Long time, no post... sorry about that...
Didn't get a chance to go to the House of Hades book tour? Worry not!
This is a full recap of him at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C.. I'd imagine that he did the same speech (or whatever you'd like to call it) at all of the events, so this is what you probably missed.
The video is a good recap of his endeavors as a child, college student, teacher, and writer. It's also a good thing to watch if you're wondering what it's like to get published, because it did take him quite a while. Enjoy!!
Showing posts with label House of Hades. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House of Hades. Show all posts
Oct 13, 2013
House of Hades: Review & Discussion (SPOILERS INCLUDED)
WARNING! Contains MAJOR House of Hades spoilers! Do not read past this point if you haven't finished the ENTIRE book!
Friday evening, I finished The House of Hades. Although it wasn't perfect, it was phenomenal. When I was finished, I wondered, "Now... what am I supposed to do with my life?" My answer? Re-read the Heroes of Olympus again! ;D
The characters overall in this book were BEYOND incredible. Getting seven points of view was both a gift and a curse. I was really excited for all seven to get their own POVs, because I absolutely LOVE all of the members of the seven. However, when I read them, it kind of seemed crowded. I do see why Uncle Rick had to do it: each member of the seven had a little "on his/her own" scene, where none of the other seven were involved (The exception may be Percy and Annabeth, but one does not simply put in one of their perspectives and not put in the other)... Hazel with the Hecate scene in the beginning, Leo with the Calypso thing, Jason with Nico & Cupid (and the dream), Frank with the poison cows and blessing of Mars, and Piper with her Khoine showdown. Everything got really confusing at some points (maybe I was reading too fast?), BUT I did enjoy seeing how each of the characters reacted to the situations and how they viewed each other. It's kind of like a giant reality TV commentary, except a thousand times better. (One can only take so much of America's Next Top Model.)
I'll take this review/discussion thingamajig character by character, then just add any extra general comments at the end. :D
Percy & Annabeth: Sorry guys, but these two count as one. They were together for almost the entire duration of the book, which made me (and I'm sure many other Percabeth fans) very, very happy, although I can't say that I would have liked to be in their situation. The cute Percabeth scenes and dialogues really made me smile.
Let us all take a moment to reflect upon Annabeth's cleverness when they came to the Hermes shrine. That entire situation astounded me. I just thought it was really cool! (AND RIPTIDE CAN BE USED AS A PEN! WOOT!)
I was also very relieved that they found a friend in Bob the Titan, even after he remembered who he was. Percy and Annabeth did a good job of convincing him to do what he thinks is good, and they were fortunate enough for him to pick their side! Little Bob also really made me smile.
Damasen, the anti-Ares, was a great character. His return in the end to help was somewhat predictable (which is a recurring problem throughout the book, sadly). Percy and Annabeth's visit to his home was the answer to what we were wondering about their clothing on the US cover. (For the record, the fact that P&A look like models on the UK cover still bothers me, especially when they're standing in front of Tartarus himself.) The creepy Death Mist chick, Akhlys, was really depressing. I can't say I liked her all that much. The scene with Nyx was priceless. "You weren't in the brochure!" xD
A lot of stuff happened in Tartarus, and I could go on forever about it, but I won't. My personal favorite scene was the confrontation with the arai (the creepy Fury-like old grandma curse demons). I swear, I'm not a sadist! I just found it very intriguing. It really made them think about how many monsters they've killed or hurt. My heart pretty much broke when Annabeth thought Percy had abandoned her. </3 Calypso is mean. :(
One last thing on the adventures in Tartarus: Tartarus himself. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how Tartarus could manifest himself inside of himself. It's kind of hard to understand, and it kind of ruined some things for Percy and Annabeth when he just popped up out of nowhere as they were about to cut the chains!
Hazel: HAZEL WAS AMAZING IN THIS BOOK. That girl has never ceased to amaze me. If anyone doubted her power before, they aren't now!
If I had to pick a leader out of the six demigods on the Argo II in House of Hades, Hazel would be my pick. She was the glue that held the group together in the absence of Annabeth and Percy. She's just fabulous.
I felt kind of bad that she had to do the Mist tricks and work with magic, because that was, after all, one of the many factors that ruined her mother's life. When she did master it however, I couldn't help but be proud of her.
Piper: Piper had quite a bit of character development in this book as well. Her showdown with Khione was awesome, and I love how she didn't let Khione get under her skin. She found a way to turn the tables, and I think that, in her own way, Piper is just as clever as Annabeth.
It's also pretty epic how she brought Festus alive with her charmspeak. I'm not quite sure how that really worked, but hats off to her for believing in herself! (I'm beginning to think that belief is a huge theme throughout this series, or at least this installment.) Oh, and she's learning how to sword fight from Hazel. Can I just have more of this friendship?! When I found out that they were becoming friends I kind of freaked out. Little details like this just make my imagination go crazy with ideas about what they could do with each other and how they spend their free time (when they actually have some), and also what they talk about. I hope for a conversation between Piper and Hazel in the future. I don't think that's asking for too much.
Finally, I have to wonder... WHERE IS MY PRECIOUS JASPER?! Yes, I ship Jasper now. One TLH re-read is enough to get one to that point. Jeyna just seems so unrealistic at this point, and I love both Piper and Jason and simply want them to be happy. So where were the precious Jasper scenes? We had like, two lines. Grrr.
Frank: Fai Zhang, how you've grown.
I'm incredibly proud of Frank. C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T. When he got the blessing of Mars around him (TWICE), I couldn't help but just be super happy for him. AND HE'S PRAETOR NOW WHICH MAKES ME BEYOND HAPPY BECAUSE I LOVE FRANK A LOT AND I THOUGHT THAT HE DIDN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT IN PREVIOUS BOOKS! :D
Jason: I missed Jason. We got Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and Leo POVs last book, and Frank and Hazel POVs two books ago. It's been three books. I truly missed him. (I may have actually written a post about this at one point...Hmm.)
Now that I actually got to see inside of that mind of his, I got to appreciate how he's changed since The Lost Hero, and how he's been since his memories have been restored. I was actually astonished to see that he wanted to go completely Greek, but it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the same time. Finding out that he chafed under the rules of the Romans excited me, because it actually revealed some of his personality. I may be perceiving this incorrectly, but Jason seems really guarded and unreadable sometimes. I just wanna know him better, know him better, know him better now. (Hehe. Anyone get the reference?)
However, Jason's combat skills were underwhelming, to say the least. Dear Jason, why must you always become incapacitated so quickly? Dwarves: Upside-down. Khione: Oops, frozen. In the Necromanteion: Can't control the legion, gives up praetorship. Et cetera. He just makes it really hard for me defend him when people point out these things. I love him so much for no apparent reason, and I want to show people that he's not what they think he is, except... Usually, what they think of him is right. Which is sort of depressing for me.
Nico: Nico seemed to act really strange in this book. I know that he's always been reserved and quiet around people after he figured out his lineage, but he seemed to be sulking around the Argo II for the majority of the book. It made a bit more sense after the scene with Cupid, but his behavior still creeped me out. Nico has mildly scared me since the end of The Titan's Curse. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with the whole making skeletons pop out of the ground at his will thing. But you know, probably not.
As I said, Nico was very quiet. Half of the time, I forgot he was there. Until we met Cupid.
I have to say, the Cupid scene gave me chills. Most of the minor gods in this book were pretty lame, and I didn't really take them seriously: Triptolemus, Sciron (who's technically a demigod but whatever), Favonius.
