Review: The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) by Rick Riordan

SUMMARY FROM GOODREADS:

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

MY TAKE:
While this isn't my favorite The Heroes of Olympus book, this book certainly had a lot of good things going for it.

In The House of Hades, Percy and Annabeth must find their way to the Doors of Death in order to get back to the mortal world. To get there they must battle all sorts of monsters and pass through treacherous terrain. Meanwhile, their friends on the Argo II are doing what they can to reach the other side of the Doors to help Percy and Annabeth.

As with the other books in the series and this universe, the gods all have distinct, if slightly cuckoo, personalities, so they're fun to read about and surprisingly easy to imagine. The characterizations also aren't always what you'd expect, as here, Cupid is a kind of a jerk. Basically, he's the darker, more emo side of love.

Annabeth is still my favorite demigod, although Leo is pretty hilarious, so I enjoy reading about him as well.

Prior to this book, I wasn't really a fan of Frank or Hazel. I mean, they were okay, but I hadn't really warmed up to them. However, in this book, they both step up to the plate and prove their worth. Now it's easier to see them as equals to the rest of the crew, rather than just sidekicks that can be easily discarded.

I'm reading The Blood of Olympus now, and thanks to the growth of the characters, it's so much easier for me to appreciate them now and just enjoy the story.

THE GOOD:

1. There's plenty of action.
2. The previously weaker characters are given the chance to prove that they belong on this quest.
3. There are some really funny lines here. 

THE BAD:

1. There wasn't as much focus on Annabeth and Percy as I would have liked.

READ IT IF:

1. You liked the first three books in the series.
2. You are a fan of mythology.
3. You like books that have a little bit of everything.

RATING:


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