4.5 stars

This is similar to The Hammer of Thor, which I read earlier this year. By that I mean that while I did enjoy this book, found it amusing, and do consider it a new favorite, I can't quite give it a perfect rating. My problem with THOT was that it seemed to drag a bit and didn't seem to need quite so many pages. While I will admit this was slightly slow at times, I think the real issue is I find the writing too simple. It's good, but simple. And I believe that's because I simply am growing out of Rick's writing. I turned 16 recently, and although MG (upper, as it may be) can be read by anyone, I'm beyond the intended age group.

However, that aside, I absolutely loved this book. I'm sure you all know by now that I love Rick's series. They were a major part of making me a reader. The characters, the story, the friendships, the witty humor and sarcasm... all of it is as amazing as I expected it to be. I especially love the haikus at the start of each chapter. I might like them more than his classic, comedic chapter titles in PJO and MC. Rick is just really good at fun, humorous books that still have great stories.

Edit, because I wrote this after midnight and forgot something. This book has older, out, and happy lesbian parents that are prominent in the story and care so much for their adopted daughter. It's wonderful. And it's casually mentioned that Apollo is bi. YES YES YES. (Hi, other authors, follow his lead, please and thank you. 😊)

So while the writing was a bit too simple for me, I loved this book. I'll definitely be continuing the series, if I manage to wait for the third one to come out. 😉

ALSO, THAT WAS NOT A NICE WAY TO END A BOOK. YOU DON'T BRING BACK A CHARACTER IN THE LAST CHAPTER.

(Interpret that how you want. 😇)