Not all that impressive. However, Cupid I could take seriously. He was very mysterious and somewhat frustrating. He was making me very anxious. Cupid could be a dangerous enemy...
So Cupid forced Nico to reveal his secret: he has a crush on Percy. Um... What?
I have to say, I was not expecting this. Either Rick Riordan just came up with this recently, or Nico has done a really good job of hiding it, because I've never even thought of that being possible. Sure, I've seen fanart, but people draw the weirdest things sometimes (Example #1: Percy/Jason. o_O). It just seems completely out of the blue...
And to add to that, the only person who knows is Jason! (Did a Nico/Jason ship cross anyone's mind at that point...?) I have the strangest feeling that he's going to spill the beans to someone, and I feel like that person would most likely be Hazel (because she's Nico's sister) or Piper (because she's Jason's girlfriend). This "secret" also builds a golden opportunity for a friendship between Nico and Jason. Secret sharing brings people closer! It seems that Nico pushes away friendship. All the things that Jason said to him are true. He needs to stop running and find a home, and some friends. There are people willing to befriend him.
Leo: Leo was wondrous, as always. His humor is always in the right place, and that's one of the things I love him for. I had to admire how he handled those dwarfs (aka epicly) and how he sent them after the Romans. xD
Now, I know the thing that I'm sure all of you want to talk about is the Calypso thing. I have to say, when Khione said that he was going somewhere that he could never leave, I instantly thought of Ogygia. When he crash-landed on Calypso's table, I was first of all relieved that he survived, and secondly very angry at Calypso. I just don't like her after this. She was basically screaming her head off at him for something that wasn't even his fault. (I hate people like that.) In addition to that, she was very quick to judge him on appearance. "A SCRAWNY, GREASY KID JUST LANDED ON MY TABLE! CURSE YOU, ZEUS!"
One could argue that she has the right to be angry, because the gods didn't set her free (by the way, what's up with that?), but could she at least have a shred of humanity (yes, I know she's a Titan, not a human, but still...) and help the dude up? If someone fell from the sky onto my table, I'd be more concerned about the health and safety of whoever fell than I would about my table, regardless of how he or she LOOKED. My best friend described Calypso as "acting like a spoiled brat that got cut off from her daddy's money".
Oh, blah blah blah, they fell in love. I have to admit that Calypso wearing jeans and a t-shirt to help Leo out was somewhat cute, but I still don't like their "relationship", but that's just me. :P
I was kind of annoyed at that point that I was reading the book on my Kindle, because it will break if I throw it at the wall, and I really wanted to throw it against the wall when Leo swore on the River Styx to come back for Calypso. LEO. WHY? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH? D: My poor Leo. :( If he doesn't find Ogygia again... I don't even want to think about that. He has to find it! He will find it. He will always find it. (OUAT, anyone?)
Assorted Thoughts: Hazel's and Pasiphae's Mist manipulation confuzzled me. I wasn't sure what was real and what was a product of their minds, but I suppose that's the point of the Mist. I also wasn't quite sure how the whole "hey-Piper-brought-Festus-back-to-life-with-charmspeak-alone" thing. I suppose that I'm like Leo in that respect. That kind of magic just doesn't make sense... There's no reasoning behind it. But hey, if it works... it works!
I also thought there was a huge buildup to a death of one of the Seven or Nico at the end when they had to close the Doors, and it never happened. That was rather anti-climactic in my opinion, but I'm still relieved that none of them died. However, this probably means that someone is almost definitely going to die in the next book. When you have seven to eight main characters, at least one, if not two of them, is most likely going to die. It really wouldn't be realistic at all if all of them made it out of The Blood of Olympus unscathed.
CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT COACH HEDGE?!? He married Mellie?! When did this happen?!? AND THEY'RE HAVING A KID??? haotaowipetiai;otwhawtji!!! This is one of the cutest couples ever. I just love them. <3
I was a little bit baffled at a few things, which were probably just mistakes that Rick made and the editor didn't catch. (Patrick probably would have caught them. :P) It said something about Tristan McLean's secretary "Jessica"... I think that was supposed to be Jane. Also, Rachel called Octavian the son of Apollo (which he isn't), and Octavian didn't correct her. Maybe he didn't want to humiliate himself, or maybe it was just a mistake. He strikes me as the "correct-someone-to-avoid-needing-an-actual-good-comeback" type.
Finally, I think it's important to address the lack of a real cliffhanger, or even a tiny one. With The Mark of Athena, everyone was dying to know what happened to Percy and Annabeth after the fall, and I was right there with them. However, with The House of Hades, we don't have anything nearly as bad as that. Perhaps Mr. Trolldan wishes to make up for the last ending, or maybe he figures that a cliffhanger isn't necessary to keep people reading, since the next book is the last book and we may as well finish out the series. There are plenty of unanswered questions, which will hopefully be answered for us in The Blood of Olympus. Let the waiting begin once again...
P.S. Feel free to leave a comment, send an email (PJOForever@gmail.com), or tweet us (@HotSauceValdez)! I love to hear your opinions on this. :)
The characters overall in this book were BEYOND incredible. Getting seven points of view was both a gift and a curse. I was really excited for all seven to get their own POVs, because I absolutely LOVE all of the members of the seven. However, when I read them, it kind of seemed crowded. I do see why Uncle Rick had to do it: each member of the seven had a little "on his/her own" scene, where none of the other seven were involved (The exception may be Percy and Annabeth, but one does not simply put in one of their perspectives and not put in the other)... Hazel with the Hecate scene in the beginning, Leo with the Calypso thing, Jason with Nico & Cupid (and the dream), Frank with the poison cows and blessing of Mars, and Piper with her Khoine showdown. Everything got really confusing at some points (maybe I was reading too fast?), BUT I did enjoy seeing how each of the characters reacted to the situations and how they viewed each other. It's kind of like a giant reality TV commentary, except a thousand times better. (One can only take so much of America's Next Top Model.)
I'll take this review/discussion thingamajig character by character, then just add any extra general comments at the end. :D
Percy & Annabeth: Sorry guys, but these two count as one. They were together for almost the entire duration of the book, which made me (and I'm sure many other Percabeth fans) very, very happy, although I can't say that I would have liked to be in their situation. The cute Percabeth scenes and dialogues really made me smile.
"College," she gasped. "Could we go there together?"Things like that really tickled my funny bone, especially amid all of the sadness. And when Percy referred to Annabeth as "hot" in a barbarian princess kind of way... <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
"Y-yeah," he agreed, a little more confidently.
"What would you study, Percy?"
"Dunno," he admitted.
"Marine science," she suggested. "Oceanography?"
"Surfing?" he asked.
Let us all take a moment to reflect upon Annabeth's cleverness when they came to the Hermes shrine. That entire situation astounded me. I just thought it was really cool! (AND RIPTIDE CAN BE USED AS A PEN! WOOT!)
I was also very relieved that they found a friend in Bob the Titan, even after he remembered who he was. Percy and Annabeth did a good job of convincing him to do what he thinks is good, and they were fortunate enough for him to pick their side! Little Bob also really made me smile.
