The Lost Hero ~ Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus #1)
★★★★★
This was my second time reading this book, but because I originally read it around the time of its release, 2010, when I was 11 year old, I didn't remember much about it. I only remember not really liking it at the time. I found the conflict to devalue Percy and company's journey and struggle. I found that the villain's motivations lacked profound themes, and had no character analogous to Luke. I missed the first person and the chapter headers. But most of all, I found that a book without Percy in it was not something I wanted. Essentially, this was just too YA for my MG mind.
And I was also completely wrong.
Rereading this was a really special treat. It was like opening a time capsule almost a decade later. I've changed, and therefore my priorities and preferences have also changed. What I found lacking in my reread of the original series was present here, and even better than I'd hoped.
The thing I loved about this the most was the atmosphere. The original series had an atmosphere, but not a strong one, and it wasn't very apparent until the 4th book in the 5-book franchise. This atmosphere was palpable; strong and intense and full of tension. It had an eerie quality to it, both mysterious and a little scary. I felt pulled in and held there. It gave me everything I didn't know I wanted.
Most of the atmosphere was thanks to Boreas and his icy fam (who were honestly the greatest thing ever — forget Apollo spin-off, I want a book series about Boreas). They delivered what only Hades had hinted at (and Calypso had implied): non-human, morally dubious gods. They were powerful, a little glamorous, and I never quite knew what direction their mood would take. They weren't caricatures like a lot of the gods in the original series. They had an ancient, primordial feel to them. I absolutely loved them.
A problem that did sort of carry over from my initial reading all those years ago was Jason's character. The amnesia element never really stopped annoying me, but I did manage to ignore how cliche it is for most of the story. But the biggest issue with his character was this: he was literally just Percy. I can't even imagine them in the same room. They'd literally be doing the exact same things, making the exact same comments. Now, don't get me wrong; I love Percy. But I only need one of him. Obviously Riordan is capable of making more than like three different personalities, so I just don't understand why Jason was the way he was. Whenever it wasn't Jason's perspective, I actually kind of liked him, but whenever it was, I got a little annoyed.
The other characters didn't have that problem at all! I liked Piper a lot; she was really great. Leo was my absolute favorite. (Though it's a little funny that a woman of Spanish-language heritage would name her son "Leo" when that means "I read" in Spanish. Maybe Riordan is trying to subliminally message us to read more, though why he'd need to convince people already reading his book to read, I don't know.) He was a perfect mix of emotional vulnerability and comic relief. He really carried most of the plot and I loved him.
The villain was actually pretty great! They were frightening and effective, with a paranoia-inducing creepiness that Kronos never had. While their motivations still seem pretty weak (and therefore their theme as well), especially when compared against Luke, I actually really like them. 11 year old Faith wanted answers now, especially since the villain revealed themselves a lot sooner than in the original series, but there are a lot more books to expand and build the themes. And I'm excited to discover what their endgame is.
The plot, pacing, tension, and expansion of the world were all done really well. The penultimate climax was a lot better done than the actual climax, but I'll let that slide. While this book was significantly longer than any of the original series' books, it didn't feel too long. It was always perfectly balanced (as all things should be).
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