This Issue in Young Adult Culture: "The House of Hades"

SPOILER ALERTRick Riordan, author of the best selling "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series and " The Heroes of Olympus" series, released Book 4 of "The Heroes of Olympus: The House of Hades." Riordan, more commonly known by fans as “Uncle Rick”, left us with a horrible cliff hanger at the end of his last book, "The Mark of Athena." Readers everywhere have been waiting for Book 4 for over a year, anxiously awaiting answers to nagging questions. Will Percy and Annabeth survive? Will the "Argo II" be able to make it Greece before the giant army can rise?The story picks up where "The Mark of Athena" left off, following the prophesied seven demigods and their friends on their quest to defeat the evil earth goddess, Gaea. Though Mother Earth is depicted as a loving, maternal figure, that description couldn't be more opposite to her true nature. Two of our heroes, Perceaus "Percy" Jackson and Annabeth Chase  are falling toward the pit of death, Tartarus, after being dragged down by the goddess Arcane, lady of spiders. The rest of the gang, Jason, Piper,Leo, Hazel, Nico and Frank, works hard on the bow of the "Argo II", Leo's flying warship, fighting giants and monsters in their attempt to the Italian countryside to get to Greece in time to close the Doors of Death before Gaea can raise her army.The novel is filled with many interesting details from Greek and Roman mythology, intertwining the two cultures in their similar beliefs. Stories of ancient conflicts and romances keep readers intrigued. Throughout the plot, our heroes discover many things within themselves with the help of famous mythological figures. While in Tartarus, Annabeth finds the courage to ask for help from the giant Damasen, telling him that he is the only one who can save them and change his own destiny. When confronted by the God of Love, Cupid, in the Italian town of Split, Nico admits that he is in love with Percy, giving it as his reason for always avoiding the son of the sea god. Leo washes up on the island of Ogygia and meets the nymph Calypso, daughter of Atlas, whom he falls for but is forced to leave and find his friends, though he swears he come back to her. Hazel is confronted by Hecate, goddess of magic, who tells Hazel she must learn to manipulate the Mist, the veil that shrouds mortal's eyes from the monsters of the demigod world, if she is to victorious in their quest to close the Doors of Death.Riordan continues his same third-person style, every chapter in the point of view of one of the seven demigods, switching off through out the novel. With this point view, readers are able to see the thoughts of each of the protagonists, instead of just a single backstory. Giving insight into the minds of each demigod helps readers to become attached to all the characters, instead of just one main figure.Thankfully, Riordan didn't leave us with an insane cliff-hanger like he did in "The Mark of Athena," but we still eagerly await the release of "The Heroes of Olympus: Book 5, The Blood of Olympus", which is due to be published in the fall of 2014. "The House of Hades" is an amazing book filled with many well-written and lovable characters, adventure, magic, mythology, bitter conflict, romance and impending world destruction, making it a must read.