Damasen, the anti-Ares, was a great character. His return in the end to help was somewhat predictable (which is a recurring problem throughout the book, sadly). Percy and Annabeth's visit to his home was the answer to what we were wondering about their clothing on the US cover. (For the record, the fact that P&A look like models on the UK cover still bothers me, especially when they're standing in front of Tartarus himself.) The creepy Death Mist chick, Akhlys, was really depressing. I can't say I liked her all that much. The scene with Nyx was priceless. "You weren't in the brochure!" xD
A lot of stuff happened in Tartarus, and I could go on forever about it, but I won't. My personal favorite scene was the confrontation with the arai (the creepy Fury-like old grandma curse demons). I swear, I'm not a sadist! I just found it very intriguing. It really made them think about how many monsters they've killed or hurt. My heart pretty much broke when Annabeth thought Percy had abandoned her. </3 Calypso is mean. :(
One last thing on the adventures in Tartarus: Tartarus himself. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around how Tartarus could manifest himself inside of himself. It's kind of hard to understand, and it kind of ruined some things for Percy and Annabeth when he just popped up out of nowhere as they were about to cut the chains!
Hazel: HAZEL WAS AMAZING IN THIS BOOK. That girl has never ceased to amaze me. If anyone doubted her power before, they aren't now!
If I had to pick a leader out of the six demigods on the Argo II in House of Hades, Hazel would be my pick. She was the glue that held the group together in the absence of Annabeth and Percy. She's just fabulous.
I felt kind of bad that she had to do the Mist tricks and work with magic, because that was, after all, one of the many factors that ruined her mother's life. When she did master it however, I couldn't help but be proud of her.
Piper: Piper had quite a bit of character development in this book as well. Her showdown with Khione was awesome, and I love how she didn't let Khione get under her skin. She found a way to turn the tables, and I think that, in her own way, Piper is just as clever as Annabeth.
It's also pretty epic how she brought Festus alive with her charmspeak. I'm not quite sure how that really worked, but hats off to her for believing in herself! (I'm beginning to think that belief is a huge theme throughout this series, or at least this installment.) Oh, and she's learning how to sword fight from Hazel. Can I just have more of this friendship?! When I found out that they were becoming friends I kind of freaked out. Little details like this just make my imagination go crazy with ideas about what they could do with each other and how they spend their free time (when they actually have some), and also what they talk about. I hope for a conversation between Piper and Hazel in the future. I don't think that's asking for too much.
Finally, I have to wonder... WHERE IS MY PRECIOUS JASPER?! Yes, I ship Jasper now. One TLH re-read is enough to get one to that point. Jeyna just seems so unrealistic at this point, and I love both Piper and Jason and simply want them to be happy. So where were the precious Jasper scenes? We had like, two lines. Grrr.
Frank: Fai Zhang, how you've grown.
I'm incredibly proud of Frank. C H A R A C T E R D E V E L O P M E N T. When he got the blessing of Mars around him (TWICE), I couldn't help but just be super happy for him. AND HE'S PRAETOR NOW WHICH MAKES ME BEYOND HAPPY BECAUSE I LOVE FRANK A LOT AND I THOUGHT THAT HE DIDN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT IN PREVIOUS BOOKS! :D
Jason: I missed Jason. We got Annabeth, Percy, Piper, and Leo POVs last book, and Frank and Hazel POVs two books ago. It's been three books. I truly missed him. (I may have actually written a post about this at one point...Hmm.)
Now that I actually got to see inside of that mind of his, I got to appreciate how he's changed since The Lost Hero, and how he's been since his memories have been restored. I was actually astonished to see that he wanted to go completely Greek, but it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the same time. Finding out that he chafed under the rules of the Romans excited me, because it actually revealed some of his personality. I may be perceiving this incorrectly, but Jason seems really guarded and unreadable sometimes. I just wanna know him better, know him better, know him better now. (Hehe. Anyone get the reference?)
However, Jason's combat skills were underwhelming, to say the least. Dear Jason, why must you always become incapacitated so quickly? Dwarves: Upside-down. Khione: Oops, frozen. In the Necromanteion: Can't control the legion, gives up praetorship. Et cetera. He just makes it really hard for me defend him when people point out these things. I love him so much for no apparent reason, and I want to show people that he's not what they think he is, except... Usually, what they think of him is right. Which is sort of depressing for me.
Nico: Nico seemed to act really strange in this book. I know that he's always been reserved and quiet around people after he figured out his lineage, but he seemed to be sulking around the Argo II for the majority of the book. It made a bit more sense after the scene with Cupid, but his behavior still creeped me out. Nico has mildly scared me since the end of The Titan's Curse. I'm not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with the whole making skeletons pop out of the ground at his will thing. But you know, probably not.
As I said, Nico was very quiet. Half of the time, I forgot he was there. Until we met Cupid.
I have to say, the Cupid scene gave me chills. Most of the minor gods in this book were pretty lame, and I didn't really take them seriously: Triptolemus, Sciron (who's technically a demigod but whatever), Favonius.
Not all that impressive. However, Cupid I could take seriously. He was very mysterious and somewhat frustrating. He was making me very anxious. Cupid could be a dangerous enemy...
So Cupid forced Nico to reveal his secret: he has a crush on Percy. Um... What?
I have to say, I was not expecting this. Either Rick Riordan just came up with this recently, or Nico has done a really good job of hiding it, because I've never even thought of that being possible. Sure, I've seen fanart, but people draw the weirdest things sometimes (Example #1: Percy/Jason. o_O). It just seems completely out of the blue...
And to add to that, the only person who knows is Jason! (Did a Nico/Jason ship cross anyone's mind at that point...?) I have the strangest feeling that he's going to spill the beans to someone, and I feel like that person would most likely be Hazel (because she's Nico's sister) or Piper (because she's Jason's girlfriend). This "secret" also builds a golden opportunity for a friendship between Nico and Jason. Secret sharing brings people closer! It seems that Nico pushes away friendship. All the things that Jason said to him are true. He needs to stop running and find a home, and some friends. There are people willing to befriend him.
Leo: Leo was wondrous, as always. His humor is always in the right place, and that's one of the things I love him for. I had to admire how he handled those dwarfs (aka epicly) and how he sent them after the Romans. xD
Now, I know the thing that I'm sure all of you want to talk about is the Calypso thing. I have to say, when Khione said that he was going somewhere that he could never leave, I instantly thought of Ogygia. When he crash-landed on Calypso's table, I was first of all relieved that he survived, and secondly very angry at Calypso. I just don't like her after this. She was basically screaming her head off at him for something that wasn't even his fault. (I hate people like that.) In addition to that, she was very quick to judge him on appearance. "A SCRAWNY, GREASY KID JUST LANDED ON MY TABLE! CURSE YOU, ZEUS!"
One could argue that she has the right to be angry, because the gods didn't set her free (by the way, what's up with that?), but could she at least have a shred of humanity (yes, I know she's a Titan, not a human, but still...) and help the dude up? If someone fell from the sky onto my table, I'd be more concerned about the health and safety of whoever fell than I would about my table, regardless of how he or she LOOKED. My best friend described Calypso as "acting like a spoiled brat that got cut off from her daddy's money".
Oh, blah blah blah, they fell in love. I have to admit that Calypso wearing jeans and a t-shirt to help Leo out was somewhat cute, but I still don't like their "relationship", but that's just me. :P
I was kind of annoyed at that point that I was reading the book on my Kindle, because it will break if I throw it at the wall, and I really wanted to throw it against the wall when Leo swore on the River Styx to come back for Calypso. LEO. WHY? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH? D: My poor Leo. :( If he doesn't find Ogygia again... I don't even want to think about that. He has to find it! He will find it. He will always find it. (OUAT, anyone?)
