Children's Book and Media Review

Volume 39 | Issue 2 Article 103

2018 The rT ials of Apollo: The iddeH n Oracle Loretta Farnsworth

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BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Farnsworth, Loretta (2018) "The rT ials of Apollo: The iddeH n Oracle," Children's Book and Media Review: Vol. 39 : Iss. 2 , Article 103. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cbmr/vol39/iss2/103

This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Children's Book and Media Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Farnsworth: The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle

Book Review The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Or- acle

Apollo is punished by Zeus by being turned into a mortal and is stunned to find that he retains none of his godly strength or glamour. He is also forced to serve Meg, a snarky daughter of Demeter. They retreat to Camp Half-Blood and find it in turmoil. Apollo and Meg overhear a plot by the ancient Roman emperor Nero to destroy all oracles, including the Grove of Dodona near Camp Half-Blood. Apollo Author and Meg determine to locate the grove and the missing campers. Rick Riordan Meg and Apollo find the grove and missing campers, but before they Illustrator can rescue them, Nero appears. Following Nero’s orders, Meg forces Apollo to open the grove. Nero tries to burn down the grove, but he is unsuccessful. The grove gives a prophecy to Apollo. Meg, confused by Reviewer Nero’s manipulations, releases Apollo from servitude and flees. Apollo returns to Camp Half-Blood to help Percy Jackson and the other Loretta Farnsworth campers stop an attack on the camp. Rating Dependable Percy Jackson takes a backseat in this sequel series to The Heroes Level of Olympus. Apollo tells his story with a rather self-absorbed, arrogant tone. Readers may struggle to connect with Apollo, as he Young Adult is quite an unsympathetic protagonist at times, although he does learn compassion in the book from experiencing being human and interacting with others. He comes to understand that he was not a good father to his children at Camp Half-Blood, and he forms a Pages friendship with Meg, whom he initially finds annoying. Meg herself 384 is an intriguing character who struggles to make good choices as Year she is manipulated by her stepfather. Apollo does reminisce about 2016 his romantic relationships with both women and men throughout Publisher the book and makes it a point to approve of Nico’s homosexual Disney-Hyperion relationship, although the emotions surrounding the relationships are what is primarily discussed. ISBN 9781484732748 *Contains moderate sexual content, mild language, and mild violence.

Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 2018 1