How interesting! Those mind bending moments were great, really made me go “wait- what?!”. Surprising how much character can be built in such a short graphic novel. I especially loved the frames that were still, repeats of the same moment with the slightest of changes. They affected the pacing in a cinematic way.

Also, I think the need to add an element of fantasy is so Tatsuki Fujimoto. 

Everyone: The Gods cannot intervene with the mortals and half bloods! It’s against the rules!
Artemis, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Zeus, Poseidon, Dionysus: I won’t tell if you won’t ;)

A great story! I laughed, I cried, and I also got confused. 

A story of death, grief, and love. 

TJ Klune has a very stylistic way of writing, specifically when it comes to characters. His minor characters tend to be caricatures, exaggerated in both physical descriptions as well as their actions. However, his major characters provide a very human depth, specifically as he centers flawed main characters who change over the course of the story. 

This story in particular seemed to be more of a character study than The House in the Cerulean Sea. The plot took a backseat as the characters drove the story. With such a minimal plot, the book did feel a little too long. However, the focus on character development did lend to the books themes on death, grief, and loved ones. The second act had my heart aching, with the love and sadness I felt for these characters. Klune really allowed the audience to feel with them, which I think is practically necessary for this kind of book.

I was impressed with how this book managed the very fragile topics of death and grief. While still existing in a world with magic and elements of spectral fantasy, it continues to have moments grounded in the reality of death and grief. While I haven’t read many fictional books reflection on death, this book has practically everything that The Midnight Library did not. It was delicate, tender, and empathetic.

This book was a slow read for me, as it is monotonous and slow. However, I am glad to have read it since I had never had the displeasure of being required to read it in school. Reading it has given me an opportunity to learn about the book, Orwell, and provided some ideas as so why it is so prominent in American literature teachings. I had never known that the CIA had investing in the books movie rights and slightly altered the message.

It seems there are two ways this story can be perceived: that it is anti-communist, stating that there is no reality in which everyone can be equal and that hierarchy is a natural element of society; or that it is anti-capitalist, and that the only way for a society to properly rebel and sustain equality is if the people/workers have the intellect to discern and stand up against those who grip the reins of power tighter than is needed.

Personally, I don’t know what the intention of Orwell’s writing was, but I think if the book was intended to be anti-capitalist, it did not quite succeed. Orwell consistently harps on how stupid the animals are, both directly and indirectly throughout the story. Even towards the end, only the final line draws the parallel between Jones/the humans and Napoleon/the pigs. Without any indication that the animals have realized their mishap of trusting the pigs or that they have finally realized that the wool has been pulled over their eyes, the book seems to leave with the message of “that is how the world works!”, even if it’s tone is heavily depressing.

I’d be interested to listen to a high school classes analysis of this book.

It is not quite the story I expected it to be, and I am interested to one day reread 1984 and see how that book compares. But not anytime soon, because Orwell’s writing is kinda dry. 

The concepts and enemies in the stories were quite incredible. I was slightly disappointed that these ideas didn’t make their way into a full book since they were quite impressive. However, the stories weren’t executed in the same brilliance as the other (full length) books of the series. This book has several short stories of Percy’s adventures with some previously introduced minor characters. While it’s nice to see them in action aside Percy, but there is little character development for both Percy and the other characters.

Some of my favorite parts were the interviews. I feel like the entire book could have gone in a more casual way, similar to this. Perhaps a quiz to find out which potential god or goddess might be your parent. Some backstory on a demigod experience that Percy or another halfblood had before their realization of the truth. A story that was not from Percy’s perspective, either providing another point of view on a previously written story or an entirely new one. Stories that could be perceived more as a demigod “failure” with ample humor, brining to light a few moments where a camper didn’t succeed or just barely succeeded, in a less life-or-death way than the series (and the shorts in this book) often have.

All in all, I felt like the content of this story was a bit confusing, since part of felt fun and lighthearted while the other half was intense without the full intensity of the typical full novels, nor the comedy that Riordan often brings. I’m not sure why this book was created at all, since it doesn’t seem to fulfill any purpose aside from being extra material for consumption. I didn’t read this book back when I was a fan of the series in high school and it’s safe to say that if you skipped this one, you wouldn’t be missing too much. 

This book has its insightful moments and nonsensical moments. 

Super intense. I loved the present tense chapters. It was thrilling, from the devious planning and the wrenches in those plans, to the quiet moments between the three characters that showcased their deep and meaningful connections. I struggled with the past tense chapters. All of the characters felt flat and I felt the book could have still made its point without harping on the main characters traumatic past. All in all, I was surprisingly satisfied by the ending. I wouldn’t read this again but it was a good read.

If it wasn’t for book club, I wouldn’t have finished this.

First, I’m very happy queer stories are being told, and I’m very happy queer authors are writing them.

Maybe I just don’t like romance? But the cliche miscommunication tropes, cringy metaphors, falling for someone who you barely know even though you’re super heartbroken…? Ok that last one was super specific but it all doesn’t spark joy for me. It sparks yawns and makes the spicy scenes just kinda awkward to read. And the romantic metaphors about food do not help lol 😂

It’s not by any means a bad romance!! Heck, it’s pretty decent, especially if you don’t mind the cliches listed above. Just maybe not my style.