Assorted Thoughts: Hazel's and Pasiphae's Mist manipulation confuzzled me. I wasn't sure what was real and what was a product of their minds, but I suppose that's the point of the Mist. I also wasn't quite sure how the whole "hey-Piper-brought-Festus-back-to-life-with-charmspeak-alone" thing. I suppose that I'm like Leo in that respect. That kind of magic just doesn't make sense... There's no reasoning behind it. But hey, if it works... it works!
I also thought there was a huge buildup to a death of one of the Seven or Nico at the end when they had to close the Doors, and it never happened. That was rather anti-climactic in my opinion, but I'm still relieved that none of them died. However, this probably means that someone is almost definitely going to die in the next book. When you have seven to eight main characters, at least one, if not two of them, is most likely going to die. It really wouldn't be realistic at all if all of them made it out of The Blood of Olympus unscathed.
CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT COACH HEDGE?!? He married Mellie?! When did this happen?!? AND THEY'RE HAVING A KID??? haotaowipetiai;otwhawtji!!! This is one of the cutest couples ever. I just love them. <3
I was a little bit baffled at a few things, which were probably just mistakes that Rick made and the editor didn't catch. (Patrick probably would have caught them. :P) It said something about Tristan McLean's secretary "Jessica"... I think that was supposed to be Jane. Also, Rachel called Octavian the son of Apollo (which he isn't), and Octavian didn't correct her. Maybe he didn't want to humiliate himself, or maybe it was just a mistake. He strikes me as the "correct-someone-to-avoid-needing-an-actual-good-comeback" type.
Finally, I think it's important to address the lack of a real cliffhanger, or even a tiny one. With The Mark of Athena, everyone was dying to know what happened to Percy and Annabeth after the fall, and I was right there with them. However, with The House of Hades, we don't have anything nearly as bad as that. Perhaps Mr. Trolldan wishes to make up for the last ending, or maybe he figures that a cliffhanger isn't necessary to keep people reading, since the next book is the last book and we may as well finish out the series. There are plenty of unanswered questions, which will hopefully be answered for us in The Blood of Olympus. Let the waiting begin once again...
P.S. Feel free to leave a comment, send an email (PJOForever@gmail.com), or tweet us (@HotSauceValdez)! I love to hear your opinions on this. :)
Oct 9, 2013
New Character Art & My Policy on Spoilers
Hey there, half-bloods! :)
HOUSE OF HADES CAME OUT YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARE YOU EXCITED?
I'M EXCITED!
Before I jump into the topic of the character art we've been shown, I'd like to address the matter of spoilers. I may make some posts that spoil some things, but I will definitely post a warning at the beginning of the post in that case. If I make a post with spoilers in it, you may comment spoilers as well, as long as they're nothing past the chapters I am speaking of. For example, if I say a post has House of Hades spoilers up to Chapter 32 (XXXII), you can comment about anything UP TO, but not BEYOND, that point. You could comment about Chapter 20, or Chapter 18, or Chapter 32, just not anything 33 or above. Does that make sense? It is just a courtesy to both me and other readers of this blog, because I don't want to be spoiled either. And PLEASE, do not let me spoil you! Enjoy the book, and be surprised! :D
Now, to the main topic. I never got a chance to post the new official character art before the book came out, so I'll post it now. :)
HOUSE OF HADES CAME OUT YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARE YOU EXCITED?
I'M EXCITED!
Before I jump into the topic of the character art we've been shown, I'd like to address the matter of spoilers. I may make some posts that spoil some things, but I will definitely post a warning at the beginning of the post in that case. If I make a post with spoilers in it, you may comment spoilers as well, as long as they're nothing past the chapters I am speaking of. For example, if I say a post has House of Hades spoilers up to Chapter 32 (XXXII), you can comment about anything UP TO, but not BEYOND, that point. You could comment about Chapter 20, or Chapter 18, or Chapter 32, just not anything 33 or above. Does that make sense? It is just a courtesy to both me and other readers of this blog, because I don't want to be spoiled either. And PLEASE, do not let me spoil you! Enjoy the book, and be surprised! :D
Now, to the main topic. I never got a chance to post the new official character art before the book came out, so I'll post it now. :)
I'd have to say Nyx is my favorite. Gotta go read now. ;D bye! :)
Oct 6, 2013
Mystery Locations
Warning! May contain Mark of Athena and kind-of-ish-but-not-really House of Hades spoilers!
Since I didn't get around to writing a post yesterday, here is a second post for today!
Recently, Rick Riordan has been posting pictures of "mystery locations" for The House of Hades on his Instagram account, which are basically real places that the characters are going to visit in the book. Let's find out what they are!
Google Search says... nothing. -_-
Since I didn't get around to writing a post yesterday, here is a second post for today!
Recently, Rick Riordan has been posting pictures of "mystery locations" for The House of Hades on his Instagram account, which are basically real places that the characters are going to visit in the book. Let's find out what they are!
Mystery Location #1
Google Search says... nothing. -_-
Google search says... The Fountain of Neptune in Bologna, Italy!
Mystery Location #2
Google search says... St. Mark's Clock Tower in Venice, Italy!
Mystery Location #3
Google Search says... the Ruins of Salona in Solin, Croatia! We will also see demigods encounter a god here.
Mystery Location #4
Google search says... Valletta, Malta! The Argo II will dock here.
It definitely sounds like we're going to have a lot of Europe in store this book!
2 DAYS!
Where to buy House of Hades?
Warning: the information in this post is for US readers only. I have no idea about any other country. International demigods, your best bet is to do a Google search or ask your local bookstore for information as to where you can buy House of Hades and when you can get it.
As October 8th draws near, we all have that grueling choice of where to buy our precious copy of House of Hades. Luckily for us, there are many options of where we can get this lovely book. Unfortunately, that means that we must make choices.
In a recent blog post, Rick Riordan pointed out what exclusive items are available in specific stores. You can get bumper stickers from the Walmart edition, a map of Tartarus from the Barnes & Noble edition, or a door hanger from the Target edition.
If any of those sound interesting to you, I would recommend that you go to the bookstore and buy the physical book if you want it on Tuesday. All of those stores have websites where you can order it, and the price of the actual book is less, but to get it shipped to you by the actual release date can become very expensive.
If you do want to order online, you can order it from Amazon. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can get free 2-day shipping, which means that you should get it on Tuesday or Wednesday if you order it today. If you don't have Prime, there is a fee. Again, this fee is pretty high, so you may be better off either waiting (getting standard shipping) or going to a store to pay cover price.
An option that is very popular in this day and age is getting the e-book version. The Kindle, Nook, and iBook versions cost much less money than a hard cover, and guess what? The book will pop up on your device when midnight arrives! (I'm not sure about iBooks and Nook, but the Kindle version actually only comes at 1AM EST. :/)
Lastly, and my most likely option, is going to a library. Some libraries receive the book and add it to their collection on the release date, and you can be added to a waiting list if you check online or with a librarian.
I really hope this post put some thoughts into your head about where you are going to get the book, and wherever that may be, ENJOY IT WHEN YOU GET IT! :D
2 more days! :)
As October 8th draws near, we all have that grueling choice of where to buy our precious copy of House of Hades. Luckily for us, there are many options of where we can get this lovely book. Unfortunately, that means that we must make choices.
