The Hidden Oracle

Title: The Hidden Oracle
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 376
Rating: 5 Stars
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After being cast down to Earth as a sixteen year old mortal boy, the great god Apollo is forced to make his way through New York as he tries to figure out how to get his old, powerful being back.

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I loved this book. Everything about this novel was fantastic. I was a little skeptical about reading it, because while I did enjoy the Sword of Summer, I didn't love it as much as the originals. This novel though? This one might possibly be my favorite Riordan book yet. Of course, some of that might have to do with the fact that you do finally get to see what's been going on with the characters we met earlier on.  Which, I must warn you, the nostalgia is a little powerful during this book. 

Anyway, I don't know if anyone of you did this, but back when I first read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I chose my own godly parent. I was a self-acclaimed daughter of Apollo, blessed by Athena. I know, it's a mouthful, but I had trouble picking a favorite between Athena and Apollo. But in the end, Apollo was my favorite god, because he was just so light-hearted, and I felt like at times he was the most normal god. (Which isn't saying much, but still.) 

So the point of me telling you all that was to show you that Apollo is my favorite Greek god. And as you can imagine, I was quite thrilled when I found out a whole series was being released about him- from his perspective. 

That brings up another interesting point. I believe this is the first time we've read from a god's point of view. The gods and goddesses are known for their eccentric tendencies, and I was always wondering what was going on in their minds when they did the crazy things they did. Now we have a whole novel, told in first person, from the perspective of a god. It was just fun (and quite comical at times) to read from a god's point of view. 

And to my delight, this book continued in Rick Riordan's beloved humorous tone, and I found myself laughing at multiple points in the novel.

So if you're at all skeptical about reading The Hidden Oracle, don't be. It's well, well worth your time. A well deserved 5 stars to this one. 

Oh! And watch out for chapter 15! Each chapter title is a famous, Apollo haiku, and chapter 15 happens to be my personal favorite.