the Hecate cabin. So cool. I'm still eagerly awaiting a Goddess of Magic redemption. And of course in The Lost Hero we meet yet another sorceress who is evil. Come on, mythology! Aren't there any non-evil sorceresses!?

All in all, I am impressed.

This book had everything a great book needs plus more! (My favorite part is King Midas) So the book starts out with 3 kids, Leo, Jason, and Piper are on a field trip and then out of the air wind spirits appear and start to break down the walk out balcony. I don't want to give to much away but it is a great book (on my top 5 list)To sum it up right after I read this one I bought the second and third right away on iBooks.

Overall I loved this book! Yes, it lllloooooonnnnggg, but in my opinion its worth it! I def plan of reading the next two books! As soon as mid terms are over........

Happy Reading!

Think of it like this. You have just finished the Percy Jackson series and are so sad because it's over and then suddenly you find out that there is a new series continuing on from it. What do you do?

Well, read it straight away, of course!

Here's the punch line. Percy has DISAPPEARED and the whole of Camp Half-Blood is in a state of panic, especially for Annabeth (I mean, would you want to have a brand-new boyfriend and then have him suddenly disappear on you?).


In this brand new series featuring the old and well-loved world of Percy Jackson, we are introduced to new characters: Jason, son of Jupiter (yep, you heard me. ROMAN, not Greek, except he doesn't know that yet) Piper, daughter of Aphrodite (except she's not stuck-up, thank the gods) and Leo, son of Hephaestus. Jason has lost all his memory except for his name.

So Jason and Piper and Leo arrive at Camp Half-Blood and are almost immediately sent on a quest. They face everything from evil enchantresses, to metal angels, to snow goddesses, to hungry wolves and so on.

I LOVED the Percy Jackson series, so of course, as soon as I found out about this book, I was so excited, especially since I knew I was going to see old friends. But then I found out he wasn't there... But then that just made me really excited to read the next book. If Percy wasn't there, I would probably have screamed something along the lines of: "Where is Percy? He's supposed to be the hero of this series!!!" Sorry Jason, but you will never live up to Percy's legacy.

I COMPLETELY and UTTERLY recommend this book, especially if you loved the Percy Jackson series.

In this book, we're introduced to three new heroes. All of which have no idea they are heroes. They all seem to be trouble makers. But as soon as the book begins, something happens that leads the heroes to a place called Camp Half-Blood. Here they learn about many weird things such as monsters, a curse, and a missing camper. Soon Jason, Leo, and Piper find out more about the camp which causes them to learn more about themselves.
They are then given a special task to help figure out why things have gone South in the United States and come to find out, it isn't an easy task. As the quest goes on, all three of the demigods help each other out against monsters, gods, goddesses, and other things. Especially the big thing at the end. When there is a conclusion. I wonder how many people who have read it actually made the connection.
Now I was really in-between about this book. There were things I liked, but there were also things I didn't like. And the things I didn't like were pretty hard to ignore. So, let's start with the things that I did like.
Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors. I love everything about him, from the reason he started writing these stories about the ADHD kids being demigods to his wonderful humor to the fact that he lives in my home state of Texas. But the thing I like most about him, is the fact that regardless of your age, if you don't know much about the gods and goddesses and the monsters from their world, you can learn so much from him. And in a light, funny, adventurous way. His writing style is unique and draws you in on every adventure he writes about.
I also liked the fact that this is like a companion novel to the Percy Jackson series. If you know me, you know that I LOVED the Percy Jackson series, so when I started reading this and Annabeth, Rachel, Chiron, and Thalia all were still around, I was so excited. Spoiler: I couldnt wait to get through the book and find Percy, but due to different events in the book, he wasn't there :( But I have a feeling he will definitely be in the next book of the series, especially since its called "The Son of
I also loved the addition of the Roman gods in this book. It was a great way to change up the story a bit and I was able to learn more about the gods at the same time I was enjoying the story. I really liked that their addition because before starting this book, the only thing I knew about the Roman gods were the fact that they were the Greek god's counterparts. Before reading this, I only knew the names of the Greek gods. Now having read this, I know both names for them...
The only thing I didn't like, was the fact that it seemed EXACTLY like Percy's story. I'm not sure if it has to do with the connection that I got at the end, or if it wasn't supposed to be like that at all, but I wanted to read this because I was expecting them to have their own story. But it reminided me so much of Percy's that I was able to guess a few things as it happened. But the good thing about this is, I LOVED Percy and his series so I didn't really mind. It was the "predictableness" that I had a problem with.

new people from a whole new place enter the halfblood camp. they are very skillful and resourceful and are making the most of their new lives. the new recently discovered halfbloods are already on a quest and are making their way into the roman camp

This brand new series following the story of Greek demigods with a new Roman theme coming into place. With new characters and all the old ones, including Percy and Annabeth. This book stars the trio, Jason, Leo and Piper. One of which, Jason, has lost all of his memory except for his name. The new evil arising is even deadly then Kronos and his fellow titans.

Percy has gone missing, making the whole camp into panic. Jason is found on a school bus with no recall of his former life prior to that moment. Piper and Leo find themselves in a battle with a storm spirit while their cope with the idea of their PE teacher being a satyr. This book is full of new allies and even more deadly enemies. This book will live up to your expectations and won't disappoint. Definitely recommend it and same with the sequel.

I was a little disappointed with this read. I felt it was the same story as the Percy Jackson series just with different characters. Also, it wasn't as gripping as Percy Jackson. I didn't connect with the characters. It wasn't what I was expecting from Riordan. It was an okay read, it just wasn't great, and I'm not tempted to read the sequel I'm afraid.

Reader reviewed by Linda L

*previously posted on my book blog, Most Important Letter*

The Lost Hero
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Release date: October 12, 2010

Age genre: Young adult fiction
Sexual content: Thinking about kissing & but do they do the real thing?
Profanity: Nope.
Violence: What fun is there to an adventure without some explosions and fighting?
Other notables: Not that I recall &

Genres: Greek mythology, Roman mythology, adventure, romance

L: The hardest part of this book for me was that our perspective kept on changing between Jason Grace, Piper McLean, and Leo Valdez. It was hard to get used to at first because Im used to a one-person narrator.

Jason has memory loss. Pipers father is missing. And Leo is worried about a curse on his cabin at Camp Half-Blood.

And wheres Percy?

Copy: Hardcover, borrowed from library
Rating: 4 out of 5 letter blocks