Heroes of Olympus IV: The House of Hades

The House of Hades is the fourth book in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan.

Rick Riordan continues to use his talent to bring Greek Mythology in a whole new different light. With his light yet captivating style of writing he keeps his fans on a roller-coaster ride from the first page to the very last.

The House of Hades picks up right where the last book The Mark of Athena left off. Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase fell over the side of the pit and straight into Tartarus. In the beginning of House of Hades, it seems as though they’re falling for what certainly feels like an eternity while their friends, who are literally a world away, are continuing their quest to save them.

Throughout the course of the book, we get the point-of-views of all of our heroes so we aren’t left wondering what’s happening to each of them. As Annabeth and Percy make their way through Tartarus, the others; Jason, Piper, Nico, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Coach Hedge journey toward Greece hoping to meet their friends at the Doors of Death at exactly the right moment as them. This is the most crucial point in the whole book and is guaranteed to keep the fans on the edge of their very seat. It is truly a page tuner.

To say it’s not a quest for the weak-hearted would be a big understatement.

The House of Hades is by far one of the darkest Riordan has written in his Percy Jackson world. It is full of terrible monsters, fights that keep you on the edge, and horrific psychological thrills. Our heroes have to face their darkest nightmares and put themselves to their greatest test yet.

While we already know most of our characters well, having met some of them nine books ago now, even in this book they still find ways to surprise us. Especially for those fans, who were rooting for Percy and Annabeth’s relationship, this book will answer many questions.

As for the other characters that we may think we know, it’s interesting to see another side to them. You think you know these characters well but you’ll be surprised to know how little you know about them and how many of your assumptions will be proven wrong. Each character is written with immense care as friendships continue to grow and some very shocking secrets are revealed which will definitely make you gasp in the least.

The House of Hades is the darkest book in the Heroes of Olympus series, not to mention the Percy Jackson and Olympians series. It will be a shock to many fans to see how many of Percy’s previous actions, which he believed to be in the name of good, will be his undoing while he’s trying to get himself and Annabeth to safety.

The House of Hades could not be any more highly recommended for fans of the Percy Jackson series and I’m sure all the fans (myself included) are already impatiently waiting until the fifth and final book, The Blood of Olympus, is released in the fall of next year.