In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying (Goodreads).
This penultimate installment of Riordan's Apollonian series continues the trajectory of its predecessors in that it is quite good. Admittedly, the second was lackluster, but for the most part, this series has been a bright spot in the ever expanding Percy Jackson universe. The humour in this one hits better than its immediate predecessor (the arrow of Dodona is a hit, as well as more meta-jokes), and Apollo's continued character development as he encounters many of his past mistakes also furthers the series' depth. Riordan still utilizes most of the same formula as has proven to be successful, but this one is original enough to stay intriguing. Overall, Riordan has obviously found a groove, and is playing it relatively safe by sticking to that, with hints of originality here and there. Most of the subsequent books after the original series have begun to blend together as a result. 7.8/10
