Note: This review applies to all books in The Heroes of Olympus Series 
 You can also read this review on my blog 
 In short: The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan is an entertaining and creatively engaging series. 
 When I read Rick Riordan's first demigod series last year, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, my overall thoughts were that it was a very fun, easy series, but it read a bit too young for me personally. It's the kind of series that I am sure I would have LOVED as a tween, but as an adult in her late twenties, I tend to prefer series that challenge me a bit more, be it with more challenging language, or more nuanced plots and characters, or more emotional complexity, etc. 
 Well, when I posted that review last year, there were a number of commenters urging me to read on, to read the next set of demigod adventures by Rick Riordan in which Percy and co. are older and the tone is maybe a bit more mature and relatable. I'm telling you book bloggers really do know what they're talking about because they were right - I DID end up liking The Heroes of Olympus more than Percy Jackson and the Olympians! 
 Percy Jackson and the Olympians was Percy's story whereas in The Heroes of Olympus, the spotlight is shared with six other main characters and we get to see their POVs in equal parts. Now it's not that I don't like Percy (I do!), but it was nice to get some new characters with different viewpoints and back stories. I wouldn't say I was blown away by the characterization and relationships because Rick Riordan's writing still definitely tends to err on the cliched side, but I was impressed at least with the diversity of characters. 
 These books are just entertaining. How could they not be when they involve teen demigod warriors with special powers who fight all manner of mythological monsters in a creatively engaging plot? Add to that Rick Riordan's knack for clever humour and we have a winner! As I said, I do prefer more nuanced characterization and less predictable plots than what we get in The Heroes of Olympus, but overall I had a fun time with this series and I'm glad I decided to read it!