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I've been on a serious reading binge the past few weeks.  It must be the cooler weather...nothing better than curling up with a good book under a comfy quilt on the couch!

My kiddo totally got he hooked on the stories of Percy Jackson last January (2010) (I think it was January...).  All of the books in the series are great (I'm thinking of revisiting them soon...so maybe a full review of just that series will follow later).  So after reading those books...I was amped up for some more olympic hero action...and along comes The Lost Hero.

Kiddo totally loved the book...and so did I.  I recently reread the book as it's follow up Son of Neptune was released last week, and I wanted to refresh my memory on the basis of the series (this is the Heroes of Olympus Series)...well I finished up Son of Neptune the other day...and well...definitely had an opinion about it...so figured I'd share!

First...

The Lost Hero

Ok...just to start...it definitely helps if you have read the Percy Jackson series first; you will already have an idea about some of the characters and the original premise...fewer "huh" moments so to speak...This was a really good book!  It did a great job of introducing "new" characters to a pre-existing world and working within the original confines established in the Percy series.  The story was very similar in layout to the PJ series, but added some new details that kept it fresh...it definitely did not feel like an older story reheated or anything. Rick Riordan does a fantastic job "selling" the idea of demi-gods and Olympus on Earth.  And considering these are "children's books" this adult was thoroughly entertained.  I would also agree that these books are appropriate for the recommended age level (9-11), but the audience should not be turned off by that recommendation...this book is truly a story for all ages.

Kiddo really enjoyed the book, as did I...and we both anxiously awaited the next book...and were thrilled when it came out last week!

The Son of Neptune

So, book 2 in the Heroes of Olympus series does a fantastic job of picking up where book 1 left off...and honestly...as much as I enjoyed the first...this one was AMAZING!  The story followed the usual path...but was much richer in detail...and definitely kept me guessing at times as to what might happen next.  How much I enjoyed this particular book may have something to do with the fact that Percy Jackson (absent in The Lost Hero) returns in Son of Neptune...and there is a familiarity with this character...you know where he's been and what he's done before...so the basic idea of he's wandering lost without his memory makes you want him to remember and realize all that much more.  The new characters added definitely give a new perspective and put a bit of a different twist on the story line...but all for good...definitely no "jump the shark" moments.  Again, it's age appropriate, but IMHO...it's very limiting to list the age recommendation as 9 to 11...as this may turn some new to the series readers off...again...as an adult...I thought it was a great book and it definitely left me hanging and anxiously awaiting the next installment (in like a YEAR or something!)  Thankfully Riordan has another series, the Kane Chronicles (another fantastic series), out...falling at different release intervals, to keep us readers hooked!

Well...there you have it...another bit of a book review from me...with little to no spoilers!  Hope you enjoy!  I'm off to work on book 2 of this series...might post more about it later!

P.S.  All above is my own opinion....no one asked for or solicited this opinion...just figured I'd share what I thought were some pretty entertaining reads with you!