The Book Addicted Girl: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Series: Heroes of Olympus, Book One

Publisher: Puffin

Format: Paperback

Published: 6^th October 2011

Number of Pages: 576

Book: Borrowed

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mythical, Thriller, Suspense, Humour, Romance, Action-Adventure, Mystery, YA, YA-Child Crossover

Recommended Age: 9+

Contains: Violence, Death

No Alcohol, Drug References

Author's Site: Rick Riordan

Three New Heroes.

One Missing Demigod.

A Curse That Threatens To Destroy Them All…

“What do you want from me?” she screamed. “What have you done with him?”

“Annabeth,” said the bald dude, Butch, “we gotta leave. Let’s get these three to camp and figure it out there. Those storm spirits might come back.”

She fumed for a moment. “Fine.” She fixed Jason with a resentful look. “We’ll settle this later.”

She turned on her heel and marched towards the chariot.

Piper shook her head. “What’s her problem? What’s going on?”

“Seriously,” Leo agreed.

“We have to get you out of her,” Butch said. “I’ll explain on the way.”

“I’m not going anywhere with her.” Jason gestured towards the blonde. “She looks like she wants to kill me…”

Review:

Beware: "The last chapter approaches, just as it did before. The worst is yet to come..."

Jason doesn't know who he is. And not in an identity-crisis, don't-know-who-I-am kind of way. No. Jason has complete and total amnesia. He doesn't even know how old he is. Or that he has a girlfriend called Piper or a best friend called Leo. Or why he's at the Wilderness School: "where the kids are the animals", a place for "bad kids". He just has no idea. About anything.

All he knows is that he has a very, very bad feeling about everything - but especially when he's taken to Camp Half-Blood, where the offspring of the Greek gods go. He has a feeling that he just doesn't belong – especially here. Doesn't belong at all...

Piper was dating Jason. But now he doesn't even remember her. To make things worse, her father is missing – and has been for three days. Ever since she had a foreboding dream, threatening her father's life if she doesn't follow the instructions they – whoever they are – give her.

She doesn't know what everything means. Only that she might have to sacrifice everything to get her father back...

Leo's always been good at making things. He has a way with his hands. So Cabin Nine at Camp Half-Blood feels right – like home. Even if he doesn't really buy any of the demigod crap.

But there's more than meets the eye to Camp Half-Blood, especially with one of the most important campers missing, the Gods being silent, the talk of a mysterious curse and rumours of a missing goddess.

And the possibility of a whole new war, one that reveals a long hidden secret and threatens everything the demigods believe...

Welcome back to Camp Half-Blood, everyone...

I love the Percy Jackson series to death – like literally. So I just had to read this new series. A break in my reading schedule meant I could get stuck in. And, oh, how I wish I'd picked it up much, much sooner! I forgot just how much I love Rick Riordan. His books are action packed, fast paced, addictive, hilarious and just so all-round amazing. And I just adored all the new characters and seeing some of my old favourites. I can't wait to get stuck into the next book – God, I love this world...!

Rick Riordan's characters are always amazing: so real and totally believable. Jason, even though he had no memories, was somehow an amazingly strong character. He was brave and strong and caring, always looking out for the ones he cared about. I'll admit that at the beginning, his lack of memory made him a little flat but his fierce personality and strong spirit just won me over. And Piper was so strong – snarky and totally her own person. I absolutely adored her reaction to finding out who her goddess mother was - it was freaking hilarious! With her strength and determination and iron will, you wouldn't think her mother would be who she is. I just loved her fight, her strength, her spirit: she was the perfect heroine. But Leo was just my favourite. He really was a very, very "special boy". Every time he was in a scene, I was cracking up. And underneath the wisecracks, he was so, so damaged. That damaged, vulnerable side made me love him even more – I love him so, so much that he might just be my favourite character in the whole of this world. At the very least, he's tied with Percy.

I loved all of the new characters – and seeing some of my favourites from the original series. Like Thalia: I’ve always loved her, but even more now we know more about her past. Her story melted my heart! And one of my new faves is Coach Gleeson Hedge - who called everyone "cupcake" and liked to yell "die" all the time and wanted to kill anything that moved. He was hilarious! I also really liked Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths, and Aeolus - he was funny! I also liked the way Riordan portrayed Aphrodite – she wasn't just petty or whatever like she is in most people's minds. Instead she was caring and clever too. And Hera killed me, with her love-hate relationship with our heroes. I especially liked it when she threatened to turn people into an "aardvark". LOL! I loved how we got to know Hera so much better - why she's always so bitter towards demigods. She just makes so much more sense to me now.

I’ve always loved Rick Riordan's writing and I loved the split POVs in this book: our narrators were Jason, Piper and Leo. I felt like we really, really got to know each of our main characters, something I loved. Sure, it made the beginning a little less actiony than the Percy Jacksons, but I loved it so much nonetheless. Especially as the different perspectives seemed to have a different voice – it was all in 3rd person, but it felt like three totally different people. I loved that! Now, Rick always seems to open his books on such classic and amusing one liners that always leave you desperate for more. The Lost Hero, for example, starts with the line: "Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a bad day." Classic or what?! And it so works. I couldn't put the darn book down from that point onwards. Which brings us to the plot. It was amazing! The beginning bit and some of the quest bits gave me a little déjà vu moment for The Lightning Thief - but I didn't really care: I was enjoying it way too much! And I loved how the action soon kicked off with a real bang! I did see bits of it coming, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment in the slightest!

And I really like the romance in the story - enough to keep me completely interested but not so much it would put younger people off.

As I mentioned before: My freaking Gods, I love this world! It kicks all kinds of butt! I so wanna move there and be a demigod at Camp Half-Blood! But quick question: haven't the gods heard of birth-control?! I love all the mythology - especially as we have a whole new set of myths to get stuck into. Man, I wanna go to Camp Half-Blood. But, word of warning - never play "got-your-nose" with a child of Hecate, 'cause they actually take your nose. What else d'you expect from an offspring of the goddess of magic?

It's no wonder Riordan's series are made into films. They're classic cure-reluctant-readers type books – books kids, teens and adults can fall in love with like that, instantly. The books are literally faultless - I honestly can't think of a single negative thing about any of these books!

Action packed, fast paced and so utterly addictive, The Lost Hero had me hooked start to finish, hanging onto every single word and left me wanting more, more, more! I laughed, I was scared, I was hooked. I couldn't get enough. I swear, Riordan is like a freaking drug - you read a single page if one of his books and you instantly need more – to gobble up the whole book and the rest of the series. I'd be more than happy – overjoyed, really – to read all of the books he's ever written back to back in one sitting. So if you're looking for a kickbutt, action-packed, hilarious and just overall fun read, you must check this one out! ASAP!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5