The Trials of Apollo Book Four the Tyrant's Tomb

Title: The Trials of Apollo Book Four the Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan

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Genre: Greek, Mythological fiction, fantasy 

Justification:

          Rick Riordan is one of the most popular writers today. He has written numerous series including Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase, and Tres Navarre (Riordan, Rick Riordan, 2019). His current series is The Trails of Apollo. This series just released the fourth book on September 24. The book already has 4,109 ratings and 570 reviews on goodreads.com. It has received 4.48 out of five starts. Each of his books builds upon the next book in the series and the previous series. After reading all his other books in the series I was excited when this book was coming out. This book was read immediately and demolished in one day.

Evaluation of the book:

Rick Riordan is skilled in character development. His characters are dynamic. He spends a lot of time developing them and bringing them into all his stories. He intertwines his stories showing the depth of emotions and struggles the characters face. This book focuses on the guilt and what “it feels like to be human”. He also knows when to downplay certain characters and have others become more prevalent. Meg does not have a lot of time spent on her. Instead the novel focuses on Reyna, Apollo, and Lavinia. Reyna learns that she needs to complete herself and cannot wait for others to save her (Riordan, The Trials of Apollo Book Four The Tyrant's Tomb, 2019, pp. 405-406). Apollo learns remorse, and regret. The book focuses on his mistakes and his self-importance fades away. At the beginning of the series Apollo only cares about himself and being worshiped. By the end he is regaining his god like characteristics, but he is also learning about the consequences of his actions. Lavinia is a crucial character for this book. She is introduced and developed in book four. She is quirky and breaks the rules, but she has a good heart and is willing to always do her best. She does not abandon her unit but finds a way to save everyone without asking for awards or accolades. She is an inspiration to a lot of young adults and children who need to hear it is alright not to fit the mold and to be yourself.

The tone of this book was more somber. Rick Riordan incorporates some of his typical elements of humor. However, the tone of this book was filled with remorse and regret. Apollo is realizing what it means to be human and how he needs to repent for his mistakes. In the first few books he is worried about himself and now he is worried about others around him and keeping them safe. For instance, he sees worries about not seeing Peaches and how that would affect Meg. He is also concerned about the silent God having to give up his life because of his selfishness.

The book uses understatement. While the book never explicitly states the Apollo will become a God again it become apparent that he will. His god-like qualities return in the book. The first trait is mentioned in the beginning of the book where he has a burst of god-like strength. During the book his gift of music is returning. He can sing a moving ballad about Jason Grace’s life. These hints allow the reader to understand that the series is ending. His remorse is also showing tat his character is coming to his point of redemption. This book was about how he feels guilt and wants to correct his actions and feels bad for his past mistakes.  The understatement is also prevalent when the characters are talking about Reyna. At first her love seemed to be tied to the those around her. As the book progresses it becomes clear that she has to love herself and she can be tied to her own destiny. This was not explicitly stated but left to the reader to understand.

Response:

          (d) Apollo goes though significant character development throughout the whole series. As he grows, he learns to reflect on his decision and tries to redeem himself. It seems that we all need to reflect and analyze our own decisions and consequences of our actions. When I started teaching, I did not reflect as much. As I have taught longer my reflection has increased and it now guides my teaching. This book shows the power of reflection. It is good for teenagers and adults to see that all our actions have consequences. It also speaks volumes about how important it is to stand up and for what you believe it in.

 (c) In the beginning of the series the reader does not feel bad for Apollo. He is not given any sympathy. As the book progresses, he comes more relatable. It shows how characters are willing to do a lot to support each other and help them grow. This book taught me how we can always help others grow even if they are not deemed redeemable. Apollo lead to Jason Grace’s death but he also helps Frank control his own destiny and allowed other characters to realize they could move on. Reyna learned to love herself. This taught me to love myself and give everyone another chance.

(g) This book was well written and will become a staple in my home library. This book has strong character development, redemption, action, and loss. This book has a lot of meanings and shows how important it is to follow our own path, and support those we care about and strangers in need. It is well-written and engaging. As soon as I finished the book it was sad to know that I would have to wait for the next book to come out. I want to learn what happens to Lester, and Meg. This book is great for fans of Rick Riordan, and mythology.

Conclusion:

          This is a must-read book for young adults. When this book came in, I could not put it down. Rick Riordan is a talented writer.  His books are funny, and sad. It makes the reader feel a lot of emotions and become fully invested into the characters. His use of tone and understatement are also very prevalent. I am excited for the conclusion of the series to see what happens with Apollo and Meg. This book is a great book to add to any collection.

Citation:

Riordan, R. (2019). Rick Riordan. Retrieved from The Trails of Apollo: http://rickriordan.com/

Riordan, R. (2019). The Trials of Apollo Book Four The Tyrant's Tomb. New York: Disney Hyperion.

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm