Tuesday 2 April 2013

5 STAR Review: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan - It will amaze you!

There are some books I can never forget.  There are some books I think of reading all the time, because they are my favorites and bought it as soon as its released..yet, there is so less time, and there are so many books to read.  When finally you get to read those books, its fireworks!  The Mark of Athena is marked with excitement and fun throughtout - a real page turner!


Series: Heroes of Olympus #3
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Book
Release Date: October 2nd 2012
Source: Bought
Genre: Fantasy, Young-adult

Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close—the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising sacrifices, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb aboard the Argo II, if you dare....

REVIEW

So, at last I was able to continue with one of my favorite series.  And it sure doesn't disappoint me.  There may be some spoilers from the first two books, so read it at your own risk.

The novel begins with all the seven demigods getting united and Annabeth falling over Percy to hug him (AWWW!!).  So, just when everthing seems to be good (in demigod standards), Leo fires the Roman camp with his Argo II ship.  You guessed it right..Leo was possessed by one of the Gaea's demons to start a war between Greek and Roman camps.  The team fly from there and go in search of Nico, Hazel's brother and the son of Pluto.  Nico will die, Gaea will wake up and Rome will be destroyed - all in another five days.  So, the 7 demigods have the world to save and the journey begins...

Along with all the destroying Rome drama, Annabeth has her own problem.  Athena has given her a coin and ask her to follow "The Mark of Athena".

Jason: Son of the sky god.  Although it is a great responsibility and awesome power to control the skies and winds, from the start, I can't like Jason.  Maybe he is lacking in the humor department or maybe I always compare him with Percy, I am not sure, but Jason is not my favorite character.  But he is good and loyal.  He was made to lie down for most of the adventure. (Bad luck, mate!)

Piper: Love this girl - charming, pretty and daughter of Aphrodite.  With her charmspeaking skills, she saves Jason's skin more than once.  Jealous of Jason's other friends and trying some new ideas to escape the dangers, this girl is just not pretty, but she has got brains.

Leo: Of course, I love Leo - captain of Argo II and son of Hephaestus - funny, trying to impress girls and save himself and his friends by what he knows.  He is kind of cute and I always imagine Leo with that baby face, that you can't resist.  With his own insecurities and doubts, he still tries to be for his friends.  Leo is the only one with no love interest as of now.

Frank: Somehow related to Neptune, Frank has a shape changing ability that is very scary and useful for the team.  But the guy has a serious fate.  His life depends on a piece of wood.  Frank will live until the piece of wood is there.  So, naturally, Frank fears Leo who can wield fire naturally.  Also, being Hazel's boyfriend and seeing Hazel with Leo most of the times makes the big guy sad and jealous.  But its kind of cute, that he understand their relationship (um..its somewhat complicated - you should read the book), once he befriends Leo.

Hazel: Daughter of Pluto and sister to Nico.  This girl has suffered a lot.  Now, that she is in a relationship with Frank, at least things should have turned good.  But being a demigod and especially one of the demigod from the Great Prophecy can be tough.

Annabeth: Well, the character that I not only love, but adore and admire.  Being the daughter of Athena, Annabeth is brainy (duh! You know that already!) and smart..well, smart enough to have Percy on leash. :)  The scene where Annabeth falls over Percy and threatens him is kinda cute for a child of Athena, what with the wisdom and all.  The trick at the end totally made me clap hands for her.

Percy: Well, I still swoon whenever Percy shows up.  Being the son of Poseidon (you should have known that by now), Percy is amazing, funny and well, absolutely lovable.  The adventures of Percy is endless, so you read that in the book.  The romance part is new..and I love that Percy too.  The initial scene when they described Percy from Annebeth's point of view, I was grinning like a fool..

Percy smiled at her—that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years but eventually had become endearing. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he’d just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago—tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.

CLIMAX: The end didn't bother me much.  Actually, much to my surprise, I was expecting this end.  You will know what I mean, when you read the book.  Well, its the only possibility, after Nico's disclosure about the Doors of Death.

Well, I loved everything about this novel - not just because I am a fan of Percy Jackson series.  Fans of Percy Jackson will definitely love the adventure and the characters.  Those readers who are new to Rick Riordan or Percy Jackson or The Heroes of Olympus series, if you are a fantasy lover, you definitely should start reading Percy Jackson series.  It will amaze you.

Good bye Seaweed brain, until we meet again!

SERIES ORDER

1.  The Lost Hero
2.  The Son of Neptune
3.  The Mark of Athena
4.  The House of Hades - Expected publication 2013

4 comments:

  1. I haven't even opened my copy! So glad to know that this third book doesn't fall short, because I would be so bummed if it did.

    - Ellie at The Selkie Reads Stories

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well Ellie, its a big book..but I enjoyed it. I also bought it long before, but didn't find time to read it. Hope you start soon.. :)

      Delete
  2. The Mark of Athena is available on Homeshop18 for just Rs.70, To compare prices, check http://shoppingwish.in/shop-online-deal/buy-the-mark-of-athena-paperback-in-india-compare-online-prices-free-coupons-deals-offers/9gihpmh8b5t8

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  3. The book was decent. The author did a good job of incorporating many of the greek legends that had previously been unseen. I was disappointed in the characters interaction with each other. The ending built to a very high mark and then kind of fell flat.

    Marlene Detierro (H1 Accessories)

    ReplyDelete

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