What do you think?
Rate this book
The Trials of Apollo #2
The Dark Prophecy
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Middle Grade & Children's (2017)Zeus has punished his son Apollo--god of the sun, music, archery, poetry, and more--by casting him down to earth in the form of a gawky, acne-covered sixteen-year-old mortal named Lester. The only way Apollo can reclaim his rightful place on Mount Olympus is by restoring several Oracles that have gone dark. What is affecting the Oracles, and how can Apollo/Lester do anything about them without his powers?
After experiencing a series of dangerous--and frankly, humiliating--trials at Camp Half-Blood, Lester must now leave the relative safety of the demigod training ground and embark on a hair-raising journey across North America. Fortunately, what he lacks in godly graces he's gaining in new friendships--with heroes who will be very familiar to fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series. Come along for what promises to be a harrowing, hilarious, and haiku-filled ride. . . .
After experiencing a series of dangerous--and frankly, humiliating--trials at Camp Half-Blood, Lester must now leave the relative safety of the demigod training ground and embark on a hair-raising journey across North America. Fortunately, what he lacks in godly graces he's gaining in new friendships--with heroes who will be very familiar to fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series. Come along for what promises to be a harrowing, hilarious, and haiku-filled ride. . . .
432 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2017
11861 people are currently reading
94068 people want to read
About the author
Rick Riordan
354 books449k followersRick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,091 reviews
May 8, 2017
I tried to think of a brilliant plan. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to mind was weeping in terror.
What an absolute dork. I love him so much ♥
Honestly, Apollo is hands down my favourite character that Riordan has ever created. I know all of these books have the same light, humourous tone, but none of the others seem to make me laugh so much. Apollo is just so sassy and snarky, and his disdain for humans rings with hilarious truth.
I think I like these Apollo stories so much more because they feel the most unique. Many of the other voices - e.g. Percy Jackson and Magnus Chase - started to blend together after a little while, and their characters were hard to distinguish from one another. And the plots of the other books seemed to move in similar cycles of prophecy-quest-resolution, whereas this and The Hidden Oracle contained more surprises.
Did I mention that it's full of laughs?
"Oh!" I said. "Um...nah." I leaned against the wall, hoping to look casual, attractive and suave. Unfortunately, I missed the wall.
Also, I just kind of love that Apollo is a narcissistic ass. Don't get me wrong, I praised the Percy Jackson series for being all about how a seemingly regular kid discovers he is actually so much more and proceeds to become a hero. This is a great message. But sometimes there is just something so delightful about a character who is definitely NOT a hero and doesn't even pretend to be.
In this book, Apollo has left Camp Half-Blood behind and is venturing out to restore Oracles and - hopefully - regain his place on Mount Olympus after Zeus cast him out and made him human. It is full of adventure, haiku and mechanical dragons, as well as some great LGBTQ+ representation (Apollo is, himself, bisexual). I can't wait for more.
Quick note: there are spoilers for the Percy Jackson books, so maybe don't read this if you haven't read them yet.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube
February 28, 2021
"Hail, Toilet Caesar"
"I don't like spoilers."
With The Hidden Oracle's prophecy unraveled, our ex-god - demigod - ex-sorceress trio is already on the way towards the second stage of the journey. As if it hadn't been funny enough with all the bad things which kept happening to Apollo, Leo is back, not only to add his own share of humor, but to torment Apollo whenever possible.
"That is one messed-up Oracle."
"Defense Plan Omega - falling to my knees and begging for mercy."
An entirely new set of vivid characters help move along the plot, which is somewhat longer than the first, while letting us meet a couple of characters we had encountered in PJO and HoO. Environs of Commodianapolis was interesting, and I have no complaints. I liked all the new characters, and hope at least some of them will make re-appearances down the line. Unlike in PJO and HoO, the storyline seems to be moving along the main plot line. Even with the first person narrative in PJO, we had a number of sub-plots while moving towards doomsday, but ToA appears to have no sub-plots so far. I do miss that a little.
"LO. THE MORTAL DOTH FINALLY SHOW SENSE."
It's interesting to see how Riordan has chosen to allow Apollo to look back to his godly days and regret every now and then. It's not predictable at all and quite unusual. One instance, he'd recall something and regret his behavior as a god, and then another moment, he'd argue he was entitled to do so, even without reason. This rollercoaster of guilt keeps on the move throughout the story, and even more pronounced than it did in The Hidden Oracle. Very amusing way to observe Apollo's character evolvement.
"THY LEVELS OF STUPID ASTOUND ME."
"MY WISDOM DOTH NOT SPEW FORTH ANSWERS AS IF 'TWERE GOOGLE."
Things are beginning to escalate, but haven't reached PJO-HoO status.. not yet... Hope it'll change soon.
"We only fail when we stop trying."
"I SHALL SAY NO MORE TO YOU, BASE VILLAIN! THOU ART NOT WORTHY OF MY SAGE ADVICE!
"I don't like spoilers."
With The Hidden Oracle's prophecy unraveled, our ex-god - demigod - ex-sorceress trio is already on the way towards the second stage of the journey. As if it hadn't been funny enough with all the bad things which kept happening to Apollo, Leo is back, not only to add his own share of humor, but to torment Apollo whenever possible.
"That is one messed-up Oracle."
"Defense Plan Omega - falling to my knees and begging for mercy."
An entirely new set of vivid characters help move along the plot, which is somewhat longer than the first, while letting us meet a couple of characters we had encountered in PJO and HoO. Environs of Commodianapolis was interesting, and I have no complaints. I liked all the new characters, and hope at least some of them will make re-appearances down the line. Unlike in PJO and HoO, the storyline seems to be moving along the main plot line. Even with the first person narrative in PJO, we had a number of sub-plots while moving towards doomsday, but ToA appears to have no sub-plots so far. I do miss that a little.
"LO. THE MORTAL DOTH FINALLY SHOW SENSE."
It's interesting to see how Riordan has chosen to allow Apollo to look back to his godly days and regret every now and then. It's not predictable at all and quite unusual. One instance, he'd recall something and regret his behavior as a god, and then another moment, he'd argue he was entitled to do so, even without reason. This rollercoaster of guilt keeps on the move throughout the story, and even more pronounced than it did in The Hidden Oracle. Very amusing way to observe Apollo's character evolvement.
"THY LEVELS OF STUPID ASTOUND ME."
"MY WISDOM DOTH NOT SPEW FORTH ANSWERS AS IF 'TWERE GOOGLE."
Things are beginning to escalate, but haven't reached PJO-HoO status.. not yet... Hope it'll change soon.
"We only fail when we stop trying."
"I SHALL SAY NO MORE TO YOU, BASE VILLAIN! THOU ART NOT WORTHY OF MY SAGE ADVICE!
August 7, 2025
(A-) 81% | Very Good
Notes: Quite animal-focused, unwavering locus (not travel-inclined), much sadness and madness from curse-addled minds.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
Notes: Quite animal-focused, unwavering locus (not travel-inclined), much sadness and madness from curse-addled minds.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary:
May 23, 2017
More like 3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this book, I really did. Apollo was hilarious (again).
But to be honest, I didn't feel it had anything special or memorable. It was just okay.
I enjoyed this book, I really did. Apollo was hilarious (again).
But to be honest, I didn't feel it had anything special or memorable. It was just okay.
Want to read
May 12, 2017*UPDATE*
It's out. We did it guys. We made it through the waiting.
And boy, was it worth it. (Full review coming soon!)
****
"Expected Publication: 2017"
2017
2017
WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL 2017
UPDATE: On further reflection I've decided to add a handy guide to help you get through this wait. Here are some steps I recommend from experience:
-Obsessively re-read The Hidden Oracle
-Obsessively re-read the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series
-Obsessively re-read every single thing Rick Riordan has ever written
-Repeat three steps above
-Scour the internet for interesting and exciting theories about this book
-Read many, many fanfics of the Trials of Apollo
-Write many, many fanfics of the Trials of Apollo
-Enjoy a brief respite when Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor comes out
-Freak out when you see the cover for The Dark Prophecy when it's released
-Freak out when you read the excerpt when it's released
-Continuously repeat steps 1-3
Interject all of that with a healthy dose of cursing Zeus for not bringing this book to you faster and freaking out every time you realise you're going to have to wait till next year for the book, and you should be good.
Hope that helps... I'm going to, yeah you guessed it, re-read the Hidden Oracle...
It's out. We did it guys. We made it through the waiting.
And boy, was it worth it. (Full review coming soon!)