In a recent blog post, Rick Riordan pointed out what exclusive items are available in specific stores. You can get bumper stickers from the Walmart edition, a map of Tartarus from the Barnes & Noble edition, or a door hanger from the Target edition.
If any of those sound interesting to you, I would recommend that you go to the bookstore and buy the physical book if you want it on Tuesday. All of those stores have websites where you can order it, and the price of the actual book is less, but to get it shipped to you by the actual release date can become very expensive.
If you do want to order online, you can order it from Amazon. If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can get free 2-day shipping, which means that you should get it on Tuesday or Wednesday if you order it today. If you don't have Prime, there is a fee. Again, this fee is pretty high, so you may be better off either waiting (getting standard shipping) or going to a store to pay cover price.
An option that is very popular in this day and age is getting the e-book version. The Kindle, Nook, and iBook versions cost much less money than a hard cover, and guess what? The book will pop up on your device when midnight arrives! (I'm not sure about iBooks and Nook, but the Kindle version actually only comes at 1AM EST. :/)
Lastly, and my most likely option, is going to a library. Some libraries receive the book and add it to their collection on the release date, and you can be added to a waiting list if you check online or with a librarian.
I really hope this post put some thoughts into your head about where you are going to get the book, and wherever that may be, ENJOY IT WHEN YOU GET IT! :D
2 more days! :)
Oct 4, 2013
House of Hades POV Update
Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers! (Also contains the POVs for House of Hades, so if you don't want to know that, LEAVE. Hehe. I have other posts. Seeeee ya!)
Hello! Awhile ago, I did a post theorizing on the possible HoH perspectives. I was under the impression that there would be four, because Mark of Athena had four (Annabeth, Percy, Leo, and Piper).
However, I have learned otherwise. This interview with Rick Riordan by Publisher's Weekly was published online on Tuesday. In the first minute or so, he stated:
4 DAYS!
Hello! Awhile ago, I did a post theorizing on the possible HoH perspectives. I was under the impression that there would be four, because Mark of Athena had four (Annabeth, Percy, Leo, and Piper).
However, I have learned otherwise. This interview with Rick Riordan by Publisher's Weekly was published online on Tuesday. In the first minute or so, he stated:
"The House of Hades is the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series, um, and I think that the main difference with this one is that we have seven main characters that have been, sort of, being drawn through the other books in the series, and now, for the first time, they're all together, they all have their own points of view, and they're sort of all reacting in their own way to this quest that they're on."So, in other words, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SEVEN IS GOING TO HAVE A POINT OF VIEW! :D This makes me very excited. :) (And by the way, I have confirmed this with someone who got the book early due to a bookstore's 'mistake'. ;))
4 DAYS!
Oct 3, 2013
...I'm on Yahoo Answers?!
I was just casually looking through my blog's statistics when I noticed a few links that people discovered my blog through. Usually, I don't click the links because a lot of them lead to malicious websites for whatever reason. (I'm not sure why. I also get a lot of strange spam comments.)
One of them was a Yahoo Answers link. I'm familiar with Yahoo Answers, and I know that it's not a dangerous website, so I decided to click the link. Then I found this.
Umm... Whoa? I had no idea that people actually, like... referred to my website like that. Umm. Yeah. I was kind of taken aback. THIS IS SO COOL! (I mean, sure, the asker thought I wasn't reliable, but I guess I'm sort of not too reliable from an objective standpoint...)
So yeah, that's my exciting story. I will keep giving you daily updates and posts leading up to the House of Hades release day. :)
As far as the wait goes...
Sep 21, 2013
House of Hades Excerpt - Video and Discussion
Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers!
Hi there, demigods! I just thought we should discuss this awesome video because... well... IT'S A HOUSE OF HADES EXCERPT! The actual text of this is probably less than a page, but that's trivial.
As far as the video itself goes, it's very intense, dramatic, and overall perfect. The elements of the dark background, ominous glow on Uncle Rick and the book, and gradually advancing and fading words coalesce to make an artistic and enthralling visual. I find the closer-up angles of Rick's face to be somewhat creepy, especially with the lighting highlighting every small detail. (Not that he's creepy or anything...) He reads the excerpt very trollishly, which is always appreciated. /sarc/ Anyway, it's definitely enough to give people chills.
The actual content of the excerpt... atu;lehiaowteulaiw;etawj;lit6ahwotaw4hawtya;wtba
Hi there, demigods! I just thought we should discuss this awesome video because... well... IT'S A HOUSE OF HADES EXCERPT! The actual text of this is probably less than a page, but that's trivial.
As far as the video itself goes, it's very intense, dramatic, and overall perfect. The elements of the dark background, ominous glow on Uncle Rick and the book, and gradually advancing and fading words coalesce to make an artistic and enthralling visual. I find the closer-up angles of Rick's face to be somewhat creepy, especially with the lighting highlighting every small detail. (Not that he's creepy or anything...) He reads the excerpt very trollishly, which is always appreciated. /sarc/ Anyway, it's definitely enough to give people chills.
The actual content of the excerpt... atu;lehiaowteulaiw;etawj;lit6ahwotaw4hawtya;wtba
Excuse me while I FREAK OUT.
My main question: WHY DO THEY NEED TO HAVE THE PAIN THRESHOLD OF SOMEONE IN THE FIELDS OF PUNISHMENT?!?!?!?!
There are five rivers surrounding the Underworld: Styx, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Acheron. The Styx is the river which people swear oaths on; the Cocytus is the river which is known as the river of cries/lamentation; the Lethe is the river which the deceased drink from to forget their earthly lives; the Phlegethon is the fire river; and the Acheron is the river of woe.
Percy and Annabeth have just come from the Cocytus. According to legend (or Google, but whatever), the dead who were not able to pay Charon sufficiently had to walk along its banks for the rest of eternity. Now that I think about it, didn't those people just stay in the waiting room at DOA Studios? Hm.
Even so, I can just imagine what it would be like in that area. A bunch of crying dead people who were in serious need of drachmas probably tried mugging Percy and Annabeth. Or worse.
The Phlegethon is the river of fire, and I can't seem to find much more about it on the internet, which makes me even more curious. Referring back to my initial question... why? Why is it that they need to drink from this river? Why would they need that kind of pain threshold? Couldn't they just go for a dip in the Styx again?
What do you think of this excerpt? What happened to Percy and Annabeth before they got to the Phlegethon? Why do they need to drink from it? Leave your thoughts in the comments! :)
Jun 20, 2013
House of Hades Chapter I Discussion
Warning! May contain House of Hades spoilers! (I love the sound of that!)
As you probably know, the House of Hades sneak peak came with the Son of Sobek e-book. If you haven't gotten to read it, you can read it here. (Link courtesy of percyjacksonforlife.blogspot.com, who was kind enough to post it.)
This... I just... I don't even know. I feel so sorry for everyone on the Argo II right now. They're tired, bruised, broken, beaten down, and without a strong leader. My poor babies! </3 Without Percy and Annabeth, they have no backbone. They're under attack and they can't really do much about it with the time limit they're on. Hazel tries to take over, and lead them, but she just can't! Nico is still weak from the stupid twins kidnapping him, and Leo... poor Leo... He thinks the whole thing is his fault. He's working day and night and... just... :( I really didn't think it would be that bad!
This is painful for me to think about. The more I write this, the more I feel sorry for these characters, and the more I want to read the House of Hades. So goodbye.
