User blog comment:SayuriDarling/The House of Hades Official Discussion/@comment-5050355-20131011023605

REVIEW: (SPOILERS)

Rick Riordan really put an unexpected spin at closure of the doors and solves the ‘making sure dead things stay dead’ problem which has plagued us for the last few books. None of the demigods die (which is good); instead Bob sacrifices himself to close the doors, ultimately defying his family and his past. He is hailed as a hero and will be remembered.

All the heroes developed, becoming more ‘human’ through the revealing of their weaknesses, fears and feelings.

Jason: he is shown to be more emotional and less rational compared to the last few books. He tries to understand his crew and struggles to lead them as a peer, not as a commander. This makes him more likeable.

Leo: a nice twist on an unexpected romance, his feelings for Calypso make him more mature in a good way. He swear an oath to come back for her, suggesting a new meaning for the line ''an oath to keep with a final breathe. ''A great character who still finds humour despite their situation.

Piper: good to see her move out of the dreamy and ‘in love’ character into a girl who realises that loved ones need to be defended, and not just stared at. Her charmspeak is still useful.

Frank: he really takes charge in this book, from protecting Hazel to leading the spirits of the dead, this book is where he grows out of his childishness and perhaps truly becomes a hero we can place next to the others.

Hazel: she’s always been a kind yet serious kind of character, someone who is out of their time and struggles to fit in. I like her character very much, but I dislike that fact that she is made a bit too ‘powerful’ in this book- controlling the mist and performing magic, which are not related to her parentage in any way. This brings her out of balance with the other characters.

Nico: shown in a less favourable ways in this book, he is down- right creepy, which is a sudden change of character. Always standing in the shadows, making freaky grins and creeping up on people, he is generally not someone you want to be hanging around with (this could be because of his stay in Tartarus). Another unexpected turn with Cupid who forces him to admit he had a crush on Percy. This is not shown in any way in the first series and is most likely a new thought by the author. Nico says “I had a crush on Percy” meaning that he is probably over it already, so we are left with the question of why Cupid feels it is important to bring this up. Currently unknown if this is a ‘real’ crush or a young admiration for a hero + hormones kind of confusion or a trick by Cupid who shot an arrow into his arm or even the manipulative Gaea. Perhaps we will know more about this new Nico in BoO but this new development will make the lives of all the heroes more difficult. If this is a way to gain popularity, then shame on Rick Riordan. It can be noted that Nico is much more powerful in this series, shadow-travelling several people and later a huge statue, effortlessly summoning spirits and scaring Jason semi-consciously, we are left wondering what really happened to him in Tartarus.

Percy: he becomes more human due to the showing of his fears and weaknesses. He cares greatly for Annabeth and risks his life to save her. He also regrets his bad treatment of ‘friends’ and repents. He loses the role of a leader and is often blinded by love. He pities and later honours Bob for his sacrifice and tries to renew his friendship with Nico who indirectly saves their lives in Tartarus. This does not seem to work and he is left pondering his own worth as a friend.

Annabeth: shown as more compassionate and less haughty, she becomes more likeable to readers. Her loyalty to Percy and belief in Bob is commendable. Her intelligence saves their lives many times against powerful, but foolish enemies. Great development.