A great sampler that gives a good peak into the new book in the world of Percy Jackson. I can’t wait to read the full book and follow Nico and Will’s adventure, and I know long time fans of this world will definitely enjoy this.

A really fun sampler! I really enjoyed delving back into the world of Percy Jackson after all these years.

A great addition to the Riordanverse! Sometimes I wish this book wasn’t so grounded in current times (ex. Lil Nas X reference), but I loved seeing more of Will and Nico’s relationship.

This chapter sampler contained all the heart and humor that I'm used to from Rick Riordan, balanced with the emotional depth that I'm already beginning to love from Mark Oshiro's writing. The powerhouse combination of the original series' wit and fast-paced action along with the deeper, more "adult" struggles plaguing the main character of this new book make for an intriguing, entertaining, and heartwrenching story all at once.

I was so excited when this book was announced since some of my favorite characters were finally getting their own book! Gloriously brilliant in its myth-laden storytelling and riotously funny in the signature Riordan way, reading The Sun and the Star felt like returning back home in best possible way. However, after reading it, I need a few days to recover from how good it was and the emotions it brought out of me.

Really disappointed with the writing style in this book how it comes across much more juvenile compared to all of Rick Riordan's other books . All of the characters are also very out of character and speak in ways they never have in the multiple books they appeared in previously.

Step back into the world of Demi Gods as Nico finally gets his own story. Nico has been having dreams, or nightmares really, about his friend Bob who was left behind after Percy's travels into Tartarus - and Nico has to get him out. So Nico and his boyfriend, Will Solace, set off on a quest into the depths of the Underworld to find Bob and bring him back - not truly knowing what they will have to face. These first chapters drew me in completely, and I could not wait to read the full book.

My childhood dreams have been achieved. Ever since I first read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, I loved with Nico Di Angelo, and I always wished that there was a book in his POV, and we finally got one! This short sampler proves that it was absolutely worth the wait, and I can’t wait to dive in to the rest of the book. Nico and Will are one of my favorite couples in fiction, and I can’t wait to read more about their adventure. Thank you for the eARC Netgalley!

From the World of Percy Jackson: The Sun and The Star

By: Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

Publish Date: 2 May 2023

Publisher: Disney Publishing Worldwide, Disney Hyperion

Children’s Fiction/Middle grade

#FromtheWorldofPercyJacksonTheSunandTheStar#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both Disney and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace must endure the terrors of Tartarus to rescue an old friend in this thrilling adventure co-written by New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan and award-winning author Mark Oshiro.

As the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo has been through so much, from the premature deaths of his mother and sister, to being outed against his will, to losing his friend Jason during the trials of Apollo. But there is a ray of sunshine in his life–literally: his boyfriend, Will Solace, the son of Apollo. Together the two demigods can overcome any obstacle or foe. At least, that’s been the case so far…

Now Nico is being plagued by a voice calling out to him from Tartarus, the lowest part of the Underworld. He thinks he knows who it is: a reformed Titan named Bob whom Percy and Annabeth had to leave behind when they escaped Hades’s realm. Nico’s dreams and Rachel Dare’s latest prophecy leave little doubt in Nico’s mind that Bob is in some kind of trouble. Nico has to go on this quest, whether Mr. D and Chiron like it or not. And of course Will insists on coming with. But can a being made of light survive in the darkest part of the world? and what does the prophecy mean that Nico will have to “leave something of equal value behind?”

Nico will have to face demons both internal and external as his relationship with Will is tested to the core in this standalone adventure featuring two of the most popular characters in the Percy Jackson saga.

Book Review:

I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed going back to world of the demigods. I am glad that Nico finally got his story told. He had a rough life, and this book helps tells us about what he went through and is going through. I did have one problem with this book and that is that it took way too long to get where they were going. I found myself getting bored. I loved the friendships that they made along the way and how if wasn’t Nico it was Will. Without these friends I don’t think they would have ever made it if though it seemed to take a long time. I like how both Nico and Will supported each other as the underworld was messing with them and they had to rely on each other, or the quest wouldn’t have succeeded. I loved the ending and felt it was the right ending to give these two. Who would have thought that the son of Hades and the son of Apollo would love each other? I am glad that this book was a standalone. I recommend this book if you really want to know what happens to Nico.

I really loved this book. It was such a uniue story structure. I also love seing nico and will be lead characters in thier story!! It was a relaly well crafted read and i think this was a great quest advneture that was both new and fresh but pulled from percy history. I loved seeing some previous characters and just flew through this book!! I thoguht this book was so refreshing! !

Rick Riordan may be the co-writer of this book, but the voice of Mark Oshiro and Rick Riordan fits seamlessly into the Percy Jackson universe. We get this story from the perspectives of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace. Nico is a familiar character to fans of these series.. He's appeared in multiple works, but Nico is currently in a state of growth. He is working through symptoms of trauma and learning how to love, trust and settle into his tribe. This is relatable to most of Riordan and Oshiro's target audience even if all the sources of trauma are not the same. Nico's journey is especially frightening as he is is not only a child of Hades- cause for depression if there ever was one- but he has been forced out and is having to learn to be comfortable with the world knowing his truth and judging him for it. His lifeline, if you will, is his literally sunshine boyfriend, child of Apollo, Will Solace. Together, they enter a quest to Tartarus to find and save the innocent Bob and Bob's cat. You can expect cameos from past characters, clever adaptations of mythological elements, as well as the typical sarcasm and dad jokes. But what's at the heart of this book is Will and Nico learning that what will make their relationship stronger isn't digging into the grumpy/sunshine trope. It's the journey of learning each other's perspectives and letting this knowledge mold them into better and stronger versions of themselves. (Unless, of course, we get an unhappy ending in which they dig into grumpy/sunshine and it rips them apart, which isn't typical of Riordan work). .

