Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Genre: YA Fantasy
Series: Hero's of Olympus #1
Publication: 10/12/2010 by Disney Hyperion
Pages: 557 Pages
Source: Overdrive
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
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Goodreads Summary
Jason has a problem.
He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper, and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret.
Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare about his being in trouble. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits during the school trip, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools.
When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about, and some camper who;s gone missing. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god. Does this have anything to do with Jason's amnesia, or the fact that Leo keeps seeing ghosts?


My Thoughts: 
Rick Riordan is always super fun to read but I have never been blown away by any of his books. Does this mean I am getting old? The Lost Hero is another series in the Percy Jackson universe and just like Percy Jackson it's packed full of adventure. That's what I like most about Riordan's books is that there is always something new going on. They're full on adventure books and I wish I had read these when I was younger. 

Since I am older now, I find these books to be very formulaic. They're is always a quest, followed by madness and adventure. But I always gravitate to these books when I need something fun and easy to read. I have never had a bad time with Riordan and he's always a safe bet for a fun book and an interesting story. I know I would have enjoyed this more when I was younger, and I highly recommend this to young teens everywhere. But if you're like me and not a young teenager this is still a fun book but it's not going to be ground breaking. 

Review: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Genre: Mythology, Fantasy, YA, Middle Grade
Publication: 10/06/2015 by Hyperion Books
Series: Magnus Chase and the God's of Asgard
Pages: 507 Pages
Format: eBook
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Summary:
Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

My Thoughts: 
If you are looking for action and adventure, Rick Riordan is your man. In his usual style, boy finds out he is the son of a god and madness ensues. I do enjoy Rick Riordan's books, I have read The Percy Jackson series. I haven't read any of his other series yet but I am planning on starting Hero's of Olympus soon.  However, I do find them to be intended for a younger audience than myself. I'm not old by any means but I do enjoy some adult content. But if you are looking for an awesome book for a young audience, Rick is your man.

Something I really enjoyed about Magnus Chase was that the characters were very diverse. There was Sam who is Muslim and wears a magical hijab; Then Hearthstone is a deaf elf, which is also really cool. Magnus himself is even homeless, so there is a lot of elements that you never see in other novels. I was really awesome to read from people with all kinds of different experiences.

However, what detracted from the book was that I found Magnus Chase to be very similar to Percy Jackson. They are different characters and they are put into different situations but if someone told me that Magnus was Percy, I would believe them. I am not sure if this is because Riordan's style of writing is very similar in both books but I think this is something that only I have noticed.

All-in-all, I had a good time reading The Sword of Summer and I will be continuing on with Magnus Chase. It's a fun action filled adventure and I really do enjoy Rick's take on all the different Gods. I do however want to read Hero's of Olympus before I continue on in Magnus' world. I think I'll need to know what happened with Annabeth in those books before I keep going.

Conclusions: If you love Rick Riordan, I definitely recommend Magnus Chase. It was not too shabby.