****
"Expected Publication: 2017"
2017
2017
WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL 2017
UPDATE: On further reflection I've decided to add a handy guide to help you get through this wait. Here are some steps I recommend from experience:
-Obsessively re-read The Hidden Oracle
-Obsessively re-read the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series
-Obsessively re-read every single thing Rick Riordan has ever written
-Repeat three steps above
-Scour the internet for interesting and exciting theories about this book
-Read many, many fanfics of the Trials of Apollo
-Write many, many fanfics of the Trials of Apollo
-Enjoy a brief respite when Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor comes out
-Freak out when you see the cover for The Dark Prophecy when it's released
-Freak out when you read the excerpt when it's released
-Continuously repeat steps 1-3
Interject all of that with a healthy dose of cursing Zeus for not bringing this book to you faster and freaking out every time you realise you're going to have to wait till next year for the book, and you should be good.
Hope that helps... I'm going to, yeah you guessed it, re-read the Hidden Oracle...
August 11, 2023
4.5 Golden Stars
welcome to Comedy fantasy, part 2!
Rick Riordan books, especially this series is so refreshing, that it could make your whole day a lot brighter!
he writes astonishingly; great choices of words, planning events & making the story goes on excitingly & by adding unique fun makes it double awesome. He inserts everything needed to make a book BREATHTAKING & INTERESTING! (the plot trio! fun, thrills, feels)
why I love to re-read? because I find new clues (after reading next book(s) in the series) & I did in this one too. [2018: Dec 10-Dec 17 ] & I'm delighted.
I loved it & enjoyed it, not as much as book 1 (or 3), but it was amazing! brilliant!
WOW! Apollo! I didn't see that (those?) coming!
-
Plot: ★★★★/5
I laughed. (well... Apollo is hilarious.)
-GPS?
-Godly Positioning System
Apollo & were at each other's throats all the time, from the beginning.
his narration is unique pure fun!
& emotional
I love a good cry over a book, which happened several times in here. it had all emotions I loved to read in a book, by which I mean: fun & crushed-my-soul feeings.
Blemmyae were such sweet monsters!
the events in the Palace, the Game & the Cave were exciting & intense.
Last 10 chapters were awesome!
& the last page was just: YAAAS!
-
Written style: ★★★★★/5
no need to tell, how much I laughed. by Apollo, , Apollo, Meg, Arrow of Dodona (!) & many more awesome characters!
I love Apollo's ancient but also modernized style of narration, his 'Shall we?'s, his comparisons when he told his backstories (both memory rushed ones or flash of memories/familiar senses he knew he should have known.) I can tell thousands of examples, but I wouldn't. :P
I love everyone has their own particular voices inside my head; even an echo, a cry, a scream... even a voice in a memory or delusion:
✦ as if Poseidon had come by and cracked the stone with his trident: I want hot water here, and cold water here.
even I could hear a maniac laughter of a ghost echoed from the walls of a caves.
I love that!
Many motivational quotes. <3
✦ We only fail when we stop trying.
& I love all the medical references, & they were mostly funny. :)
-
Characters: ★★★★(★)/5
Characters development made me cry (happy way, not sad) Apollo starts not to be whining or to be selfish too much. (tho his whining were funny, but I like this Apollo more; he is funny & caring & sometimes even smart.)
Peaches!
Lit was interesting & I was happy to see him.
Jo was great!
&
-
World building (setting): ★★★★/5
new monsters (the polite ones) were funny. & I love we traveled from city to city during the whole story & found more mystery spots.
but the general view of this setting was dry, flat & bland. dusts & bricks & routine chores.
-
Idea: ★★★★★/5
welcome to Comedy fantasy, part 2!
Rick Riordan books, especially this series is so refreshing, that it could make your whole day a lot brighter!
he writes astonishingly; great choices of words, planning events & making the story goes on excitingly & by adding unique fun makes it double awesome. He inserts everything needed to make a book BREATHTAKING & INTERESTING! (the plot trio! fun, thrills, feels)
why I love to re-read? because I find new clues (after reading next book(s) in the series) & I did in this one too. [2018: Dec 10-Dec 17 ] & I'm delighted.
I loved it & enjoyed it, not as much as book 1 (or 3), but it was amazing! brilliant!
WOW! Apollo! I didn't see that (those?) coming!
-
Plot: ★★★★/5
I laughed. (well... Apollo is hilarious.)
-GPS?
-Godly Positioning System
Apollo & were at each other's throats all the time, from the beginning.
his narration is unique pure fun!
& emotional
I love a good cry over a book, which happened several times in here. it had all emotions I loved to read in a book, by which I mean: fun & crushed-my-soul feeings.
Blemmyae were such sweet monsters!
the events in the Palace, the Game & the Cave were exciting & intense.
Last 10 chapters were awesome!
& the last page was just: YAAAS!
-
Written style: ★★★★★/5
no need to tell, how much I laughed. by Apollo, , Apollo, Meg, Arrow of Dodona (!) & many more awesome characters!
I love Apollo's ancient but also modernized style of narration, his 'Shall we?'s, his comparisons when he told his backstories (both memory rushed ones or flash of memories/familiar senses he knew he should have known.) I can tell thousands of examples, but I wouldn't. :P
I love everyone has their own particular voices inside my head; even an echo, a cry, a scream... even a voice in a memory or delusion:
✦ as if Poseidon had come by and cracked the stone with his trident: I want hot water here, and cold water here.
even I could hear a maniac laughter of a ghost echoed from the walls of a caves.
I love that!
Many motivational quotes. <3
✦ We only fail when we stop trying.
& I love all the medical references, & they were mostly funny. :)
-
Characters: ★★★★(★)/5
Characters development made me cry (happy way, not sad) Apollo starts not to be whining or to be selfish too much. (tho his whining were funny, but I like this Apollo more; he is funny & caring & sometimes even smart.)
Peaches!
Lit was interesting & I was happy to see him.
Jo was great!
&
-
World building (setting): ★★★★/5
new monsters (the polite ones) were funny. & I love we traveled from city to city during the whole story & found more mystery spots.
but the general view of this setting was dry, flat & bland. dusts & bricks & routine chores.
-
Idea: ★★★★★/5
October 16, 2017
Reading a Rick Riordan book is just pure fun.
August 13, 2023
"It's not how long you live that matters. It's what you live for."
- Josephine.
The Dark Prophecy continues the onerous journey of the god formerly known as Apollo (lol) with consistent wit, humour and hidden gems of lessons and wisdom.
Apollo's personality and promiscuity is brought out in a humorously apt and consequential manner (btw...slut-shaming, regardless of gender, is so vapid. Like it's inane to pick a favourite ice-cream flavour without sampling a bunch of them, lol). Especially, when the antagonist for the novel turns out to be a disgruntled ex-fling (oops).
Meg fulfils the exigencies of her character development satisfactorily and seamlessly dissolves into the persona the situation demands of her through her relevant interactions with Apollo and the secondary characters, thus becoming a memorable deuteragonist with ease.
The villains are evil, thoughtfully chosen and, as some of the most malicious emperors of the Roman empire, they effectively channel the maleficence of their histories and personalities in a befitting fashion.
Rick immaculately superimposes part of Apollo's story on actual history (Commodus' assassination was not as glamorous as depicted in the marvellous movie "Gladiator"), as the audience is submerged in this captivating saga.
Apollo and Meg, supported by compatible secondary characters (Emma, Josephine, Leo, Calypso, Thalia) who leave their own impressions on the story, make for a radiant tale!
- Josephine.
The Dark Prophecy continues the onerous journey of the god formerly known as Apollo (lol) with consistent wit, humour and hidden gems of lessons and wisdom.
Apollo's personality and promiscuity is brought out in a humorously apt and consequential manner (btw...slut-shaming, regardless of gender, is so vapid. Like it's inane to pick a favourite ice-cream flavour without sampling a bunch of them, lol). Especially, when the antagonist for the novel turns out to be a disgruntled ex-fling (oops).
Meg fulfils the exigencies of her character development satisfactorily and seamlessly dissolves into the persona the situation demands of her through her relevant interactions with Apollo and the secondary characters, thus becoming a memorable deuteragonist with ease.
The villains are evil, thoughtfully chosen and, as some of the most malicious emperors of the Roman empire, they effectively channel the maleficence of their histories and personalities in a befitting fashion.
Rick immaculately superimposes part of Apollo's story on actual history (Commodus' assassination was not as glamorous as depicted in the marvellous movie "Gladiator"), as the audience is submerged in this captivating saga.
Apollo and Meg, supported by compatible secondary characters (Emma, Josephine, Leo, Calypso, Thalia) who leave their own impressions on the story, make for a radiant tale!
May 11, 2017
“Please get off!” the trooper wailed. “Please and thank you!”
I hysterically laughed my ass off while I was reading this book on the BTS. The Dark Prophecy picks up after what happened in The Hidden Oracle. Lester, aka Apollo, teamed up with Leo and his girlfriend and comes to Indianapolis to pursue the prophecy he was bestowed. The tone of this book is as good as the first book but the pace is quite slow. Apollo reminded me of Deadpool talking with readers with his sarcastic tone. His development is promiment and what I have expected. His attitude is frivolous as always, you know, but it's the point of this series why it's so much differrent from the Percy Jackson series despite the fact that it's sharing the same world-building.
