"Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades"
By Rick Riordan.
I rate this book: 5/5
"Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades" is the fourth installment to the never-ending adventures of the Chosen Seven - Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Frank Zhang and Hazel Levesque. The quest to stop the forces of Gaea and to close the Doors of Death continues, but plans change all of a sudden; now Percy and Annabeth find themselves in the gruesome, unholy depths of Tartarus. The rest are still on Earth, but monsters still lurk around, waiting to strike.
The Seven, accompanied with Nico di Angelo and Coach Hedge, have changed tactics; they plan to close the Doors of Death once and for all - Percy and Annabeth shall search and close them from within Tartarus, and the rest shall make their way through the House of Hades and shall close them from outside - and save Percy and Annabeth. That's enough on their plate already; not to mention Gaea's forces around them, waiting to kill them in any given moment.
No pressure.
This was a story that suited perfectly with a heart-dropping cliff-hanger left in the previous one. Once again, Rick Riordan did not fail to deliver action, emotion, and satirical elements that keep the reader glued to the book. It kept me glued to the book almost all of the time. This book bridged any hesitations I had of certain characters and plots, and it made it all the more exciting. One event flowed after the next, one after the next, and before I knew it, it played like a movie in my mind - and a good one, at that.
Riordan is a magician when it comes to words, as he is able to describe beautiful places as well as sinister ones that make your skin crawl so effortlessly. The chapters including Tartarus and it's descriptions were the ones I yearned for the most - as weird as that sounds. Riordan successfully uses gruesome, awe-inspiring words and imagery that helps shape Tartarus into something worse than Hell for the reader - making it all the more interesting. I yearned for it not only for its characteristic descriptions, but also for it's symbolism; the way Percy and Annabeth made through it all with each other can be taken as a big picture.
To me, Tartarus is something symbolically used to describe the hardships, problems and mentally-festering demons one has in life - but described in a more elaborate way; how life and hardships may suck the life out of you, how a festering feeling of pain and sorrow can drain the hope of a better tomorrow out of you so swiftly, you feel like doing nothing except to stop living altogether.
For example, an instance had come when Percy was cursed to feel every kind of pain he had caused to monsters he'd killed. This can be thought of the guilt we humans sense naturally, and how it haunts one forever. In that sense, I think Riordan has exquisitely symbolized it all into a physical entity. (This could be me thinking over the clouds, but I'm here to give you my opinion.)
For example, an instance had come when Percy was cursed to feel every kind of pain he had caused to monsters he'd killed. This can be thought of the guilt we humans sense naturally, and how it haunts one forever. In that sense, I think Riordan has exquisitely symbolized it all into a physical entity. (This could be me thinking over the clouds, but I'm here to give you my opinion.)
That said, another, much more brighter symbolism can be seen; the fact that despite the pain, despite the guilt, and despite the hopelessness, Percy and Annabeth made it through it all alive. When you actually think of it, you might ask, "How?"
To me, the simple answer is this: love.
Love had kept them alive through the Hell both of them had seen. It kept their hearts beating, it kept their feet moving, and it kept them breathing with life, despite the suppression both had to go through. And not only that; they were also dedicated to reach out and see their friends once again, because they loved them too much to give up so soon.
This shows that love - in all it's shapes and sizes - shall always end darkness, no matter how evil or demanding it may be. If you look deep enough, these hidden messages are seen more than once in Riordan's words, and these very messages can help someone in need. This makes me want to applaud his work.
This shows that love - in all it's shapes and sizes - shall always end darkness, no matter how evil or demanding it may be. If you look deep enough, these hidden messages are seen more than once in Riordan's words, and these very messages can help someone in need. This makes me want to applaud his work.
This book welcomed tons of character development for many characters, that did the book justice. Percy and Annabeth continued to surprise me with every chapter. Percy proved to be a dedicated demigod, who'd fight tooth and nail to complete a mission - no matter what the circumstances may be. That said, he proved to have a softer side, that managed to feel bad for ever hurting his friends - a side I enjoyed a lot. Annabeth flaunted her Athena-like qualities, and proved to be a much stronger woman - she had leadership abilities that she used even in Tartarus, not letting even the slightest of feelings cloud her judgement. Tartarus tested Percy and Annabeth's love for each other to the extreme - and they passed it well enough.
Hazel's character bloomed as well; in the beginning, she had feelings of self-doubt that were evident, but as the story progressed, her character defined itself, until she became more sure of herself. On the other hand, Frank was able to over-come his clumsiness, and he started believing in himself - which ultimately made him lead an attack at one point. I was over the moon to have witnessed his true abilities.
If you recall my previous book review on "Mark of Athena", I had discussed how hard it was for me to understand Jason's and Piper's characters. This book, however, is the jackpot; their characters were written so well, that all their blurry edges were refined, to recreate Jason and Piper for me. Piper proved to be a strong woman who doesn't just have charm-speaking abilities; this book proved how she can fight back, and can lead as well. Along with Jason's natural leading skills, I found a tender side of him as well; how he is silently self-conscious of himself and his decisions, and this just shows his more humanly nature.
