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4 stars! Spoiler free for this book, but will likely be spoilery for prior books in the series.
Reeling from the aftermath of The Burning Maze, the book starts off on a sad note as they arrive to San Francisco. However, these heroes get no rest as they prepare to battle a new (or old depending on how you look at it) and even worse foe as well as the Roman Emperors approaching on the seas. These are getting better and better, Riordan really knows how to do endings as they're always my fave parts of all his books.
INTENSE can describe this book. The racing plot keeps you on the edge of your seat and does not let your heart calm down as the Lester and gang fight enemy after enemy after enemy.
The plot however cannot take all the glory, the characters are still winning over my heart in this one. Lester has grown and continues to grow while maintaining his witty comebacks and God-like persona. His brotherly relationship with Meg is downright adorable.
And the side characters/revisiting old characters was heartwarming at the beginning and heart splitting by the end of the book. How he manages to make you feel all the feels for them all over again and still have them grow in books that aren’t necessarily centered on them is magical.
I also have to comment on the dialogue as per usual, Riordan has some amazing funny one-liners and meme-worthy exchanges between characters or in Apollo’s internal monologue.
Lastly if you peep the cover, that scene is actually so so so funny, but so so precarious.
Though the essential Riordan formula is the same in this book, he still manages to make the entire ride fun and emotional. Can’t wait for the finale & possibly what he may be hinting at for his next series in the Greek mythology-verse!
Peep by review for all the books in the series if you haven't!
Review for book 1: The Hidden Oracle | 5 stars
Review for book 2: The Dark Prophecy | 2.75 stars
Review for book 3: The Burning Maze | 3.75 stars
Review for book 4: The Tyrant's Tomb | 4 stars
Review for book 5: The Tower of Nero | 3.5 stars