(B+) 79% | Good Notes: On flex appeal and deadly deals (trial period's free), bit story-sterile, could use more peril and more present enemies.
*Progres(B+) 79% | Good Notes: On flex appeal and deadly deals (trial period's free), bit story-sterile, could use more peril and more present enemies.
(B+) 77% | Good Notes: An art attraction, packed with action, plot is loose at best, a too-convenient, prowess-lenient, haphazard refuge quest.
*Progres(B+) 77% | Good Notes: An art attraction, packed with action, plot is loose at best, a too-convenient, prowess-lenient, haphazard refuge quest.
(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: Hot spring heat-ups, melee meetups, fathers search for kids, some big escapes, cuts and scrapes, rescues hit the skids.
*Pro(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: Hot spring heat-ups, melee meetups, fathers search for kids, some big escapes, cuts and scrapes, rescues hit the skids.
(A-) 80% | Very Good Notes: Schemes and framing, war inflaming, slaughter, demolition, infatuation complications, myths recounted see fruition.
*Progres(A-) 80% | Very Good Notes: Schemes and framing, war inflaming, slaughter, demolition, infatuation complications, myths recounted see fruition.
(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: Anti-magic bigotry, extermination villainy, a lot of tears and sympathy, a very Moses infancy (the hero’s a facsimile).
*Pro(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: Anti-magic bigotry, extermination villainy, a lot of tears and sympathy, a very Moses infancy (the hero’s a facsimile).
(B+) 76% | Good Notes: All once again/remember when? nostalgia's fuel-injected, low-energy and monster-free: past vibes aren't quite reflected.
*Check o(B+) 76% | Good Notes: All once again/remember when? nostalgia's fuel-injected, low-energy and monster-free: past vibes aren't quite reflected.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)[
Progress updates:
08/29/2024 - Preamble (1) Okay, I've put off reading this book for way too long. This is one of those pre-order purchases I just forgot about because I was never in the mood or was otherwise preoccupied. - But with the sequel coming out imminently I finally have my motivation. (2) I've not been following the hype so I don't know what I'm in for. - Well, except that Riordan's going pack it with '80s references, as has been his wont.
08/30/2024 - Chapters 1–6 [image] (1) "[My mom] hummed as she worked—some Nirvana song, I think. 'Come as You Are'?" - Well, in terms of pop culture references, it seems like Rick Riordan's graduated from the '80s to the '90s. (2) This plot feels a lot lower stakes than usual. - It's been so long since these books have been anything other than an "end of the world" situation. (3) "'Now, let’s see what brochures we have.' [Eudora] rummaged through her desk. 'Poly Tech. BU. NYU. ASU. FU. No, no, no.'" - This being set in and around New York, I can only assume "FU" is more than just a dirty pun, and stands for Fordham University. My cousin went there. - I can't say that I know any "ASU" in the Northeast. (4) "Eudora flinched. 'Or we could look at some backup schools. Ho-Ho-Kus Community College is very nice!'" - I had to look it up, and it turns out Ho-Ho-Kus is a real place, and not just a funny name. - Though, as a reference, it's super regional. You'd pretty much have to know the area to get it. (5) I've always maintained that part of Riordan's success with these books is that they run on video game logic. - Specifically, point-and-click adventure games and its chain of favors. - This doesn't disappoint. Percy needs three favors from three different gods, and each book in this apparent trilogy is a quid pro quo quest. (6) Himbo Juice seems to be a gender-swapped version of Hooters. Objectified waiters dressed in tank tops. - "Himbo," of course, meaning male bimbo. - I know the characters are close to college-age here, but it's an oddly risqué addition to the series. As an after school hangout, The Max from Saved By the Bell this is not. (7) The way this whole sequel series is set up, is seems as if Percy, Annabeth and Grover are running a detective agency. - The scene where they meet with Ganymede and discuss the problem he wants solved is a scene right out of Sherlock Holmes. (8) There are a lot of implicit callbacks at the start of this book. - Percy musing about blueberries on pizza is a reference to his enjoyment of blue-colored food. - Percy complains about gods always losing personal items and asking demigods to find them, which is a reference to the very first book and several of the companion stories. (9) Annabeth suggests her and Percy do a karaoke duet of "Shallow." - No idea what this was, I had to look it up. The 2010s are my cultural blind spot. - Sometimes this series makes me feel so out of touch!
