House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Publication: 2013

# of Pages: 597

Source: Purchased Copy 

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy’s instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea’s forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don’t succeed, Gaea’s armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

**Please keep in mind that this is the fourth book in the series so this review may contain spoilers. 

Leaving off with the events of The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades explores Annabeth and Percy's trip through Tartarus and Coach, Leo, Nico, Piper, and Jason's trip on the Argo II. It probably is one of the more dark books of the series as the crew attempts to stop Gea and the giants from coming to full power. 

What I enjoyed most about this book was the character building. I don't think I've ever seen characters make such a drastic growth/development until this book. It was the greatest, I believe, in Frank and Hazel. In previous books these two characters were often shy and unsure of themselves; however, in this book and on this journey they become these strong, independent characters who are at the heart and soul of this journey. In the same way that Frank and Hazel developed as individual characters, Percy and Annabeth became stronger as a duo. After falling into the depths of Tartarus the two learn to become invincible. Annabeth's intelligence and ability to think on her feet was absolutely amazing to read. She proved that in a lot of the situations the demigods would face, intelligence was going to be more valuable than brute force. Another character that made such a huge development was Nico. He was absolutely amazing. Often depicted as an isolated, dark, and miserable character, Riordan allows the reader to see a softer, heart-felt side of him. There is one specific revelation that I won't mention due to spoilers but it is the one that made me gush and fall in love. It explained so much. It probably was the best part of the book for me. The two characters that showed the least development were Jason and Piper. In this book they just seemed to be supporting characters. They didn't do or say anything that was spectacular. I did like the way that Jason supported Nico, but other than that they didn't really stand out. 

Another aspect of the book that I really enjoyed with the addition of Greek and Roman mythology. I knew a lot about Greek and Roman mythology from the previous books; however, I wasn't well versed in the origins of the Titans and giants. They play a major role in the development of this book. It is great and rewarding to see the intermingling of these two aspects of mythology. 

While The House of Hades was not my favorite book in the series, it did serve a pivotal role in the development of the quest of the demigods. With the ending of the book, I'm extremely curious to see what will happen to each one of the characters and how their decisions will ultimately affect the prophecy I'm also interested in seeing how the two demigod camps, Roman and Greek decide to come together and mend the pain that has been evident for centuries. 

If you are interested in Greek and Roman mythology and great character building I would definitely recommend this book.