Leo, on the other hand, is a solid character in this book. Although he is oafish at times, he still got my attention as he did in The Heroes of Olympus. Moreover, the emperor, Commodus, is exactly a narcissistic character that I almost died of laughing, and I think he might be my favorite villain of all time. Meg is one of the best protagonists I've ever seen. From the first half of this book, I thought her character was such a typical heroine, and I had no idea how wrong I was until the very end of this book. She's so intricate !
“He looked like a hallucinating ballerina in boxer shorts,”
The griffins are excellent that However, sometimes I didn't get what Lester were talking about, I knew it's all his music or rhyme, but it's also one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy this fully.
The ending of this led me to the long wait for the next book. Yet I have a gut feeling it's gonna be as exciting as the fourth book of the Percy Jackson series.
“Being productive. Ugh. It's such a human concept. It implies you have limited time (LOL) and have to work hard to make something happen (double LOL).”
December 16, 2017
Most of you must have gotten by now that
I have gotten completely addicted to Rick Riordan. This is the 12th book I have read by him and I read the previous eleven books almost in row. And the thought of any regret didn't even pass before me.
Well, for this book it was much better than the last one. It was more gripping and more interesting. The only thing which was missing here was Percbeth!! Annabeth didn't even appear in the last one. She is helping her relative or something....WHATEVER! I really want PERCBETH IN THE NEXT BOOK!
>>The scene of revelation of Prophecy here was the best. I loved that.
>>In the Blood of Olympus, I was glad that Leo had rescued Calypso. And I was really looking forward to their proper relationship here. But in this book, the spark that should have been in their relationship was drastically missing. I didn't feel liking this ship the way I liked in Heros of Olympus series.
>>And...wow! One of my favourite characters from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is BACK!!!!! Wowowowowow!! Can't wait. Not a chance after the interpretation of the Prophecy.
Regardless of the fact, this book follows the formula of previous books, regardless of it being very predictable (at least for me), regardless of everything, I enjoyed this book. How can you not LOL at his humor? He's got a powerful tool to enchant his readers. And that is freakin' humor!
P.S
So, this is the last book I have read for now. I won't be reading novels for a little long time in future because I am getting very busy. Exams, studies..you know. But I will be reading comics and short stories in this time as they are very short and less addictive than novels. *something is better than nothing*
14 December, 2017
Well, for this book it was much better than the last one. It was more gripping and more interesting. The only thing which was missing here was Percbeth!! Annabeth didn't even appear in the last one. She is helping her relative or something....WHATEVER! I really want PERCBETH IN THE NEXT BOOK!
It’s not how long you live that matters. It’s what you live for.I loved Apollo! His sense of humour is unique in the entire series. He is changing. But I was enjoying his whining more than this. Anyway, I don't mind how he is doing.
>>The scene of revelation of Prophecy here was the best. I loved that.
>>In the Blood of Olympus, I was glad that Leo had rescued Calypso. And I was really looking forward to their proper relationship here. But in this book, the spark that should have been in their relationship was drastically missing. I didn't feel liking this ship the way I liked in Heros of Olympus series.
>>And...wow! One of my favourite characters from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is BACK!!!!! Wowowowowow!! Can't wait. Not a chance after the interpretation of the Prophecy.
Regardless of the fact, this book follows the formula of previous books, regardless of it being very predictable (at least for me), regardless of everything, I enjoyed this book. How can you not LOL at his humor? He's got a powerful tool to enchant his readers. And that is freakin' humor!
P.S
So, this is the last book I have read for now. I won't be reading novels for a little long time in future because I am getting very busy. Exams, studies..you know. But I will be reading comics and short stories in this time as they are very short and less addictive than novels. *something is better than nothing*
14 December, 2017
September 15, 2017
2.5 stars
More than once while reading I've had to ponder: Am I getting too old for Percy Jackson? That thought filled me with such terror I had to drink from my Butterbeer cup and gaze up at my wall of Taylor Swift posters to confirm that, yes, I was a stinkin'no-good millennial who blows her money on stupid shit instead helping the economy.
But as I read on, I realized the problem wasn't me—well, not all me anyway—it's Apollo. I can't stand the whiny human-god. He was great in small doses like with the previous series, but being in his head for 300+ pages is agonizing. All he does is complain about how great he used to be, then sulk about his powerlessness.
I felt like going Kaz Brekker on his ass—"You think you know what pain looks like? Then he would paint a picture for them using his fists." Obviously, this is a very subjective opinion. Lots of reviewers adore Apollo, some actually preferring this series over its predecessors because of him.
Stale jokes aside—I didn't laugh out loud once while reading—the other wonderful stoutheart primary character we're supposed to root for is Meg. Rude, bratty, crude Meg.
I am in no way putting down her character arc. I think it's awesome that her relationship with Nero represents a soft abusiveness, one based on emotional manipulation and attacking her self-esteem instead of hard fists, and lots of kids and younger teens will be able to relate and learn from it. But as an adult-in-training, I feel it could have been written with more finesse. Basically I've read better.
And someone needs to teach Riordan how to properly withhold information without stabbing a big red flag in the narrative soil every time. It was like that in the Heroes of Olympus series, too. A character would think of something foreboding, then right when readers are about to see what the object it, the train of thought snaps off as the characters resolutely thinks, "It can't be THAT monster/Thinking about THAT monster will just make me more scared." Here, the monster's identity is concealed by the Rule of Voldemort—if you say his name, he can and will track you down.
There are positives. Thumbs up for diversity in the form of lesbian parents, Apollo's bisexuality/pansexuality, and fleshing out token minorities. The Hidden Oracle, while retaining many of these features, didn't quite handle it as well, so yay improvement!
I'll continue the series because Riordan is the self-deprecating love I keep running back to, but my expectations will remain at a reasonable height below my ankle socks.
My review of The Hidden Oracle
"I, the most important passenger, the youth who had once been the glorious god Apollo, was forced to sit in the back of the dragon."
More than once while reading I've had to ponder: Am I getting too old for Percy Jackson? That thought filled me with such terror I had to drink from my Butterbeer cup and gaze up at my wall of Taylor Swift posters to confirm that, yes, I was a stinkin'no-good millennial who blows her money on stupid shit instead helping the economy.
But as I read on, I realized the problem wasn't me—well, not all me anyway—it's Apollo. I can't stand the whiny human-god. He was great in small doses like with the previous series, but being in his head for 300+ pages is agonizing. All he does is complain about how great he used to be, then sulk about his powerlessness.
I felt like going Kaz Brekker on his ass—"You think you know what pain looks like? Then he would paint a picture for them using his fists." Obviously, this is a very subjective opinion. Lots of reviewers adore Apollo, some actually preferring this series over its predecessors because of him.
Stale jokes aside—I didn't laugh out loud once while reading—the other wonderful stoutheart primary character we're supposed to root for is Meg. Rude, bratty, crude Meg.
I am in no way putting down her character arc. I think it's awesome that her relationship with Nero represents a soft abusiveness, one based on emotional manipulation and attacking her self-esteem instead of hard fists, and lots of kids and younger teens will be able to relate and learn from it. But as an adult-in-training, I feel it could have been written with more finesse. Basically I've read better.
And someone needs to teach Riordan how to properly withhold information without stabbing a big red flag in the narrative soil every time. It was like that in the Heroes of Olympus series, too. A character would think of something foreboding, then right when readers are about to see what the object it, the train of thought snaps off as the characters resolutely thinks, "It can't be THAT monster/Thinking about THAT monster will just make me more scared." Here, the monster's identity is concealed by the Rule of Voldemort—if you say his name, he can and will track you down.
There are positives. Thumbs up for diversity in the form of lesbian parents, Apollo's bisexuality/pansexuality, and fleshing out token minorities. The Hidden Oracle, while retaining many of these features, didn't quite handle it as well, so yay improvement!
I'll continue the series because Riordan is the self-deprecating love I keep running back to, but my expectations will remain at a reasonable height below my ankle socks.
My review of The Hidden Oracle
June 4, 2017
update: 6/4/2017
Wonderful!
Riordan did a great job on creating the character Apollo! Can't wait for the next book (╥_╥)
The only thing that bothered me a little was the prophecy quest thing that has been a thing in all of Riordan's books.
بسیار عالی!
باید بگم رایردن با شخصیت آپولو شاهکار کرده و درواقع بهترین شخصیتیه که تا به حال به وجود آورده.
