Jenn's Review: The House of Hades

Author: Rick Riordan
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #4
Publication Date: October 8, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Pages: 597
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  YA Fantasy
Rating: 5.0
Bottom Line: Fantastic development and penultimate showdown
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab!

Blurb:  At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood

Review:  I held off on reading this because the cliffhanger at the end of The Mark of Athena was pretty steep and as The House of Hades is the penultimate book in the series, I was afraid this would be worse.  I needn't have feared as the ending was tame in comparison.  However, I was glad I waited because it was good to jump right into The Blood of Olympus.

Knowing there is an entire novel ahead, you know Percy and Annabeth aren't going to splat when they land in Tartarus, but Riordan manages to prolong the anguish anyway by starting the novel with the remainder of the team on the Argo II.  Things above ground have gotten harder and everyone on the Argo II is feeling the loss of Percy and Annabeth.  Their path to the House of Hades will be the most trecherous yet and they will have to stop blaming themselves and pull together to get there. They will also need to learn to trust themselves.

When we finally get back to Percy and Annabeth (five chapters in!) they are still in free fall.  Rick Riordan's separation of this pair in the first two books made me crave their reunion so that even thought they are in Tartarus it is a relief that they are together.  Tartarus is about punishment and it causes Percy and Annabeth to evaluate the choices they have made in their lives... it's enough to throw anyone into despair.  But these two have always been stronger together and being together is what pulls them through.

Perhaps more so than the rest of the series, The House of Hades is about coming into their own.  Each of heroes must make tough choices and learn to be comfortable with who they are.  I think that is why this is my favorite of all the books thus far.

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