Review: The Mark of Athena

The Mark of Athena

By Rick Riordan

Published: October 2, 2012

My review:

Annabeth is on a mission for Athena, one that could make a difference in the war if she succeeds. Unfortunately all the previous children of Athena down through the years who went on this quest were never heard from again. At the same time, Percy, Jason, and the rest are trying to rescue Nico di Angelo and find and close the Doors of Death.

There is a lot going on in this third book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The story starts out with Annabeth, Jason, Leo, and Piper arriving at Camp Jupiter to meet up with Percy, Frank, and Hazel. From that point of course, things start to go wrong and it is a nonstop ride to the cliffhanger ending. 

I was originally worried that there would be too many POVs with seven main characters but we only get chapters from the POV of Annabeth, Percy, Leo, and Piper. This works really well and it was nice to read about Annabeth again. 

Something I appreciate about this series is that while there is plenty of action and humor, there is also room devoted to developing the characters. Riordan keeps building the characters and giving them layers and depth through each book in the series. Percy and Jason are both used to being the leader and Annabeth is used to being right all the time and getting the job done on her own. They all have to learn to work as a team and to trust each other. Leo has to deal with his feelings of being the outsider and Frank and Hazel have their own fears to work through as well.

The Mark of Athena is a great adventure story that also has some emotional punch.  I enjoyed seeing the characters grow and deepen their friendships and I enjoyed learning more about Greek and Roman mythology. I think each book in this series gets better and better. I can't wait to find out what happens in book 4, The House of Hades in 2013!