The Lost Hero

I can't even remember when or how I found out about this book. All I know is that I wanted to read it since I've found out about it. This is the first book of The Heroes of Olympus, the sequel series to the bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, so yeah, the two are heavily connected.

Synopsis:

What better way to give the synopsis than having Riordan tell it himself.

Here's the sneak peek. So Jason wakes up in a bus on the way to a school field trip with Piper, claiming to be his girlfriend, and Leo, who was supposed to be his best friend. (I wonder if Riordan ever watched Charmed. It's Piper and Leo, come on!) Anyway, just like in the first series, an undercover satyr, Coach Hedge, was scouting for possible demigods, and he found these three. They had their first encounter with the Greek mythology world when they were attacked by a monster at the Grand Canyon Skywalk, and they eventually ended up in Camp Half Blood in New York.

As expected, the three were granted a quest. Along this quest, Jason gradually picks up pieces of his memory and his purpose; Piper deals inner conflicts brought about by her bad dreams; and Leo struggles with his past. And of course, they meet and beat up (most of the time) monsters, mortals, demigods, and gods from Greek (and Roman) mythology.

Official artwork and book cover for The Lost Hero

Review:

The Lost Hero is the longest of Riordan's books so far. It's twice as long as the Sea of Monsters, and they traveled to more places than The Battle of the Labyrinth. They rode that metal dragon above from Quebec, Canada, to closed down car shops in Detroit, to an underground department store in Chicago, even to a gold mansion in Omaha. They also went to Pikes Peak in Colorado, Mount Diablo in California, and Sonoma Valley.

The book is packed with action and adventure. Of course, the three heroes have special powers related to their Olympian parent. However, Piper and Leo each have a rare power that even their siblings don't have. Each of them have a special unique weapon, just like Percy's Riptide and Annabeth's cap. Jason has a coin that turns into a sword or a spear, Piper has a mirror-like dagger that shows more than the looker's reflection, and Leo has a tool belt that gives him anything he asks for.

Jason, Piper, and Leo with their weapons

Early on, we see that there are a lot of Roman mythology references, despite the Greek theme of the first series. This means that the Big Three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades were also referred as Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. And it's obvious that this will be a major part of the series, along with the great prophecy given in The Last Olympian.

I really love how this book turned out. The writing, I think, is better than the first series, as it shifts between Jason, Piper, and Leo's points of view; and it's in third person so it won't be confusing. I think the writing style grows up with its readers, which also means that the hilariously named chapters are now gone. How sad. Hehe.

Just as any decent sequel, this one improves upon what Percy Jackson has started. Anyone who loved Percy will greatly enjoy this new series. I know I did.