As you probably know, the House of Hades sneak peak came with the Son of Sobek e-book. If you haven't gotten to read it, you can read it here. (Link courtesy of percyjacksonforlife.blogspot.com, who was kind enough to post it.)
This... I just... I don't even know. I feel so sorry for everyone on the Argo II right now. They're tired, bruised, broken, beaten down, and without a strong leader. My poor babies! </3 Without Percy and Annabeth, they have no backbone. They're under attack and they can't really do much about it with the time limit they're on. Hazel tries to take over, and lead them, but she just can't! Nico is still weak from the stupid twins kidnapping him, and Leo... poor Leo... He thinks the whole thing is his fault. He's working day and night and... just... :( I really didn't think it would be that bad!
This is painful for me to think about. The more I write this, the more I feel sorry for these characters, and the more I want to read the House of Hades. So goodbye.
Jun 10, 2013
House of Hades - 1st Page
Warning! May contain House of Hades (if the first page really counts) spoilers!
Depending on how involved you are in the fandom, you may or may not have stumbled upon the first page of The House of Hades. I'm going to post a link instead of the actual picture so I don't get in trouble for anything. :P You can read it here here: House of Hades First Page Sneak Peak
There's not much to say here, other than.. Hazel has a POV! One of my predictions was right! :D The Argo II also seems to be having some issues. That's not good.
I have absolutely no idea how somebody accessed this early (the full sneak peak in Son of Sobek comes out in about a week, on the 18th), but if anything else surfaces, I'll be sure to let you know.
Depending on how involved you are in the fandom, you may or may not have stumbled upon the first page of The House of Hades. I'm going to post a link instead of the actual picture so I don't get in trouble for anything. :P You can read it here here: House of Hades First Page Sneak Peak
There's not much to say here, other than.. Hazel has a POV! One of my predictions was right! :D The Argo II also seems to be having some issues. That's not good.
I have absolutely no idea how somebody accessed this early (the full sneak peak in Son of Sobek comes out in about a week, on the 18th), but if anything else surfaces, I'll be sure to let you know.
Jun 2, 2013
POVs in House of Hades
Warning! Contains Mark of Athena spoilers!
Hi there, demigods!
The other day on Twitter, Rick Riordan wrote:
However, this did get me thinking. Who will the POVs be? I've already given you my opinion on who I want them to be, but who will they be? (My opinion is in this post)
I think they'll be:
That was a pretty short, simple post, but I feel that I owe it to you. So... Happy birthday, even if it isn't your birthday. xD
Hi there, demigods!
The other day on Twitter, Rick Riordan wrote:
"RT: @NickyMouuse please tell me Nico gets a POV in The House of Hades./Already PLENTY of POVs, so no. But he has a big part."Well, I guess all of the Nico point of view theories have been debunked from that one simple tweet. Sorry, Nico lovers.
However, this did get me thinking. Who will the POVs be? I've already given you my opinion on who I want them to be, but who will they be? (My opinion is in this post)
I think they'll be:
- Annabeth
- Hazel
- Jason
- Frank
Annabeth is one of the two in Tartarus, and RR has used Percy's POV for 7 books. I think that he might see it as Annabeth's time to shine.
Hazel, Jason, and Frank didn't have a POV in Mark of Athena, and I think it's as simple as that. Uncle Rick probably wants to split it up equally... at least I would, if I were in his position. It only makes sense that he would do that.
The people have to be one of the Seven, so the ones that I said make the most sense. (I could be wrong. That's always a possibility.) Also, the four I predicted balances out the number of guys and the number of girls.
That was a pretty short, simple post, but I feel that I owe it to you. So... Happy birthday, even if it isn't your birthday. xD
Jun 1, 2013
House of Hades Cover Reveal and ANALYSIS!
Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers!
Yesterday morning, Rick Riordan unveiled the cover for The House of Hades, the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The UK cover was also released. Here they are...
Yesterday morning, Rick Riordan unveiled the cover for The House of Hades, the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The UK cover was also released. Here they are...
First, I want to comment on how beautiful the artwork is on both covers. The detail and color schemes are absolutely stunning. I applaud the artists.
I'll begin by comparing the two covers. The covers definitely differ in illustration style, but I won't get into all of that. The two obviously show different scenes (I would assume), and Percy and Annabeth are in two very different states. Oh, and the UK cover has a few words to make it more dramatic.
Okay, American cover first (after all, it's where I live, I kinda have a responsibility to it xD). I'm going to take a wild guess and guess that they're in Tartarus. The flowy white strands are most likely still spider webs from the Arachne incident. It's possible that they're magically un-cuttable, right?
There are some winged monsters visible in the top left corner. Some people think they're Furies, but I don't think they can be, because I see four of them, and there are only three Furies. (If you view the picture in full size, you can see more details.)
Also, what are Percy and Annabeth WEARING? That doesn't look like their clothing that they were wearing pre-fall torn up. Either (A) they had to make makeshift clothing, or (B) Tartarus is a literal prison... with uniforms. (credit: x)
I'm also wondering what the rectangular thing being held up by chains is... Possibly one of the Doors?
The final thing that I'd like to point out is the fact that Percy is looking back. I've read theories that it may be a reference to the myth of Orpheus, which you can read by clicking here. I'm really hoping that isn't true, but you never really know with Uncle Rick. I feel like putting that on the cover as a hint would make it TOO obvious, you know? The PJO fandom really knows their Greek myths.
Now: UK cover! The first thing I noticed was... well, obviously the big scary fiery thing. But besides that, Percy's and Annabeth's... perfection. What? They're wearing clean clothing mid-battle! The setting is filled with lava/fire/smoke, and they're in pristine condition! Annabeth's hair is straightened and amazingly beautiful and clean, plus her ankle looks fine. Percy looks like he's in perfect physical condition. If they're in a landscape like that, they should look terrible... shouldn't they? I'm wondering if this was a mistake on the artist's part, or if they actually, legitimately look like this at some point. Does Tartarus have rest-and-refresh stops or something? Or maybe this scene occurs after they find everyone else and they get into the House of Hades or something. I honestly am not sure, but there has to be something to explain it.
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BIG FIERY THING. Well, it's big. It's fiery. It's wearing armor. It has red eyes. P & A are preparing themselves to fight it. AAAANNNNDDDDD...... I have no idea what it is! :D
The last thing I choose to speak of is the caption-type thing that the UK covers tend to have, and the US covers lack. "Percy Jackson's Deadliest Adventure Yet": REALLY? He's in a giant chasm in the Underworld and he's in danger? Whoa. I can't believe it. This is news. Yes, the caption is obvious, but I'm guessing it's simply there for dramatic effect... British tend to lean toward drama more than Americans. (BBC, anyone?)
Well, that's it! Leave your opinions/ideas in the comment section. :)
*Blogger's Note: Worry not, The Character Awards will resume soon! (Expect them around June 7th-8th.) I have a ton of ideas for other posts that I'd like to also get to, so I'm putting that off just for a little bit. :)
Mar 25, 2013
Upcoming Special Dates Update
'Sup, half-bloods?
I have some very special dates to share with you!
May 7th, 2013 - Paperback edition of the Serpent's Shadow comes out, INCLUDING a special Kane Chronicles/Percy Jackson crossover short story, The Son of Sobek!
May 31st, 2013 - House of Hades cover reveal!
June 18th, 2013 - Son of Sobek e-single release
August 16th, 2013 - Sea of Monsters movie release (in theaters)
October 8th, 2013 - HOUSE OF HADES RELEASE!!!!!!!!!
