| Title | : | The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1423140605 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781423140603 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 586 |
| Publication | : | First published October 2, 2012 |
| Awards | : | Teen Buckeye Book Award (2013), Goodreads Choice Award Middle Grade & Children's (2012) |
And that's only one of her worries. In her pocket, Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving command: 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. . . .
The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3) Reviews
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WHAT KIND OF AN ENDING WAS THAT, HUH? WHERE WAS THE HAPPY ENDING? Oh my God.... Percy and Annabeth.... why why why why why
******
I won't lie, this book was the book that I was the most excited about in this series. This was the book that all the seven demigods were finally going to meet each other for the first time, and start their quest. AND of course, the Percabeth reunion (whooooooooooooooooooooo)!!!!!!
Rick Riordan hasn't failed me yet. His characters are still what I love about his books the most. Okay, so I know that I said that I disliked Jason and Piper before, but they're growing on me.(At least Piper is. Jason, I'm still not sure about. Something about that guy says traitor to me.... Am I the only one?) But everyone else, Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank and Leo, I absolutely loved.
I have to say though, I expected more relationships built during the course of 500 + pages. Like some nice siblingy relationships or some tension, like with Percy and Jason for example. I felt like there were opportunities for them to have gotten to know each other more, like Piper and Hazel, or Leo and Percy, or Frank and Jason. But I suppose in their defense, they DID have to fight off monsters and enemies 82% of the time.
Leo. He was, by far my favourite character of the series (aside from Percy, of course, but I think that's a given). He was funny, charming, but flawed and down to earth which made me love him more.
The amount of action in the book was great, not too little and not too much. I love, though, how the demigods usually win their fights because of their wits and not just their skill in fighting. I think that's a nice message to have.
The only thing I was bothered by in the book, aside from the lack of relationship buildups, was probably being in Annabeth's perspective. It's just that, not hearing from her side of the story for so long (7 books in total may I say, 5 in Percy Jackson and the Olympians and 2 from The Heroes of Olympus), it was weird finally seeing what was going on in that head of hers. Especially when she was talking about Percy. I don't really know. It was just odd, like I guess that since we never got a view in her head for so long before, that I made up what Annabeth was thinking and it didn't necessarily match what Riordan wrote.
Anyway, there wasn't really anything that I disliked about the book aside from the two points I mentioned before, which I pretty much just overlooked because the plot was excellent and the characters were just brilliant.
That cliffhanger, though. I do not like the idea of waiting another year.
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My favorite book in this series so far!!
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(A-) 82% | Very Good
Notes: Weaving plot from tangled threads of inadequacy, it’s an ode to adolescence: totally teeming with teen angst tension. -
"Gah! Shirmpzilla!"
After getting through with pre-quest requirements, our seven demigods are all set to embark on the first stage of their big quest. Despite the predicament the gang find themselves in, it is nice to start along the main plot at last. As we had enough of land-trouble in the first two stories, it also feels good to embark on Argo II, at least for a while (although it is find a whole lot of non-land trouble).
"Hercules, Huh? That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere your turn - there he is."
As always, we're encountering some entertaining characters, each introducing his or her own sub-plot to keep things moving. Story is a lot more complex than the first two, and felt a lot longer too. Looking back, though the character building remains the same (which was great from start), world building has gotten lot descriptive over the PJO-HoO series up to now. But it's great to see sense of adventure remains the same and not making the content feel even a little bit repetitive. And the rotating-narration has finally grown on me.
"Behold! The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"
Riordan's imagination appears to increase tenfold whenever characters go underground. Just like with PJO labyrinth story, the underground part of the adventure was thrilling and full of suspense. And as always, he does not fail to carry forward that suspense, by ending everything in another cruel cliffhanger.
"When in doubt, start in the middle." -
My Not-So-Final Final Review
Let's start this review in the most eloquently put way I can: I have no idea how to write this review.
When I finished this book a while ago, I would log onto Goodreads every single day and every single day, I would look at my pre-review and think, how can I write this review? What should I include, what should I put emphasis on? I would simply just stare at my laptop's screen until my mom called me down for dinner.
I wish I could write this review to the high calibar it deserves. I wish I could write this review that could do this book justice, a review that would please all the people who 'liked' my pre-review. I wish, I wish so badly, that I could write a review that would be able to express how badly I loved this book, how much I sobbed when I read that damned ending and how I just couldn't contain a fan-girl squel everytime Percy and Annabeth shared a kiss.
Unfortunately, my wish cannot come true. Dare I say it, I believe no one can write a review justice for this book. It's just not possible.
But of course, it wouldn't be like me not to try ...
I haven't read a good book in a long time. Far too overdue. Luckily, Mark of Athena was the perfect book to solve my problem. It wasn't just good. It was amazing-I-would-marry-this-book-if-I-could sort of good.
This book though, should definitely come with a warning like this, right on the front page:
WARNING:
Reading will cause excessive sobs/laughs and an extreme conflict of emotions.
Riordan is able to toy with your brain and make you cry when you thought you were happy and make you laugh when you should have been sad. It's confusing, it still confuses me but it is also amazing. My emotions no longer were controlled by me, but controlled by this book. Can you imagine that? A book controlling my emotions, an inanimate object controlling my emotions? But that's the beauty of a well-written book, it stops being inanimate, the words start to come to life.
Or perhaps I am over-thinking this and Riordan just takes pleasure in watching his fans have their minds blown.
Another helpfulwarningtip: Be prepared to have no other book be able to captivate you again, or at least for a very long time. After reading this book, I wandered around aimlessly at my library, glancing over the pretty cover arts and the interesting titles but none being able to fully capture my attention. For once, in all my years of existance, I left the library empty-handed.
Why? Because I was still living in the world of fantasy, in the world where Greek Gods were real and that demi-gods walked the Earth. When you read Mark of Athena, you'll leave your ordinary life. I left my reality of homework and tests and school and entered a world of action and humour and overall awesomeness. And don't we all want to just escape reality for a little, and experience some awesomeness? I know I do.
But let's move on to the meat of the review ...
My Speculations - How off was I?
Speculation: Percy and Annabeth will reunite and share a kiss.
Reality: OH YEAH! They sure reunited and their reunion was everything the fans could have asked for. It was tres romantic without going overboard. And my little idea that they could have a kiss every single chapter didn't come true, but Percy and Annabeth SURE kissed a lot.
Percabeth kiss count: I'm tallying it up but I'm predicting over 10. I'll update soon (if I don't, you have the right to spam my account!)
Speaking of Percabeth, this book definitely had it's fair share in the lime light. There were numerous mentions of it throughout the book and I couldn't be more pleased.
Even that ending, was Percabeth. I know, I know, we're all sobbing over what happened to our favourite characters but stop and think of the romantic aspect of it.
Speculation: Octavian and his magical teddybears will return and Rachel will show him down.
Reality: Octavian did return. And he did return with some murdered stuffed animals. On that point, I was right! On Rachel's return ... not so much. But how awesome would that have been - eh?
But if you're an Octavian-hater, you're going to like what will happen in the first couple chapters of the book, primarily concerning a certain son of Jupitor and our favourite Seaweed Brain ganging up against him. A budding bromance between the two heroes? Perhaps. The character development is phenomenal, us readers truly understand how alike Jason and Percy really are, and at the same time, how different they are.
Despite this though, Percy will always be my favourite. I don't care if Piper thinks Percy looks inferior to Jason, her delusional thinking really just adds to the fact that Percy is awesome. As you can tell, Jason seriously pissed me off in this book. But we'll get to that when the time comes.
SPECULATION: Can we have some Tratie (Travis Stoll and Katie Gardner)?
REALITY: Turns out as far as Riordan knows, Stoll and Gardner are not romantically linked. Pfft ... what does Rick really know ;)
SPECULATION: Does Jason remember Reyna? Will he choose her over Piper? Personally, I'm rooting for Reyna and Jason.
REALITY: IloatheHATE Jason Grace. How dare he toy both those girls! Sure, I don't have much respect for Piper but at the end of the day, I stick up for all girls. Call me a feminist (I take that as a compliment) but I cannot stand Jason toying with both Reyna's and Piper's feelings. He does remember Reyna, but does he even take the time to talk to her? NO!
And speaking of Reyna, she easily is becoming one of my favourite characters. She is just so strong for New Rome and yet, we know she's hurting because she just wants someone to love her. I ached for and respected her at the same time.
SPECULATION: Leo will find a girl (possibly Piper or Hazel)
REALITY: Leo and Hazel! I think there is already a couple name for them! Personally, Leo is now one of my favourite characters. He is just so funny and that much needed comic relief! Team Leo!
The only thing though is Frank is so sweet. Why does Rick have to have a love triangle?
Overall
You are never too old to read a book like this. Believe me, I admit it was awkward standing in a long line up of 10-year-olds all holding the same book as me, waiting to reach the till. But to be honest, I do not care. I actually think this is fanastic, that we can all read this book and experiecne the awesomeness despite our ages!
Overall, this book had it all. It had the character development, it had the romance and the action, it totally nailed the suspense factor, and it had everything I could have asked for and more.
Do you remember that just last year, we were all waiting and speculating and agonizing over what could and would happen next? We had the arguements and the fan-art and the lengthy discussions and it all led to this book, to the moment we read and finished Mark of Athena and could smile and say, we did it. Sure, we have to wait another year for the next one but still, we completed our goal! I say that's a sucess!
My final thought? One more year till the next one. Until then, I'm going to be speculating and wondering and well, doing the same process as I did for this book. I don't know why you guys "liked" my insanity but I hoped you all liked the book and liked the review even though I can't find any redeeming qualities. Expect tons of changes to happen soon. This won't be the last you'll see (or read) of me!
My Pre-review
[image error] -
OH GOD OH MAN OH GOD OH MAN.
I just ... I can't even ... I can't.
Well ... Good job Rick Riordan. You have written another glorious book. Congrats. I salute you.
But ... YOU ARE ALSO A HUGE TROLL, AND YOU ARE STOMPING ALL OVER MY FUCKING HEART, AND THAT ENDING WAS SO SAD AND BEAUTIFUL, AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THE NEXT ONE. HOWWWWWW.
... But okay, okay. Let's start at the very beginning. (A very good place to staaaart.)
In his usual trollish fashion, Riordan left the previous book in the series––The Son of Neptune––just as Annabeth, Piper, Jason, and Leo were about to fly into Camp Jupiter (AND PERCY AND ANNABETH WERE ABOUT TO BE REUNITED AT LAAAST!). And then it was like ... THE END. And we all threw the book across the room, am I right?
So, The Mark of Athena starts out exactly where the last book left off. Annabeth & co. are flying towards Camp Jupiter where Percy & co. are waiting for them.
We finally, FINALLY get the Percabeth reunion we've all been waiting for. After two whole books and like 15 pages, Percy and Annabeth finally see each other again and they kiss and then Annabeth like judo-flips Percy and tells him never to leave her again and AWWWW I CAN'T HANDLE ALL MY FEELS.
So yeah, after waiting like 1,000 pages it finally happened and it was totally worth the wait. It was perfect.
But of course, since this is a Rick Riordan book, nothing stays perfect. And after not too long, there's a little mishap in which things explode, and well ... there's a bit of a misunderstanding. And let's just say, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel all have to leave straightaway ... and also they might have accidentally turned Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter against each other.
In typical Riordan style, there's a main plot in the book but it's also made up of a lot of little mini-adventures in which the characters have to go on a bunch of different quests and of course face a wide variety of crazy monsters and gods and all that jazz. And all of it is leading up to Annabeth taking one quest on her own and fulfilling a prophecy that has some rather ominous implications ... (Don't all prophecies?)
This was a long book and it took me quite a while to read. However, I thought that––as usual––Riordan does a good job keeping the plot moving from one point to the next, and each little quest is almost like its own little story so there's no room for getting bored.
Probably the most daunting task in this book was having to juggle all the characters. Now that the two groups from the previous books have joined together, that makes seven major characters to keep track of.
Yikes.
But Riordan handles this quite well. He does a good job paying equal attention to all the major characters and having them all interact with each other in one way or another. The huge group tends to branch off in pairs or groups of three or so as they go off on their various quests, so that makes it a bit easier to keep track of everyone.
The only thing that gets a tad annoying about this is that sometimes you won't know what happens to certain characters for like 50 pages at a time. Like, one character will be about to fall off a cliff and it'll be like, "TROLOLO time to go talk about another character for 100 pages!"
So, sometimes I would be impatiently waiting to hear about what was going on with a certain character and I wouldn't get to know forever and ever. But other than that, it wasn't too painful.
Anyway ... as for the character development in this book, it was mostly awesome.
I say "mostly" because some of the characters became a lot more likable than others. Towards the end, I wasn't that crazy about Jason or Piper. I didn't like Jason very much in The Lost Hero and I was expecting him to become a more compelling character but ... nah. I still feel like he's pretty boring in comparison to the others. He just doesn't have much of a personality, plus he's magically kickass and awesome and perfect at everything. So, he's just not all that interesting to me. Piper is slightly better, and I liked her for the most part in The Lost Hero, but in The Mark of Athena I kind of got impatient whenever the story was focused on her. Maybe it was just that I don't like her as much as most of the other characters. I don't hate her, but I don't love her either. I think she's kind of a damsel in distress and just ... meh. I'm not a huge fan.
But other than those two, I found the character growth in The Mark of Athena to be excellent.
First of all, it's great to see how much Percy and Annabeth have matured over the course of all the books. I almost got a little teary-eyed from nostalgia a few times. I kind of grew up with these books, in a way (throughout my teenage years anyway) ... That is, I was around 12 when the first book came out and they were 12 in the first book––and every year when the next book came out, I would have aged another year just like they had. Well, and now they're stuck at 16 and I'm 20 but STILL. I've had these books in my life for quite a long time now, and it just means a lot to me to see them so grown up.
I mean, Percy used to be so clueless and had no idea what he was doing 99% of the time. And now he's like wicked badass but he still stresses out about trying to save the world and crap and ugggh. And Annabeth used to be kind of mean and also got herself into trouble by having too much pride and yada yada ... and even though she's still super brave and kickass and all, she's more open and more humbled and EEEP it's just fantastic.
And see, in a lot of books where two characters officially get together, the author tends to screw it up by a) making their relationship too damn perfect, or b) making everything go to heck and have something ridiculous happen like they break up again or whatever. But no, not our dear Rick Riordan!
Yes, Percy and Annabeth do get a lot of time together in this book and it's really sweet. But, Riordan doesn't overkill it. For a lot of the book, Percy and Annabeth are off on separate quests doing what they need to do. As much as they care about each other, they both also realize that they have a duty to fulfill and that's what's most important.
