the dark prophecy by Rick Riordan

75th book of 2021

Second book in the Trials of Apollo series

Reading period: September 7th 2021 – September 12th 2021

Summary

The god Apollo, cast down to earth and trapped in the form of a gawky teenage boy as punishment, must set off on the second of his harrowing (and hilarious) trials.

He and his companions seek the ancient oracles – restoring them is the only way for Apollo to reclaim his place on Mount Olympus – but this is easier said than done.

Somewhere in the American Midwest is a haunted cave that may hold answers for Apollo in his quest to become a god again . . . if it doesn’t kill him or drive him insane first. Standing in Apollo’s way is the second member of the evil Triumvirate – a Roman emperor whose love of bloodshed and spectacle makes even Nero look tame.

To survive the encounter, Apollo will need the help of a now-mortal goddess, a bronze dragon, and some familiar demigod faces from Camp Half-Blood. With them by his side, can Apollo face down the greatest challenge of his four thousand years of existence?

Rating

Review

In this one, I prefer the character to the plot, but overall I had a great time reading the book.

With this second volume, you understand how the series will be constructed. Indeed, we discovered the second emperor, and let me tell you, I prefer this one. Of course, he is the villain, but despite that, his behaviour is funny. Also, even if Nero is his descendant, I didn’t feel any connection with Apollo; however, the story (that you learn in the book) makes everything more personal and interesting with this emperor.

I like Apollo’s duality. He understands and knows that he isn’t a god anymore, so he starts to understand the complexity of being human; however, he still sometimes acts like a god. All the people he meets in this book learn something to him, not always directly, and even if it takes time, he is slowly changing and questioning himself as a god.

As he is an ancient personality, you rediscover myths and history. Even if you have the fictional part where Apollo includes himself in it, you have the feeling that even after three series of five books about Greek/Roman mythology, there will still be a lot to talk about. Here you have a new goddess and new monsters (I really like Sssssarah.)

The minor issue I had was that the pace slows a lot near the end, but I understand why it’s like that. I also find that communicating with a Magic 8 ball is frustrating.

After this ending which should not be legal, I need to read the next book.

Liz.