Now, a bit about the e-single. It includes both text and audio, with the story read by Rick Riordan himself! I don't know of a price yet, but I'm sure that will be released soon enough, along with the cover artwork for the e-single.
Something even more exciting about the e-single: IT COMES WITH A SPECIAL PREVIEW OF THE HOUSE OF HADES! (Which is probably why they're choosing to release it so much later.)
Don't worry, a free preview will be available closer to the release date. You just have to wait a little bit longer if you aren't buying the e-version of Son of Sobek (it does NOT come in the paper version).
I hope you're all excited! I am!!
And I will close this post with a heartfelt quote from Uncle Rick himself.
"Glad you're excited! Sorry about the trolling, but ahhhhh! I does not EXIST right NOW! I have to finish WRITING it first!!!"
Haha! Have a great day, demigods!
I have some very special dates to share with you!
May 7th, 2013 - Paperback edition of the Serpent's Shadow comes out, INCLUDING a special Kane Chronicles/Percy Jackson crossover short story, The Son of Sobek!
May 31st, 2013 - House of Hades cover reveal!
June 18th, 2013 - Son of Sobek e-single release
August 16th, 2013 - Sea of Monsters movie release (in theaters)
October 8th, 2013 - HOUSE OF HADES RELEASE!!!!!!!!!
Now, a bit about the e-single. It includes both text and audio, with the story read by Rick Riordan himself! I don't know of a price yet, but I'm sure that will be released soon enough, along with the cover artwork for the e-single.
Something even more exciting about the e-single: IT COMES WITH A SPECIAL PREVIEW OF THE HOUSE OF HADES! (Which is probably why they're choosing to release it so much later.)
Don't worry, a free preview will be available closer to the release date. You just have to wait a little bit longer if you aren't buying the e-version of Son of Sobek (it does NOT come in the paper version).
I hope you're all excited! I am!!
And I will close this post with a heartfelt quote from Uncle Rick himself.
"Glad you're excited! Sorry about the trolling, but ahhhhh! I does not EXIST right NOW! I have to finish WRITING it first!!!"
Haha! Have a great day, demigods!
Mar 16, 2013
House of Hades Amazon Pre-Order and Summary
Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers!
OH MY GOSH, guess what?!?!?! (You can probably guess from the title.)
THE HOUSE OF HADES IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON.COM!
You can pre-order a hardcover copy here. (There's no e-book pre-order open yet, but there probably will be closer the release date, considering the series' popularity.) It also has a summary included in the product description!
I also found this. It's a special limited edition of the House of Hades. It will be available on October 22nd, two weeks after the release of the regular edition. The book is hand-signed by Rick Riordan (HE ACTUALLY TOUCHED IT!!!!!!!!) and it has special artwork by John Rocco, who illustrates all of Rick Riordan's middle grade books (Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and Kane Chronicles). The price is $60 per copy. I most likely won't get it; it's a little out of my price range. But, if you have some money to spare, and you want some exclusive artwork and an autographed copy, it's probably awesome!
I'm going to pre-order the book, just not right now. I probably will over the summer, so that it's a little closer to the date. I'm weird like that. But who knows? Rick Riordan might schedule an event near where I live and I could get my copy there! When are you ordering it, or are you going to get it at a book store? Such tough decisions! :o
Remember, if you pre-order, you get it when it comes out* and you don't even have to go anywhere! But if you don't, you get that magical feeling and excitement from buying a book yourself or picking it up from the library. You decide!
*If you are ordering from Amazon and you want to get it on its release date, you must choose Release Date Shipping (when I ordered MoA it was Two-Day Shipping, so it might be that too) at checkout, which costs a few dollars more.
OH MY GOSH, guess what?!?!?! (You can probably guess from the title.)
THE HOUSE OF HADES IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ON AMAZON.COM!
You can pre-order a hardcover copy here. (There's no e-book pre-order open yet, but there probably will be closer the release date, considering the series' popularity.) It also has a summary included in the product description!
This is awesome! We get to see what Tartarus looks like and everything. :DAt the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?They have no choice. If the demigods don't succeed, Gaea's armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.
I also found this. It's a special limited edition of the House of Hades. It will be available on October 22nd, two weeks after the release of the regular edition. The book is hand-signed by Rick Riordan (HE ACTUALLY TOUCHED IT!!!!!!!!) and it has special artwork by John Rocco, who illustrates all of Rick Riordan's middle grade books (Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, and Kane Chronicles). The price is $60 per copy. I most likely won't get it; it's a little out of my price range. But, if you have some money to spare, and you want some exclusive artwork and an autographed copy, it's probably awesome!
I'm going to pre-order the book, just not right now. I probably will over the summer, so that it's a little closer to the date. I'm weird like that. But who knows? Rick Riordan might schedule an event near where I live and I could get my copy there! When are you ordering it, or are you going to get it at a book store? Such tough decisions! :o
Remember, if you pre-order, you get it when it comes out* and you don't even have to go anywhere! But if you don't, you get that magical feeling and excitement from buying a book yourself or picking it up from the library. You decide!
*If you are ordering from Amazon and you want to get it on its release date, you must choose Release Date Shipping (when I ordered MoA it was Two-Day Shipping, so it might be that too) at checkout, which costs a few dollars more.
Mar 8, 2013
Tartarus and Houdini
Warning! May contain Lightning Thief and Mark of Athena spoilers!
Hey! Again, I apologize for abandoning you. You know, this is getting to be a normal apology... Not good. I need to work on that.
Anyway, I've just finished re-reading the Lightning Thief for the bazillionth time. (Actually, it was more like the fifth or sixth time, but who's counting?) My mind is filled to the brim with amazing things to post, and those posts should be coming soon. (Notice I said should. I don't want to make any promises. Oh, and the next Percy/Carter fanfic chapter should be posted soon as well.)
So, where was I? Oh, yeah. Tartarus. I found an interesting passage in TLT when I was reading, and it made me think of Percy and Annabeth's current situation.
Do you remember the Nereid that looked like Percy's mom whom he met at the bottom of the Mississippi? She talked about how he (Percy) was going to the Underworld, and she mentioned a few demigods who had survived a trip. She first mentioned Hercules and Orpheus, who were both traditional Greek heroes. But, she also mentioned another demigod: Harry Houdini... *pause for dramatic effect* who could escape even the depths of Tartarus.
When I read that, my initial reaction was, "THERE IS HOPE!!!!!!!!!"
This makes me beyond excited. If you don't know who Houdini was, he was an illusionist (magician) and escape artist, his claim to fame being the latter. Even if Percy and Annabeth Houdini, there should still be a way for them to get out, right? Houdini was an escape artist, but that doesn't mean it's unachievable for non-escape artists!
We all should remember this passage while we anticipate the release of House of Hades, even if it sounds somewhat doubtful. There must be a way. There is hope!
Hey! Again, I apologize for abandoning you. You know, this is getting to be a normal apology... Not good. I need to work on that.
Anyway, I've just finished re-reading the Lightning Thief for the bazillionth time. (Actually, it was more like the fifth or sixth time, but who's counting?) My mind is filled to the brim with amazing things to post, and those posts should be coming soon. (Notice I said should. I don't want to make any promises. Oh, and the next Percy/Carter fanfic chapter should be posted soon as well.)
