Hello! With this series review, I’m done with all the books within the mythological universe created by Rick Riordan. I think this may be in my top 3 series by the author. I really love Apollo.
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🏹 The Hidden Oracle | 📜 The Dark Prophecy | 🔥 The Burning Maze | ⚔️ The Tyrant’s Tomb | 🐍 The Tower of Nero
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The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo #1
Published May 3rd 2016 by Disney-Hyperion
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rep: LGBT
Rating:
Synopsis:
How do you punish an immortal?
By making him human.
After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favour.
But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go… an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.
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As how gods were portrayed, Apollo is arrogant and egoistic. Because of his reluctance to admit his mistakes, Apollo landed himself in a sticky situation. This is why the exploration and development of his character are fun and entertaining to read.
Banished into the human realm, Apollo has to interact with mortals as a born-again human being with no magical powers. His mindset and attitude changed drastically. Don’t get me wrong, he still has his self-importance moments but there was an improvement.
Apollo started off by pointing out the flaws of being a mortal being. However, he started finding humans inspiring and resilient while facing obstacles. Openly bisexual/pansexual, Apollo has lots of regrets and guilt surrounding his past lovers. For the god of music, he didn’t want to face the music. (Has someone else made this reference before? Am I too late? Is this too cringy?)
“Things can turn out differently, Apollo. That’s the nice thing about being human. We only have one life, but we can choose what kind of story it’s going to be.”
Meeting Meg was interesting. You know something is wrong when she’s tight-lipped about certain things. Her background is messy and entangled with drama. Meg and Apollo’s friendship is refreshing. A demigod and a fallen god.
Rick Riordan is expanding the world even more! I thought we had all the immortal beings and monstrous creatures in the other series but nope! There’s always more. Furthermore, familiar characters are back, including Percy Jackson, Rachel Dare, and Nico. I found myself chuckling at more scenes and dialogues than before.
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Do not enter the next review if you aren’t done with The Hidden Oracle! I’ve warned you! Beware!!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🏹 The Hidden Oracle | 📜 The Dark Prophecy | 🔥 The Burning Maze | ⚔️ The Tyrant’s Tomb | 🐍 The Tower of Nero
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The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo #2
Published May 2nd 2017 by Disney-Hyperion
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rep: LGBT
Rating:
Synopsis:
Go west. Capture Apollo before he can find the next oracle.
If you cannot bring him to me alive, kill him.
Those were the orders my old enemy Nero had given to Meg McCaffrey. But why would an ancient Roman emperor zero in on Indianapolis? And now that I have made it here (still in the embarrassing form of Lester Papadopoulos), where is Meg?
Meg, my demigod master, is a cantankerous street urchin. She betrayed me to Nero back at Camp Half-Blood. And while I’m mortal, she can order me to do anything . . . even kill myself. Despite all this, if I have a chance of prying her away from her villainous stepfather, I have to try.
But I’m new at this heroic-quest business, and my father, Zeus, stripped me of all my godly powers. Oh, the indignities and pain I have already suffered! Untold humiliation, impossible time limits, life-threatening danger… Shouldn’t there be a reward at the end of each completed task? Not just more deadly quests?
I vow that if I ever regain my godhood, I will never again send a poor mortal on a quest. Unless it is really important. And unless I am sure the mortal can handle it. And unless I am pressed for time…or I really just don’t feel like doing it myself. I will be much kinder and more generous than everyone is being to me—especially that sorceress Calypso. What does Leo see in her, anyway?
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“It’s not how long you live that matters. It’s what you live for.”
Without fail, I had fun reading The Dark Prophecy. It has humor, relatable pop culture references, an insane adventure, and lovely characters. Apollo’s on a quest to save every single one of the oracles to stop the emperors whose plans are to overtake the world. We meet new characters and reunite with ones that we’re familiar with. I’m particularly excited to meet an old friend who appeared at the end of the book.
Apollo’s development is phenomenal. Sure, he still has a sense of entitlement and arrogance but he’s starting to appreciate the people around him. Without his godly powers, Apollo relied greatly on the others to do heavy-lifting tasks (e.g., fighting monsters). However, he made use of his knowledge as the god of oracles/arts and music/healing/archery/poetry. In The Dark Prophecy, we continue to meet characters who have bad blood with Apollo. No surprise there.
For many things, Meg is very laid-back and casual. Whatever was thrown her way, she was just going to wing it. Meg started to be more in touch with her powers as the daughter of Demeter. After her betrayal in The Hidden Oracle, I didn’t know if she could be trusted so the whole time I was reading The Dark Prophecy, I was mentally prepping for anything bad. Since Meg wields two swords simultaneously and can easily manipulate any vegetation, Meg is simply very badass.