What I also love is that Annabeth doesn't depend on Percy to protect her or any crap like that. And also, Percy recognizes that Annabeth can take care of herself. Even when she has to go on her quest alone and could possibly die, Percy still lets her go––not that he doesn't want to help her, but because he knows she needs to do it and that she's strong enough to succeed.
I mean, can we all just stop and appreciate this for a second? DO YOU KNOW HOW RARE THIS IS IN YA BOOKS. DO YOU.
Seriously, they're like the best fictional couple EVER. GAHHHH.
In addition, Annabeth is just so awesome and courageous in this book. I felt like she finally got the spotlight she deserved after so many books, and Riordan really gives her a time to shine––and she makes the most of it. I mean, dang ... she has to go on this crazy quest by herself, and face one of her worst fears , and does this with a freakin' broken ankle. MY GOD. I was just reading this like "ANNABETH MY POOR BABY UGH YOU'RE SO FLAWLESS YOU CAN DO IT I LOVE YOU."
So, yeah. Seriously, Annabeth is one of my favorite female characters––and one of my favorite characters, period––in all the YA series I have ever read. Thank you, Rick Riordan, for giving us such a brave and relatable and believable YA heroine, because they are not so easy to come by.
As for the other characters ...
I have to acknowledge Leo especially, because I really felt for him in this book. It would be easy for him to just become the "comic relief" character and go totally ignored. But Leo is more than just "the funny guy" ... He's hilarious, yes, but his humor is used for the purpose of covering up his dark memories and his feelings that he's the odd one out. (Actually, he kind of reminds me of my beloved Sokka from "Avatar: The Last Airbender" ... Man, can you imagine if they met each other and became best friends forever? UGGH THAT'D BE SO AWESOME. Anyway.) So, I felt that in this book he became a much more complex character. I liked him a lot in The Lost Hero but after reading The Mark of Athena I feel like I have a much better understanding of him and my love for him grew immensely.
I also liked Frank and Hazel in this book, although I'm not sure if I liked them as much as I did in The Son of Neptune. Since the focus in this book tended to be more on Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, and Jason, I felt like Frank and Hazel faded into the background a bit. We did at least get to learn more about Hazel's past which was great, and saw a new dynamic form between her and Leo because of it ... so I liked that. Frank was just kind of there being his usual awkward self, and I would have liked to see more of him, but I still liked him a lot.
And about the Hazel/Leo thing ... Oh man, I'm so torn. On one hand, I love Frank and Hazel as a couple and I rooted for them throughout The Son of Neptune. But, well, I kind of like Leo and Hazel as a couple, too. Honestly, it's mostly because I feel so bad for Leo ... He feels so lonely a lot of the time and like no girl will ever like him and it's just ... GAHHH it's not fair. WHY WHY WHYYYYYY. So ... I really don't know. I'm super conflicted, and I guess I can only wait to see what the next book brings.
Now, now, I'm finally coming to the end of my thoughts on this book and I just have one more major thing to address and that's THE FUCKING ENDING. HOLY MUSHROOMS.
I don't think any amount of gifs can express how I felt about it, but I will try:
MAJOR SPOILERZ:
So yeah, let's just say the ending trumps all Riordan troll-endings. It's just heart-wrenching and terrifying and it's not nice to do that to your readers. ARRRGH. I need the next book.
Oh, one more minor thing:
I kind of have issues with the cover. Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome cover. When I first saw it, I fangirl-ed all over the place. But––especially after reading the book––I have two major problems with it:
a) WHY ISN'T ANNABETH ON THE FREAKING COVER? I mean really ... The book is called The Mark of Athena, and seeing as Annabeth is the daughter of Athena and that she has to go through more crap than anyone in this book, I think she deserves to be on the front of the book. Am I right? I mean, the only sign of Annabeth is the owl eyes in the background, and well ... that's not really enough, if you ask me. I'm guessing the publisher didn't want a girl on the cover because they thought it might prevent a good chunk of tweenage boys from buying the book. And maybe that's true, but would it have hurt to put Annabeth on the cover somewhere? There could have still been boys on the cover, but Annabeth should have been there in some way. Not fair if you ask me.
b) It's also super misleading. As you can see in my pre-review ranting below, I was rather shocked to see Jason and Percy fighting against each other on the cover. I was like, "Wait, what? I thought the idea of this book was that they were going to join forces! WTF?!" But ... So, yeah. I'm not sure why this was chosen to be the cover of the book. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
All right, so I think that's about where my rant ends. I'm probably about to run out of space for this review anyway. Point is ... I loved this book. It was exciting and awesome, and for the most part had a lot of terrific character development. The ending was pure evil and I can't wait for The House of Hades.
HOORAY!
Pre-review rants under the spoiler, if you care about them: -
”Love and war always go together. They are the peaks of human emotion! Evil and good, beauty and ugliness.”
You know, Venus actually got that right and I’m pretty sure we’ll see a lot of both of them in the near future. This book started off way more serious than “The Son of Neptune” and it was really interesting to see the two groups merge. As expected there was quite some distrust on both sides, especially after the rather “bumpy” start, but our heroes eventually overcame their prejudices and started to trust each other. Which was really nice to see! During their main quest they have a lot of moments when they have to split into little groups and for me this was always interesting because that way they got to know each other and started to work together.
”What in the world are you thinking?” She sounded pretty flustered.
“I try not to think,” Leo admitted. “It interferes with being nuts.”
See! A Roman and a Greek at work! It was quite a sight to behold! *lol* Also I think this kind of sums up the main difference between both camps. It’s basically the Roman Camp and Camp Half-Blood in a nutshell! ;-P Strategy and order vs. gut instinct and crazy plans. Haha! You just gotta love that dynamic. Come to think of it the difference between the gods seems to go in the same sort of direction. Bacchus and Venus certainly seem to be way more put together than Dionysus and Aphrodite. They still have their quirks though. XD
”Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war.”
“The plant war,” Percy said. “You’re going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?”
Yep, that’s exactly what I was talking about! *lol* Percy’s dorkiness got enough room to shine in this book too, even though I’ve to admit that there were quite a lot of serious moments as well. In general I’d say this book was once again on the more serious side and you could see it in the many different scenes that plugged on my heartstrings! I think no Uncle Rick book ever made me as emotional as this one. >_<
”During their separation, something had happened to Annabeth’s feelings. They’d grown painfully intense – like she’d been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication. Now she wasn’t sure which was more excruciating – living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.”
I suppose that’s mostly due to 1.) Our beloved characters growing up and getting older and 2.) the serious nature of their quest! The stakes are so much higher in this series and it’s like some palpable undercurrent that meanders through the storyline. Always there and tangible. Or like well, Gaia just being everywhere and pulling on the strings of her spider’s web. ;-P
Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth’s dagger.
“You dropped this,” he said, totally poker-faced.
Annabeth threw her arms around him. “I love you!”
Of course this doesn’t mean that the funny and kick-ass moments have become less. There are still plenty of them! Like the one above who’s legit one of the best moments in Percy Jackson history! *lol* It just means that the characters grew and that a lot of serious things, including their love lives, are catching up with them. I still adore Percabeth and their relationship has become such a beautiful thing! <3 Still, Percy and Annabeth aren’t the only two troubled lovebirds. As it seems Piper and Jason will have a lot to sort through as well. And don’t even get me started on the crazy Hazel, Leo and Frank dynamic! That moment when Hazel found out about Leo, though!
”Hello, Hazel Levesque,” he said, his voice gravelly.
Her chin trembled.
NO, I’m not crying, you are! T_T One of the most touching and beautiful scenes Uncle Rick ever wrote. At least in my opinion! XD Of all the characters I still love “the golden trio” – Percy, Leo and Nico – the most! They are my boys and I’d defend them with my life! <333 In “The Mark of Athena” Leo once again reminded me why I adore him so much, because his conversation with Echo was EVERYTHING and I love that he’s so compassionate and cares so deeply for others. And I’m glad Frank and he finally bonded. It was about time those two started to trust each other. ;-)
”His friends still needed him. This was still his show. As long as he had his tool belt, Leo Valdez wasn’t going to sit around helplessly watching the Demigod Death Channel.”
Leo wasn’t the only one who struggled in here though and it hurt my heart to see how much Percy and Annabeth had to go through. They definitely didn’t have it easy in this book and while Percy was struggling with his role as a hero, Annabeth had to tackle an entirely different challenge. I was really worried about her and the ending! Well, you guys warned me about the ending but OMG I never saw it coming! At least not like THAT! *is at the edge of another mental breakdown* Okay, okay, let’s not talk about that HORRIBLE MEAN CLIFFHANGER ENDING!!! AHHHH!! >_<
”It’s okay,” he said. “We’re together.”
He didn’t say you’re okay, or we’re alive. After all they’d been through over the last year, he knew the most important thing was that they were together. She loved him for saying that.”
Good, now I feel all fuzzy and warm again! XD I needed that quote! *lol* And come to think of what I need, I definitely need more Nico di Angelo moments! He had to go through quite an ordeal in this book and I’m sure it has changed him. My poor precious boy! I’m really concerned about his well-being now. He needs to be protected at all costs and he needs someone who’ll give him all the love he deserves! <333 (And nope, I’m not talking about Hazel here. No sisterly love! More like, finally some “love interest” kind of love! ;-P)
All told I can’t wait to dive into the next book. I’m not sure if I’ll get to it fast because we’re still in a lockdown but after that mean cliff-hanger ending I’ll probably need some time to process everything anyway. XD I’ve A LOT of emotions to sort through and I think I’ll do it by singing the Pokémon soundtrack with Coach Hedge. ;-P
___________________________
I’m totally fine.
Really!
I mean it’s just a cliffhanger.
A tiny little cliffhanger.
Nothing to worry about.
I’m okay.
I’m fine...
I’m....
I NEED THE NEXT BOOK ASAP!!!
ADSKASDLKFJASDFLKASJDFLKASDFJ!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
*dies*
Full RTC as soon as I found a way out of Hades... Wish me luck!
_____________________________
It’s time to continue with my “Heroes of Olympus” quest! ;-P
So the third book it is!
I really hope I won’t regret reading “The Mark of Athena” because if there is a cliff-hanger I won’t be able to borrow the next book for a while. >_<
Since I’m too curious to wait until I’ll be able to go to the library I’ll just have to deal with it! XD
Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel and Frank, I’m ready to see you all together! <3
Ohhh, this is going to be good, I can feel it!
*crosses fingers there won’t be a cliff-hanger* Please, please, please. *lol*
P.S: After all the warnings I decided to buy the 4th book if the ending of this one is truly killing me. *lol* ;-P I'm pretty certain Santa will give me a gift coupon so I can buy it. XD -
4.5, really. I don't know why, but I liked "The Son of Neptune" better (just a little bit). Anyways, this book was AWESOME. Percy and Annabeth have my heart <3.
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“Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies”
Gods, how I missed these books! Why did it take me so long to continue this series? Why did I let Rick Riordan down?
It was great to return to the world of the Greek and Roman gods and monsters. Entertaining and so incredibly hilarious! Oh man, I loved this so much. The Mark of Athena has a few tiny flaws, but that doesn't stop it from being an amazing read.
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RICK RIORDAN WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT OH MY GOD ANNABETH AND PERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "AS LONG AS WE'RE TOGETHER" NOT OKAY. ABORT. ABORT. I AM NOT OKAY.
This book has me doing all sorts of things. Laughing, crying, flailing my arms like a sworn crazy person and leaving me exhausted from the range of emotions I felt reading this book. WE GET ANNABAETH'S POV (which I DEVOURED), and LEO'S and PERCYYYYYY's (I'm still not really into Piper and Jason... I don't know, I didn't enjoy their chapters as much). The story was sooooo good, and I looove how everything is unraveling and just SO MUCH AMAZINGNESS WRAPPED UP INTO ONE BOOK.
(can you tell how much I'm loving this series?)
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Latest Edit:
Oh man, oh man oh man oh man! Confession: First thought that came to mind when the book was released: How will Percabeth react to each other? A kiss? Dramatic hug/cry scene? Honestly, I really want to see more going on in that area. Sadly, I'm not getting my copy until the next few weeks.... I'm in control.... I hope they kiss in front of everyone, you know... WHAT? I'm in control- gosh....
..............
Edited:
Ok, WOW? Is that the cover? And is that Jason and Percy... Fighting? And is that an owl who looks really pissed off? And isn't the owl the symbol for Athena? Is Athena angry?? And... are Percy and Jason FIGHTING?! Ok, first, Percy you can do it! Jason ain't nothing for you! Second, if you're fighting Jason, Percy, you better be fighting him for the right cause... are you fighting him for Annabet? *melts*
The first chapter has been released! And all I'm going to say is that I'm getting bad vibes from Athena. Oh, and come on! The first chapter ends in a cliff hanger. Nothing new there. Well, now I just gotta wait till October the 2nd..... Guess there's nothing we can do about that
*SPOILERS IF YOU CARE*
Oh gods oh gods, WHY ALL THE CRUELTY!!!!!????? Rick, please spare me, spare us all the agony of waiting a WHOLE $&@$&& YEAR! I just finished The Lost Hero and oh boy, what a cliff hanger! And all this talk about 'daughter of wisdom walks alone, the mark of Athena burns through Rome'. My insides are so heated up I might melt if I have to wait a whole year!
Then there's also Hera telling Percy his weakness is loyalty, and how he's going to have to make some painful sacrifices, and then she tells him the person closest to him will be causing him trouble (Annabeth??)
Three wishes for Mr. Rick
1. Don't make Percy have to kill Annabeth!!!!
2. Make Annabeth a lead character (please?)
3. ANNABETH AND PERCY BETTER NOT BREAK UP!!!! (most unlikely but still...)
*sigh* what am I going to do??!!!!! I. JUST. CANT. WAIT!!!!!!!!
I really truly hate you Rick! How can you watch us in our weakest moments? Planning the cure that will take a year! I don't think I'll make it! -
Full review posted:
Pain, my true and loyal friend, welcome back.
First off, Uncle Rick are you okay? Who hurt you that made you channel your feelings into the ending of this book??
This isn’t gonna be much of a review rather than just a spoilery screaming session, but don’t worry my peeps im gonna break out the spoiler tags, you’re safe.
