The Heroes Of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Although the entire Percy Jackson series was written with a young target audience in mind, this book is probably the most child-oriented. It featured mundane activities that kids most likely enjoy but made me feel embarrassed for reading this book in the first place. And the reason I read the book, the short stories, fell short of expectation as well. The first story with Luke and Thalia as children roaming the country was definitely the most interesting: getting a taste of their life before Camp Half-Blood and knowing that Luke was foretold he would betray the ones who matter most (absolutely heartbreaking). The other two stories, however, were simply cute, the primary purpose being to foreshadow the Heroes of Olympus series.The one aspect that exceeded expectations rather than falling short was the short story written by Haley Riordan. When I first discovered that Rick Riordan's son would be featured, I thought it would be something ridiculously stupid, in simplest terms. But Haley proved to have his own writing style and developed his own unique characters rather than using those which his father already created. He also explained what happened to demigods who sided with Kronos after the war and the mist. I loved how he handled the former, but disagree with his reasoning for the latter, although I'm willing to simply call it creative differences. My favorite feature of Haley's writing was his tie in of common religious ideas to the plot. At first I was frustrated because the whole point of the Percy Jackson series was that Greek mythology is real and all other religions void over all. But once I accepted that he is a different writer from his father and opened my mind to his story, I realized that his ideas were very interesting and thought provoking without majorly hindering the world of Camp-Halfblood and demigods.Despite my critiques and nit-picks, I would highly recommend Percy Jackson lovers (of all ages) to read this book for the first and last short story and for parents to give their mythology-fascinated children this book as a gift. I know I will in the future. This collection of short stories were exactly what I needed. Ever since The Heroes of Olympus series ended, I've been having some major PJO withdrawals and I was missing pov's from some of my favorites (Percy and Leo). Luckily, that makes up half of this book already. I was even lucky enough to get a pov straight from Luke.Luke's story was a pleasant surprise. I enjoyed getting inside his head pre-betrayal while he was travelling with Thalia. Getting to know Luke's thought process and realizing he was warned about his future (but didn't quite understand) just made me love him even more. Plus, Thalia got Aegis and they met Annabeth! I didn't know I needed this story until I read it!Secondly, I GOT A PERCABETH STORY. I don't think you guys understand how much I love Percabeth, and how much I missed them. Especially in Blood of Olympus. This story was sort of the normal thing for them (fighting monsters, quirky banter, cute moments) but that was exactly what I needed. I still can't get over how sweet of a boyfriend Percy is and how fiercely he loves Annabeth. Just his little one liners and their overall attitude together is what I define as a perfect relationship. Thanks Uncle Rick for giving me some extra Percabeth!A story from Leo's point of view was much appreciated. It wasn't anything special in my opinion, but I was missing the little adorkable Mexican hot head. One thing that did stand out though: Leo's death was foreshadowed at the very end and now knowing what happened at the end of Blood of Olympus, it makes me appreciate Rick Riordan as a writer for planning so far ahead.Lastly, and most importantly, Haley Riordan's story: The Son of Magic. I was really impressed with this story and it makes me respect the kid so much knowing that he's ADHD and dyslexic and he's gotten through that trial and now wants to be a writer! And his writing's good! Honestly, while reading this short story I appreciated the character development, the insights Riordan had on the Mist and the rogue demigods who fought for Kronos. For those of you who haven't read it yet, the basic plot of the story is this: a cynical, skeptical man searching for what happens after death is confronted by a teenage boy who demands an answer that this man, Doctor Claymore, can not answer. Claymore is quickly pulled into the world of Greek gods and monsters and demigods after he found out that the boy, Alabaster, is a son of Hecate, the goddess of magic. I really appreciated Claymore's character development (going from a cynical, arrogant man into a caring guardian who believes in magic and gods and the afterlife) and how well it was executed. It didn't feel rushed, it didn't take too long, it was just right. I actually found myself emotional when Claymore sacrificed himself to save Alabaster and ended up dying. The only thing that I had a (little) issue with was Hecate bringing Claymore back. I thought his death was necessary (and to be fair it was stated by the characters in the story that it was important) but the fact that he was able to come back and have a happy ending with Alabaster because there were no permanent consequences. It's the same issue I had with Blood of Olympus. Sacrifices were necessary, and they were made, but then they were fixed all for the happy ending. Now don't get me wrong, I also like the happy ending, but from a writer's perspective, keeping Claymore dead would have been better. All in all though, I'm excited for more of Hayley Riordan's writing. He definitely is a good writer and has great potential, not to mention a foot that's already in the door thanks to his dad.
What do You think about The Heroes Of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries (2012)?
I really like this book and I am going to keep with my first rating of 4 stars. My favourite short story was the 1 month anniversary picnic turned hunt for Hermes staff. I really enjoy reading about Annabeth (especially) and Percy. I also found the story written by the author's son to be very interesting, though at first I didn't know where it was coming from (it's been a long time since I had first read it).
—Vicki
I really like this book and I am going to keep with my first rating of 4 stars. My favourite short story was the 1 month anniversary picnic turned hunt for Hermes staff. I really enjoy reading about Annabeth (especially) and Percy. I also found the story written by the author's son to be very interesting, though at first I didn't know where it was coming from (it's been a long time since I had first read it).
—reyna
Favourite story: Percy Jackson and the staff of Hermes
—Adi909