So, where was I? Oh, yeah. Tartarus. I found an interesting passage in TLT when I was reading, and it made me think of Percy and Annabeth's current situation.
Do you remember the Nereid that looked like Percy's mom whom he met at the bottom of the Mississippi? She talked about how he (Percy) was going to the Underworld, and she mentioned a few demigods who had survived a trip. She first mentioned Hercules and Orpheus, who were both traditional Greek heroes. But, she also mentioned another demigod: Harry Houdini... *pause for dramatic effect* who could escape even the depths of Tartarus.
When I read that, my initial reaction was, "THERE IS HOPE!!!!!!!!!"
This makes me beyond excited. If you don't know who Houdini was, he was an illusionist (magician) and escape artist, his claim to fame being the latter. Even if Percy and Annabeth Houdini, there should still be a way for them to get out, right? Houdini was an escape artist, but that doesn't mean it's unachievable for non-escape artists!
We all should remember this passage while we anticipate the release of House of Hades, even if it sounds somewhat doubtful. There must be a way. There is hope!
Jan 31, 2013
Official House of Hades Release Date!
The official House of Hades release date is...
DRUMROLL, PLEASE!
DRUMROLL, PLEASE!
Jan 20, 2013
Points of View
Warning! May contain Mark of Athena spoilers!
A lot of the speculation that is made about future Heroes books is whose points of view will be used. Percy has narrated twice (not including all of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books), Piper twice, Leo twice, and Frank, Hazel, Annabeth, and Jason once each. Whose point of view do we really need to see? Whose are we probably going to see? Is Uncle Rick going to include three, four, or more in House of Hades? There are so many questions to be answered! I'm going to break this down character by character and give you my opinion and thoughts on each! Please remember that this is mostly my opinion, not yours or what is/will be in the books. We each have a right to our own opinion and ideas, so feel free to state yours in the comments! (I love comments. :3)
Piper & Leo- Piper and Leo are definitely two good, respectable characters. In fact, Leo is one of my favorite characters. However, I don't think their points of view should or will end up in The House of Hades. They were both narrators in MoA, and neither of their perspectives are specifically necessary. (More on that later) Besides, we don't need more of Piper drooling over Jason 23/7. :P (Notice I made that 23/7, not 24/7. She's not TOTALLY infatuated with him. Okay, okay, I'll stop now... A lot of people hate me for my opinion on her as it is. :P)
A lot of the speculation that is made about future Heroes books is whose points of view will be used. Percy has narrated twice (not including all of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books), Piper twice, Leo twice, and Frank, Hazel, Annabeth, and Jason once each. Whose point of view do we really need to see? Whose are we probably going to see? Is Uncle Rick going to include three, four, or more in House of Hades? There are so many questions to be answered! I'm going to break this down character by character and give you my opinion and thoughts on each! Please remember that this is mostly my opinion, not yours or what is/will be in the books. We each have a right to our own opinion and ideas, so feel free to state yours in the comments! (I love comments. :3)
Piper & Leo- Piper and Leo are definitely two good, respectable characters. In fact, Leo is one of my favorite characters. However, I don't think their points of view should or will end up in The House of Hades. They were both narrators in MoA, and neither of their perspectives are specifically necessary. (More on that later) Besides, we don't need more of Piper drooling over Jason 23/7. :P (Notice I made that 23/7, not 24/7. She's not TOTALLY infatuated with him. Okay, okay, I'll stop now... A lot of people hate me for my opinion on her as it is. :P)
Frank & Hazel- I've heard from some of my friends that Frank and Hazel aren't relatable enough, and I get that; they're new, they're Roman, and they've only had one POV each. I personally love them! I find it easier to relate to them because they have back-stories that we know, and that helps us get inside of their heads and know what they're thinking. However, I really would have liked a Roman's opinion on what was going on in the Mark of Athena, but we didn't get that. :/ They're great characters, but they badly need to be narrators. I'm thinking that one of them may have a House of Hades POV. We'll see!
Percy & Annabeth- Ah, the couple hanging out in Tartarus. A Percy or Annabeth perspective would be really helpful. Rick has already promised that we will know what is going on with them, but will it be through a direct POV or through Piper's knife or another demigod's dreams. Annabeth's POV was interesting, since it was the first time we've had a story from her POV. (Since when did Nico have a crush on her? o.O) Her thoughts are most definitely intriguing, but I don't think I'd like a Percy POV. We've had his POV in 7 books. Don't you think it's time for a break? Hopefully we'll have Annabeth's point of view in HoH, but I doubt it's going to happen. We'll probably see Percy and Annabeth through dreams or Katropis.
Nico- Nico is one point of view that I feel may just show up. He's definitely going to be an important character. I'm not sure how, but he will be. I think he'll be the leader of the quest while P&A are in Tartarus.
Reyna & Octavian- I LOVE Reyna. She's another one of my favorite characters, and she's SO well-written, but I don't think she'll be much more than another minor character, and I find it very unlikely that she'll be a POV. Same for Octavian.
Nico- Nico is one point of view that I feel may just show up. He's definitely going to be an important character. I'm not sure how, but he will be. I think he'll be the leader of the quest while P&A are in Tartarus.
Reyna & Octavian- I LOVE Reyna. She's another one of my favorite characters, and she's SO well-written, but I don't think she'll be much more than another minor character, and I find it very unlikely that she'll be a POV. Same for Octavian.
Jason- I chose to speak of Jason last and separately because I have so much to say about him. I want Jason's POV so badly, because we know pretty much zilch about him so far. He's the only main character that we don't know very well. I mean, we've had Percy narrating for 7 books. Leo, Piper, Frank, and Hazel all have pasts (well, Hazel has two...) that we've read about. I want a Jason POV in House of Hades. We need to know his thoughts. We need to know more about his past. We need heroic Jason, the cool dude who defeated a giant. We need creeper Jason, the person that likes to watch Piper breathe. And most of all, we need a reminiscing Jason, so we can know more about him and what makes him him. Think about it; if someone asked you what Percy would do in a situation, you'd answer ten times faster than you would if someone asked about what Jason would do in a situation. We don't know him that well. We just know that he's a leader and son of Zeus, but not much else. I want to learn more about him.
Well, that's it! Let me know what you think. :)
Well, that's it! Let me know what you think. :)
Oct 20, 2012
OMG [Non-Mark of Athena readers, divert your eyes!]
Warning! Contains HUGE Mark of Athena spoilers!
http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-mark-of-athena-wrap-up.html
There's a new post on Mr. Trolldan's blog. In this, he wraps up the MoA tour, recommends a YA series to read, and [EEEEEEEEEEEEEP] answers questions.
The reason I am writing this post is because of this:
http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-mark-of-athena-wrap-up.html
There's a new post on Mr. Trolldan's blog. In this, he wraps up the MoA tour, recommends a YA series to read, and [EEEEEEEEEEEEEP] answers questions.
The reason I am writing this post is because of this:
"The one thing I can promise regarding The House of Hades ***SPOILER ALERT**** At the end of Mark of Athena, Nico senses that Percy and Annabeth are still alive, despite the incredible danger they are in. Nico is right. They are alive. You WILL find out what is happening to them in the next book. They don't disappear from the story. **** END SPOILER ALERT*****"OH MY FLIPPING PERSEUS JACKSON. THEY'RE ALIVE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW AMAZING THIS IS? All the fangirls (and fandudes), stop slowly dying, CUZ PERCABETH IS OFFICIALLY STILL ALIVE (for now).
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