“A thousand deadly monsters. Three battling demigods. One fatal decision. Hazel looked behind Hecate at the middle gateway. She saw Percy and Annabeth sprawled helplessly before those black-and-silver doors. A massive dark shape, vaguely humanoid, now loomed over them, its foot raised as if to crush Percy. ‘What about them?’ Hazel asked, her voice ragged. ‘Percy and Annabeth?’ Hecate shrugged. ‘West, east or south…they die.’ ‘Not an option,’ Hazel said. ‘Then you have only one path – and that’s the most dangerous of all…’”
What is the book about?
Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus, the pit where all monsters go when they die. Not even the gods go there and yet the two half-bloods must survive all the way to the Doors of Death to be able to finally close them and stop monsters from using it as a shortcut to return to the mortal world. Meanwhile, the other demigods are facing problems of their own as they set off for the House of Hades where they will find the mortal entrance to Tartarus and they must also close the doors or Percy and Annabeth’s mission in Tartarus will be for nothing. The demigods must make a decision, to take the easy roads but risk their friends’ lives or to take the most dangerous path of all and risk their own. To them that is no choice at all but facing the thousands of monsters standing in their way is not as simple as choosing a path. They must all reach the Doors of Death at the same time and then make it all the way to Greece to defeat all the giants before it is too late, and Gaia finally rises…
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
After finishing The Mark of Athena I was in shock, I had never come across a Percy Jackson book that ended without a happy ending, or as happy an ending as possible for some demigods that are heading towards their deaths. That book had been more of a cliff-hanger than any other so I was even more desperate to start reading the fourth book and get some answers. The blurb was like all the other books, with a section of the book on it, but it was still very interesting and once I read it I was even more intrigued to find out what would happen to all the characters and what Tartarus was like. As soon as I started reading the book, I already loved it. It started with action from the very beginning and already had me ready for anything. Unfortunately, the start didn’t really answer any of my questions but it was still very interesting and I was relieved to see that all the characters were safe and sound, or as save as a demigod could be with hundreds of monsters wanting to devour them. From the very beginning, a final battle at the House of Hades was predicted so the book kept me interested with the thought of a fight at the Doors of Death. The book was amazing from the very start, just as I had thought, and I was very excited to get to the end because the end was finally nearing.
Who was your favourite character and why?
In this book, it was a lot harder to choose a favourite character because all the characters had their point of view represented so none of them had the advantage of showing me their more personal thoughts and feelings. However, there were still a few characters that I liked better and I think that if I had to choose a favourite one it would probably be Frank. This is mainly because of how much he changed in the book both physically and mentally. It was like he finally accepted that he was a son of Mars and he grew into the role. He accepted his relationship with war and was able to forget about how clumsy and hopeless he sued to be which helped him defeat thousands of monsters basically on his own. Even though he was never really that strong and powerful, not even his friends doubted that he was able to do that and had changed for the better. I would say that he was even more powerful than Percy and Jason, who were always seen as the stronger demigods. He was also a lot more modest than them and gave his friends more credit than they deserved for some of the battles that he had mostly won on his own. This also made him a much sweeter and kinder characters and showed me that he was a much better leader than the other could ever be, even if he didn’t really think so. Even though he still doubted himself a lot, his confidence also grew and he was able to ignore all his failures and just focus on the current battle, which helped him win even more. A lot of the characters were also great fighters and they also changed a lot, but Frank changed the most and I think he was the best character in the book.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
This choice was a lot easier than usual because there was a part of the book where everything was calm for a minute, even if it was just for one character. My favourite part of the book was when Leo landed on the island of Ogygia because of who he met and how it changed him. If you remember the island from one of the Percy Jackson books, then you will understand what I mean, but if not then you will have to read this book to understand because I will not be explaining too much. I enjoyed this part because it was calmer and allowed me to think after so many fights. I also enjoyed it because it was refreshing to see two characters go from hating each other to loving each other. It was a very sweet part and I like that the character was Leo because for most of the book I had been very worried that he would do something stupid (or more stupid than usual) because he felt like a seventh wheel. I think that landing on that island was probably the best thing that ever happened to him because it gave him hope that he wouldn’t end up alone and also made him a lot less immature. The time on the island changed him and gave him his own personal goal for after defeating Gaia, which meant that I no longer had to worry about him turning evil or anything. I also loved the part because Leo deserved love and it wasn’t fair that he had to spend ages on a boat with 3 couples while he was alone. There were a lot of good parts of the book, but this was definitely the best one, and I really hope that Leo can keep his promise.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall the book was incredible and there wasn’t anything in it that I didn’t enjoy; it was perfect. One thing that I really enjoyed, which was a bit surprising, was that all seven demigods from the prophecy had their perspectives included in the book. I thought it was strange to have seven different points of view because sometimes it can be too much and it can ruin the book but for some reason it just made the book even better. I loved getting to hear from all seven half-bloods and I definitely didn’t find it at all annoying. It also surprised me that I didn’t find a single characters point of view annoying. Usually there is a character that I just hate and whenever it gets to that one the only thing I am thinking about it moving on to a different character, but out of all the seven characters not a single one annoyed me and I loved hearing from all of them. Another thing that I liked about the book was the character development. There were quite a few characters that changed during this book and I really enjoyed seeing them become better people and become more confident in themselves. I also liked it because it made the plot a lot more interesting because the characters started to become stronger so, even though the path got tougher, they were still able to succeed and defeat any monster that stood in their way. One last thing that I loved about the book was that, despite being separated, the characters still managed to stay connected and help each other. I loved seeing how they didn’t lose their connection and were still able to time things so perfectly that if it wasn’t a book it would have been impossible. But the whole series is full of impossible things becoming possible so I was not at all surprised by it. The House of Hades was a great book and I am very excited to read the last book in the series. I will be sad to see the series finish but also glad that the final battle is finally here.
Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3 or 4?
All four books are amazing and I really loved them, however I think that The House of Hades (the fourth book) is the best book so far. The first book, The Lost Hero, and the second book, The Son of Neptune, were equally incredible, and The Mark of Athena was better than both of them, but I think that The House of Hades succeeds them all. It seems impossible that an amazing series manages to get so much more amazing but somehow so far each book has been better than the last. One reason why The House of Hades is the best book is the perspectives included in the book. I really enjoyed hearing from all seven half-bloods and I was very surprised to see that I didn’t find it at all annoying to have so many points of view; instead it just made the book even more amazing. Another reason why the book stands out is because the characters were split up. I know that in the first 2 books the characters were split up but it was different in the fourth book and it made the book even better. I liked how even while separated the characters were still connected and it made things a lot more interesting to see them apart, leading 2 different adventures. I really liked how it kept thing a lot more tense and intriguing, but I was also glad when the found each other again. Overall all the books in the series so far have been amazing, but the fourth book was just a little bit better.
Would you recommend this book?
I definitely recommend you read this book if you are over 12 and have read the Percy Jackson series and the previous books in this series. It is a great book for action and adventure lovers and I am sure that anyone who reads it will love it.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A deadly adventure leading to the Doors of Death, full of mystery, action and more.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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