REVIEW: Trials of Apollo: Part Two
The Burning Maze:
Our story continues a couple of days after the events of the previous book. Grover, Meg and Apollo go into the labyrinth to find the third and final emperor of the triumvirate holdings. The trio face attacks from monsters throughout and end up in Aeithales, Meg’s former home. We later find out that the third emperor is Caligula. We met up with Mellie and Coach Hedge and we find out that Piper and Jason Grace had gone into the labyrinth quite recently and then had split up. Apollo and Meg pick up Piper who reveals she is moving and that Jason is at prep school.
Jason reveals to Apollo that when they went into the Labyrinth, the Sybil had told him that he or Piper would die when they next enter the labyrinth and that is why he has been keeping his distance from her because of this. It wasn’t due to the fact that he didn’t love her anymore; it was because he didn’t want her to get hurt.
Despite that though, Apollo, Meg, Jason and Piper all sneak onto Caligula’s ship to steal his shoes as they are a priority item in the Dark Prophecy. They are all captured but they escape with the help of Crest and a pandai. The shoes get taken to Caligula and Jason fights him. Unfortunately in the process *SPOILER* Jason dies. Upon reaching Piper’s house, we find that he has died during the fight and everybody is gutted. Including us fans. Jason and Piper were one of the main ships of the series and for this to happen really broke us. Piper blames Apollo for his death and tells him to leave.
Meg, Grover and Apollo go on with the mission and are faced with riddles that seemingly lead to the sybil’s prison. Apollo being Apollo gives a wrong answer and the team face death. Because of this though, the find the cause of the flames that are happening in the Labyrinth, hence the name of the book, the burning maze. He discovers that Helios, the lost Sun God is being used by Medea.
Eventually the trio reach the Sybil and are faced with another prophecy. They get out of trouble that they were in and kill Medea with the help of the Melai that were in Aethalies. They go home and Piper moves away, Jason’s body is given to Apollo for him to transport to Camp Jupiter and Leo takes hedge, Mellie and Piper to Oklahoma,
Although I knew this death was coming it still broke my heart reading this book. Unfortunately, I was spoiled but it didn’t make it any easier.
4 out of 5 stars.
The Tyrants Tomb:
The Tyrants Tomb is the latest book of this series only coming out in 2019.
Meg and Apollo have now transported Jason’s body to camp Jupiter so that he could be buried there. Sadly, his sister could not get there in time for the funeral after all she is the lead Hunter for the Hunter’s of Artermis. The funeral shines a light on what could happen if any of these missions fail. I know they are only fictional characters but still it gives the urgency of life and death and that not everything goes the way they want them to. The death of Jason Grace in the Burning Maze hurt us all and thus we as fans grieve him also. Apollo performs the funeral as a way of thanking Jason for saving him. Along with the death of Jason Grace, there is another attack on Camp Jupiter coming.
Apollo isn’t always the greatest narrator of the story. We find out that Venus had warned Apollo to stay away from a girl named Reyna. Upon meeting Reyna Ramirez-Arellando, a daughter of Bellona, he remembers this and is very awkward around her. Whilst in New Rome, Terminus teases Apollo as his human form as payback for centuries of mocking him. Frank is telling Apollo about the first battle on the camp about how they were swamped with the undead attacking them and the water of the Little Timber, was the only thing that stopped them along with Leo giving them a bit of notice about this attack. Apollo then appreciates Zeus in a way that he never did before. He gave him a hint of when the next attack would be in the form of the birth date on his driving license. April 8th.
Lupa shows up to Jason’s funeral to pay respects but also to talk with Apollo. She tells him to be strong for the sake of the Legion and that also if he finds Tarquin’s Tomb and defeats him then he can call on divine help to regain his godlyhood. This is everything that Apollo wants so this is like a present gift-wrapped in a bow for him, all he has to do is defeat Tarquin. Yeah that’s not as good.
The senate must approve Apollo to go on this mission. So they choose to send Apollo, Meg, Hazel and Lavinia. Usually it would have been 3 people but since Apollo and Med are bound together. They enter the tomb and make their way in. Hazel distracts the guards as they make their way into the throne room. When they arrive, they see their dead friends from the legion being fresh zombies. Tarquin calls them out knowing that they are there. Tarquin unleashes poision into Apollo’s system after Meg attacks him. Hazel collapses a wall behind tarquin and the pain thankfully stops. They escape by the skin of their teeth because Meg creates a ladder our of tree roots to get them above ground. Apollo once at Camp Jupiter collapses and wakes up to find himself with the healer. He then has a theory that the Soundless God has been forced to black out communications by the Triumvirate Holdings. Reyna, Apollo and Meg go on a quest to find the god.
Whilst on the quest Reyna asks why Apollo is so weird and acting strange around her. Apollo explains what Venus said and asks her if they wanted to be in a romantic relationship. Reyna laughs it off and rejects the idea. Once at their destination, the arrow of Dodona gives Apollo some hints about the name of the soundless God. It is revealed to be Harpocrates. However him and Apollo have some history. Apollo bullied him when he was in the form of a ten year old boy and now Harpocrates has vowed to vaporise him because of this. They enter the room where Harprocrates is and the God send them a history of what Caligula, Commodus and Apollo laughing at him. The gang send him back the thoughts of what has happened to them in their life. In order to free him, Apollo realises that they must destroy the ceremonial axes that stand in place for Commodus and Caligula.
We go back to Camp Jupiter where the fight has already begun. Frank challenges the emperors to a single combat to the death, and the emperors accept. Apollo joins in on the fight much to the dismay of Frank. Frank agrees but only on the condition that Apollo runs when he tells him to. Caligula agrees to fight Frank whilst Commodus takes on Apollo. They fight and when Frank tells Apollo to run, he does and Frank lights up the wood that keeps him alive and the tunnel explodes as Apollo escapes.
Frank is rushed to the med tent to be tended to and luckily he can be saved. The Battle is over and the war is won. The legion clear up New Rome and a mass funeral is held for those that were last during the battle. Reyna joins the hunters of Artemis, Hazel is the new praetor and Lavinia is given her place as the fifth cohort’s centurion. Before leaving the next day, Apollo gets a prophecy from Ella the Harpy and it is revealed that they need to go to the tower of Nero in order to get the next verse. The next big bad to go down is Emperor Nero.
This book was entirely amazing in each and everyway. There were highs and lows and that’s what this book needed.
4 out of 5 stars.