Now, let me tell you kids, THE AMOUNT OF PERCABETH IN THIS BOOK WILL GIVE YOU LIFE. You know when your ship becomes canon and you basically just want the entire book to be consumed by that ship but author aka **rick riordan** clearly doesn’t care and so he creates a ~*~plot~*~ or something totally unnecessary
And then smashes your heart into little pieces with that unnecessary plot :( (kidding, I loved the plot so much and how mythology is so thoroughly incorporated, its like a fun English class)
ANYWAYS enough about my grief, let’s talk characters. We got the whole squad here:
PERCABETH
These two are the reason I stay up past bed time scrolling through fan art and reading fanfiction (I NEVER READ FANFICTION!!) and im NOT EVEN KIDDING
I cannot put my love for these two into words
Honestly, give me a book with percabeth being cute and not plot and I’ll give it 5 stars no questions asked
Piper & Jason
(s)
They aren’t my MOST fav ship, but I love how real they are, v relatable, they don’t have the ‘our love saves everything’ trope
They’re still trying to figure each other out and I really liked seeing how their relationship develops
Hazel & Frank
(s)
IF Y’ALL DIDN’T KNOW, FRANK IS MY SON
I love him so much oh my god he’s so precious and the best Canadian human child ever
Hazel is a sweet kid but again, shes not my most FAVOURITE character
She has her ups but I think as a character, I need to see more development before I can put my heart with her
LEO
(s)
LEO IS SUCH A BABY oh my god I love his character so much, he’s spirited and sassy and hes just got a great aura
I crave his chapters theyre absolutely hilarious
#TEAMLEO
COACH HEDGE
No one in the world gives coach hedge the appreciation he deserves
Oh my goodness if I could have a book JUST on coach hedge I would be v v happy
THIS GUY IS SO FUNNY and he cares about the kids so much even if he covers it with that permanent scowl
More percabeth to soothe your soul
(s)
And now. . .
let me die now thanks
“We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again.”
4.5 stars!!!
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Buddy read with
Prag who is a new reader !! and im so excited to see what she thinks of this series!! <3 -
Uncle Rick! Now you are going to torture me with cruel cliffhangers? Really? I didn't think you would do that after seven books!
Anyway, carry on! I still love you!
This book was AMAZING! The adventure was the most deadly one yet. And we got to see all the prophesied seven demi-gods on screen. I LOVED THAT!
OVERVIEW
Annabeth, Jason, Piper and Leo reach Camp Jupiter with their warship, Argo II, to tell the roman demi-gods that they have to forget their animosity and team up with them to defeat Gaea. But things don’t go as expected. Leo, in the influence of Gaea, fires at them. Now the romans think it is the trick that greeks want to destroy Camp-Jupiter. All the seven demi-gods, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank and Leo escape with Argo II and go to the ancient land of Rome to stop gaints from awakening Gaea.
But that's not enough. Nico is also missing. They have to find him too.
That's not enough again! Annabeth, on her mother's orders, have to follow the Mark of Athena which will lead to a thing which can help them to defeat giants.When he and Annabeth started dating, his mother had drummed it into his head: It’s good manners to walk your date to the door. If that was true, it had to be good manners to walk her to the start of her epic solo death quest.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
***Spoilers Ahead***
=> Cover was very confusing at first. I thought why Jason and Percy seem to fight to death. But it turned out to be a trick of Gaea.
=> In Son of Naptune, I thought Hazel could be able to kill Alcyoneus because Arion, horse and a god, had hit him before. But Uncle Rick explained it much better here. Great!
=> I liked Annabeth's quest. Previous two books don't have much of her role. But this book is solely for her.
Percy and Annabeth are sooo amazing together. Sometimes Percy gets selfish about Annabeth and forgets about the quest. These are very hard times for him for it's his fatal flaw. He is too loyal to his friends that he doesn't care about the world as long as his friends are alright. I liked how he overcomes his feelings and understands that the quest is more important.
=> Percy and Jason FOUGHT! They were possessed by spirits of Gaea. What an amazing scene that was. Water and Electricity! Wow! Both are my favourite!
=> Narcissus. He was soo obsessed with his beautiful face that he broke so many hearts. He didn't care about anybody. So Nemesis made him fall in love with his own reflection. Wow! I enjoyed his scenes. Especially the way Leo stole his mirror was funny.
At a point Narcissus couldn't find words to speak, to threaten Leo for stealing his mirror. This really shows he rarely speaks because he always stares at his own reflection. A point well made, Uncle Rick!
Also in a scene he says 'WE all love ME'! Hahahaha...
=> We get to know a child of Medusa. An amazing thing! I don't remember his name but his father is Poseidon. Hehehe... Percy doesn't have normal siblings! He is a pirate and tries to kidnap Percy and Annabeth. But he has to run away after Percy defeats him. But he doesn't show his face. Always putting the mask. I am curious why? His mother could turn living things into stone by looking in their eyes. I wonder what he can do.
=> Doors of Death. I was thinking that there are many doors. But it turns to be just two. One in the Greece and another in the most expected place but I couldn't see that, Tartarus. Wow!
Now Percy and Annabeth have fallen into Tartarus. Whoa!! The worst thing that could have happened to them! I didn't believe that!!
Overall, an amazing book. The best so far. But I think THE BEST in series would be the next one. Can't wait to start it.
September 30, 2017 -
Complete 5 Golden Stars!
"Seven half-bloods answered the call...
it's only the beginning...
(technically, it's the 3rd book, but you know what I mean!
p.s. if only you read the first two books of this series!)
okay, so... more like:
"Seven Half-bloods gathered together
sailing to the ancient lands
finding more troubles on their way
while left some behind at others' hands"
100%
Spectacular!
Action-packed!
Excellent!
Astonishing!
& Amusing!
5 Awe-inspiring stars!
di immortales!
what an Incredible book!
that's all I expect from a book!
well-deserved Mark of Athena... well-deserved!
"Being a hero doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It just means that you’re brave enough to stand up and do what’s needed."
why I love heroes, in one quote.
my Favourite book in the series! closely followed by the House of Hades! I actually can't decide which one I love more!
*might have spoilers about the first two books of the Heroes of Olympus*
Epic!
finally United!
finally the main quest begins!
I've been waiting for this for so long!
pages turn & something happens every time!
on the verge of a war at one side
surrounded by Gaea's minions on the other!
fighting inside & out!
& I love the different teaming ups for mini-quests, like Percy, Jason & Piper, or Leo, Frank & Hazel or the special girls' quest. it's just fabulous & keeping up the variety & excitements! & in its way, gently building friendships & trust. (especially I'm all for Percy & Jason bromance!)
Thrilling!
goosebumps!
intriguing!
Mysterious!
beautiful!
& as always, strange funny business happened, just in the middle of the thrills & the (minor) quests & just like always, make sense (realistic jokes & comedy events are part of real life, even if you're on a quest! just like character's sass, comebacks or stupidity)
{the golden boy & his crew (Percy, you smartass!), the twin giants & their constant fights or blunders! many more examples all over the book}
& they never gets old! (I always laugh so hard at those moments) pure comedy magic of Riordan. bless him!
Annabeth! you, go girl!
finally! after 7 books I've got what I wished for!
hint: the book started with it!
& of course, Percabeth! OTP! *fangirling dance all over the review*
beautiful, emotional
✦ “... and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet & wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared.”
✦ “We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again.”
they are all awesome; Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Leo, Frank & Hazel. strong lovable characters.
Rick Riordan ship stories (as a huge boat, not relationships! though in relationships also he made the best ships!) are the only ship stories I actually really enjoyed; anything Riordan writes is awesome!
