Reading “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” by Rick Riordan is 100% my guilty pleasure.

I mean, what’s a better way to discover Greco-Roman mythology than reading about demigods in modern day America living those myths. Which is why, when on May 1st of this year, I was super excited to get my hands on Riordan’s new book “The Trials of Apollo: The Burning Maze.”

I literally searched all over Cleveland for days just to get it, and it was so worth it. I loved it so much, I just have to review it.

Now, even though it’s been almost a month since the book was released, I still want to put this disclaimer here: this review of “The Trials of Apollo: The Burning Maze” contains SPOILERS. So if you haven’t read it yet and really want to, stop reading now because there will be spoilers.

Everyone good? I assume if you’re still reading, you’ve either finished the book or you don’t care about spoilers.

First of all, let me just say: “Oh my gosh! Jason!” I can’t believe he actually killed Jason! Come on! The characters from “Heroes of Olympus” were supposed to be safe, weren’t they? Now Jason’s vision of telling his and Piper’s grandkids about how he fought the giants in Athens will never come true.

Actually, to be honest, I never really cared for Jason Grace to begin with. I just... don’t know. He never really appealed to me; however, his death is still shocking. I mean, Riordan needed a catalyst for the rest of the series and to show readers how much is at stake. I guess killing a beloved character from the previous series, who is not Percy Jackson (because literally everyone would take to the streets if that happened), was an effective way to do that.

The character development throughout “The Burning Maze” is great. That is probably the best part of the entire book. Seeing how human Apollo is becoming, how he’s developing empathy for his mortal friends, and how he is actually growing as a person is wonderful. Apollo in the beginning of the series would have never sacrificed himself the way Apollo did in this book. And Jason’s death really helps propel that character growth throughout the second half of the book.

Speaking of character development, when did Piper McLean become a badass? Probably when she was introduced in “The Lost Hero,” but that’s beside the point. She, as well as Jason before he dies, may have felt slightly out of character from their appearance in the “Heroes of Olympus” series (and I have found several complaining about it), but this series takes place like six whole months after the end of “Heroes of Olympus.”

Characters aren’t static (that would make them extremely boring) and we only ever saw Jason and Piper within the context of “Heroes of Olympus.” Obviously, they’ve both undergone character development since. I think the change in both of their personalities within this book is justifiable since they’re under completely different circumstances than they were when they were introduced. It’s really not something to whine about, Tumblr.

Overall, “The Burning Maze” had a few purposes that I believe it accomplished. The first purpose was, of course, to introduce the third emperor in the Triumvirate — the main villains of the series. The second was character development for Apollo. Then the next one was the resolution of some of Meg’s back story and her working towards solving her inner conflicts. And the final purpose was raising the stakes for the characters as they head into the final two books of the series.

With the death of Jason Grace, two oracles still under control of the Triumvirate, and the impending threat hovering over Camp Jupiter, the stakes for Apollo have never truly been higher. Apollo is finally beginning to realize that his return to godhood is not the only thing he has to lose. And since Apollo and Meg are heading towards Camp Jupiter, it’ll be interesting to see the fallout of Jason’s death amongst the Roman.

The action throughout the novel keeps you on your toes. And Apollo, dare I say, may even be a better narrator than Percy Jackson.With the raised stakes and the promise of Frank, Hazel, and Reyna (our favorite Roman demigods) appearing, I seriously cannot wait for Fall 2019 when “The Tyrant’s Tomb” is released.

4.5/5 stars. Definitely recommend that every “Percy Jackson” fan reads this