Title: The House of Hades (Heroes of Olympus #4)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 2014

Genre: Children’s Fantasy

Pages: 590

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Read My Own Damn Books; Popsugar - YA Bestseller; Finishing the Series; 52 Books - W2

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 Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors from 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.

I so enjoy this series! I love the allusions to classical myths and legends. I love the twists Riordan puts on the various gods and goddesses. This was a fast paced enjoyable read for a rainy week. I am excited to see how this series ends. I'm sure we will re-meet many characters and monsters in the last volume of this series.

Heroes of Olympus:

#1 The Lost Hero
#2 The Son of Neptune
#3 The Mark of Athena
#4 The House of Hades
#5 The Blood of Olympus

Title: The Mark of Athena (Heroes of Olympus #3)

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion 2012

Genre: Children's Fantasy

Pages: 604

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: YA/MG Fantasy; Seriously Series; 52 Books - W30; Bingo - 2 from everyone but me

How I Got It: iPad read

In The Son of Neptune, Percy, Hazel, and Frank met in Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent of Camp Halfblood, and traveled to the land beyond the gods to complete a dangerous quest. The third book in the Heroes of Olympus series will unite them with Jason, Piper, and Leo. But they number only six--who will complete the Prophecy of Seven? The Greek and Roman demigods will have to cooperate in order to defeat the giants released by the Earth Mother, Gaea. Then they will have to sail together to the ancient land to find the Doors of Death. What exactly are the Doors of Death? Much of the prophecy remains a mystery. . . . With old friends and new friends joining forces, a marvelous ship, fearsome foes, and an exotic setting, The Mark of Athena promises to be another unforgettable adventure by master storyteller Rick Riordan.

The boys and I started reading this before bed at the beginning of the summer. And we just finished... Can I tell you how much I love Rick Riordan's writing? Each one of these books are ones that everyone in the family enjoys. I don't feel like I'm reading a children's book. I'm reading a well crafted adventure story full of great characters and death defying action and even a few introspective moments. The boys and I get a kick out of guessing which mythological creature or god will pop up next. We gasp along with the cliffhangers. We get excited when the heroes succeed. We've all fallen in love with his characters. As soon as we finished this one, the boys were asking when the next one will be published (October 2013 if you care). You best believe I will be buying that as soon as it's released. The hard part will be to not read it before I'm with the boys.

Heroes of Olympus:

#1 The Lost Hero
#2 The Son of Neptune
#3 The Mark of Athena
#4 The House of Hades
#5 The Blood of Olympus

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan