Monday, February 13, 2017

Review - The Mark of Athena

Original Title: The Mark of Athena
Series: The Heroes of Olympus, #3
Author: Rick Riordan
Published: October the 2nd, 2012

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Books
*THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*

I’m utterly speechless. This book is, no doubt, the best of the saga so far. It had everything; moments that were funny, sad, terrible and romantic, and of course, there’s that ending, the meanest cliffhanger ever. Thanks a lot, Riordan! I’m afraid this review won’t cover all the amazing details it has, because that would be impossible. I’ll do my best, but know that to understand its awesomeness, and how much I loved this book, you’ll need to read it.

I don’t know where to start to describe my favorite moments! The Mark of Athena is one more proof that, no matter how many new characters come, Percy and Annabeth are always going to be my favorites, but, nevertheless, is great to see the Seven finally together. Every one of them has their own voice, and powers, and it is great to get to know each of them individually, as the book switches their POVs all the time, and you can get to join them to each adventure. Definitely, I fell in love with Leo in this one. I already liked him, but here, it had some of his best moments. I can truly relate to him, I know what it is to be in a group where all the others are couples, so Leo, I feel you, buddy! Oh, my God, in the scene with Narcissus, he completely outdid himself! I cracked up during the whole scene, I couldn’t stop laughing out loud as he tried to distract the fan club, and give Hazel the chance to get the Celestial bronze, delivering some of the cleverest and funniest lines in the whole book! He may be the so called “seventh wheel”, but the whole group would be lost without him. In fact, each demigod has something utterly necessary for the quest to succeed, so Nemesis, shut your ‘dam’ mouth! 

The demigods’ powers are amazing, and I love to see them learning every day a bit more about how to use them, like Leo, when he used his wits to save his friends from the eidolons, and then from Gaia’s power, but also when they work together, combining their abilities, like Jason and Percy summoning the storm. And talking about powers, there’s something I want to mention. Annabeth, upon the quest she must face alone, resented her lack of special powers, unlike the other six people in the Argo II. But that doesn’t mean a thing. She proved that power is not what makes a hero, and that she’s incredibly powerful in her own way, because her wits and her knowledge are unique; they come from her heritage, and she’s gone where no child of Athena ever went and survived to tell the tale! Not having powers like Percy’s, for example, doesn’t mean she lacks of them completely. She’s smart and wise, and is everything a hero should be. She’s a daughter of Athena worthy of the title.

Every book seems to be a challenge to see if I can love Percy and Annabeth even more, and the worst part is that I keep growing fonder and fonder with each passing chapter. Their relationship it isn’t just a silly teen crush. It is love, and the ending proved what Aphrodite said in The Lost Hero: that the noblest, bravest acts are done for love. Their quiet night in the ship’s stables was utterly beautiful and priceless, as they decided to live in the moment, and for a few hours, not to worry about anything else than each other. I loved that scene, because, even for a little while, they stopped being the son of Poseidon and the daughter of Athena. They were, simply, Percy and Annabeth, the missing piece of each other, and the very reason worthy of literally, any sacrifice. Percy preferred to fall into Tartarus itself -a destiny far, far worse even than the Underworld- than being separated from Annabeth again, and I want to sob in pain…! I love them so much! Each loving instant is adorable:

Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn’t have cared.

Only one of the best moments they shared. *sigh*

Just like with the other books by Rick Riordan I’ve read so far, I find myself in the impossible task to do justice to all the amazing little details and characters that turn this book in a literary gem. Not a page is a waste, and it has everything that makes a story great, making you want to know more and more with each chapter. You seriously need to read this! The whole saga!

As for me, I’m grabbing The House of Hades faster than the speed of light, I’ll assure you that!



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