WARNING: Spoilers for Percy Jackson series and Heroes of Olympus #1-3.
The House of Hades is the fourth book in the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan, which follows on from the Percy Jackson series. These two series bring the mythology of ancient Greece and Rome to life in the modern world, with phenomenal consequences for the children of gods and mortals who are in a constant struggle to keep peace between the Gods, Titans, Giants, monsters and each other.
After a tense cliff-hanger (literally) at the end of The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades begins with a melancholy feel as the crew of the Argo II grieve the loss of Annabeth and Percy. The two fell to Tartarus after battling the cursed immortal Arachne for the lost Athena Parthenos.
As always, I was gripped by this novel from the very first page. I honestly could not put it down until I’d finished it a day after I’d first picked it up (I would have finished it quicker, but I did have to sleep). This book is extremely well written and action packed with even more new villains and challenges than ever before. Setting part of the book in Tartarus really set me on edge, I was constantly worried if Percy and Annabeth would be able to make it through what was undoubtedly their toughest challenge yet.
This installment of the series also had some major character development that made me realize how close we are to the end of the series, and possibly the world of Percy Jackson. There were many secrets revealed by the main characters that shocked and delighted me at the same time and also generated a lot of sympathy for certain characters. New relationships also developed despite the emotional and physical strain this quest caused the demigods (and their satyr “protector”). Now their quest is to save Annabeth and Percy from the depths of Tartarus before destroying the Doors of Death in Greece. But this won’t be easy; Gaia and her followers block their progress at every turn, and back in America the Greek and Roman demigods are on the brink of war.
This is quite possibly one of my favourite book series; I am constantly excited and surprised by the plot, challenged by the characters and enlightened by all the Greek and Roman mythology. These books are also incredibly funny, and despite the tense atmosphere of The House of Hades, the perfectly timed jokes (some of which were in Latin) and the sometimes humourous style of writing had me laughing uncontrollably.
Rick Riordan fans, and anyone who wants to become one, will fall obsessively in love with this newest book as they join the seven of the prophecy on their deadliest adventure yet.