08/31/2024 - Chapters 7–13 [image] (1) Percy and Annabeth summon the goddess Hebe by singing a karaoke duet of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." - Man, these pop culture references are all over the place! I doubt any single person would get them all, you know, outside of Rick Riordan. - "Jealous Guy" is a pretty deep cut. I doubt you'd actually be able to find it on a karaoke menu. (2) We also get a group of baby boomers singing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Percy gets annoyed by this and wants to tell them the flowers are outside. - Percy being annoyed by boomers and mocking them is a running gag in these Hebe Jeebies chapters. I mean, what gives? Is Rick Riordan a self-hating boomer? (3) "Hebe's expression turned from smug to 'resting goddess face,' which was not a good thing." - I suppose "resting goddess face" implies all goddesses act like b-words. Which, given the totality of these books, isn't exactly wrong. (4) Percy breaks the fourth wall and says he's typing this story, not just narrating. - I wonder if he's been typing these stories the whole time? or at least the ones he narrates. - There is precedent for this. Carter and Sadie Kane presented their books as audio cassette recordings. (5) So far, this book has felt more like the companion short stories than the novels. - Percy points out that this quest is entirely local, which would explain it. The travelogue component is a big part of the books, whereas there's no room for cross-country questing in a short story. - Also, we're mainly dealing with minor deities here, plus the world's not ending. As I mentioned in a previous update, the stakes seem smaller. (6) For homework, Percy has to read a short story "about that guy who liked to open cans." - Riordan drops this reference twice, with no follow-up, as if it's obvious. - Am I meant to know this? I'd like to think I'm fairly well-read, but I have no clue what he's talking about. (7) There's this demigod Blanche, daughter of Iris. She rebels against her rainbow goddess mom by being all about black-and-white. - I mean, if your demigod kid is named "Blanche," the fact that she has color-draining powers should surprise no one.
09/01/2024 - Chapters 14–19 [image] (1) Grover plays Duran Duran's "Union of the Snake" on his panpipes to lure away snakes. Kind of like St. Patrick crossed with the Pied Piper, except he gets chased. - Hmm, you'd think snakes would find snake songs charming, you know, snake charming. - He also plays YMCA and The Beatles' "Help," so it probably didn't need to be snake-themed. (2) This whole Iris quest is pure point-and-click adventure game. It's an out-of-the-blue menial task in exchange for a favor. - If that's not enough, she literally has a to-do list of tasks for demigods when they come around. So it's extra-unrelated to the core mission. (3) "I was too impressed to argue. Look at my old friend [Grover] taking charge and kicking grass." - Part of me thinks this whole tall-grass setting was done simply to make that grass pun. (4) "Rivers have a tough life ... I wouldn't want people turning me into a drainage ditch, or dumping sewage in me, or building a dam generator on me, or a dam anything, really." - We get a callback to the dam jokes from "The Titan's Curse." - It seems as if the primary goal of this book isn't to tell an exciting story but to trigger nostalgia. (5) I finally get why there's chickens and snakes on the cover art! - They're the animal obstacles in each of the two goddess missions. - Interesting how there's only been ordinary animals so far and not any mythological creatures. (6) I must say that this whole Iris quest is pretty weak, maybe the weakest of all the books. - The main adversary is a hipster yoga instructor, which would be fine if he leaned into the gimmick, but all we get is a penchant for herbal tea and a "get off my lawn" attitude. - It's not nearly as fun or exciting as the Hebe quest that preceded it.
09/02/2024 - Chapters 20–28 [image] (1) "Paul says [Bob] Dylan was one of the best twentieth-century poets. I mean, the guy can rhyme leaders with parking meters. I guess that’s something?" - First of all, assonance, while no doubt lyrical, is not rhyming. - Secondly, as someone who rhymes nearly all my reviews, I'm no poet. While no piece of cake, rhyming does not a poet make. (2) "'Hey, Paul.' I gave him a fist bump. 'Beat any good monsters lately?' he asked. 'You know. Just the usual.'" - By "Just the usual," I guess he means none. Because there have been zero monsters in this book. I mean, unless you count gods acting monstrous. (3) "...all the gods would throw burnt toast at me like we were at a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show." - Okay, how does Percy know this? It's not exactly common knowledge. - Is he someone who goes to midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Percy's either been at school or camp since he was twelve, I can't see him having midnights free. - Seems like yet another example of Rick Riordan projecting. (4) Percy: "That stuff freaks me out ... It looks like radioactive honey." Annabeth: "No, it's not radioactive, honey." Percy: "I see what you did there." - I do enjoy a good pun! - Is Annabeth going to start calling Percy "honey"? Because, honestly, "Seaweed Brain" is getting really old. (5) "I imagined a bunch of ladies in billowy green-and-brown dresses dancing around a tree hung with healing crystals, like a Stevie Nicks cosplay convention." - Gee, how far back are these references going to get? Are we just going to assume Percy's a '60s and '70's aficionado? (6) So, they do Iris this favor and she just tells them the answer? - That's pretty weak. At least make it a clue and have one of them figure it out. (7) Percy makes reference to "The Picture of Dorian Grey," which he mistakenly calls Earl Grey. - I had no idea Percy was so well-read. By all accounts, he shouldn't be. He's dyslexic, for one. - Makes me wonder whether the "short story about a guy who liked to open cans" was meant to be equally obvious. (8) The whole Geras fight is fairly static and unexciting. - Percy essentially beats him by taking an expression literally. While clever, it's not exactly dramatic, nor what you'd expect from this series. - Sadly, this book seems to have peaked early with the killer chickens.