تنها چیزی که یه کم اذیتم میکرد این قضیه ی پیشگویی و جست و جو که تو همه ی کتاب های رایردن هست، بود. به غیر از این همه چیز عالی بود. آخ آخ طنزهای آپولو! خیلی خیلی خوب بود :))) عملا روحم شاد میشد.
چیز جالب توجهی که تو کتاب بود، عادی بودن مسائل ال جی بی تی بود و این خیلی خیلی خوبه! واقعا به رایردن بابت چنین کاری افتخار میکنم. البته تو کتاب اول هم شاهد چنین چیزایی بودیم اما به نظرم تو این کتاب بیشتر بود.
خلاصه اینکه اگه دو مجموعه ی قبل رو نخوندین بشینین همین مجموعه رو بخونین خیلی خوبه!! (╥_╥)
********
I. NEED. THIS. NOW.
*CRIES FOR AN ETERNITY*
Wonderful!
Riordan did a great job on creating the character Apollo! Can't wait for the next book (╥_╥)
The only thing that bothered me a little was the prophecy quest thing that has been a thing in all of Riordan's books.
بسیار عالی!
باید بگم رایردن با شخصیت آپولو شاهکار کرده و درواقع بهترین شخصیتیه که تا به حال به وجود آورده.
تنها چیزی که یه کم اذیتم میکرد این قضیه ی پیشگویی و جست و جو که تو همه ی کتاب های رایردن هست، بود. به غیر از این همه چیز عالی بود. آخ آخ طنزهای آپولو! خیلی خیلی خوب بود :))) عملا روحم شاد میشد.
چیز جالب توجهی که تو کتاب بود، عادی بودن مسائل ال جی بی تی بود و این خیلی خیلی خوبه! واقعا به رایردن بابت چنین کاری افتخار میکنم. البته تو کتاب اول هم شاهد چنین چیزایی بودیم اما به نظرم تو این کتاب بیشتر بود.
خلاصه اینکه اگه دو مجموعه ی قبل رو نخوندین بشینین همین مجموعه رو بخونین خیلی خوبه!! (╥_╥)
********
I. NEED. THIS. NOW.
*CRIES FOR AN ETERNITY*
August 27, 2017
"Mientras los dioses vivan, todo ese tiempo te amaré".
"As long as gods shall live, so long shall I love you".
Tras sobrevirir al desastre del Oráculo de Dodona y a la traición de Meg, Apolo debe seguir con su misión de hacer que los demás Oráculos funcionen, se restauren las comunicaciones entre los semidioses y el malvado Triunvirato Romano no se apodere del mundo mortal. Ahora, con la ayuda de Leo (YAY!) y Calypso, Apolo tiene que viajar a Indianápolis, lugar donde las fuerzas perversas del Segundo Emperador se están reuniendo para controlar el Oráculo Oscuro, para salvar a antiguos conocidos y escuchar la Profecía Oscura que los guiará en sus aventuras.
De todos los personajes que han aparecido en los libros de Rick Riordan, Apolo es de mis favoritos. En su condición de mortal como Lester Papadopoulos y sin ningún tipo de entrenamiento de batalla, Apolo como narrador de la historia es un genio. Sigue deleitándonos con sus comentarios de ex-dios, sus haiku malísimos, sus chistes ñoños y su mala memoria. Es imposible no leer La Profecía Oscura sin reírse un poco, a pesar de todas las tragedias por las que pasan los personajes.
Ahora, imagínense un libro en el que Apolo y Leo Valdez interactúan. ¡Oro puro! Nada más que decir.
En esta segunda entrega de Las Pruebas de Apolo, Rick Riordan nos adentra mucho más en la mitología romana, en los ires y venires de Apolo miles de años atrás y nos presenta nuevos personajes que aprenderemos a querer. Jo, Emmie, Litierses, Georgie e incluso una pareja de grifos se volverán partes vitales de la historia. De La Profecía Oscura me gustó muchísimo que Rick Riordan nos muestra que Apolo, incluso en su condición anterior de dios, cometió muchísimos errores e injusticias que, ahora, milenios después, vienen a acecharlo y a cobrarle.
En este libro, a diferencia de en El Oráculo Oculto, Apolo tiene mucho más los pies en la tierra y asume que debe ganarse de nuevo su inmortalidad por él mismo, pues si bien tiene amigos como Leo, Calypso y Meg, los méritos debe ganárselos con el sudor de su espalda. Y así lo hace, en este libro Apolo toma muchísimo más las riendas de las situaciones y empieza a actuar no sólo preocupándose por sí mismo, sino preocupándose por los demás y sacrificándose si es necesario.
La Profecía Oscura es un libro lleno de venganzas, explosiones, muertes, segundas oportunidades y momentos de redención. Con la profecía que nuestros héroes obtienen al final, Rick Riordan abre el camino a siguientes libros más complejos, con más peligros, poderes recuperados y reencuentros de personajes que extrañamos muchísimo de otras sagas.
"As long as gods shall live, so long shall I love you".
Tras sobrevirir al desastre del Oráculo de Dodona y a la traición de Meg, Apolo debe seguir con su misión de hacer que los demás Oráculos funcionen, se restauren las comunicaciones entre los semidioses y el malvado Triunvirato Romano no se apodere del mundo mortal. Ahora, con la ayuda de Leo (YAY!) y Calypso, Apolo tiene que viajar a Indianápolis, lugar donde las fuerzas perversas del Segundo Emperador se están reuniendo para controlar el Oráculo Oscuro, para salvar a antiguos conocidos y escuchar la Profecía Oscura que los guiará en sus aventuras.
De todos los personajes que han aparecido en los libros de Rick Riordan, Apolo es de mis favoritos. En su condición de mortal como Lester Papadopoulos y sin ningún tipo de entrenamiento de batalla, Apolo como narrador de la historia es un genio. Sigue deleitándonos con sus comentarios de ex-dios, sus haiku malísimos, sus chistes ñoños y su mala memoria. Es imposible no leer La Profecía Oscura sin reírse un poco, a pesar de todas las tragedias por las que pasan los personajes.
Ahora, imagínense un libro en el que Apolo y Leo Valdez interactúan. ¡Oro puro! Nada más que decir.
En esta segunda entrega de Las Pruebas de Apolo, Rick Riordan nos adentra mucho más en la mitología romana, en los ires y venires de Apolo miles de años atrás y nos presenta nuevos personajes que aprenderemos a querer. Jo, Emmie, Litierses, Georgie e incluso una pareja de grifos se volverán partes vitales de la historia. De La Profecía Oscura me gustó muchísimo que Rick Riordan nos muestra que Apolo, incluso en su condición anterior de dios, cometió muchísimos errores e injusticias que, ahora, milenios después, vienen a acecharlo y a cobrarle.
En este libro, a diferencia de en El Oráculo Oculto, Apolo tiene mucho más los pies en la tierra y asume que debe ganarse de nuevo su inmortalidad por él mismo, pues si bien tiene amigos como Leo, Calypso y Meg, los méritos debe ganárselos con el sudor de su espalda. Y así lo hace, en este libro Apolo toma muchísimo más las riendas de las situaciones y empieza a actuar no sólo preocupándose por sí mismo, sino preocupándose por los demás y sacrificándose si es necesario.
La Profecía Oscura es un libro lleno de venganzas, explosiones, muertes, segundas oportunidades y momentos de redención. Con la profecía que nuestros héroes obtienen al final, Rick Riordan abre el camino a siguientes libros más complejos, con más peligros, poderes recuperados y reencuentros de personajes que extrañamos muchísimo de otras sagas.
July 3, 2017
I honestly don't know how Rick Riordan's books keep getting funnier but they do somehow. Being in Apollo's head, while annoying at times, is hilarious.
I enjoyed this book but didn't *love* it. I think Apollo just doesn't appeal to me as much as Percy or any of the other Demigods, but it's really interesting and entertaining to have a new perspective. I'm excited to see where it goes next!
I enjoyed this book but didn't *love* it. I think Apollo just doesn't appeal to me as much as Percy or any of the other Demigods, but it's really interesting and entertaining to have a new perspective. I'm excited to see where it goes next!
December 3, 2017
WHY YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK:
● lesbian warriors who gave up immortality to live with each other & build a home open to anybody who doesn't have one
● bisexual main character
● a talking arrow who sprouts bits of shakespearean wisdom randomly (yes he's my favorite character,, riptide who?)
● Apollo's narrative is genuinely hilarious (and completely different from all of riordan's characters so!! look forward to that!!)
● Meg McCaffrey?? why is everyone sleeping on her she's a GODDESS (not a real goddy person) i would trust this 12 year old with my life
● Leo & Calypso are basically main characters and yes their story is everything you could want after BoO and more ()
● the next book will have the entire squad from Heroes of Olympus and idk about you but that's a reunion i'm not going to miss for a hundred sand dollars
● lesbian warriors who gave up immortality to live with each other & build a home open to anybody who doesn't have one
● bisexual main character
● a talking arrow who sprouts bits of shakespearean wisdom randomly (yes he's my favorite character,, riptide who?)
