Book Review: The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

The famous Greek god of the sun, archery, music and (bad) poetry, Apollo, has gotten into some trouble with his father, Zeus. Apollo has been outcasted as a sixteen-year-old mortal boy and will have to face many trials to become the god he once was. The Oracle of Delphi has been inactive, unable to produce prophecies, so Apollo sets off to Camp Half-Blood to hopefully find some help from the demigods there to restore the Oracle's power. 

3.5/5 stars

It's been a while since I posted a review, so here's my incredibly late review of The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan.

I was highly anticipating the release of this book, just like so many other people. I had pretty high hopes, after all, we were promised more of the seven and Camp Half-Blood. However, I was let down by this book. Don't get me wrong, it definitely wasn't a bad book, but it fell short for me. I found I wasn't flying through it like some of Rick's other books, and I just didn't love the new characters. 

Spoilers ahead.

Let's talk about the negatives of this book first. As a mentioned above, I wasn't a huge fan of the new characters. I didn't hate Apollo, but he wasn't my favourite of Rick's protagonists. He was just mediocre for me. Then there was Meg. Honestly, she was a bit annoying, and not in a good way. The new side characters, Apollo's children, didn't stand out for me either. I just wish we got to see more of the old characters, like Nico and Will. Also, we only got to see two of the seven, Percy and Leo. We didn't even get to see Annabeth (but I guess she was in Boston with Magnus), and we only got minimal updates with the remaining seven, which I found disappointing. 

One of the pros for me is that it looks like Leo is going to be playing a larger part in this series, which is great because he was one of my favourites of the seven. 

Also, Solangelo became canon! Although, I'm slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see more of them. I also appreciated that Apollo was openly bisexual, and Rick treated it like it was a completely normal thing (which it is). It's really great that his books are getting more and more diverse.

The fact that Nero was basically made into a god because people remembered him opened up a whole new can of worms in this universe. Does that mean anyone with a Wikipedia page can become a god? 

On the topic of Nero, do you think Meg will stay loyal you him? I think that she will realize that she was being abused and will have a character arc throughout the series, eventually coming over to the good side. Hopefully she will also become less annoying.

Overall, The Hidden Oracle was a slight disappointment, but still enjoyable.

Quick and Easy Reads

Recently I've been wanting some enjoyable books that are easy to read and/or that I can just plow through as I'd been feeling slightly slumpy (although I think that as mostly passed now), so I thought I would compile a list of quick and easy reads.

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Let's get the obvious out of the way. This series is super fun, quick and easy to read because of Rick's great writing style. Really, any of his books are, but more so the first few books in this series before they start getting too serious. I flew through these as I'm sure many others have.

2. The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Disclaimer: I've only read the first two books in the trilogy. These aren't the lightest books, but they are quite easy to read. The writing isn't too dense for a fantasy novel, which is quite a contrast from some other fantasies.

3. The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

I'm pretty sure this is everyone's guilty pleasure read. The characters aren't great (especially America), the plot is mediocre, the world building is pretty bad and the writing is only middle of the road, but somehow it just hooks you. I originally was going to stop after the original three, but I was feeling slumpy a few months ago and picked up the last two (although I have no intentions of reading Happily Ever After) on a whim and whipped through them. 

4. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This was another book that I picked up on a whim recently and whipped through. It's a light contemporary, and usually I try to avoid them since I don't usually enjoy them as much as most people, but I picked it up because I wanted something different. Although I found the plot got increasingly unrealistic, I still enjoyed it overall.

5. The Shatter Me Trilogy by Tahereh Mofi

This trilogy is super easy to get through and has some beautiful prose (although I do find they can be over the top sometimes). However, they aren't the lightest or fluffiest reads.

6. The Split Second Duology by Sophie McKenzie

This duology hasn't gotten much attention, but I think it would appeal to anyone looking for a fast-paced and action packed read. My copies have fairly large text too, and that seems to also speed up the reading process for me.

7. Since You've Been Gone and The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

These are the only two Morgan Matson books I've read (well, I'm reading The Unexpected Everything right now), and they are the epitome of light summer reads. They would definitely be a great read for right now.

8. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

If you are looking for a fast-paced and action filled book, READ THIS. I absolutely love this book, and never wanted to put it down!

9. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

This is my favourite Rainbow Rowell book, and I got through this even faster than her smaller contemporaries. I just really loved it and its characters (especially Baz). 

Hope these recommendations help! They are just what I whipped through and found easy to read, so some of them may not be the same for you. Let me know in the comments some of your favourite quick and easy reads!