Review Detail

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.