Rick Riordan is the author of The Lost Hero; the #1 New York Times bestselling The Kane Chronicles; as well as all the books in the #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. He lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two sons. To learn more about Rick, visit his website at www.rickriordan.com. You can find more of my reviews of Rick's works here.
All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. In this momentous final book in the New York Times bestselling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.
We have all loved Percy since the beginning—for his humor, for the mistakes he makes but his ability to always right them, and for his fierce loyalty. Throughout the series, we've all grown connected to Percy, finding him relatable for a multitude of reasons. And now, in The Last Olympian, we realize just how much we stand to lose. And Percy does, too. As the de facto leader of the war efforts, Percy has the entire fate of the campers of Camp Half-Blood in his hands. We all noted a sense of agency when Percy was twelve and going on a quest—multiply that by a hundred now that Percy is the general for the half-bloods. The fact that a fifteen year old can lead this war and fight for his city and succeed is an absolute feat, and just goes to show why so many people love and admire Percy Jackson's bravery and loyalty. But even though Percy is indestructible, he does not exit the war unscathed: more than anything, his understanding of how the half-blood world needs to work to survive has shifted. After watching so many characters die, Percy finally has grasped the awfulness of the carelessness of the gods. Once he is able to understand characters like Luke and Ethan, one would argue, is when he becomes the most indestructible—when he can stand up to the gods for what is right and not get smited. That is when he is his most powerful, remains the most loyal, and is the bravest. If people wonder why a whole fandom loves Percy Jackson as a character, this is the reason I will always give them—it's that powerful.
Speaking of what Percy learned, it is something that the gods had to learn, too. When Percy makes his wish that no child goes left unclaimed, that every child get recognized and find a home at camp, he is making a larger statement about the gods. That they need to start caring, to start recognizing their children and their worth. Not to say that the gods hadn't done it before—notable exceptions include Dionysus (asking Percy to keep Pollux away from danger), Hermes (it is discovered that Hermes could not interact with Luke so as to let Luke become the hero), and Hades (sending Bianca and Nico to the Lotus Hotel to keep them safe from harm). Yet even despite these grandiose exceptions, the gods overall ignore their children, even if they do claim to care for them to some degree. The gods don't care about their children in the same way as present, human parents do, but in the small ways that gods can—by hiding them when it benefits them, or passing out small magic items. Percy is demanding of the gods to care for their children in a more meaningful, more "out loud" type of way by asking for no child to be left unclaimed. It is the reason so many demigods decided to fight on Kronos's side, in the first place. By doing this, the gods can make up for their past mistakes, can have the chance to learn from it, and also prove Kronos wrong. It is a way for the gods to be better than their titan parents, and overall gives the half-blood world the fresh start that Luke was fighting for all along.
If you know me, you know that part of the reason I love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series so much is because the Percy and Annabeth relationship is absolute fire. Rick Riordan does an absolutely fabulous job building these two characters as individuals, into friends, into kids in love. The "in love" part definitely comes more in The Heroes of Olympus series, but still, we get the first signs of it here, in The Last Olympian. While Percy is trying to find a tether to the mortal world, not even his mom can make him remember who he is—but Annabeth can, and does. If that's not a signal of how deep his affection and care for her goes, then nothing else I'll say here will convince you. Later, in the battle, Annabeth takes a poisoned blade for Percy, after feeling that if Percy were to take the blow, he would die. Annabeth scarified herself for Percy, not knowing if she would survive the attack. And the way Percy protected her after she fell signaled that he could care less about the fighting—if Annabeth were directly hit again, there would be nothing left for him to fight for. He recognizes that more intimately once he tells Annabeth where his Achilles spot is, knowing that if he can't trust Annabeth, he can't trust anyone. If he can't depend on Annabeth, or fight for Annabeth, then there would be no point. That might be a bit of a stretch, but it becomes clear at the end of the novel when he's offered immortality that such a gift would mean nothing if he can't share it with Annabeth. He decides to live a mortal life, the life that Annabeth tethered him to at the beginning of the book. Annabeth works all of this out, of course, and makes her move on Percy (which, yes, queen!!) on his birthday, after the fight is over. Knowing how far both Annabeth and Percy have come as characters is what makes the ending of The Last Olympian so bittersweet. We are so happy that their journey will continue, that they won't have to say goodbye to each other, but we're distraught we have to say goodbye to them, and let go of them in this state of bliss and happiness and peace.
The amazing thing about The Last Olympian is the way that Rick is still able to weave together a plot that pulls on our heartstrings, keeps us on the edge of our seats, and refuses to allow us to give up hope for our favorite—and new—characters. We are occupied with trying to figure out who the spy is—we get really no hints, and Rick plays his cards masterfully with this storyline. Because up until the very end, we don't know who it is, and once we do, we refuse to let them have a bad ending. The fact that the war ends up right on top of the demigods, right in Percy's hands, when they least expect it is a huge plot twist that doesn't get a lot of mentions. Since the gods don't come back to help, Percy is thrust into a role he isn't entirely prepared for, but a role that he plays well. We are also kept in suspense the whole novel, wondering who will win the war, if Percy and his friends will survive and succeed, and who we will lose along the way until a resolution is reached. The prophecy is also a huge part of this: who is the hero? which blade? how will it all end? Rick continues to build mystery, twists, turns, and suspense, making The Last Olympian completely unforgettable, and only makes readers hungry for his next works.
Thankfully for us (yet probably unthankfully for our favorite demigods) the story isn't over yet. After an ominous second Great Prophecy delivered by none other than Rachel Elizabeth Dare, even Annabeth can sense that another story is brewing on the horizon. And we can read it all, starting with The Lost Hero. Stay tuned for my review!
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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