 |
| (Photo from: www.goodreads.com) |
I had a lot of speculations and theories on what could possibly happen in The Burning Maze from the moment I read the last line of The Dark Prophecy. But I won't go into detail about those speculations and theories. Instead, I'll tell you what I did not expect from The Burning Maze: that.
I've been following Rick Riordan and his books since I was merely eleven years old. I've been through all the joys and heartbreak since the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. I honestly thought that I can predict and prepare for everything Riordan has to offer. Especially now that I am older and have a wider scope and experience in the world of books. However, I'll admit that the Burning Maze took me by surprise in all the right ways and is quite arguably one of the best books he has ever written.
As all Rick Riordan books have done before, The Burning Maze mainly centers around a major problem that our heroes have to work to solve in order to prevent catastrophic consequences to the world. In this story we follow the god-turned-mortal Apollo, his master and companion, Meg McCaffrey, and Grover Underwood as they struggle to retrieve and free another oracle suppressed by the three Roman emperors from the Burning Maze, a section of the magical Labyrinth that has also been causing fiery disasters to happen in Southern California. This review will be SPOILER-FREE but I will also be including some spoiler-filled thoughts on some controversial subjects below (There will be a spoiler warning before that section).
The premise I wrote above is pretty much the entire book. It's a simple quest which makes for a simple plot to follow complete with sharp and witty writing. This gives the book clear and solid direction. It prevents it from being too convoluted in its own mythology and set of characters. The presence of every plot line, characters, and their arcs made sense because they were necessary for the story to move forward. It stayed true to the prophecies that were given in the prior books and even exceeded expectations on how those elements would play out. The solid direction naturally gives way to an evenly paced story that provided enough time for our characters to evolve more.
As always, Apollo continues to be a great character. Out of all of Riordan's lead protagonists, I would say Apollo's character development is the most drastic and interesting. From being an arrogant and indifferent god, we've been seeing him gain more bravery, wisdom, and most crucial of all, empathy - more so in this book than the last two. His journey has been nothing but action-packed, hilarious, and compelling up to this point and I am very excited to see where he goes from here. Meg McCaffrey's character has also come a long way since meeting her for the first time in The Hidden Oracle. In the Burning Maze, Riordan provided more back story for her, adding more depth and connection to the readers. Slowly, she is becoming less of an enigma to the readers and is turning into a character that can be relatable and much more likeable. Moreover, apart from Apollo and Meg, the returning characters from the previous books added so much more life and personality to the book. As I said before, it felt like all the characters were necessary and had a significant effect on the overall story. These characters', primarily Grover Underwood, Piper McLean, and Jason Grace, presence in the novel were so much more than nostalgia tricks.
We are also introduced to the third and final emperor in this novel and he was just great. He was distinct from the two other emperors we have met so far in the series. He is the most unpredictable which makes him all the more frightening and an excellent antagonist for Apollo to combat. The triumvirate are surprisingly the most entralling and nicely written villains in the Percy Jackson universe since Kronos and have the potential of being the greatest ones yet if they continue to become even better as the series progresses.
The Burning Maze has been marketed as the "turning point" of the Trials of Apollo series and after reading it cover-to-cover, I would have to agree. What made it earn this title? Well, this is what also generated most of my surprise. Apart from how great the pace, writing, plot, and characters are, the shining elements this book produced were serious stakes and consequences. I remember writing in my Heroes of Olympus review that one of my major complaints were the lack of consequences that would match the stakes it has been building up since The Lost Hero. This made the ending of the series, frankly, lose impact with its audience. The Burning Maze seemed to have learned from this because now it has painful repercussions to match its ever growing stakes. This creates an emotional weight that I have not seen in Riordan's books in quite some time. This is a change The Trials of Apollo truly needs in order to masterfully deliver on what it's trying to do. As a fan of exciting and character-driven story-telling, I am eager for more.