& beautiful cover appreciation!
still 'can't put this down'
I think I am the only weird reader expecting that some events had been changed in my re-reads.
like:
'HOE! DON'T DO THAT!'
'DON'T GO THERE ALONE!'
'GET AWAY FROM THERE!'
& that end...
me:
me to me:
okay...
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2020, 4th read: Buddy Reading with dear
Caitlin: I totally LOVE this book! probably most favourite in the series! every page/chapter has something to reveal!
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World building: ★★★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★★/5
Written style: ★★★★★/5
plot & events: ★★★★★/5
General idea: ★★★★★/5 -
The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, #3), Rick Riordan
The Mark of Athena is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology.
It was published on October 2, 2012, and is the third book in The Heroes of Olympus series, a spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. It is preceded by The Son of Neptune and followed by The House of Hades.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سیزدهم ماه سپتامبر سال 2014 میلادی
عنوان: نشان آتنا - کتاب سوم از مجموعه قهرمانان کوه المپ؛ نوشته ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم فرزام حبیبی اصفهانی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، بهنام، 1393، در 614ص، شابک 9786007132029؛ موضوع: اساطیر یونان و روم برای کودکان از نویسندگان امریکایی سده 21م
آنابث ترسیده است.؛ آنابت و پرسی دوباره پس از شش ماه، به لطف «هرا»، در کنار هم قرار میگیرند، به نظر میرسد که کمپ «ژوپیتر» خود را برای جنگ آماده میکند.؛ در حالیکه آنابث و دوستانش، با «آرگو دو» پرواز میکنند، نمیتواند رومیها را برای اینکه با دیدن آرگو فکر کنند که آن یک اسلحه ی یونانی است خصوصاً با حضور اژدهای محبوب لئو، ملامت کند.؛ اما او امیدوار است حضور جیسون رهبر رومیها به آنها اطمینان دهد که یونانی ها برای صلح آمدند.؛ و این تنها یکی از نگرانیهای آنابث است.؛ او با خود، هدیه ای از سوی مادرش را حمل میکند، که با پیام نگران کننده ای به دستش رسیده بود « نشان آتنا را دنبال کن، انتقام مرا بگیر.»؛ آنابث همینطوری زیر بار فشار پیشگویی، که هفت نیمه خدا، دروازه های مرگ را میبیند، که در حال له شدن ست.؛ آتنا چه چیز دیگری از او میخواهد؟ با این وجود، بزرگترین ترس آنابث تغییر پرسی است.؛ نکند او به راههای رومی عادت کرده؟ آیا هنوز به دوستان قدیمی اش نیاز دارد؟ به عنوان دختر جنگ و عقل، او میداند که همیشه باید یک رهبر باشد، ...؛ کابوسهای وحشتناک و پیشگوییهای مبهم برای هفت نیمه ایزد نوجوان معنایی جز رویارویی با خطر ندارد.؛ «گائه آ» مادر زمین، در حال بیدار شدن است که اگر چشمانش را بگشاید، از دنیا چیزی باقی نمیماند.؛ با تمام کینه ای که بین دو اردوگاه رومیها و یونانیها وجود دارد؛ به پرسی، جیسون، آنابت، هزل، لئو، فرانک و پایپر اعتماد میکنند تا ناجی دنیا باشند.؛ در این میان آنابت مأموریت دیگری هم دارد.؛ اینکه مجسمه باستانی آتنا را هم بیابد.؛ در طول راه با نمسیس در یوتا روبرو میشوند؛ باکاس را در کانزاس ملاقات میکنند، فورسیس را در آتلانتا و آفرودیت را در چارستون میبینند.؛ ملاقاتهایی که همگی سرشار است از وحشت، دلهره و البته لحظاتی پرهیجان و گاهی هم خوش. با اینکه نیمه ایزدان از تمام اسلحه ها و مهارتهایشان استفاده میکنند و از جان و دل مایه میگذارند، اما...؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 29/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
Alright, so I'm upset. I think that's understandable.
That ending was traumatic. I feel for the fans who read this book when it actually came out because they were left on a terrible cliffhanger. I know what the people who told me to watch out for the ending mean now. I'd like this review to stay spoiler-free, so I'm not going to exactly go into the reasons why I'm a bit traumatized, but those of you who have read this book, you know. And yes, I did cry.
This book is the third installment in the "Heroes of Olympus" series. Now that I have read up to the third book in the series, I can formulate an opinion on the series as a whole. This opinion hurts me to say, but I'll say it anyway: Percy Jackson and the Olympians is far better than Heroes of Olympus. There, I said it. I really didn't want to feel this way, because I wanted this to be one of my a-list favorites, but it's true. The reasons as to why this book belongs in my honorable mentions and gets four stars are the same as to why the series belongs in my honorable mentions.
1) As I have mentioned in previous books, the pacing of these books is dreadful. I think this is mostly due to the fact that it is written in this awkward third person narrative. If each character had a first person perspective, the pacing would be much more evened out, and the book would just be more entertaining. The third person narrative just made everything more infodumpy or dragged out. Sometimes it was cheesy in a funny way, but it really bothered me how slowly it moved by.
2) Confusing. That's all I have to say. Sometimes information gets clogged up in my brain and I can only recall like 70% of what's actually going on. Honestly, I probably couldn't tell you the gist of a lot of the plots as of now. I still like it though.
3) Would these kids just stop and have fun for a second? I need more of Percabeth, more of Pipabeth, more of Leo and Annabeth, Leo and Percy, Jason and Annabeth, Piper and Hazel and Annabeth, and etc. I need more.
Now that we've rehashed what I didn't like, let's talk about what I did like!
First of all:
1) Percabeth- Percabeth IS my OTP. Percy Jackson sets the mark for my boyfriend in real life (which is a terrible standard for whoever wants to date me). Their relationship is just so wholesome and awesome and I love both characters so much. Also, I love their development.
2) Annabeth and Percy (as characters)-
a. Annabeth is so amazing. I see myself in her so much and I love her logical thinking and how she strategizes. I also love how tough she is. A literal queen, she is my hall pass. This is so cheesy but I find her so relatable, including her fatal flaw and her attitude.
b. Percy Jackson is one of my book boyfriends. I love him so much, especially his desire to protect his friends and Annabeth, and the humor you could feel radiating from his narrative. I really feel for him and his trauma as well.
3) reunion scene- that reunion scene was immaculate. The judo flip (while seemingly a bit abusive) was very in character and I just...I melted reading that.
4) Leo Valdez- Leo Valdez is such a great character. He is so charismatic and I feel so bad for him. The whole seventh wheel thing made me feel so bad for him. Also, even though I know he's annoying, I think Hazel and Frank were a little too mean to him.
5) Narcissus and Echo- The subplot of Narcissus and Echo was very entertaining. The fact that it is one of my favorite myths just added onto how charismatic Leo was in that scene, how smart Hazel was, and how lovable Echo was. I wish Echo and Leo had ended up together.
6) Hazel and Frank- Although Hazel and Frank did seem a little harsh, I did love their relationship and their characters. The age gap is a tad questionable, but I am willing to overlook it because of Hazel technically being super old and half-dead.
7) Argo II dynamic- I love the found family dynamic of the Argo II and how they had to quickly come together even if the situation was necessarily ideal. I just WISH we could delve into more of their friendships!
