Review: The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan

Title: The Demigod Diaries

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle grade, Greek mythology

Publication date: August 2012

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: What dangers do runaway demigods Luke and Thalia face on their way to Camp Half-Blood? Are Percy and Annabeth up to the task of rescuing stolen goods from a fire-breathing giant who doesn't take kindly to intruders? How exactly are Leo, Piper, and Jason supposed to find a runaway table, dodge a band of party-loving Maenads (who just might be a little psychotic), and stave off a massive explosion...all in one hour or less?

With his trademark wit and creativity, Rick Riordan answers these questions and more in three never-before-seen short stories that provide vital back-story to the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson books. Original art, enlightening character interviews and profiles, puzzles, and a quiz add to the fun in this action-packed collection.

My rating: ★★★★☆

This book was a collection of short stories and other fun things, and I had a blast reading it! But then you know how much I love Percy Jackson. Lol.

Review: Demigods & Magicians (Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #1-3) by Rick Riordan

Title: Demigods & Magicians

Series: Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #1-3 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus | The Kane Chronicles

Novellas in this book: The Son of Sobek (#1) | The Staff of Serapis (#2) | The Crown of Ptolemy (#3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology

Publication date: April 2016

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own hardcover

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Synopsis:

Magic, monsters, and mayhem abound when Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase meet Carter and Sadie Kane for the first time. Weird creatures are appearing in unexpected places, and the demigods and magicians have to team up to take them down. As they battle with Celestial Bronze and glowing hieroglyphs, the four heroes find that they have a lot in common--and more power than they ever thought possible. But will their combined forces be enough to foil an ancient enemy who is mixing Greek and Egyptian incantations for an evil purpose? Rick Riordan wields his usual storytelling magic in this adrenaline-fueled adventure.

My rating: ★★★★★

First of all, yes, I do own each individual e-book plus this physical copy of the book that bundles together all three stories :)

Review: The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Demigod Files

Companion book to: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Author: Rick Riordon

Genre: Middle Grade, fantasy, Greek mythology

Publication date: February 2009

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own Hardcover

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Synopsis:

How do you handle an encounter with Medusa on the New Jersey interstate? What's the best way to take down a Minotaur? Become an expert on everything in Percy's world with this must-have guide to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Complete with interviews, puzzles, games, and original short stories by Rick Riordan.

My rating:

The Demigod Files is such a fun book! Not only does it have fun interviews with the hilarious Stoll brothers (on pulling pranks), Annabeth (on Percy Jackson, hehehe), Grover, and, of course, Percy Jackson himself, but it also has a map of Camp Half-Blood, a crossword puzzle, word search, and my favorite: short stories!

Random Reads: September 2014

Random Reads is a meme where we pick a random book from our shelf to read within the month.

Weeeee! This meme sounds like a lot of fun and is something I think I really need! My TBR mountain is out of control!! I had a lot of fun with this meme last month so I decided to join in again.

Review: The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan

Title: The House of Hades

Series: The Heroes of Olympus #4

Previous books in this series: The Lost Hero (#1) | The Son of Neptune (#2) | The Mark of Athena (#3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Roman mythology

Publication date: October 2013

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own hardcover

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Synopsis:

At 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.

My rating: ★★★★★
[WARNING: Major spoilers from the previous book, The Mark of Athena. Otherwise, it's spoiler free if you have not read HoH :)]

Holy Hades, this book was AMAZING! That is no surprise, of course, seeing as how much I love mythology and all of Rick Riordan's books ;) And after the crazy cliffhanger (quite literally, too) in The Mark of Athena, I was ecstatic to finally start on this book and dive into this world that I love so much! But OH MY GODS! I don't think I can review this book without fangirling all over the place! It was just so absolutely PERFECT!

Review: The Staff of Serapis (Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #2) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Staff of Serapis

Series: Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #2 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus | The Kane Chronicles

Previous novella in this series: The Son of Sobek

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Roman mythology

Publication date: May 2014

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own e-book

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Synopsis:

In this adventure, Annabeth encounters more oddities in the subway than usual, including a two-headed monster and a younger blond girl who reminds her a little of herself. This is the story fans have asked for, in which Annabeth Chase teams up with Sadie Kane. The demigod daughter of Athena and the young magician from Brooklyn House take on a larger-than-life foe from the ancient world. Perhaps even more disturbing than the power-hungry god they encounter is the revelation that he is being controlled by someone—someone all too familiar to Sadie. As a special bonus, the first chapter of THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS, the final book in The Heroes of Olympus series, is included.

