The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus)

by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by

Elizabeth Mosolovich

If, like me, you extremely enjoy the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but disliked the idea of changing main characters in Mr. Riordan's add-on series, Heroes of Olympus, then this review is definitely for you.

First off, while three new characters are introduced and centered on (along with a cast of other never-before-seen characters, such as a son of Iris, other children of Aphrodite, and Hephaestus, and a son of Hypnos) there are some old and beloved characters still attending Camp Half-Blood, like Annabeth, Clarisse, and Chiron. And even though they don't play too much of a part, and we don't see Percy in the first book, be reassured that Annabeth and Percy have a huge role to play in the overall series. Heroes of Olympus, after all, is the fulfillment of the Second Great Prophecy from The Last Olympian.

The new trio, Jason, Leo, and Piper, are introduced to the magical world of monsters and half-bloods as rudely as Percy was, with monster attacks and some (well-intentioned by rather ineffective) advice from a satyr. Picked up and taken to camp, it's immediate something is wrong, especially with Jason, who both remembers none of the past 15 years of his life, and seems to know things already about the secret world of demigods — only with Roman styles and customs.  He should not be there; he belongs somewhere else — and finding out where and why he isn't there is part of the quest he and his new-found, only-slightly remembered friends, Leo and Piper. Traveling to Quebec on a metal dragon, fighting against demigod-hungry cyclopses, and uncovering another plot to destroy the gods keeps these new half-bloods on their toes in the first installment of Rick Riordan's second Olympian god series.

Whether you're a recurring fan, or the first Olympus book you've picked up is The Lost Hero, I'm sure you'll enjoy the humor and witty banter in this book. Told in three revolving, third-person voices, it's fast-paced and adventurous, and leaves on a cliff-hanger that will make you wide-eyed. Eventually, as the series goes on, it'll be hard to understand many things if you haven't read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but the whole thing is still a good read anyway. I highly recommend it.

North of Beautiful

by Justina Chen

Reviewed by
Elizabeth Mosolovich

Sixteen year old Terra Rose Cooper is a beautiful girl — except for a huge, port wine stain on the right side of her face; this birthmark is the reason she, her classmates, and her family (especially her verbally and emotionally abusive father) consider her to be ugly. But armed with her skin kit of sunblock, moisturizer, medical concealer, foundation, and powder, Terra plans to finish high school in three years, go off to college, and be successful enough that no one can tell her what to do or how to act, birthmark or no birthmark.

Until then, however, she's stuck with a demoralizing father, an obese and passively demoralized mother, and two older brothers who, just as eager to leave home, have abandoned her to live their own lives. She does have a boyfriend, though he's rather muscle-headed and sex-driven, whom she stays with because who else will have her? Between her home and school environment and everybody telling her she should fix her face, Terra's view of True North and true beauty are truly twisted.

Enter in Jacob, an adopted Chinese boy her age with a cleft lip, whom she literally almost runs into with a car. Jacob has fitting-in problems of his own, which he fights back against aggressively with his own sense of style. As Terra and her mom get to know Jacob and his mom, she begins questioning her life plan, and when her brother invites her and their mom to visit him in Shanghai, Terra (and her mother) finally begin realizing what beauty is, and that maybe they've had it in them all along.

This book, overall, was astounding. Terra's struggles are real and clearly felt through the pages, and every important character is layered and given a voice in this story, though told exclusively in Terra's point of view. This is a great, emotionally charged book that I recommend for everyone, especially those wondering and struggling with the idea of true beauty.