The Son of Neptune

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

I've been a fan of Percy Jackson since he first appeared in The Lightning Thief. Greek mythology was my favorite subject to cover while teaching reading to seventh graders--and it was undoubtedly their favorite subject to learn. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed when Percy's series ended, but Riordan brought him back in his new series, Heroes of Olympus. Like the first set of books, this deals with Greek gods and goddesses, but intertwines Roman gods into the plot. The first book in the series, The Lost Hero finds readers wondering where Percy has disappeared to, but introduces new, equally impressive characters.

However, these characters aren't in the second book (they'll be in future novels). Percy's back in Son of Neptune, although memory loss keeps him from knowing who he is, or rather, who his father is and why that's important. He makes his way into a Roman camp of demigods that's similar to Camp Half-Blood, although he's welcomed halfheartedly. Percy befriends Hazel and Frank, and the three are soon on a quest to Alaska to rescue Thanatos, Pluto's/Hades's right hand man, so the dead can stay dead. Imagine thwarting monsters to have them come back to life right in front of you. That's one of the challenges the demigods face in this book.

Kudos to Riordan for once again creating a book that hooks younger readers, particularly males. Pop culture references appear throughout the book (at one point, Thanatos whips out an iPad to check a list, and Frank prays there's not "an app for reaping souls"), making the novel relevant to readers. I love that Riordan's books open doors for children to research other topics or check out similar reads. This one is no different in that aspect; I'm sure many have compared the differences in Roman and Greek gods after starting the series. 

Lovely read. Good thing three more are coming in this set. And, hey, the final in his Egyptian gods series, Kane Chronicles, is due out in May.

Target age range: 10 and up