Roben E. R. Lapan

Conflicted

Revisado: 12-12-24

I’m honestly not completely sure how I feel about this book. I didn’t much care for the first half, the pacing felt impatient, the rules of the Time Rope proved increasingly fast and loose, Pacific is virtually unrecognizable from the compassionate Goddess depicted in Zane’s books, for as undeniably cool as Ren’s new jaguar powers are I can’t say I prefer them to her “daughter of time shadow Bruja” combo, and that deal with Jade really made it feel as though she’d learned nothing from her previously godly dealings, her prior bargain with the Prince Lord especially. The second half is a fair bit better, however. Just about everything after arriving in the Land of Flowers is pretty much smooth sailing. Hence, I am conflicted. Dawn of the Jaguar wasn’t the slam dunk I had hoped the last(current) modern Mayan myth centered on my favorite Bruja would be. It’s definitely far from my favorite of the series… but when it’s all said and done, I didn’t completely hate my time, either. Sometimes it’s more about how you finish than you start, and for all of her stumbles, I would say Renata Santiago finished strong enough.

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Inoffensive, but uninspired

Revisado: 12-19-23

A passable if not especially original premise, populated with passable if flat characters, in a passable if underwhelming narrative. The result is expectedly passable, but unremarkable. You could probably do worse, but I’m sure you could find better.

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Pretty compelling(ignoring the mistakes)

Revisado: 10-10-23

Nico di Angelo has stood out as one of Riordan’s more tragic souls ever since his inception all the way back in the Titan’s Curse, and has only grown more captivating as with seemingly every instillation we saw his character in a new light. From the grief and rage of losing his sister, to the turmoil and bitterness of loving the boy who failed his promise to protect her, Nico’s story has been a most engrossing one, even from the sidelines. Blood of Olympus marked our first chance to see through his eyes, and while the experience was certainly novel, the climax of a larger ongoing narrative proved less than ideal ground in which to more deeply explore his character.

All that is to say, Sun and the Star’s biggest accomplishment to me is the closure it finally offers this legacy character. We get to see him dealing with his daemons, watch his and Will’s relationship bend under the weight of their fundamental differences, then rebound stronger than ever with a new understanding and appreciation for one another, even touch on the complications of his feelings towards Percy. And when it’s all said and done, Nico di Angelo didn’t simply triumph over the Pit, he learned and grew within it, and came out the other end not just a happier person, but a healthier one too. And frankly, I couldn’t ask fir more.

Except for the surprising number of continuity errors, particularly near the end. Apparently Hypnos is now the god who put Manhattan to sleep despite that party being unambiguously identified as Morpheus when the event transpired in the Last Olympian. The rivers’ Cocytus & Phlegethon exists for half a paragraph before one of them is seemingly replaced by the Acheron, Nico pulls a drachma out of two different places to make an Iris message, and Apparently Bianca di Angelo is now the name of his mother. Like, this is hardly the first time Rick’s made a whoopsie(never forget the curse of Ares), but this just might be his most condensed collection of goofs to date. Which is a bit disappointing, and kinda funny. Also doesn’t detract from my recommendation, just thought it was worth noting.

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I did miss Percy, At least Apollo was Great, That’s About It.

Revisado: 11-12-18

The Hidden Oracle is the first book in Riordan’s third Greco-Roman Modern Mythology series, the Trials of Apollo. To start my compliment sandwich there, the premise of our protagonist being an extraordinarily flamboyant Greek god forced into an all to ordinary mortal form is undeniably effective. Apollo’s near nonstop commentary, whining, and occasional moments of self-reflection make this easily one of the most amusing books I’ve read in quite some time, but not necessarily at the cost of story or character development.
(I’ll be taking pains to avoid specific spoilers, but the hyper-cautious would likely do well to skip the following paragraph regardless)

Unfortunately, that brings me to the meat of my thoughts on this book, which is that this is the third five book series focusing on the Greek pantheon, and that— fun mortal Apollo gimmick aside— the seams of this series have become a bit too strained for my liking. So, it turns out that the last 2 wars were just warmup rounds for the REAL masterminds! Excellent, glad to know that the last 2 series’ worth of conflict was all just fodder for the big guns, maybe if we’re lucky this bad guy will last 45 seconds before being supplanted in the next series! Pardon my sarcasm, but I hope it got the point across. Quantity runs the risk of eroding quality, and when you’re building your new toys on the backs of the old— particularly if people already think the execution was rushed last time— you run the sincere risk of desensitizing your audience to your product before its barely left the gates. Take new intrepid demigod Meg McCaffrey, for instance. Hero with an uncommon godly context? Check. A magic sword and an unreasonably high skill level to go with it? Double check. A tragic history that must be overcome for the sake of her future. Check and then some. It’s this last point in particular that Trials of Apollo wants me to focus on- Meg’s trauma. Unfortunately, I’m a full book into this series, and I’ve already determined that I don’t particularly care for this lead character. I applaud Riordan for planting another bold flag in his ever expanding banner of diversity, and genuinely hope that Meg McCaffrey is the character that Percy Jackson was for so many. But I’ve been reading these books since 2009, when I was 11. I’ve seen this author craft 3 and a half world’s based in Mythology(my favorite subject), and populate them with fun and impactful characters, each fully equipped with their own stories to tell. I’m not sure if there will come a day where these stories and I go our separate ways, but the day I finished The Hidden Oracle, I knew I’d reached a turning point. The law of diminishing returns had been enacted, I was struggling to care. This book is too closely tied to PJO & HoO for its own good. The characters I’ve already grown to care about are a touch too sparse for my liking, while they’re still too close to let this new series breathe. Pun very much intended, it’s the worst of both worlds.

And then there’s Robbie Daymond, the narrator, the thing that separates the Audible version of Trials of Apollo from just any other version of the book. And gods, what a defining feature to have! Daymond’s cadence PERFECTLY captures every angle of Apollo’s character: The proud Olympian, the whiny teen, the grieving man, the extravagant immortal. This is easily one of the best voice actor to character marriages I’ve witnessed since the likes of Mark Hamill and the Joker, and I don’t say that lightly!

Final thoughts:
Riordan’s old magic is still hard at work in this new series. I easily recommend this to new and young readers, there’s a good chance you’ll learn something about mythology, and maybe even the world around you. Even if you don’t, it’s still another fun misadventure in the world of Modern day mythology, and I’m sure somebody will enjoy the ride. Be for warned that the book eludes to the 2 previous Greco-Roman series multiple times, making this a somewhat unideal jumping point. Also, while all subjects in this book are paired to a mid-reader Level, there are still mature themes and concepts on display here that are not to be taken lightly, Chief among them the subject of childhood emotional abuse. Reader discretion is advised.

As to the more seasoned veterans or older prospective readers, your enjoyment of Trials of Apollo will be dictated pretty thoroughly on your present appetite for Riordan’s formula. The parts have been swapped out, but the mechanism is largely the same. If you’re as hungry for more of this style of writing as you were 10 years ago, then by all means, I hope Trials of Apollo is what you’re looking for. But if you were looking for further iteration on the characters you’ve already become endeared to, are are weary after the controversial Blood of Olympus, or have reader fatigue after 10-16 books of something similar, then maybe you’re better off stopping here.

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