Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 6 Up-As The Mark of Athena (2012) ended, Percy and Annabeth fell in a hole that took them straight to the Underworld. The other demigods on their quest had to work together to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. As one group attempts to seal the Doors from the outside and the other tries to seal the Doors from the inside, Leo is worried that Percy and Annabeth will be trapped inside. Even with this conundrum, duty requires them to still try. Gaea's armies must be stopped, and the Romans are planning to attack Camp Half-Blood in a month's time. Although the book (2013, Hyperion) is enjoyable and many will appreciate the progress of the story line, too much exposition mars the experience. Even with the time between novels, listeners do not need as many reminders about what each action meant. Nick Chamian's narration was extremely slow. This book is nearly the same length as Mark of Athena, yet the audiobook version is nearly two and a half hours longer. Libraries that have the rest of the series on audio may want to consider it; otherwise it is a supplemental addition.--Elizabeth L. Kenyon, Merrillville High School, IN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