LEAVEST THOU WELL BEFORE DAWN. ’TIS A COUNTER-COMMUTE, AYE, BUT THERE SHALL BE CONSTRUCTION ON HIGHWAY THIRTY-SEVEN. EXPECTEST THOU TO TRAVEL ONE HOUR AND FORTY-TWO MINUTES.● a riordan character with a screwed moral compass who goes through HEAPS OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you somehow…checking Google Maps?”
A long pause.
● Apollo's narrative is genuinely hilarious (and completely different from all of riordan's characters so!! look forward to that!!)
“Meg, what I'm about to do - never, ever try this on your own." I felt a bit silly giving this advice to a girl who regularly fought monsters with golden swords, but I had promised Bill Nye the Science Guy I would always promote safe laboratory practices.
● Meg McCaffrey?? why is everyone sleeping on her she's a GODDESS (not a real goddy person) i would trust this 12 year old with my life
● Leo & Calypso are basically main characters and yes their story is everything you could want after BoO and more ()
● the next book will have the entire squad from Heroes of Olympus and idk about you but that's a reunion i'm not going to miss for a hundred sand dollars
June 19, 2017
I'm so tired of the shameless liberal advertising in books lately. I'm seeing it in nearly every YA book I pick up, but reading it in a middle grade book, a book meant for children, was the last straw. It prompted me to finally write something about this vastly growing issue.
There I was, happily content to be reading some fun Rick Riordan mythology again, when suddenly a huge sign with the words LIBERAL BRAINWASHING AHEAD popped up. You know when you're in the middle of watching a YouTube video and a thirty second ad interrupts that just about ruins the whole video? Yeah, that's how it felt when Riordan decided to throw some of his political views into this book.
The worst part is this book is for kids. Children are reading this. Children as young as eight should not be subject to adult matters - such as a lesbian couple, which this book promoted in chapter six.
Would people be okay if someone wrote about a drag queen in a children's book? What if child characters went to a strip club? No? Then why, I ask, is it okay to put a lesbian couple, portray two women living together, and promote your own shameless political agenda, in a book meant for young, easily impressionable minds?
Whether you support the LGBT+ community or not is beside the point. People have the right to hold whatever opinions they want. But I think all adult matters should be kept out of kids' entertainment, and it's horrible when adults try to sneak it in because they think it's "funny" or they're trying to push their own personal agenda.
War, alcoholism, suicide, sex, prostitution, or any other adult things should not be put in children's books. Adults keep those topics away from children for a reason - they're too much for them to handle. And I don't think sexual identification should be put in children's books either, when the young minds reading them haven't even begun to develop sexually yet.
Look, my whole problem wasn't even that there were gay characters in this book. My problem was that Riordan was so obviously including them just for the sake of "representation." Representation of different groups is a great thing, and I love when I come across a genuinely diverse book… but when the author is trying so hard to make their book diverse to earn brownie points, it comes across as unnatural and takes away from the story.
Anyway, the gay thing is so overdone by now it's getting ridiculous. It's one thing when you have an actual gay character like Radu from And I Darken and it makes sense for them to be gay. But when you throw in a gay character just to get your LGBT+ brownie points and they're only in the book for, like, two seconds? If I were gay, I would be insulted by this "representation."
Please, move on to something new.
There I was, happily content to be reading some fun Rick Riordan mythology again, when suddenly a huge sign with the words LIBERAL BRAINWASHING AHEAD popped up. You know when you're in the middle of watching a YouTube video and a thirty second ad interrupts that just about ruins the whole video? Yeah, that's how it felt when Riordan decided to throw some of his political views into this book.
The worst part is this book is for kids. Children are reading this. Children as young as eight should not be subject to adult matters - such as a lesbian couple, which this book promoted in chapter six.
Would people be okay if someone wrote about a drag queen in a children's book? What if child characters went to a strip club? No? Then why, I ask, is it okay to put a lesbian couple, portray two women living together, and promote your own shameless political agenda, in a book meant for young, easily impressionable minds?
Whether you support the LGBT+ community or not is beside the point. People have the right to hold whatever opinions they want. But I think all adult matters should be kept out of kids' entertainment, and it's horrible when adults try to sneak it in because they think it's "funny" or they're trying to push their own personal agenda.
War, alcoholism, suicide, sex, prostitution, or any other adult things should not be put in children's books. Adults keep those topics away from children for a reason - they're too much for them to handle. And I don't think sexual identification should be put in children's books either, when the young minds reading them haven't even begun to develop sexually yet.
Look, my whole problem wasn't even that there were gay characters in this book. My problem was that Riordan was so obviously including them just for the sake of "representation." Representation of different groups is a great thing, and I love when I come across a genuinely diverse book… but when the author is trying so hard to make their book diverse to earn brownie points, it comes across as unnatural and takes away from the story.
Anyway, the gay thing is so overdone by now it's getting ridiculous. It's one thing when you have an actual gay character like Radu from And I Darken and it makes sense for them to be gay. But when you throw in a gay character just to get your LGBT+ brownie points and they're only in the book for, like, two seconds? If I were gay, I would be insulted by this "representation."
Please, move on to something new.
May 4, 2017
MAY 2017?
December 29, 2017
He intentado que me guste este libro. De verdad. Pero no he sido capaz, y no sé qué me pasa últimamente con todo lo que leo de Rick Riordan pero me da muchísima pena no estar disfrutando de sus libros como lo hacía antes. No sé si es porque después de unos... ¿20? libros que he leído de este señor ya he llegado a mi límite, pero es que no los aguanto.
No sé. Ya no me hace gracia, no disfruto de sus personajes y las "aventuras" nuevas me parece que están mal hiladas y contadas sin interés, como si este señor solo quisiera llegar de un punto a otro de la novela y metiera cosas de por medio para que le salga un libro medianamente largo. El sentido del humor que tanto disfrutaba antes lo veo diluido (por no decir inexistente), y es algo que echo mucho de menos.
También quiero decir que ya me pasó con el primero de esta saga. Quizás no lo disfrute tanto porque no dejo de buscar a Percy, a Nico y a Annabeth inconscientemente, y este libro cuenta otra historia. No sé, de verdad que no sé. Rick Riordan siempre ha sido uno de mis autores favoritos, pero últimamente no consigo conectar con él ni con sus libros. Espero que con el tercero de Magnus Chase la cosa cambie un poco. :(
No sé. Ya no me hace gracia, no disfruto de sus personajes y las "aventuras" nuevas me parece que están mal hiladas y contadas sin interés, como si este señor solo quisiera llegar de un punto a otro de la novela y metiera cosas de por medio para que le salga un libro medianamente largo. El sentido del humor que tanto disfrutaba antes lo veo diluido (por no decir inexistente), y es algo que echo mucho de menos.
También quiero decir que ya me pasó con el primero de esta saga. Quizás no lo disfrute tanto porque no dejo de buscar a Percy, a Nico y a Annabeth inconscientemente, y este libro cuenta otra historia. No sé, de verdad que no sé. Rick Riordan siempre ha sido uno de mis autores favoritos, pero últimamente no consigo conectar con él ni con sus libros. Espero que con el tercero de Magnus Chase la cosa cambie un poco. :(
Want to read
April 8, 2017Oh my lord O_o
I think I've gone blind looking at this cover O_o
I think I've gone blind looking at this cover O_o
March 2, 2024
I’m on BookTube now! You can find my channel here! =)
"Moderately well?" I bit back a few nasty comments. I wondered if demigods ever felt the need to restrain themselves when facing ungrateful gods like this. No. Surely not. I was special and different. And I deserved better treatment.
Well, I think Apollo should have a little chat with Percy. I’m sure he could give him some pointers on how to deal with "ungrateful gods"! *lol* Hell, knowing Percy I’m sure he would even volunteer to help him out! ;-P Anyway! Enough of my musings and right back on track to this review! At the risk of repeating myself: I really enjoyed reading “The Dark Prophecy” and I think I haven’t been as invested in one of Uncle Rick’s narrators ever since I finished reading Percy Jackson’s books. Percy was an awesome storyteller and Apollo is as well! They might be different when it comes to their life experience, but they both have a fun brand of humour and I really like that about both their series.
”I knelt next to him – a boy of about sixteen, my mortal age. I felt no pulse. I didn’t know whose side he had fought on, but that didn’t matter. Either way, his death was a terrible waste. I had begun to think that perhaps demigod lives were not as disposable as we gods liked to believe.”