8) Ending- The ending was heartbreaking but absolutely necessary. It just needed to happen because it proved so much for the Percabeth relationship and it helped the plot move forward so much.
One thing I wish that could have been better incorporated was Reyna and Annabeth as friends. I feel like if they just put their differences aside, they could have an amazing friendship.
In conclusion, I will be reading House of Hades fairly soon and I hope the pacing improved in that one because I really want to give at least one of these books a five star rating. -
This is the worst way to end a book.
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Heartbreakingly beautiful; this one is action packed, with never a dull moment. It keeps the reader engaged. You'll just want to read more and more. I would say this one is my favourite in the HOO series. The drama in this one is elite; that CLIFFHANGER though😭😭Hurts. Every. Single. Time.
Percabeth stays superior. The way they reunited only to...nvm, though I've read it multiple times it still makes me shed a few tears.
Jason was unconscious most of the time (nothing new), but I did start to like his character a bit more from this book onwards.
Piper's character had some development so that I'm glad for. Leo, Hazel and Frank making an awesome trio with drama of their own, the way they learn how to work as a team was so good. Percy and Jason's minor power conflicts are written in a balanced manner and I'm so glad for it, I would've seriously hated it if the two didn't get along.
But the real MVP of the book is of course Annabeth. She's always been a total badass. My girl doesn't have any powers but is a total warrior. You go girl🙌🏽
"Percy is the most powerful demigod I've ever met. No offence to you guys, but it's true. If anybody can survive, he will, especially if he's got Annabeth at his side." Abso-freaking-lutely! -
Dear Uncle Rick,
“We're staying together," he promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again.”
I hate you.
Love,
Areeba. -
Holy forking shirt. How does this keep getting better???
Uncle Rick is my new hero! -
these YouTube edits would absolutely happen if HoO were a TV show:
- jason grace being knocked unconscious for one minute
- percy and jason being NoT GaY for seven minutes
- annabeth chase being superior in HoO
- piper mclean slaying everything for five minutes
- hazel and frank being adorable for the whole show
- leo valdez being nuts for ten minutes straight
- percy jackson being the sassy legend he is for 12903842398590324 hours
- reyna avila ramirez-arellano being a fucking queen
- octavian being a dipshit for five seasons
- nico di angelo being traumatized for 20 minutes
- the Argo II being chaotic
- HoO out of context
- every time coach hedge yelled "DIE"
- annabeth confusing everyone else for 5 minutes-
percy's most savage comebacks
- frank zhang being badass for 10 minutes
- hazel levesque being disoriented in the 21st century
- jason and percy competing with each other for 7 minutes
- nico di angelo literally just being himself
- annabeth and piper being a chaotic duo
- the most awkward third-wheeling moments of HoO
- reasons percy is actually incredibly smart
- iconic leo moments
- HoO but it's just the minor characters doing stuff -
Those were my two reactions when my sister told me the book was about to come out. I can't wait for this book!!!!! (you probably already figured that out by the pictures. he he.) The cover on the book seems so... dramatic. It looks like Percy and Jason are about to fight. Guess I'll just have to wait. Wow, the more I think about it, it is really hard to wait. (sigh)
After awhile
One day guys only one day!!!
After finishing the book
woohoo! I finally finished the book! :)
Oh wait...the next book comes out next YEAR. Ugh :(
Anyway... (back to the Mark of Athena) one of my favorite lines was when Percy said to Annabeth, "We're staying together," Percy promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again." Only then did she understand what would happen. A one-way trip. A very hard fall.
"As long as we're together," she said
Those lines almost made me cry. (Ok, I kind've did cry...)
I also loved these lines, "What are you talking about?" Narcissus demanded. "I am amazing. Everyone knows this."
"Amazing at pure suck," Leo said. "If I was as suck as you, I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that."
Those lines made me chuckle. I mean who says that?
-
WHY, RICK RIORDAN?! Why would you do that to us?! I just waited a year for Son of Neptune and now you are making me wait AGAIN for Mark of Athena! All I can say now is: WHAT THE HECK?!
COME FASTER, 2012!
edit 10/23/11:
What the... well, only good thing is that it's September this time, instead of October. Oh well. See ya in a year! -
FINALLY FINISHED October 5th:
*Dramatic sobbing from girl writing this review* WHY RICK?!!! WHY?!!! Why must you torture me with these gosh darn cliffhangers and these year long waits?!?!?! Do you just enjoy seeing your faithful readers suffer? Do you revel in our pain and anguish from chapters such as THAT PENULTIMATE CHAPTER!!! YOU KNOW THE ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! How could you do this to us?!?!? And to the characters?!?!? Those two in the penultimate chapter, yeah them. That was a fate worse than Harry Potter's! (And I'm referring to the fact he had to marry Ginny)
*cough* Alright. I think I'm finished with the shouting. At least till the end of this review. This book truly was fantastic. I don't have a single solitary complaint about it besides the tear-jerking penultimate chapter.
The Mark of Athena picks right were the Son of Neptune left off, though everyone who read the first chapter sneak peek knows that already. BTW, that sneak peek wasn't the whole chapter. WE WERE CHEATED!
Fans of Percabeth will be 100% satisfied with this book. Plenty of perfect Percabeth moments are scattered throughout pleasing us rabid fans, yet they don't overwhelm the book, annoying those of you who don't like as much romance. There are also Piper/Jason moments, but I personally want them to get into an argument. I want some conflict in that relationship. Percabeth has enough, and is only going to get more in the next book *writer of review glares at smiling Rick on the inside jacked of The Mark of Athena.* However, I'm hopeful the next book will give me the conflict in Jason/Piper's perfect relationship since sons of Jupiter get a lot of heat throughout history and in this book.
I suppose that I do have one big complaint I have is that the book was really slow at the beginning. Oh sure, there was plenty to read and tons of action. But we didn't get to the main portion of the quest until about 350 pages in. There was a lot of build-up to the quest. Every part was important and fun to read, some more so than others, but never the less, it was just build up. All the really awesome stuff (or torturous stuff, depending on your point of view) didn't happen till they reached Rome.
So, I really don't have anything else to say, besides the statement that I AM SICK OF WAITING!!!!! And guess what, fans of this series, we have TWO MORE YEARS OF WAITING!!!! One for The House of Hades, and one for the fifth book. Yep. So my advice to those of you who haven't read the book yet, wait to read this one as long as you possibly can. You think waiting for the Percabeth reunion was bad. Just you wait until you read this one. This next year is going to be like listening to opera music in Tartarus.
One last thing, before I leave you:
TEAM LEO!!!!!!!!!!! (Though I'm still a supporter of Frazel.)
Edit September 25:
I'm starting to become a little paranoid. What if Annabeth isn't the seventh halfblood? I really don't believe she and Rome are going to get along. "The Mark of Athena burns through Rome." Shudders...
These next seven days until the release are going to be torture. And not just because I have a bunch of insane college work I'm going to do just so I won't have any to do on the day this book comes out. Cause you better believe I will not put that book down until I read all 608 pages on Tuesday. *Scowls at calender*
Rick. I'm talking to you. If you break up Percy and Annabeth, or even hint that you might...
I will end you.
Edit June 4th:
I KNEW IT!!!!!! Annabeth rules!!!
Look at that pretty cover. Me want now!!!!!
