Review: The Lost Hero

Title: The Heroes of Olympus #1: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan

Date of Publication: January 1, 2010

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Jason has a problem. He doesn’t remember anything before waking up in a bus full of kids on a field trip. Apparently he has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. They’re all students at a boarding school for “bad kids.” What did Jason do to end up here? And where is here, exactly?

Piper has a secret. Her father has been missing for three days, ever since she had that terrifying nightmare. Piper doesn’t understand her dream, or why her boyfriend suddenly doesn’t recognize her. When a freak storm hits, unleashing strange creatures and whisking her, Jason, and Leo away to someplace called Camp Half-Blood, she has a feeling she’s going to find out.

Leo has a way with tools. When he sees his cabin at Camp Half-Blood, filled with power tools and machine parts, he feels right at home. But there’s weird stuff, too—like the curse everyone keeps talking about. Weirdest of all, his bunkmates insist that each of them—including Leo—is related to a god.

My Review:

If there is one person who can write about Greek Mythology it's Rick Riordan. It's been years since I read the Percy Jackson series but I remember absolutely loving that series and I had a feeling that this one would be just as good. Full of Greek and Roman lore, as well as an action filled plot, this book was a great start to what promises to be a fantastic series!

The best part about The Lost Hero was, hands down, seeing characters from the Percy Jackson novels from a new angle. I loved getting reunited with Annabeth and I'm eager to get my hands on the next book in the series so I can finally reunite with Percy! After the horrible cliffhanger at the end of this one I have a feeling the next book is going to focus fully on finding Percy, and I'm super excited to finally see him again. Not only that but it seems like there's a whole different facet of the world Riordan has created focusing on the Roman versions of the same gods, though I know a lot about Greek mythology I'm shaky on the Roman versions, so I'm super excited to learn more about the differences between them.

I also really enjoyed focusing on a new set of gods and goddesses and seeing Rirodan's take on each of them. Though we only got to see Hephaestus and Hera in this novel I have a feeling Aphrodite and Zeus aren't far behind. I really loved Hephaestus and his awkward but likable personality and I really hope we get to see more of him in the future. I also really enjoyed reading about all the minor enemies along the way, including the Cyclops, and my personal favorite Medea. Instead of being outright evil she was sinister in a more underhand way, making her the most fascinating person on their journey. I wasn't as familiar with her as I am with other figures in Greek Mythology so it was fun learning more about her and watching the interactions between her and our three heroes.

Though I don't love Jason, Piper, and Leo as much as I did the character in the last series (yet anyway!) I still enjoyed reading about them and their adventures. Piper was by far my favorite and the cabin she ended up in really threw me for a loop since it was such a clash with her personality. I loved her tomboyish attitude and her bravery, plus her standing up to Drew was pretty awesome, she definitely gets extra points for that. I also liked Leo, he was a little childish and immature, but he brought a certain amount of comic relief to the story and he ended up saving the day on more than on occasion. My least favorite character was Jason, maybe it was because he didn't remember any of his past but I just felt like his personality was weak compared to Piper and Leo, I hope that as his memories return he'll become a stronger and more relatable hero in upcoming novels.

The Lost Hero is a strong start to the series and I'm excited to see where Riordan takes it. I'm especially excited to see more of Percy and Annabeth and watch the relationships between Jason, Piper, and Leo develop. All in all a great novel and I highly recommend all of Riordan's works to fans of Greek and Roman mythology.

4/5