Despite all the humour, this book had plenty of serious moments, though and this only strengthened my impression from the first book. This series is way darker than Uncle Rick’s other books and I still can’t put my finger on it but I think the mere fact that Apollo is a god who has lived for millennia might give this a more serious touch. It’s definitely more adult and deals with a lot of serious topics as well. At least that’s what I’m taking from the first two books I’ve read of this series so far. Alone the friendship between Meg and Apollo seems to be more mature and comes at a higher cost than the friendships in Uncle Rick’s other series.
Meg twisted to face me, her mouth set in a ferocious scowl. “You were supposed to go!”
Then she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me so tightly I felt new fracture lines developing on my ribs. Meg sobbed, her face buried in my shirt, her whole body shaking.
Apollo and Meg have an extremely complicated relationship dynamic but they always choose each other and their friendship. No matter what’s thrown their way, at the end of the day they would die for each other and aren’t just loyal but also fiercely protective of each other. Not to mention the horrible things Meg has endured. Nero became her step-father and manipulated her to his whims. I think we can address it directly and call it by its name. What Nero did is called “gaslighting” in our modern times and poor Meg is still tortured by the things she was taught to believe. This and so many other things make this series very serious and therefore sometimes not easy to read. Not to mention Apollo’s own and at times extremely dark past.
His last breath bubbled through the whiskers of his beard. I hunched over him, crying, my hands around his throat, until the bathwater cooled.
Britomartis was wrong. I didn’t fear water. I simply couldn’t look at the surface of any pool without imagining (redacted) face, stung with betrayal, staring up at me.
Apollo did many things in his life and some of them are still haunting him. There’s something to be said about Uncle Rick addressing the topic of trauma in this series and even more to be said about the way he effortlessly manages to include it in the overall plotline. The author tackling topics like that is new, but I think he does it in a good and understandable way. As I already said, the tone of this series is graver than in his other books, but that also makes for excellent character arcs that are believable and feel real.
”I didn’t know how Nero had managed to imprison the grain spirit, but I understood why he’d done it. Nero wanted Meg to depend entirely on him. She wasn’t allowed to have her own possessions, her own friends. Everything in her life had to be tainted with Nero’s poison.
Still, despite all the heavy topics that are mentioned and addressed in here, the typical light-hearted humour of Uncle Rick is always present and manages to lighten up the prevailing more serious mood. After all Apollo still has a long way to go and even though his actions are getting more and more altruistic and less selfish, that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t throw others in front of the bus if it meant he’d get away with his life. XD We’re not at the point where he’d tackle someone to save them from the bus. Well, not yet, but we’re getting there. ;-) Realistically, steadily and slowly. Just like a great character arc should be!
"Today we call it sulphuric acid."
Meg flinched. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Very."
"And you healed with it?"
"It was the Middle Ages. We were crazy back then."
Meg, Leo and Calypso as well as Emmie and Josephine are paving the way, so to speak. And speaking of Leo and Calypso, it was nice to have them as two of the MCs in this book again. Leo Valdez is one of my favourite Uncle Rick characters and even though I still didn’t get all too warm with Calypso I can see that she’s trying her best to make their relationship work. So I guess she’s okay?! *lol* I suppose being stuck on an island and to never be able to leave will do things to you once you’re free. Especially if you need to figure out what you want from life, who you want it with and if you’ve made the right decision by leaving a place that has been your prison but also your home for centuries. Since they’re also on a quest Calypso and Leo have a lot on their plate as well and I think Apollo nailed it with this quote:
"You need time for maintenance. You haven't had a chance to find out who you are as a couple without all the danger and constant movement."
Leo smiled, though his eyes were devoid of their usual impish gleam. "Yeah. Except danger and constant movement - that's pretty much my life. I don't - I don't know how to fix that. If it's even fixable."
Let’s hope Leo and Calypso will get some time to figure things out. *fingers crossed* I’m already curious who’s going to accompany Apollo in the next book of the series. Maybe we’ll get another cameo of one of the demigods of former series? I know of one former character that’s going to play a big role in this one and I’m so looking forward to see him again! <3 I won’t spoil anything, though! ;-P
Conclusion:
“The Dark Prophecy” was a great sequel and had me glued to the pages. I dunno how Uncle Rick does it, but whenever I pick up one of his books I think: “Wow, 400+ pages, this is going to take me forever to read.” Well, and then I page through it in about a week. (And that’s no small feat for someone who reads approximately 6 books at the same time. *lol*) This said, I love the fact that this series addresses so many serious topics, I adore all the main characters, I’m living and breathing for their character development and I want more of Meg’s and Apollo’s wholesome relationship dynamic. I’m sure by the end of the series they’ll have formed a father/daughter relationship and I’m so here for it! Let’s see what book 3 will bring.
____________________________
This was great and Apollo is such a good narrator! I love to see everything through his eyes and to see his character arc unfold is one of the best things of this series! He changed so much already. Also this was very dark again and I think it’s the darkest of Uncle Rick’s series so far.
Still love it, tough! Those characters are amazing! <3
Full RTC soon! =) Might be one of my shorter ones, but we’ll see!
____________________________
It’s been a while I read the first book but I’m so ready to dive into “The Dark Prophecy”!
Apollo is such a fun MC and I really want to read more about him and his antics. *lol*
Also I’m a huge fan of character arcs and his is done extremely well so far! Very curious if it will continue to be great! And last but not least #Solangelo are waiting for me!!! <333
I already know this is going to be good!
Find me on:
My Blog
Instagram
"Moderately well?" I bit back a few nasty comments. I wondered if demigods ever felt the need to restrain themselves when facing ungrateful gods like this. No. Surely not. I was special and different. And I deserved better treatment.
Well, I think Apollo should have a little chat with Percy. I’m sure he could give him some pointers on how to deal with "ungrateful gods"! *lol* Hell, knowing Percy I’m sure he would even volunteer to help him out! ;-P Anyway! Enough of my musings and right back on track to this review! At the risk of repeating myself: I really enjoyed reading “The Dark Prophecy” and I think I haven’t been as invested in one of Uncle Rick’s narrators ever since I finished reading Percy Jackson’s books. Percy was an awesome storyteller and Apollo is as well! They might be different when it comes to their life experience, but they both have a fun brand of humour and I really like that about both their series.
”I knelt next to him – a boy of about sixteen, my mortal age. I felt no pulse. I didn’t know whose side he had fought on, but that didn’t matter. Either way, his death was a terrible waste. I had begun to think that perhaps demigod lives were not as disposable as we gods liked to believe.”
Despite all the humour, this book had plenty of serious moments, though and this only strengthened my impression from the first book. This series is way darker than Uncle Rick’s other books and I still can’t put my finger on it but I think the mere fact that Apollo is a god who has lived for millennia might give this a more serious touch. It’s definitely more adult and deals with a lot of serious topics as well. At least that’s what I’m taking from the first two books I’ve read of this series so far. Alone the friendship between Meg and Apollo seems to be more mature and comes at a higher cost than the friendships in Uncle Rick’s other series.
Meg twisted to face me, her mouth set in a ferocious scowl. “You were supposed to go!”
Then she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me so tightly I felt new fracture lines developing on my ribs. Meg sobbed, her face buried in my shirt, her whole body shaking.
Apollo and Meg have an extremely complicated relationship dynamic but they always choose each other and their friendship. No matter what’s thrown their way, at the end of the day they would die for each other and aren’t just loyal but also fiercely protective of each other. Not to mention the horrible things Meg has endured. Nero became her step-father and manipulated her to his whims. I think we can address it directly and call it by its name. What Nero did is called “gaslighting” in our modern times and poor Meg is still tortured by the things she was taught to believe. This and so many other things make this series very serious and therefore sometimes not easy to read. Not to mention Apollo’s own and at times extremely dark past.
His last breath bubbled through the whiskers of his beard. I hunched over him, crying, my hands around his throat, until the bathwater cooled.
Britomartis was wrong. I didn’t fear water. I simply couldn’t look at the surface of any pool without imagining (redacted) face, stung with betrayal, staring up at me.
Apollo did many things in his life and some of them are still haunting him. There’s something to be said about Uncle Rick addressing the topic of trauma in this series and even more to be said about the way he effortlessly manages to include it in the overall plotline. The author tackling topics like that is new, but I think he does it in a good and understandable way. As I already said, the tone of this series is graver than in his other books, but that also makes for excellent character arcs that are believable and feel real.
”I didn’t know how Nero had managed to imprison the grain spirit, but I understood why he’d done it. Nero wanted Meg to depend entirely on him. She wasn’t allowed to have her own possessions, her own friends. Everything in her life had to be tainted with Nero’s poison.
Still, despite all the heavy topics that are mentioned and addressed in here, the typical light-hearted humour of Uncle Rick is always present and manages to lighten up the prevailing more serious mood. After all Apollo still has a long way to go and even though his actions are getting more and more altruistic and less selfish, that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t throw others in front of the bus if it meant he’d get away with his life. XD We’re not at the point where he’d tackle someone to save them from the bus. Well, not yet, but we’re getting there. ;-) Realistically, steadily and slowly. Just like a great character arc should be!
