Why I picked it up: Based on the other Riordan books, my expectations were the following: more great characters, lots of humour, and actual LGBT representation this time. I have to admit, it was the news of Will's and Nico's relationship that really made me pick this one up.

What I thought: Apollo is a surprisingly compelling protagonist, at least to me. His struggle as a mortal teenage boy is interesting, but I especially like that he's suddenly on the other side of the divide and experiencing what his children - and the demigod children of other gods - have been experiencing. Meg is simply great, I am looking forward to finding out more about her.

Nobody in the book uses labels, but Apollo talks openly about his attraction to multiple genders. Nico and Will are great as an established couple, but I'm still a little sad that we didn't see them actually start dating. (Also, Nico seriously deserves more screentime, okay, make this guy a proper protagonist.)

Percy's small cameos were honestly the best.

It was great to be back at camp after the adventures of the Big Seven, and though there weren't many gods, it was great to see sibling-relationships between all the demigod siblings. Also, Harley (who I think is a new character? I can't remember him being mentioned) is honestly great.

There were a couple of small annoyances, but overall I really enjoyed this book, and I like the beginning of the plot, so I'm curious to see what comes next.

My rating: ★★★★★+