[Book Review] The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena is the third book in the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. The main characters in The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune are brought together in The Mark of Athena to fulfill (at last!) the Prophecy of Seven that foretold the doomsday of mankind if the seven half-bloods from the Roman and Greek Camps failed to make peace with their differences and work together for the greater good. It follows the journey of seven demigods from San Francisco to the ancient city of Rome in their quest to defeat the giants and their mother Gaea.

Narrated by Annabeth, Leo, Piper and Percy, the stakes are higher and sacrifices are bound to be made. This is the latest book on my favorite book series as of the moment!

I will keep this review short because if I dwell on my TMOA thoughts too long I might go crazy! See this post and this if you want to know my real-time feels for this book.

SPOILERS ALERT!

I will not go as much as recapping the events in the book because that will be spoiling too much. I will not dig deeper and dissect the book because I am no literary doctor. But I will talk about the four narrators in The Mark of Athena, how they faced each of their own challenges and what I feel about it. Here it goes:

 

Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena

Annabeth is handed the most difficult task in this quest but I have no doubt whatsoever that she can make it.  Pride maybe her fatal flaw but she made life-altering decisions before and when it comes to choosing the right path I know she has the wisdom to know where to go. The way she solely solved the mystery of the Mark of Athena is a whole new level of badassery!

Leo Valdez, Son of Hephaestus

Leo is the supreme awesome! There's no arguing on that matter. Their voyage to reach the ancient lands won't be possible without his ingenuity and this kid made me laugh until by stomach can't take it anymore. His wisecracks and timely jokes made their quest less of a burden. His winning moment will always be the way he showed his loyalty to his friends. Being the seventh wheel in the group may be a little too difficult for him but when it comes to saving his friends he would do anything within his powers. I bow down to you, Leo! 

Piper McLean, Daughter of Aphrodite

Piper is my least favorite character in TMOA maybe because I can't relate to her insecurities when it comes to her relationship with Jason. She loves him, she can't be sure of Jason's real feelings for her but she will sacrifice all for him. That is the extent of her struggle here. But in the end, her love for Jason and her willingness to do anything for love is what saved them. If that is not epic, I don't know what is.

Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon

Percy's fatal flaw is tested in TMOA along with Annabeth's. He has a big heart for his friends. It is already a fact that Percy is a powerful demigod in his own right but will he be able to let go of his sense of responsibility for his friends if the need arise? Now that he and Jason are in one team, will he be able to give the reign to the son of Jupiter? I like that part in TMOA especially the bromance between Percy and Jason it ensued. In the end, Percy made the decision to never let go of Annabeth ever again and, together, they took the hardest responsibility of all, to go to Tartarus and face the hard task waiting for them in the home court of the bad guys. It was the ultimate sacrifice two demigods can make.

Bacchus, Nemesis and Coach Hedge

The whole theme for The Mark of Athena is sacrifice. How much can you give and how selfless can you be to save humanity? In their own way, the seven demigods did their own sacrifice for the quest. Along the way they learned that seven demigods are better than one. Setting aside their differences and working together as a team are their best shot at defeating Gaea and her minions.

Before I end this, let me just say that there is no doubt that my favorite moments in TMOA are that of Percy and Annabeth. Percabeth reunion is win! I've followed their adventures together and watched them grow up in the series Percy Jackson and The Olympians that I ached for them to be together once again. Their reunion is so satisfying it made me cry. Seriously. The familiarity kept me glued to TMOA more than anything else. And the fact that their feelings towards each other grows deeper than before.. hmmm... that's something I am looking forward to unfold further in the next books. 

The House of Hades comes Fall 2013. Bring it on!

Wait, another year of waiting? Shoot me now!

Photo credits: all images are from Percy Jackson Official Facebook Page