My Thoughts: The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan

• Age Range: 10 and up 
• Series: Heroes of Olympus (Book 4)
• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Disney-Hyperion (October 8, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423146727
• ISBN-13: 978-1423146728
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds

"At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?
They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus"-Goodreads

My Thoughts:
Wow...The House of Hades was awesome! Plot development, character revelations, powers! I'm in amazement.

Each character in The House of Hades, receives their own POV. A first in the Heroes of Olympus series As a result of this, we get a multi-faceted story, seen from the eyes of seven unique people. It was very interesting to see what all the demigods thought of each other.

*My first self-made gif*

Another benefit of multiple POV's, is that every hero got to exhibit their skills. Including Piper with her Charmspeak, and Nico with his spirit-senses. Old powers and new were displayed throughout; and every character had their own role to play. Even some forgotten friends were cast for this grand production. (Did I say grand? I meant "Deathly".)

As is expected from a Riordan fan, I read through this novel like a madman. The plot was tightly knit, and never once slacked. While The House of Hades had less physical "action" than its predecessors, warfare was waged on another medium. One that utilized a bit of the supernatural...

But enough of my rambling. Lets get to the paragraph you've all been waiting for; Tartarus. As the title implies, Percy and Annabeth's adventure begins in the pit of eternal suffering. A dark and dangerous place that until now, has never been fully explained. So it comes no surprise that I took great interest in the dynamic duo.

Turns out, Tartarus is quite the horrible place. I don't want to spoil any of Rick's descriptions, or Percy's near-death Epiphany, but I can assure you that Tartarus is not a place you want to be in....

And with that dark note, I'm going to end my review. The House of Hades was a stellar book, filled with emotional conflict, action, and demigods. I'm already anticipating the Blood of Olympus. Here's to another year of waiting!
My Rating: 4.8/5 Reader's Rating: