Book Review - The House of Hades

It's Thursday, everyone! Yay! That means tomorrow is Friday and there are just two more days to slug through until the weekend. I can hear your cheers! Keep it up! Today, I bring you another book review. This one I read in a little more than one day. It's a YA book so it was easy to read. Plus, Riordan writes in a way that keeps your eyeballs glued to the pages. Of course, it may be my overwhelming love of Greek and Roman gods that keeps me engaged. Grab your coffee and comfortable couch and let's get going!

About the book I'll be ripping apart today:

Title: The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus Book 4)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: YA Greek and Roman (Mythology)
Length: 608 Printed pages
Buy Links: Hardcover $11.32 Kindle $9.99

Synopsis:
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.

 On to the juicy stuff!

I took my daughter to Barnes and Noble to get her some books for her birthday and saw The House of Hades on the table near the children's section. Of course, I grabbed it because I've been waiting for it to come out for a year. That cliffhanger at the end of Mark of Athena made me crazy and I was salivating to find out what Tartarus was like. Riordan really hit the nail on the head with that lead-in. Without blabbering anymore, here's my review!

From a reader's perspective:
I love Percy and Annabeth, Hazel and Frank, and Jason and Piper; but, my favorite character by far is Leo. For some reason, he and I click. I was so happy when he got shot off the Argo and into oblivion in this book because what happened to him is something he's deserved for a long time. Making me care about a character is something I look for in any book I read. Riordan does a great job of helping me connect with these kids. I've read about them all for so long, they feel like friends. Pacing in this book was excellent and the tension was so high, I turned the page without even thinking about it. I blew through it in just over 24 hours. Gaea, one of my favorite goddesses, is becoming one of my least favorite. She has such an evil side! At times, I want to slap her earthy face. I loved the re-introduction of Bob. He provided much needed comic relief in times of extreme stress. World building was off the charts amazing and I felt like I was right there with the teens as they fought.

From an editor's perspective:
I found a number of dropped words in this book. This is something I'd expect to find more in non-traditionally published books. It threw me out of the story more than once. Other than that, the writing was spot on.

My rating:
1 Star for awesome world building
1 Star for making me laugh out loud
1 Star for giving me characters I could care about
1 Star for keeping me engaged and great pacing
.5 Star for writing
- .5 Star for so many dropped words.
Overall, 4.5 out of 5 stars. Of course, I round up when clicking the stars on the review so this one will get a 5. Recommended to anyone who loves Mythology and is looking for a fantastic series.

I hope you all enjoyed reading that review.

While you're here, check out the guest post from Monday by Allyson Gottlieb and learn why having a playlist for your books is a great idea. She's a clever one!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo