"Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle" by Rick Riordan

[Natália]

And Rick Riordan keeps surprising me. When I think he can't possibly write more about the Percy Jackson universe, he comes with this precious book. I mean, what's there not to like about a god-turned-mortal, especially if this god is Apollo, the most narcissistic and hilarious of them?

I love just how diverse Riordan's characters are and how he can tie up all his stories, from the first Percy Jackson series to even his latest one, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. I also enjoyed that, while we were used to seeing sons and daughters of major gods, like Zeus, Athena, Hades, Poseidon, Ares, Heaphestus, Aphrodite and even Artemis huntresses being the main characters in the other series, in this one, Demeter, Nike, Hebe and Apollo's children were in the spotlight. I hope that trend will be in all the 5 books of the series. Hopefully, I'll get my wish of seeing a redemption arc of the children of Hermes and they'll get a major role in this quest. The Stoll brothers had somewhat of a important role in Heroes of Olympus, but still. The character development in the book was also amazing, Apollo actually goes through a lot and by the end of the book he is a much more likable character (not that he wasn't from the beginning, you can't help but love him from the get go, but he is much more focused and rational and less pretentious).

This book was super funny and I caught myself laughing out loud at times, especially at the haikus that served as chapter titles. The ending had me excited for book 2, especially with the especial appearances and the quest that will follow in the next book. An easy 5 stars.