My rating: ★★★★★
In The Staff of Serapis, we have Annabeth who is just minding her business in downtown NY, when all of a sudden she see a monster... that ignores her? And to top it off she has never seen anything like it! So she follows said monster and runs into a feisty British girl (Sadie!) who is also hunting a devious little creature. Without giving too much away, Annabeth and Sadie team up to fight this monster and something much bigger that they did not expect... they need to stop it before it destroys the world. But then again, these seems to be their normal ;)

Review: The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Mark of Athena

Series: The Heroes of Olympus #3

Previous books in this series: The Lost Hero (#1) | The Son of Neptune (#2)

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Roman mythology

Publication date: October 2012

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own Hardcover

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Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

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...

My rating: ★★★★★
Oh this book... You all know how much I love Greek mythology and that Rick Riordan is one of my most favorite authors ever, right? Well, The Mark of Athena was just as amazing as his other books!

Literary Nails: The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan

It's pretty obvious that I love anything book related, right? *Looks around blog* Um, yeah, rhetorical question ;) Something you guys may or may not know about me is that I absolutely LOVE doing my nails and trying out new nail designs! Now, I am not the artistic type. In fact, I suck at anything art-related or remotely creative, lol. I can barely draw a freaking stick figure! LOL

The point is, while I may not be the best with art-related things, I try. I love nail art and I wanted to share a little something with you.

Review: The Son of Sobek (Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #1) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Son of Sobek

Series: Percy Jackson & Kane Chronicles Crossover #1 | Percy Jackson and the Olympians | The Heroes of Olympus | The Kane Chronicles

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Egyptian mythology

Publication date: June 18, 2013

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own e-book

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Buy it: Amazon

Synopsis:

In this e-book short story by Rick Riordan, Carter Kane is investigating rumored sightings of a monster on Long Island when he runs into something else: a mysterious boy named Percy Jackson. And their meeting isn't exactly friendly. . . . Includes a sneak peek chapter from HOUSE OF HADES, Book Four in the Heroes of Olympus series.

My rating: ★★★★★
Percy AND Carter? YAY!! Rick basically answered our prayers of a cross over and the result was pure freakin' awesomeness! I absolutely loved everything about it! And if you've got no idea what I am talking about, Percy Jackson from "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and "Heroes of Olympus" AND Carter Kane from "The Kane Chronicles" meet in this clash of mythologies!

Review: The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Son of Neptune

Series: The Heroes of Olympus #2

Previous Book in this Series: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade, urban fantasy, Greek mythology, Roman mythology

Publication date: October 2011

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Source: Own Hardcover

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Percy is confused. When he awoke from his long sleep, he didn't know much more than his name. His brain fuzz is lingering, even after the wolf Lupa told him he is a demigod and trained him to fight with the pen/sword in his pocket. Somehow Percy manages to make it to a camp for half-bloods, despite the fact that he has to keep killing monsters along the way. But the camp doesn't ring any bells with him. The only thing he can recall from his past is another name: Annabeth

Hazel is supposed to be dead. When she lived before, she didn't do a very good job of it. Sure, she was an obedient daughter, even when her mother was possessed by greed. But that was the problem — when the Voice took over her mother and commanded Hazel to use her "gift" for an evil purpose, Hazel couldn't say no. Now because of her mistake, the future of the world is at risk. Hazel wished she could ride away from it all on the stallion that appears in her dreams.

Frank is a klutz. His grandmother says he is descended from heroes and can be anything he wants to be, but he doesn't see it. He doesn't even know who his father is. He keeps hoping Apollo will claim him, because the only thing he is good at is archery — although not good enough to win camp war games. His bulky physique makes him feel like an ox, especially infront of Hazel, his closest friend at camp. He trusts her completely — enough to share the secret he holds close to his heart.

Beginning at the "other" camp for half-bloods and extending as far as the land beyond the gods, this breathtaking second installment of the Heroes of Olympus series introduces new demigods, revives fearsome monsters, and features other remarkable creatures, all destined to play a part in the Prophesy of Seven.

My rating: ★★★★★
PERCY IS BACK!!! YAY!!! And now with that out of my system, lets get to the review... :)