"Today we call it sulphuric acid."
Meg flinched. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Very."
"And you healed with it?"
"It was the Middle Ages. We were crazy back then."
Meg, Leo and Calypso as well as Emmie and Josephine are paving the way, so to speak. And speaking of Leo and Calypso, it was nice to have them as two of the MCs in this book again. Leo Valdez is one of my favourite Uncle Rick characters and even though I still didn’t get all too warm with Calypso I can see that she’s trying her best to make their relationship work. So I guess she’s okay?! *lol* I suppose being stuck on an island and to never be able to leave will do things to you once you’re free. Especially if you need to figure out what you want from life, who you want it with and if you’ve made the right decision by leaving a place that has been your prison but also your home for centuries. Since they’re also on a quest Calypso and Leo have a lot on their plate as well and I think Apollo nailed it with this quote:
"You need time for maintenance. You haven't had a chance to find out who you are as a couple without all the danger and constant movement."
Leo smiled, though his eyes were devoid of their usual impish gleam. "Yeah. Except danger and constant movement - that's pretty much my life. I don't - I don't know how to fix that. If it's even fixable."
Let’s hope Leo and Calypso will get some time to figure things out. *fingers crossed* I’m already curious who’s going to accompany Apollo in the next book of the series. Maybe we’ll get another cameo of one of the demigods of former series? I know of one former character that’s going to play a big role in this one and I’m so looking forward to see him again! <3 I won’t spoil anything, though! ;-P
Conclusion:
“The Dark Prophecy” was a great sequel and had me glued to the pages. I dunno how Uncle Rick does it, but whenever I pick up one of his books I think: “Wow, 400+ pages, this is going to take me forever to read.” Well, and then I page through it in about a week. (And that’s no small feat for someone who reads approximately 6 books at the same time. *lol*) This said, I love the fact that this series addresses so many serious topics, I adore all the main characters, I’m living and breathing for their character development and I want more of Meg’s and Apollo’s wholesome relationship dynamic. I’m sure by the end of the series they’ll have formed a father/daughter relationship and I’m so here for it! Let’s see what book 3 will bring.
____________________________
This was great and Apollo is such a good narrator! I love to see everything through his eyes and to see his character arc unfold is one of the best things of this series! He changed so much already. Also this was very dark again and I think it’s the darkest of Uncle Rick’s series so far.
Still love it, tough! Those characters are amazing! <3
Full RTC soon! =) Might be one of my shorter ones, but we’ll see!
____________________________
It’s been a while I read the first book but I’m so ready to dive into “The Dark Prophecy”!
Apollo is such a fun MC and I really want to read more about him and his antics. *lol*
Also I’m a huge fan of character arcs and his is done extremely well so far! Very curious if it will continue to be great! And last but not least #Solangelo are waiting for me!!! <333
I already know this is going to be good!
Find me on:
My Blog
April 2, 2024
I always enjoy reading the books written by Rick Riordan. The stories flow well and the characters are are well developed and thay always make me laugh. I really liked how this book was put together. I was really addicted and could not put the book down at all. He still the best imagination ever. How does he still come up with this stuff? Always an adventure. Best teacher I ever had. And will probably have until i'm like 45 lol.
May 27, 2017
EDIT #3: Decided to drop this down to 4 stars because the more I think about it the more I was caught up in my own hype when I gave it 5 stars. I still loved it though!!
EDIT #2: Whilst I didn't love this as much as I loved The Hidden Oracle it was still AMAZING. It's no surprise that everything Rick writes is going to be a favourite of mine. Apollo is such a great character and I love his dynamic with Meg so much. I think the reason why I enjoyed THO more was because it was set at Camp Half Blood for a majority of the book. The way this ended though has me so pumped for the next book in the series. I CAN'T WAIT.
EDIT: IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!
I've never wanted something so badly in my life. The book hangover from The Hidden Oracle is beyond real and I need more!!!!!!
EDIT #2: Whilst I didn't love this as much as I loved The Hidden Oracle it was still AMAZING. It's no surprise that everything Rick writes is going to be a favourite of mine. Apollo is such a great character and I love his dynamic with Meg so much. I think the reason why I enjoyed THO more was because it was set at Camp Half Blood for a majority of the book. The way this ended though has me so pumped for the next book in the series. I CAN'T WAIT.
EDIT: IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!
I've never wanted something so badly in my life. The book hangover from The Hidden Oracle is beyond real and I need more!!!!!!
May 14, 2017
Still funny and entertaining, but not as funny and entertaining as book one. I was a little disappointed because one of my favorite aspects of book one was that Apollo interacted with his kids, and I was fully expecting a couple of them to join him on this quest (namely Will with Nico tagging along). And while I did get familiar faces none of his kids joined him.
However, many new characters are introduced who I grew to like. Then we have one of my babies who finally returned. Meg returns of course and she's grown on me even more in this book. Actually, one of my favorite aspects of this book was Apollo and Meg's friendship. Different from book one in which all Meg does is boss Apollo around they have evolved into a camaraderie where they work together. Meg will still sometimes say a command, but it's not out of cruelty or punishment. Apollo genuinely cares about Meg, and vice versa, and having them protect one another warms my heart.
And Apollo, oh man, you're still so egotistical and funny. He's the tiniest bit less self-centered, but he still mostly believes the world revolves around him. I think it's because he's used to riding the sun chariot, and the Earth revolves around the sun (and therefore him). Still he shows compassion. He has regrets and cares for those around him.
The quest in this book, while interesting, was not one of my favorites. The next quest seems like it will be more entertaining. Especially because we'll get to see even more of my babies!
However, many new characters are introduced who I grew to like. Then we have one of my babies who finally returned. Meg returns of course and she's grown on me even more in this book. Actually, one of my favorite aspects of this book was Apollo and Meg's friendship. Different from book one in which all Meg does is boss Apollo around they have evolved into a camaraderie where they work together. Meg will still sometimes say a command, but it's not out of cruelty or punishment. Apollo genuinely cares about Meg, and vice versa, and having them protect one another warms my heart.
And Apollo, oh man, you're still so egotistical and funny. He's the tiniest bit less self-centered, but he still mostly believes the world revolves around him. I think it's because he's used to riding the sun chariot, and the Earth revolves around the sun (and therefore him). Still he shows compassion. He has regrets and cares for those around him.
The quest in this book, while interesting, was not one of my favorites. The next quest seems like it will be more entertaining. Especially because we'll get to see even more of my babies!
May 31, 2017
Final Review (May add more later) :
*spoiler alert!*
OMFG...how much I had missed it!
All the characters new and old...even the Villain they all brought so much fun!
Leo and Calypso were amaze!
Apollo ofcourse was funny as usual!
Although 1st book was a tad bit better and yet I did enjoy it!
(Gonna stop here now coz net may stop any moment sigh)
Edit 1 :
ASDFDFHHG THE DAY OF RECKONING IS HERE.
I AM NOT PREPARED.
CANT WAIT TO HAVE IT IN MY HANDS!!! <3
[Bringing you this update before it gets entangled in ACOWAR posts]
Edit
12 MORE FREAKING DAYS
ASSDFDGFHJFGJHK
*cries and dies of waiting *
Oh Boy.
4. MORE. MONTHS.
AARGHH.
*spoiler alert!*
OMFG...how much I had missed it!
All the characters new and old...even the Villain they all brought so much fun!
Leo and Calypso were amaze!
Apollo ofcourse was funny as usual!
Although 1st book was a tad bit better and yet I did enjoy it!
(Gonna stop here now coz net may stop any moment sigh)
Edit 1 :
ASDFDFHHG THE DAY OF RECKONING IS HERE.
I AM NOT PREPARED.
CANT WAIT TO HAVE IT IN MY HANDS!!! <3
[Bringing you this update before it gets entangled in ACOWAR posts]
Edit
12 MORE FREAKING DAYS
ASSDFDGFHJFGJHK
*cries and dies of waiting *
Oh Boy.
4. MORE. MONTHS.
AARGHH.
July 28, 2017
oh man this is only the second book in a five-books series and shit is already hitting the fan
really fun installment. apollo is such a humorous, entertaining, and surprisingly likable narrator. great new cast of characters introduced in this book. v exciting, kind of complicated plotline. all in all, good stuff, uncle rick.
video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3tvJ...
really fun installment. apollo is such a humorous, entertaining, and surprisingly likable narrator. great new cast of characters introduced in this book. v exciting, kind of complicated plotline. all in all, good stuff, uncle rick.
video review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3tvJ...