I wonder who the four demigods who get to tell the story are going to be. Annabeth, for sure. My guess is Percy, Jason, and maybe Leo, just because he'll be navigating the ship. Plus he's going to be the comic relief of the series.
OCT 4th, 2011: "The Mark of Athena"
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YAY
Kay, so that's the title of the third book. I'm so about to go into diva-book-worm mood about my speculations to it and I'll talk spoilers to "The Son of Neptune", so do not read this if you have not read it. You have been warned.
You gone yet?
Oh my Olympians, I can not wait for this book! It looks like Annabeth will be the seventh half-blood. I wasn't sure it was going to be her at first, since I thought Hazel would be a daughter of Minerva, but since she is luckily a daughter of Pluto, Annabeth has to be the seventh. Plus it really wouldn't be right to introduce a totally new major character in the third book.
It also means that Annabeth has some kind of superpower! I wonder what that could be? Whatever it was, I think that kid had it that Deadulas killed. Athena said she had blessed him.
Percy and Annabeth better not break up. From what was said, I think they are going to get into a lot of arguements. "Wisdom's daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns though Rome." Uh-oh...
On to other people...
Frank/Hazel/Leo. I'm so sick of love triangles. I won't put what I hope doesn't happen that I'm thinking, so I won't make some of you sad. I just don't want Hazel/Leo. Frazel is cute. Leo deserves someone else... *cough ME cough*
Oh, and will get to see Jason and Piper again. Yippie :/
Maybe now though Piper won't be *as* obsessed with Jason. She's not so bad otherwise.
Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. That is, until the cover hopefully including Annabeth comes out!
I LUV LEO!!!!!!!! -
there are only two things, the first: the beginning was kinda slow, and the second: what the hell type of ending was that? That was such a huge cliffhanger, why Rick? Why?
-
No me gustó. No. Me. Gustó.
A ver, desde que leí Percy Jackson y el ladrón del rayo NUNCA pero NUNCA sentí como si fuese “demasiado grande” para leerlo, hasta the mark of athena. Pero es que es muy INFANTIL amigo, qué mierda hacían!!!
Ya desde hace, cuántos van? 7 libros leyendo percy jackson me di cuenta que el Rick Riordan cae SIEMPRE en lo mismo, si se fijan bien *todos* los libros de percy jackson siguen la misma estructura, lo cual se hace sumamente repetitivo, por lo menos para mí, y peor aún, predecible.
Pero es que acá el tema es que sí, seguía la misma estructura monótona, pero la parte donde se suponía que había acción.... donde quedó? porque “la acción” en cuestión comparada a otros libros me pareció PURO RELLENO. Y ya se que Rick tiene tendencia a hacer sus libros más largos de lo que idealmente podrían ser, pero este? ugh ETERNO.
Y ya sé que A MI no me gusta el recurso de 17390202 puntos de vista, a veces los maneja tan bien que pueden llegar a no molestarme, pero en este libro jugaron 100% en contra. Posta, insufrible. Sé que el libro podría ser mucho mejor narrado desde el punto de vista de ANNABETH EJEM LA QUE DEBERÍA HABER SIDO CENTRO EN ESTE LIBRO Y TODO EL PROBLEMA SE RESUMIÓ EN QUE? 4 CAPÍTULOS
dios mío me enojo.
Y obviamente, que me hayan spoileado el final, no ayudó un carajo, pero bueno tampoco me pareció de otro mundo. Generalmente los finales de Rick me hacen agarrar el siguiente libro al toque, y con este no pasó 🤡
Consideré en algunos momentos darle 3 estrellas solamente por Percabeth, pero hasta eso estuvo bastante flojo en the mark of athena.
Y ni hablar de Piper y Jason. Y eso que Piper me caía bien, Jason NO, pero estaba todo el tiempo obsesionada con su relación con ese rubio insulso en vez de concentrarse en no sé, ser la heroína que es.
Lástima también ese triangulito amoroso medio extraño que... 😕😕😕😕
pero bueno, le tenía muchas expectativas a este libro porque sabía que era el favorito de muchos y francamente, como verán, no cumplió ni una. -
Pre-Reading: When I started Heroes of Olympus, this book hasn't been published yet. So, I think it's time for me to dive back into this world. Stoked!
Post-Reading Edit: (3Jun2016)
4 stars! ✨
As per usual with Mr. Riordan, this book was freaking hilarious. Percy and Leo's antics made me clutch my sides and had me dying of laughter hundreds of times. One of my favourite Leo Moments was his encounter with Narcissus. But nothing beats his convo with Aphros. That one was pure gem.
“We have trained all the famous mer-heroes! Name a mer-hero, and we have trained him or her!”
“Oh, sure,” Leo said. “Like…um, the Little Mermaid?”
Moving on to Mr. Sneaky Jackson *giggles*, he had his fair share of humorous moments. And I absolutely loved the trick that he pulled on the golden boy/warrior/whatsover.
“Behold!” Percy shouted. “The god’s chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!”
Despite the humor and snarky comments, I noticed that this book can't seem to hold my attention for more than I have wanted it to. My attention span isn't that great to begin with but come on it's Rick Riordan! Sigh. Maybe I just wasn't into it like I was with his other books.
Or... it could be because of the lack of chemistry between the seven demigods. They seem too focused on their inner struggles and find it very hard to open up until the last minute possible. I hope their relationship improves in the next book.
Overall, this was an awesome and fun read. I can't wait to read the last two books of the series! -
10/11/12
Just finished it. Shall post my review when I'm more coherent. But goodness, grab your copies now!
10/3/12
People, I know it's out and it has a cover. If you must know, I AM DYING TO GET MY HANDS ON A COPY. Gimmmmeeee!
---
I just finished the The Son of Neptune and I am so excited for this I might just keel over and die right now.
But where's the fun in that right? I will miss the release of the cover and I will never get to see the day of the Percy Jackson casts reunion.
So I'm wondering why is there already a rating on this book when it's not out yet, let alone have a cover.
[image error] -
-_- Chapter fifty-one, second half. Be warned.
In The Mark of Athena, Percy, Hazel and Frank meet up with four others from Camp Half-Blood: Jason, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth. This book's main conflict is pretty simple: Go to Rome, stay alive. Their goal is to make it to Rome, find Hazel's brother Nico, and find the Doors of Death.
This book takes place all over, but the main setting is on Leo's warship: The ArgoII. They visit Kansas, Atlanta, and some more places. ;)
I loved, LOVED, that Annabeth's was one of the narrators. It fun to see form her point of view for the first time. Annabeth is such a kick-butt girl, it's fun to see her point of view on things. Percy, of course, narrated some chapters too. The two of them together again was hilarious! :D
The book was funny, had lots of action, problem solving, and Diet Pepsi(Don't ask). I was laughing my head off at some things Coach Hedge did: One of which he's on the boat yelling, 'Bring it on lake! YEAH!' I thought that was hilarious.
The ending. -_- Oh. My. Freaking. Gosh. The ENDING. Rick did his first real cliffhanger. I admit though, I enjoy when something happens to the main characters because otherwise it seems like you're favoring them too much. I'm glad Rick writes suck great books but.....PLEASE! Faster! Or at least a chapter sneak peek? Please?
Well, anyways, I recommend to Rick Riordan fans, people who love mythology, and action lovers. If you've read The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians series..You are bound to love this book. -
THAT ENDING. Best in the series so far, can't wait to read the next one!