In this book, Leo proved to be a good decision-maker. I love the fact that he doesn't even hesitate once while deciding his next move - this kind of decision-making is one I admire. I felt Leo's emotional side as well - like touching the waters gently. Usually his romantic feelings are expressed rather bluntly, but this book shows how truly he loves - and he loves deeply; he had promised to return to Calypso ultimately - even swearing on the River Styx.
The dynamic that Nico's character brought was a breath of fresh air - I was glad to read more of his descriptions and analysis. He is such a different character; silent, introverted, one who opts for solitude, and someone with an aura of loneliness that makes you want to console him. But here's the thing - he doesn't want to be consoled. Ever since his sister's death, he has grown more volatile and withdrawn. His character shows how a person who has lost a loved-one feels. Being a child of Hades, he further can't "fit in" - another aspect of youth that is so understandable for most - even for me.
His confession (although forced) in front of Cupid and Jason was my favorite part in the whole book - that he has a crush on Percy. That angst-ridden moment was so beautiful; it was perfectly unique, and it made sense as well. Here, even Jason proved to be an understanding and non-judgmental friend.
I recall having tears in my eyes as I read Nico's reaction - how he had hated Percy, and even himself for feeling that way. It broke my heart; that chapter was the rawest of them all, and I enjoyed it the most. That said, it was after he confessed that Nico opened up to his friends a little more - it shows that recovery is possible, and that acceptance is the first step towards recovery.
So, for those struggling with unrequited feelings: it will be alright, because your friends and family will always be there, like Hazel and the others were, for Nico.
On an end-note, this book was just perfect; feelings, action, satire, angst... You name it, it is definitely here in this book. As much as I had regretted starting this series in the beginning, I take it all back; this is one of the best books I've read.
Did you like this review? Did you agree to any of my opinions, or do you think differently? If you do, I'd love to hear it!
You can contact me on my Tumblr blog here. You can follow me on Instagram too for more posts: @mjfanciesbooks. For more inquieries, you can email me: mahnoor.jamil@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading this! Until next time!
Hazel's character bloomed as well; in the beginning, she had feelings of self-doubt that were evident, but as the story progressed, her character defined itself, until she became more sure of herself. On the other hand, Frank was able to over-come his clumsiness, and he started believing in himself - which ultimately made him lead an attack at one point. I was over the moon to have witnessed his true abilities.
If you recall my previous book review on "Mark of Athena", I had discussed how hard it was for me to understand Jason's and Piper's characters. This book, however, is the jackpot; their characters were written so well, that all their blurry edges were refined, to recreate Jason and Piper for me. Piper proved to be a strong woman who doesn't just have charm-speaking abilities; this book proved how she can fight back, and can lead as well. Along with Jason's natural leading skills, I found a tender side of him as well; how he is silently self-conscious of himself and his decisions, and this just shows his more humanly nature.
In this book, Leo proved to be a good decision-maker. I love the fact that he doesn't even hesitate once while deciding his next move - this kind of decision-making is one I admire. I felt Leo's emotional side as well - like touching the waters gently. Usually his romantic feelings are expressed rather bluntly, but this book shows how truly he loves - and he loves deeply; he had promised to return to Calypso ultimately - even swearing on the River Styx.
The dynamic that Nico's character brought was a breath of fresh air - I was glad to read more of his descriptions and analysis. He is such a different character; silent, introverted, one who opts for solitude, and someone with an aura of loneliness that makes you want to console him. But here's the thing - he doesn't want to be consoled. Ever since his sister's death, he has grown more volatile and withdrawn. His character shows how a person who has lost a loved-one feels. Being a child of Hades, he further can't "fit in" - another aspect of youth that is so understandable for most - even for me.
His confession (although forced) in front of Cupid and Jason was my favorite part in the whole book - that he has a crush on Percy. That angst-ridden moment was so beautiful; it was perfectly unique, and it made sense as well. Here, even Jason proved to be an understanding and non-judgmental friend.
I recall having tears in my eyes as I read Nico's reaction - how he had hated Percy, and even himself for feeling that way. It broke my heart; that chapter was the rawest of them all, and I enjoyed it the most. That said, it was after he confessed that Nico opened up to his friends a little more - it shows that recovery is possible, and that acceptance is the first step towards recovery.
So, for those struggling with unrequited feelings: it will be alright, because your friends and family will always be there, like Hazel and the others were, for Nico.
On an end-note, this book was just perfect; feelings, action, satire, angst... You name it, it is definitely here in this book. As much as I had regretted starting this series in the beginning, I take it all back; this is one of the best books I've read.
Did you like this review? Did you agree to any of my opinions, or do you think differently? If you do, I'd love to hear it!
You can contact me on my Tumblr blog here. You can follow me on Instagram too for more posts: @mjfanciesbooks. For more inquieries, you can email me: mahnoor.jamil@gmail.com.
Thank you for reading this! Until next time!
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