September 12, 2018
✨4 stars✨
I’d like Rick Riordan to write my life please. Is that possible? Pretty please with karpos thrown peaches on top? His writing is so captivating and I know that technically it’s aimed at a slightly younger audience than me but like sorry what? Didn’t hear you over how much I bloody adore the mythological world he’s created.
Apollo remains to be such a walking, talking, wonderful contradiction. But he’s working on it, going from a god to a spotty mortal teen, slowly coming to terms with that and growing to be a better person. His character development is most prominent in his friendship with Leo and Calypso- going from merely putting up with them and arguing with Cal at every turn, to tearing up when talking about leaving them (not that he’d admit it, though). Also, his eventual understanding that mortal lives are worth a hell of a lot more than he (and all the other gods) give them credit for. Who’d have thought he would go from the Apollo he was at the start of the series to the Apollo who willingly offers himself as a sacrifice multiple times in order to save Meg, whatta babe.
Can we please talk about Leo and Cal: I know I’m always a sucker for cute couples, but there’s something about these two that just makes me feel so happy. I guess it’s because throughout the series’ we’ve got to know them so well, but every little moment with Leo made me smile because he !! deserves !! the !! world !! He’s such a sweetheart, and the thought of him and Cal being looked after at the Waystation, going to school and getting to live slightly more normal lives feels so bloody right. What could be more fulfilling in a story than a fire boy, his magical island girlfriend, and his giant bronze dragon living happily and safely?! That’s all I ask, Riordan, all I ask.
Lityerses may be one of my new favourite characters, which probably sounds a bit weird, but I love a good redemption-and-second-chance type character, and to be quite honest I even liked him before he turned on Commodus. What can I say, I always end up loving the villains. Emmie and Jo are the absolute sweetest, I adore the fact that they are these gentle badasses, with their gentle badass little girl (who shares a name with me, making her the most powerful and brilliant character in the book in my eyes, duh), and honestly I kinda want to go and live with them in the Waystation, looking after griffins and living my best life. I adored Apollo’s understanding of the abuse Meg suffered from Nero, his handling of it was so soft and important and I love how he doesn’t rush her at any point- it truly is about her wellbeing and working on her trust and beliefs, and it’s just so carefully and well put together.
The action was pretty much nonstop, there were no dull parts, nothing I would consider to be filler, and I really enjoyed reading it. There’s something so incredibly fun about Riordan’s writing, and I always come out of it feeling so enriched with knowledge about mythology and excited to read more. Grover reappearing at the end genuinely made me sit up and squeal (really loudly, much to my sleeping cat’s surprise), I’m currently waiting for my copy of the next book to arrive in the post so I’m pondering over who I think the third emperor could be, and thinking of ways that Commodus will appear again (I’m thinking he’s going to just randomly jump out from under a table screaming bloody murder at some point, so I guess we’ll see). I’m just so ridiculously enthralled in Apollo’s trials, and I can’t wait to start the next book. Hopefully uni reading doesn't get in the way, because I'm so invested in Apollo and I'll be real sad if I end up not finishing this series for months (@ the gods: please let uni reading be fairly painless k thx bye).
I’d like Rick Riordan to write my life please. Is that possible? Pretty please with karpos thrown peaches on top? His writing is so captivating and I know that technically it’s aimed at a slightly younger audience than me but like sorry what? Didn’t hear you over how much I bloody adore the mythological world he’s created.
Apollo remains to be such a walking, talking, wonderful contradiction. But he’s working on it, going from a god to a spotty mortal teen, slowly coming to terms with that and growing to be a better person. His character development is most prominent in his friendship with Leo and Calypso- going from merely putting up with them and arguing with Cal at every turn, to tearing up when talking about leaving them (not that he’d admit it, though). Also, his eventual understanding that mortal lives are worth a hell of a lot more than he (and all the other gods) give them credit for. Who’d have thought he would go from the Apollo he was at the start of the series to the Apollo who willingly offers himself as a sacrifice multiple times in order to save Meg, whatta babe.
Can we please talk about Leo and Cal: I know I’m always a sucker for cute couples, but there’s something about these two that just makes me feel so happy. I guess it’s because throughout the series’ we’ve got to know them so well, but every little moment with Leo made me smile because he !! deserves !! the !! world !! He’s such a sweetheart, and the thought of him and Cal being looked after at the Waystation, going to school and getting to live slightly more normal lives feels so bloody right. What could be more fulfilling in a story than a fire boy, his magical island girlfriend, and his giant bronze dragon living happily and safely?! That’s all I ask, Riordan, all I ask.
Lityerses may be one of my new favourite characters, which probably sounds a bit weird, but I love a good redemption-and-second-chance type character, and to be quite honest I even liked him before he turned on Commodus. What can I say, I always end up loving the villains. Emmie and Jo are the absolute sweetest, I adore the fact that they are these gentle badasses, with their gentle badass little girl (who shares a name with me, making her the most powerful and brilliant character in the book in my eyes, duh), and honestly I kinda want to go and live with them in the Waystation, looking after griffins and living my best life. I adored Apollo’s understanding of the abuse Meg suffered from Nero, his handling of it was so soft and important and I love how he doesn’t rush her at any point- it truly is about her wellbeing and working on her trust and beliefs, and it’s just so carefully and well put together.
The action was pretty much nonstop, there were no dull parts, nothing I would consider to be filler, and I really enjoyed reading it. There’s something so incredibly fun about Riordan’s writing, and I always come out of it feeling so enriched with knowledge about mythology and excited to read more. Grover reappearing at the end genuinely made me sit up and squeal (really loudly, much to my sleeping cat’s surprise), I’m currently waiting for my copy of the next book to arrive in the post so I’m pondering over who I think the third emperor could be, and thinking of ways that Commodus will appear again (I’m thinking he’s going to just randomly jump out from under a table screaming bloody murder at some point, so I guess we’ll see). I’m just so ridiculously enthralled in Apollo’s trials, and I can’t wait to start the next book. Hopefully uni reading doesn't get in the way, because I'm so invested in Apollo and I'll be real sad if I end up not finishing this series for months (@ the gods: please let uni reading be fairly painless k thx bye).
September 3, 2021
La lettura del primo libro di questa saga mi aveva lasciato piuttosto tipido, questo secondo volume mi ha convinto decisamente di più.
Nonostante siamo lontani anni luci dalle precedenti storie ambientate nell'universo di Percy, "La Profezia Oscura" mi è sembrato avere quella dinamicità che il primo invece non aveva, lo stesso Apollo e tutti gli altri personaggi secondari mi hanno coinvolto di più.
Sta di fatto che almeno questo secondo romanzo mi ha fatto venire voglia di leggere il terzo, sono passi avanti no?
Nonostante siamo lontani anni luci dalle precedenti storie ambientate nell'universo di Percy, "La Profezia Oscura" mi è sembrato avere quella dinamicità che il primo invece non aveva, lo stesso Apollo e tutti gli altri personaggi secondari mi hanno coinvolto di più.
Sta di fatto che almeno questo secondo romanzo mi ha fatto venire voglia di leggere il terzo, sono passi avanti no?
November 2, 2020
Video review! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wawN...
This series is just gonna get better and better, huh?
This series is just gonna get better and better, huh?
February 9, 2021
Rereading this in the #ReadRiordanBookClub for March, 2018.
***
"As long as Gods shall live, so long shall I love you"
It's a masterpiece.
***
"As long as Gods shall live, so long shall I love you"
It's a masterpiece.
January 27, 2018
HITTEST ME WITH THY BEST SHOT!
It has been months since I've read a really entertaining book and I've forgotten just how easy Riordan can make me laugh. This book certainly did not fall short of my expectations! I've been a fan of Riordan since The Lightning Thief days and I found this to be oddly nostalgic (not that the other books weren't but...you know) and satisfyingly awesome. Better than the first book in this series too. Now I just realized how badly I miss Riordan's Greek-Roman world.
I just absolutely adore Apollo's character development here and how his relationships with other people got better when he's not a jackass.
Can't wait to read The Burning Maze because we now have a cover, people!
Calypso edged toward the griffins. I followed behind her—not because I was scared to lead, mind you. Everyone knows that when advancing into danger, the soprano goes first. They are your infantry, while the altos and tenors are your cavalry, and the bass your artillery. I’ve tried to explain this to Ares a million times, but he has no clue about vocal arrangement.
It has been months since I've read a really entertaining book and I've forgotten just how easy Riordan can make me laugh. This book certainly did not fall short of my expectations! I've been a fan of Riordan since The Lightning Thief days and I found this to be oddly nostalgic (not that the other books weren't but...you know) and satisfyingly awesome. Better than the first book in this series too. Now I just realized how badly I miss Riordan's Greek-Roman world.
I just absolutely adore Apollo's character development here and how his relationships with other people got better when he's not a jackass.
Can't wait to read The Burning Maze because we now have a cover, people!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,091 reviews