"THE TRIALS OF APOLLO: The Dark Prophecy," by Rick Riordan, Disney Hyperion, $19.99, 401 pages (f) (ages 10 and up)
As a punishment by Zeus, Apollo — god of the sun, music, archery, poetry, medicine, prophecy, etc. — is transformed into an awkward mortal 16-year-old named Lester. For Apollo to reclaim his godhood and return to Mount Olympus, he must restore several Oracles, which have gone dark.
Book two in the Trials of Apollo series, "The Dark Prophecy," picks up several weeks after the final pages of book one, "The Hidden Oracle," with Lester/Apollo joined by Leo Valdez and sorceress Calypso — two familiar faces from Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series.
Traveling across the United States by mechanical dragon, Lester leaves Camp Half-Blood in search of another Oracle. In addition to the challenges presented with finding an Oracle that could potentially leave him insane, Lester must face the second member of the evil Triumvirate — and this member, who is possibly worse than the last, is no stranger to Apollo.
Author Rick Riordan brings readers back into the world he created with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, introducing new faces but also bringing back many fan favorites from both the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series. Even with the familiar world and characters, Riordan has created a protagonist in Apollo unlike any other hero.
The story is infused with humor and smothered in narcissism. Apollo's self-centered approach to his quest is laugh-out-loud funny and is a surprisingly refreshing change from the stock hero-quest storyline. Apollo's outright insistence at being the most important overall is as funny as it is exasperating and gives Apollo an intriguing character arc.
Although Riordan has included LGBTQ characters in his previous series, "The Dark Prophecy" emphasizes LGBTQ relationships by delving into Apollo's past relationships as a bisexual character. For those especially looking for LGBTQ representation in novels, the Trials of Apollo series should satisfy.
"The Dark Prophecy" includes no swearing, sexual content or extreme violence.
Hikari Loftus is a graduate of the University of Utah. She blogs at FoldedPagesDistillery.blogspot.com.