Overall, The Burning Maze is, dare I say, the best book Rick Riordan has ever written since The House of Hades. It flawlessly continues the story of Apollo and elevates it in becoming a narrative filled with smart writing, fleshed out characters, and stakes and consequences that his stories have been desperately lacking for quite a few years now. It really was a refreshing turning point. I cannot wait to see what the fourth book has in its sleeve that will leave the readers reeling.
SPOILER DISCUSSION
DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BURNING MAZE!
--
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
There has been a lot of controversy on two major decisions Rick Riordan made in The Burning Maze that greatly affect a lot of beloved characters we were introduced to in the previous series. Here are my in-depth thoughts on them which I did not add in my main review as courtesy to those who have not read the book.
1) The Death of Jason Grace
The biggest and most controversial one. I would have to say I completely understood and loved this decision. That is not because I hate Jason Grace. I am actually quite fond of him and proud to see how far he has come since The Lost Hero. Believe me, I SOBBED while reading his death scene. However, his death really was an element The Trials of Apollo needed. The story is trying to sell us the idea that these three Roman Emperors are formidable enemies, on par with figures like Kronos and Gaea. The readers need to believe the stakes that come with their presence and there is no way to truly convince us rather than to hurt the characters we have cherished and thought were safe. Like I said in the review above, the Heroes of Olympus lost its atmosphere of severe desperation and danger because no one important died even during the all-out war with Gaea and her giants. It made it seem too easy of a win. True, Leo Valdez technically died but he came back, didn't he? He was good as new. So I didn't count that as a casualty.
Jason being killed automatically brings in the dangerous atmosphere that was missing during the latter part of the Heroes of Olympus, especially because he is such a powerful demigod. This solidifies the peril the Triumvirate pose. Did it need to be Jason? At that point in time in the story, I believe it to be a yes. I thought for a while it was going to be Piper but looking back Jason had a much more profound connection to Apollo than Piper had. Jason was the kindest to treat him. Jason was his brother and the one who defended him against Zeus when they were in Greece fighting the giants. This makes Apollo in-debted to him in a way, because no other god defended his honor for him. Moreover, Jason was the one who had Apollo promise to never forget his experiences as a human when he becomes a god again. His death would have that promise be in a different level of meaning and importance to Apollo, almost certainly cementing future arcs for him.
Finally, being a demigod is not easy and death is not biased in choosing its victims. As much as it pains me to see Jason Grace die after surviving so much in his last seventeen years, him dying after being stabbed by Caligula with a spear repeatedly drills the repercussions of being a demigod and how everyone is at risk. No one is safe, not even a son of Jupiter that has defeated thousands of monsters before. Yes, Jason Grace deserved better. But don't all demigods deserve better? I take comfort in the knowledge that he was written to have chosen this death. He chose to sacrifice his life in order to protect Meg, Piper, and Apollo. No matter what happens, he is a true hero and nothing can take that away from him. Rest in Peace, Jason Grace. You will be missed.
2. Jason Grace and Piper McLean's break-up
I know this broke a lot hearts as well because a lot of readers really do like them together. But this break-up was written surprisingly well and made enough sense for me to accept and even support. I like how change can still be present no matter how locked we thought Jason Grace and Piper McLean were when we last left them in Heroes of Olympus. There are some couples like Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase than manage to find each other and stay with each other no matter what. But there are also couples that seemed perfect but do not necessarily end up forever, and that's what Jason and Piper are. It was explained in the book that Piper's love for Jason, while still present, is not necessarily romantic anymore and the reasons why this is so. From it starting from a simple illusion Hera made in the beginning to lure them together and to it not really making sense as she tries to find her identity as a person, I thought it was explained beautifully and realistically. There are millions of couples around the world who have the same situation as Jason and Piper. I like how Riordan added a couple that would represent that because not all can be as perfect and as withstanding as Percy and Annabeth. It's understandable how many would be upset by this but in my end at least, it was a change I appreciated. And if anything else, their break-up added a level of maturity and wisdom to both characters that I enjoyed reading, especially in Piper's end.
No comments:
Post a Comment