“We only fail when we stop trying.”
The Dark Prophecy is filled with mythical creatures and godly beings and deadly prophecies. Despite going through two series inspired by Greek and Roman mythologies, the world is ever-expanding. We’re meeting more unknown monsters and beings, and exploring less-known legends. I adore the comedic dialogues between Apollo and his Shakespeare-speaking plague arrow.
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Do not enter the next review if you aren’t done with The Dark Prophecy! I’ve warned you! Beware!!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🏹 The Hidden Oracle | 📜 The Dark Prophecy | 🔥 The Burning Maze | ⚔️ The Tyrant’s Tomb | 🐍 The Tower of Nero
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The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan
Series: The Trials of Apollo #3
Published May 1st 2018 by Disney-Hyperion
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rep: LGBT
Rating:
Synopsis:
The formerly glorious god Apollo, cast down to earth in punishment by Zeus, is now an awkward mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. In order to regain his place on Mount Olympus, Lester must restore five Oracles that have gone dark. But he has to achieve this impossible task without having any godly powers and while being duty-bound to a confounding young daughter of Demeter named Meg. Thanks a lot, Dad.
With the help of some demigod friends, Lester managed to survive his first two trials, one at Camp Half-Blood, and one in Indianapolis, where Meg received the Dark Prophecy. The words she uttered while seated on the Throne of Memory revealed that an evil triumvirate of Roman emperors plans to attack Camp Jupiter. While Leo flies ahead on Festus to warn the Roman camp, Lester and Meg must go through the Labyrinth to find the third emperor—and an Oracle who speaks in word puzzles—somewhere in the American Southwest. There is one glimmer of hope in the gloom-filled prophecy: The cloven guide alone the way does know. They will have a satyr companion, and Meg knows just who to call upon…
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Things ramped up, stakes rose. Rick Riordan slowly brought old and familiar characters into the series. In The Burning Maze, Grover, Piper, and Jason are back. However, there’s trouble in paradise. Oh, and the world is ending because there is a burning maze somewhere decimating the forestry and vegetation in South California. Also, we find out who the third emperor is, the strongest out of the three. While danger lurked, there is still humor and joy.
With each day Apollo spends interacting with mortals, he becomes more human, empathetic, and understanding of emotions. Although he has his occasional godly moments (mostly as commentary in his mind), Apollo is willing to stand in front of the fire for his friends.
In The Burning Maze, they are trying to save the oracle who speaks in crossword puzzles. As Apollo and his friend solves the puzzles, they unravel prophecies and clues as a foundation for the next book. I also particularly liked that Apollo was solving most of it, unless it was nature-related, and proving that he still had some remnants of being Apollo the god of poetry and prophecies.
Meg is still hot-tempered and easily agitated. She learned more about her lineage in The Burning Maze. Not just her maternal side, but also who her father was and his side of the family.
In this book, I got one of the hardest-hitting news. I couldn’t believe that Rick Riordan did that to us. I even Googled, spoilers be damned, to find out if what happened was the finalized and solidified truth. I was devastated.
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Do not enter the next review if you aren’t done with The Burning Maze! I’ve warned you! Beware!!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🏹 The Hidden Oracle | 📜 The Dark Prophecy | 🔥 The Burning Maze | ⚔️ The Tyrant’s Tomb | 🐍 The Tower of Nero
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The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan
Series: The Trial of Apollo #4
Published September 24th 2019 by Disney-Hyperion
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rep: LGBT
Rating:
Synopsis:
It’s not easy being Apollo, especially when you’ve been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. On his path to restoring five ancient oracles and reclaiming his godly powers, Apollo (aka Lester Papadopoulos) has faced both triumphs and tragedies. Now his journey takes him to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the Roman demigods are preparing for a desperate last stand against the evil Triumvirate of Roman emperors. Hazel, Reyna, Frank, Tyson, Ella, and many other old friends will need Apollo’s aid to survive the onslaught. Unfortunately, the answer to their salvation lies in the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler…someone even worse than the emperors Apollo has already faced.
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The Tyrant’s Tomb moved quickly but Rick Riordan still balanced the light and dark moments perfectly. The aftermath of The Burning Maze left everyone mourning the loss of Jason Grace. Losing a great hero like Jason deeply impacted the morale of the camp and worsened the situation they are in. It’s difficult for everyone to come to terms with his death and even harder for his friends who he bonded with. Not only that, the emperors are gaining ground and power nonchalantly by allying with Tarquin the Proud.
