Book Review: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: October 2011
Pages: 544
Source: Library
For: Fun
Series: Heroes of Olympus, Book 2

Summary from goodreads: *Spoilers are inevitable for the first book*

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.

Things I Liked:
I started this once almost a year ago and had to return it unfinished.  Finally got around to checking it out again and finishing it.  I didn't start reading it all over again though, because I remembered most of the scenes that were important.  Riordan certainly has a way of creating very memorable scenes - with unusual things like the crazy burrito guy and all the birds circling him.  I love the new characters - Hazel and Frank.  There's a lot I don't remember from the previous book, so I'm right there with ya, Percy.  Still, lots of good stuff going on and I am amazed at how fresh Riordan's stories still are, even with all he's already written.

Things I Didn't Like:
Can't remember if there were things that bugged me or not.  Probably, but not strongly enough to recall now... :)

Read-alikes:
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordan

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
maybe a few

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->->
lots of battles

Overall rating: ****

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage