First Book of The Trials of Apollo Series

Originally Published: May 3, 2016

By: Rick Riordan

From the author of the wildly popular Percy Jackson novels, comes a new series about Greek god Apollo living on Earth.

Cast down to Earth as a punishment by his father Zeus, Apollo comes to as 16-year-old Lester Papadopolous. After being saved by the younger Meg McCaffrey, the two head to Camp Half-Blood where they learn that students have gone missing. Apollo has to help save the Grove of Dodona and find the missing.

Apollo is a god of many things – music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun, light, and knowledge – and, in his first person narration, he never lets you forget that. The character very slowly becomes less narcissistic, but it’s hard to like him.

The story feels long and doesn’t have enough to captivate you.

Final say: Rough first novel hopefully setting up for better future ones. ★★☆☆☆