Apollo found himself in precarious situations once again. This time, he’s facing gods and other beings he had wronged for years when he was still the godly Apollo. Meg and Apollo’s friendship was really cute. They take care of one another despite butting heads and talking shit about one another. Regardless of the situation, they were always there for one another.
Everyone in Camp Jupiter tried their best during the battles in The Tyrant’s Tomb. Frank decides the best course of action, Lavinia chooses her own path and makes decisions based on what was right, Hazel holds her emotions back and not letting them affect everyone, and Reyna picks another fate.
This felt more like a filler book. It’s necessary to show the power of unity and sacrifice of the soldiers in Camp Jupiter, and the progression of Apollo’s change in personality by acknowledging his past mistake and accepting the punishments. The villains felt a little weak considering that there were quite a number of them. Nevertheless, this journey for Apollo and the rest will end with The Tower of Nero.
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Do not enter the next review if you aren’t done with The Tyrant’s Tomb! I’ve warned you! Beware!!
Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🏹 The Hidden Oracle | 📜 The Dark Prophecy | 🔥 The Burning Maze | ⚔️ The Tyrant’s Tomb | 🐍 The Tower of Nero
🐍🐍🐍
The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
Series: The Trial of Apollo #5
Published October 6th 2020 by Disney-Hyperion
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Rep: LGBT
Rating:
Synopsis:
Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth in the pathetic moral form of a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, finally regain his place on Mount Olympus? Lester’s demigod friends at Camp Jupiter just helped him survive attacks from bloodthirsty ghouls, an evil Roman king and his army of the undead, and the lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now the former god and his demigod master Meg must follow a prophecy uncovered by Ella the harpy. Lester’s final challenge will be at the Tower of Nero, back in New York. Will Meg have a last showdown with her father? Will this helpless form of Apollo have to face his arch nemesis, Python? Who will be on hand at Camp Half-Blood to assist? These questions and more will be answered in this book that all demigods are eagerly awaiting.
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I don’t know why but I suddenly teared up near the end of The Tower of Nero. Apollo’s character growth throughout the entire series was touching and awe-inspiring. He went from a careless, arrogant god to a mere mortal who learned to cherish whatever and whoever is in his life. His change is obvious. Watching Apollo interact with his children, feeling proud of them while being a teenager himself, was weirdly sweet and heart-warming. Apollo realized he had more to learn from his descendants.
“Faith in our ability to write our own stories, regardless of what the Fate throws at us. Faith that you will find a way to make wine out of your sour grapes.”
Meg’s relationship with Apollo shifted too. At first, Meg kept giving instructions that Apollo wasn’t willing to follow. Over the course of the series, I noticed that Meg didn’t give Apollo any commands at all. They settled into a friendship and saw each other as equals. It’s obvious that Apollo cared and worried about Meg immensely, especially in The Tower of Nero, where they confronted Nero, Meg’s ‘father’.
Nico and Will are really cute together. They consistently protected one another. Despite worrying about the dangers surrounding their journey, Nico and Will just let each other do whatever was needed. I can’t believe we are getting a standalone about them, The Sun and the Star!
Nico smirked. “Friends, meet my glow-in-the-dark boyfriend.”
“Could you not make a big deal about it?” Will asked.
The final battle against Nero spelled nothing but danger. While dealing with the strongest and the final emperor, Apollo has to fight his face his worst enemy: the python.
Overall, I loved this series. Apollo’s growth was immense and a pleasure to read about. When he gradually became more accepting of the humanity within, Apollo learned the joy of being mortal. He loved and cared earnestly.
let’s chat;
i love the trials of apollo so much. apollo is a great character. that one book in the middle of the series just punched me in the gut. didn’t know what to think afterwards.
thisbellereadstoo.wordpress.com 
Ahh I loved this series too!! The fourth book might be the weakest one out of the series but I greatly enjoyed all of them overall, I couldn’t help feeling sad when it ended!! It felt like the end of an era.
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it feel the same for me! everything was just great in the entire series, i didn’t want it to finish.
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Love your review, and I have to say this is my favorite series too! I love Apollo’s voice, even in his jerk-god phase in book 1 xD I’m glad he has a character development and it’s a phenomenal one. I also love how it expands on the world building, characters, as well as letting us know what some of our beloved characters up to. I agree that news was devastating, I don’t think it was a necessary death tbh 😦
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SAME! yeah, i honestly don’t think the death was warranted ):
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