Review: The Mark of Athena

This review will contain SPOILERS if you haven’t finished Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or read the previous books in the series.

Title: The Mark of Athena

Author: Rick Riordan

Published: October 2nd 2012

Length: 574 pages (Hardcover)

Series: The Heroes of Olympus #3

Synopsis from Goodreads:

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:

WARNING! YOU’RE ABOUT TO GET HIT BY LOADS OF FEELINGS AND INCOHERENT NONSENSE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Yes, my dear friends. This very morning, I finished reading The Mark of Athena. This stupid, dumb, soul-sucking piece of….perfection.

*Big sigh*

How dare you Rick Riordan? I trusted you and you betrayed me! *whispering* How dare you…

*Pulls oneself together and puts on happy face*

Hi there friends! Let’s give it another try, shall we? This morning, I read a fantastic book that left me crying like a baby that brought out some very strong feelings in me. It ripped my soul out definitely made an impression on me, and I would kill for the next book can’t wait until October when The House of Hades comes out.

…..

Okay, okay, I promise to (try to) be serious from now on (I just have so many feelings…..so many feelings). Obviously some frustrating stuff happens (that will make you cry), but I don’t want to spoil you any more than I already have, so let’s just leave it at that and move on to le actual happy stuff. :)

In The Mark of Athena, we finally get to see the seven demigods united, which leads to some amazing character development, great chemistry, humour, excitement, and of course, awesome quests. This novel can definitely join the already huge pile of incredible books that Rick Riordan has written, and is possibly my favourite in the series. I think I might have mentioned this earlier as well, but let’s say it again:

This is one freaking author that knows exactly what kind of books he should write!

Rick Riordan is just so…good. He’s good at putting together adventures, and at leaving clues for the reader, that are neither too easy, nor too hard to solve. He’s good at developing characters, and he’s good at capturing you(‘re soul). He’s good at twisting ancient myths into something new and fun, and he’s good at leaving you wanting for more.

Oh, you know what? Let’s scratch that. Rick Riordan isn’t just good….

…he’s great.

He’s absolutely fantastic, and I LOVE the world he has created. I LOVE all his characters. I LOVE his writing style.

It’s actually as simple as that….and I’m so freaking sold on it all.

Hey, I’m sorry if you expected a more serious review, but I did warn you. Something’s very wrong with me today, and it did end up being a lot briefer and weirder than I had planned, but I’m clearly not in a state where I can think straight. I don’t know what else to say. If you have read The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, I don’t know what you’re waiting for either. Just hurry off and read the book! (If you value your sanity, though, you should probably wait until The House of Hades is out. Take it from a girl who has lost hers.)

5/5 Moustaches

Quotes:

“On the bright side,” Percy said, “both Jason and I outrank you, Octavian. So we can both tell you to shut up.”

“Like water leaking through a dam,” said Piper.
“Yeah,” smiled Percy. “We’ve got a dam hole.”
“What?” Piper asked.
“Nothing,” he said. “Inside joke.”

“I try not to think. It interferes with being nuts”

“Behold!” Percy shouted. “The god’s chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!”

 

Advertisement