09/03/2024 - Chapters 29–35 [image] (1) As a distraction, Grover hula-hoops while playing "Get Lucky" on his panpipes. - I know the song's a decade old but, as a reference, it feels brand new and shiny compared to all the oldies mentioned in this book. - Possibly, it's Grover's way of wishing Percy good luck on his mission, or an attempt to will success into existence via song. (2) Percy goes on a long rant complaining about brunch. Which feels kind of odd, I can't see him being subjected to many brunches. - Probably Paul Blofis' doing. Doesn't seem like a Camp Half-Blood or Gabe Ugliano thing, and I don't think he'd complain at all if it were Annabeth or his mom's idea. (3) "I Got You, Babe" makes for perfect elevator music. No complaints there. - Though, I wonder whether it's actually a reference to Groundhog's Day. You know, since it's being played on a loop, and 600 floors of it might feel interminable. (4) "A line from an old movie flitted through my head: When someone asks you if you’re a god, you say yes!" - Uh, the movie he's alluding to is a little film called Ghostbusters. - The fact that he only refers to it as "an old movie" makes me feel ancient. - I actually remember quoting that line myself in an update for a previous Riordan book, though I can't remember which. (5) "Demi bags—as in bags of leftovers for demigods—were a real thing." - You know, I never considered that gods might think of demigods as pets until this doggy bag pun. - Though, seemingly, demigods are the opposite of pets since companionship, especially between gods and their offspring, isn't really a thing and demigods aren't dependents so much as they're depended upon (for quests). (6) "My mom told us that her book had received its first one-star review online, even though the book wouldn’t be out for several more months. Apparently, the reviewer didn’t like that the title Love Songs of the Gods promoted paganism." - Likely a jab at Goodreads, since Riordan's fairly active on this site and has probably experienced that exact situation more than he can count. (7) Paul plays Dave Brubeck as dinner music, which is a lot more appropriate than Bob Dylan. - If anything, because you don't need to pay attention to lyrics in order to appreciate instrumental jazz. (8) A very good final scene to end the book on, though nothing special or anything that hasn't been done better in previous books. Just a very ordinary boyfriend/girlfriend moment. - Along with the letter-writing scene before it, it's nice but a bit too cozy a note to end on. - Really, it exemplifies this whole book, being comparably low-energy. I like my Percy Jackson stories with more monsters, more peril and more highly-caffeinated. (hide spoiler)]...more
(A-) 83% | Very Good Notes: Poignant fights if villain-light (the foe is fairly blah), no peace of mind, just ties that bind, all weighty, rough and ra(A-) 83% | Very Good Notes: Poignant fights if villain-light (the foe is fairly blah), no peace of mind, just ties that bind, all weighty, rough and raw.
(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: All fisticuffs, it's stunning stuff, an artwork exhibition, plot's okay, stretched-out and strays, but still an ace renditi(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: All fisticuffs, it's stunning stuff, an artwork exhibition, plot's okay, stretched-out and strays, but still an ace rendition.
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory Notes: An asymmetric assemblage: awful, acceptable and above average articles, altogether adequate, albeit absent any (B) 75% | More than Satisfactory Notes: An asymmetric assemblage: awful, acceptable and above average articles, altogether adequate, albeit absent any aces.
(C+) 65% | Almost Satisfactory Notes: Harley in-name-only, shoehorned, super-superficial, simply too much whinge, and pretty cringe, just awful artific(C+) 65% | Almost Satisfactory Notes: Harley in-name-only, shoehorned, super-superficial, simply too much whinge, and pretty cringe, just awful artificial.
(B+) 78% | Good Notes: Expressively fluid with art (hits the spot), shining in action, though sadness protraction dilutes and belabors the plot.
*Progre(B+) 78% | Good Notes: Expressively fluid with art (hits the spot), shining in action, though sadness protraction dilutes and belabors the plot.
(B) 73% | More than Satisfactory Notes: Spans stupid to strong, often draining, prolonged, every issue's too long, irritating, drags on like an overpla(B) 73% | More than Satisfactory Notes: Spans stupid to strong, often draining, prolonged, every issue's too long, irritating, drags on like an overplayed song....more
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