The Dark Prophecy
Ratings140
Average rating4
Finished the Dark Prophecy. It was a good book, but not my favorite Rick Riordan book. As a fan of Leo and Calypso's relationship, their interactions in The Dark Prophecy were disappointing. I did enjoy Apollo's character growth and the couple at the Waystation, but most of the plot and characters just felt a little lackluster for me. I'll likely reread The Dark Prophecy any time I'm doing a reread of Rick Riordan's books, but I wouldn't use it as an example of why someone would read Rick Riordan's books.
After listening to the first book in this series, my grandson and I were excited to hear the continuation of the story of Apollo and his journey as a mortal. Although not really Greek mythology, Apollo's lineage and other gods and mythical creatures are mentioned throughout the story, so it makes it very informative.
Just finished this book. I really enjoy Apollo's POV. It's so fun and different. I like that Calypso and Leo featured in this one as well.
"It's not how long you live that matters, it's what you live for."
What it's about:Apollo remains trapped in the body of teenage Lester Papadopolous and on a mission to restore the oracles and regain his status as a god. Insane Roman emperors are still trying to stop him.
“We chose the only heroic option available - we ran.”
- Apollo continues to be loveably arrogant while developing further and learning more humility and a greater appreciation of mere mortals.
- Wasn't sure how I felt about Leo and Calypso at first, but I was glad to see recognition that there would likely be tensions in their relationship and that they still need to learn who they are apart, rather than teenage instalove that lasts forever.
- I like the way Meg's shown to have torn loyalties, and how it is hard for her to walk away from the man who has been raising her even while she is aware he is abusive and manipulating her - very realistic and skillfully handled.
- Loved all the new characters we met, and again some familiar faces returned.
“Everything living deserves the chance to grow.”
The Trials of Apollo series has a slightly different feel than the others. This is due to the main character being an incredibly self-centered, egotistical piece of crap. But Apollo is learning. He is growing, and it is this growth of the character, as he comes to understand how the gods have toyed with mortals and their demigod children, that makes him compelling.
The weaving in of Roman and Greek mythology is, again, done well and entertaining. But it never goes from good to great. It's like a Rice Crispy treat. Not many people really LOVE Rice Crispy treats, but no one hates them either. They're tasty, easy, but you don't have one and think “Wow, that was really something special”. You just sort of eat it, enjoy it for what it is, and then forget about them until the next time someone offers you one.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I'm not sure how to give a plot synopsis here – basically, it's the continuation of the Trials of Apollo. He has another task to accomplish – another of the new emperors to take down before the third one, in the next book. It's the same ol' set up that has served Riordan so well – and will continue to do so for years to come.
Basically, Apollo/Lester has to go and find another Oracle. To do so, really, he has to face a lot of people that he's hurt/disappointed over the millennia. He learns a lot about himself, matures a bit. That part was good – and the whole thing was entertaining. But it felt stale. I liked The Hidden Oracle a lot and was excited to see where this series went. Now, I'm not so sure. I'll finish the series, but with greatly diminished expectations.
Not that it got into details, but there was a lot more intimated/flat-out said Apollo's sexual history than I'm comfortable with for a MG book. The previous books in the Percy-verse suggested sexual orientation and activity, there was some romance, but this went much further than any of those. Honestly, it went a step too far. If this wasn't a part of the Percy-verse, or was clearly marketed toward older readers, it wouldn't have been that bad and I wouldn't have said anything about it. But that's not the case here.
As far as the audiobook goes, it was rough. Robbie Daymond was very aware that he was reading amusing material and he read it like each line was a punchline. It was the vocal equivalent of mugging for the camera, if you will. Now, there were a couple of serious and poignant moments, and Daymond pulled those off well, but otherwise it was tough to listen to.
I didn't like the narration, and didn't think the story/writing was as crisp as the first book in the series. But it was still entertaining enough. This isn't the one to start reading Riordan. But it'll do for his older readers.
Debo confesar que no soy gran fanática de la serie de Apollo, me gusta, pero me emociona más la posibilidad de leer a los “invitados especiales” #ifyouknowwhatimean. Y los dos últimos capítulos de The Dark Prophecy me hizo soltar un chillido que ha reafirmado mi reputación de “persona extraña para tener alrededor”
Sigue sin enloquecerme esta serie, junto con los Kane siento que es el trabajo más “flojo” (por decirlo de alguna manera) de Rick, aún así las POSIBILIDADES me emocionan un montón. Ya quiero el siguiente!
PD: toda esa cosa que menciona y menciona otros dioses y otras culturas, más vale que no sea puro ruido para luego decepcionar a mi pobre alma fangirl. Rick sígueme educando e.e
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4.5 stars
I really liked this less than the Hidden Oracle despite of Apollos slightly toned down personality. Old Apollo I could not stand (I didn't like him in the previous series either). Granted I can like a series despite not liking the main characters, it does effect my rating here a little bit. And that's because of the short seperations of the character groups. I didn't like the “only x people can go” strategy here and these mini quests were entertainable but I would have liked a huge consistent quest more. Because of this the “main showdown” felt flat for me.