Oh my gods I love Nico and Will!! I loved the whole book and all the different messages. I honestly wish we could have more books with these characters because they are my favorite.

I didn't realize going in that this was just a few chapters, which was basically torture! As soon as I finished, I wanted to read the rest of the book. Absolutely adorable.

I think this was a very well done book. I think it was a great example for youth to see someone struggling with something, and not necessarily overcoming it, but finding a way to accept themselves for who they are and find ways to cope. It also is a good lesson in allowing yourself to rely on trustworthy people in your life. I think with series like this, you come to love certain characters, so it's always a little disappointing to not have more of that (i.e.Percy) but I think Nico was a great character is the overall series and it was great to see him get his own story.

How generous of Rick Riordan to write a book that I never knew I needed. The House of Hades feeds my love for Nico well but it feels like we are spoiled fans for having him as a main, main character in a book. This reminds me how superb his writing style is, the plot that keeps me going, the ironically satisfying sleepless nights that I had.

To the author, cheers for more adventures that you will bring us!

Thank you Netgalley and Hatchette Books for this ARC.

After reading this excerpt I had to get the book. Nico and Will care for and support each other under any circumstance. The characters are very true to themselves. What little is shown of their relationship gives a good sense of who they are and how they fit into their world. Nico is still his depressing little old self and Will is still the sunshine. Their bickering is very endearing.

Nico and Will were a much-needed dose of sunshine, hope and nostalgia mixed with the dash of pain RR never forgets to add. i was giddy and i was swooning. i was laughing and i was holding back tears. it was a whirlwind and so worth revisiting a series i haven’t read in years.

I’m sad that this was only a sample because I had to wait until the book was released to talk about it, because wow, this book blew me out of the water. I already knew I would like it because I am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson universe, but I had no idea how much this book would personally mean to me.

I am 28, and started reading PJO when I was Percy’s age, around when the books actually started coming out. Nico di Angelo came out of the closet in Heroes of Olympus even before I did to myself. I didn’t realize the impact he had on me until much later, ironically much like Nico himself, who in a beautiful bit of fourth wall shattering, doesn’t realize his impact on the queer people at Camp Halfblood just like his impact on IRL queer readers.

Taking into account this is a middle grade to YA novel and I’m an adult, I was surprised at the emotional maturity being explored (not because kids can’t have or shouldn’t have that), but the level of focus it had. Rick and Mark really listened to how fans interpreted this character, shaped by so much trauma, and made a book about being a queer person navigating PTSD in a long term relationship. rather than just a book about their queer romance, or dealing with trauma as a teen. Ironically, many of the things Nico comes to realize about himself, his trauma, and his relationship were things I had to work out on my own in my 20s, and reading this felt like looking back on my own journey, despite it being about a teenage boy.

This book felt like a great addition to this universe, because it examines the impact these insane circumstances have on a child, which is what has always made these books stand out. Rick has always emphasized the horrors of being a demigod, rather than making it an adventure kids want to go on alongside these kids. But Mark and Rick did a masterful job not only balancing styles between each other, but also not making it a full on constant trauma fest, letting us revel in the small moments in Will and Nico’s relationship, giving us more depth to Nico’s love for his friends, and giving us more insight into Will as a person.

I guess you could read this book having not read every single other PJO/HOO/TOA novel, but I don’t think it would hit as hard, to be honest. And that’s a good thing - this novel as an emotional epilogue on the three series feels perfect. Nico was always the odd man out in every series, so it’s fitting he get the final say in his odd book out, so to speak.

For example, Nico’s reckoning with being outed, a scene in the HOO books that was quite controversial, might not hit as hard without the context, despite TSATS on its own doing a great job to describe it, especially with Jason’s relationship to Nico. This book reframing that scene as something that does happen to queer people and how they navigate it can be complex was important, though, and a really good example of how Rick has learned over time to fix past mistakes. (In this case, having a queer co-writer reframe those events adds this new context).

This novel also emphasizes all the things that make Nico great, things implied in other books and vehemently defended by fans for decades at this point. Just like Percy’s fatal flaw of loyalty, Nico’s selflessness that only others like Will are able to point out to him becomes a central theme. The book, just like his loved ones, emphasizes how his heroism comes from his care and emotional intelligence for others, his thoughtfulness for those forgotten by everyone else, a hero of the marginalized, as he is in real life, too.

I cried several times reading this book. I also laughed, as PJO books always make me do (and there’s a very funny extremely niche Star Wars reference that I asked Mark about on Twitter that was apparently on purpose!) The whole time I kept thinking about how important this book will be in some kid’s life. Maybe in their queer identity, maybe in dealing with their trauma, maybe in navigating a new teen relationship. I hope this book doesn’t get banned somewhere. I know if I’d had it as a kid things might have turned out differently for me. Thank you so much for this book.

I didn't realize this was just an excerpt. Waited to review until reading the whole book.

A little bit slow in the beginning, but a solid entry into the world of Camp Half-Blood. A must read for Percy Jackson fans. For grades 5 & up.

This was only an excerpt so can't really "review" it! Though I will say it was nice being back in the Percy Jackson multiverse :)