The Demigod Diaries By: Rick Riordan

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• Title: The Demigod Diaries (The Heroes of Olympus)
• Author: Rick Riordan
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Publication Date:  August 14, 2012 
• Pages: 256
• Genre: Fantasy
• Recommended Age(s): 9+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Purchase 
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 stars

These types of books are probably some of my favorites in the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus Series because they provide the most interesting backstories on the characters. 

This particular volume includes short stories on Percy and Annabeth, right after the Battle of Manhattan, as seen in The Last Olympian, as well as a story from Thalia and Luke from when they were still on the run. Additionally, there is an interesting interview with George and Martha, Hermes' snakes, and even an adventure with Leo, Jason, Piper, and a bunch of crazy Maenads who just want to party. 

Every single one of these stories was absolutely fascinating because I got to glimpse a little of what my favorite heroes were doing in their *free* time. It was really nice just seeing Percy and Annabeth together, attempting to have a nice day, and getting some of that classic Percy first person POV that I've kind of missed while I've been reading the Heroes of Olympus series. I thought that Luke's adventure with Thalia was especially eye-opening and I got a little sad, reading about Luke and seeing what might have been if things had gone in Luke's favor. And of course Leo's story was absolutely hilarious and I just couldn't stop imagining him and his friends getting into even more entertaining trouble!

The last story in this book is actually by Haley Riordan, Rick Riordan's son, who actually inspired Rick to write down the original Percy Jackson series after Rick ran out of the original Greek myths to tell his son. I thought it was great for Rick to debut his son's writing, because Haley's story, called "The Son of Magic" was by far my favorite story in the entire collection. It certainly was darker and grittier than his father's style of writing, but it was nonetheless fantastic. Haley addresses questions that I'm sure many of us have had about various aspects of the demigod world, like what's up with The Mist? And what happened to all the kids who were on Kronus' side during the war? 

I recommend reading this book after finishing the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and after the first Heroes of Olympus book, The Lost Hero, so that you are up to speed on everything that is happening. But regardless of when you really end up reading this book, you sure will not be disappointed!

Heartless By: Marissa Meyer

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• Title: Heartless
• Author: Marissa Meyer
• Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
• Publication Date:  November 28, 2016
• Pages: 453
• Genre: Fantasy
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2017
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

Catherine has stolen the heart- and the stomach- of the King of Hearts, but would love nothing more than to forget him and open her own bakery. Until she meets Jest, the mysterious, witty, and wonderfully refreshing court Jester. The two enter a whirling romance at the risk of her parents, and the king's, wrath. However, as it is in Wonderland, not everything is as it seems- and it seems that fate has other plans for her. 

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This book. Wow. I greatly enjoyed Marissa Meyer's writing in The Lunar Chronicles, so I picked up her new book excited for the ride I was about to take. And man, was I right!

This book follows the origin story, per say, of The Queen of Hearts, and it starts out nice and soft-frothy even, and I fell in love with many of the characters right away, enjoying the whimsy of it all. This book was also filled with descriptions of scrumptious sounding food, so that maaaaay have helped a bit. The fantasy also reminded me of the whimsy I loved so much in The Night Circus, though both novels end up having their own brand of magic. However, as the story progresses, it becomes very dark, very fast, and I absolutely adored this book for that. This book is a tragedy- a beautiful, emotionally writhing mess of feelings- and I wouldn't have it any other way.

What I think I loved most about this book was the balance it had between familiarity and unfamiliarity. I have never read the original Alice in Wonderland books, and have had lukewarm feelings towards the Disney versions, but this world was still highly recognizable, while still bringing in a new twist. Even if you have read the Alice books, you wouldn't necessarily know what is going on because Meyer still brings in fresh characters that seem wonderfully at home in this setting. (ha- see what I did there?) There is a very Victorian setting amid all of this, with the lovely overtones of female oppression, and Catherine is not having any of it by the end.

I loved the characters in this book because, while they seemed a motley bunch at first, they all contain complexities and grow within the course of the novel. I loved the Jester and Raven in particular, with their wit, and Chesire with his trademark sass. They balance out the encroaching darkness of this book and the madness that pervades the edges of the novel- until even they cannot do anything about it.

So whether you're looking for madness, or you're already mad, this book will not disappoint. You'll find yourself in good company because we're all mad in here.

Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo By: Rick Riordan

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• Title: Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5.5)
• Author: Rick Riordan
• Publisher: Harper Collins
• Publication Date:  August 13, 2009
• Pages: 30
• Genre: Fanstasy
• Recommended Age(s): 9+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: ebook
• Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 stars

So PJO and the Singer of Apollo is a thirty page short story in an anthology edited by Jon Scieszka. But not to worry PJO fans, Rick Riordan still wrote it; the only thing is that it is only available via this anthology.

This short story lets us know what happened to Percy Jackson and his friends right after the first titan war and before he gets kidnapped in preparation of the Heroes of Olympus series. It's a quick, light read that gave me the back the sassy, first person perspective of Percy that I love so much.

I was slightly disappointed though because I expected so much more from all this story. I have read other short stories involving Percy and his friends and I was just as entertained reading those as I was reading full fledged novels. The adventure the demi-god friends go on is brief, and I wouldn't normally mind that, but missing that spark I love from hearing Percy's voice in my head. Don't get me wrong, I still loved finding out that this story existed, but was certainly potential that was lost.