The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena, by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by Nicholas C. Cordeiro

        A flying boat peacefully flies through the air, preparing to land in the Roman camp, Camp Jupiter. Then – BOOM! A statue explodes on the deck. We’re under attack! Man your stations! Wait – no. False alarm. It’s just the god Terminus fussing over the rules as usual. All is well. You know, just another exploding statue. No big deal. The boat stays suspended in air. Three Greeks (Leo, Piper, and Annabeth) and one Roman (Jason) climb down into Camp Jupiter. They’re reuniting with Percy (another Greek) and end up picking up his two Roman friends on the way (Hazel and Frank). Those seven are the protagonists in the book. They’re attempting to create a treaty between the Greeks and Romans so they can fight their enemy, Gaea, which is the conflict. Unfortunately, the air between the two groups are a little tense, as the Romans and Greeks fought in ancient times. So when Leo decides to fire on the Roman camp with his flaming ballista for some reason, the group receives no help from the Romans and must fight Gaea on their own. In addition, they now must have to avoid the Romans. They also cannot get reinforcements from the Greek camp, Camp Half-Blood, because the Romans are invading it. The group travels across the U.S. and makes their way to Rome, where they must begin their quest against Gaea. The many settings include Camp Jupiter, the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Kansas, Atlanta, Charleston, someplace in the Atlantic Ocean, the Strait of Gibraltar, and Rome.

        For all who decide to read this book, I applaud you. This was one of the best books I have ever read. Rick Riordan mixes humor into his writing, and has so much detail that you can imagine the book in your head. Every character has such a distinct personality, and each chapter is in the voice of a different protagonist. In one chapter, you might be reading as Leo, who has a laid-back personality and makes a lot of jokes, and in the next, be reading as Annabeth, who is in a desperate situation and is very serious. This book never makes you get bored. However, the one best thing about this book is the ending. This book by far has the best ending I have ever read. It is an amazing cliffhanger ending. If you read this, you will have to read the next book. Aside from how great the book was, it made me think about two things. The first is never giving up on your friends, and the second is always staying by your loved ones. I’m not going to tell you why, you’ll have to read the book and find out yourself. Read it! Now!

Honorable Mention

Sent

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

The Battle of Skandia

Erak’s Ransom

The Kings of Clonmel

The Lost Stories