Reviews

The Sun and the Star by Mark Oshiro, Rick Riordan

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logrhys's review

2.0

I really wanted this book to be better than it was. Don’t get me wrong I still loved it bc Nico and the PJO universe are absolutely everything to me but it was just. not very well written

senagbl's review

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5.0

idk where rick rioardan got the idea that sending the gays to hell would make a fine book but i’m glad he did

manulss's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

quando lo psicologo accetta i tuoi soldi ti dà questo per guarire (spoiler: funziona)

noorandbooks's review

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5.0

"Stories are never a waste of time, son of Hades. We are all made of stories."

This book is really important to me and it deserves a long review
Long story short: 5/5

I became attached to Nico as soon as I laid eyes on him. There was just something so captivating about this nerd in this world full of monsters and magic, and he was so enticed by it all. And then, he lost Bianca, and he became the Nico we all know and love. And by being that Nico, he was hurt, over and over and over.

He was alone, until he wasn’t. And this book is about that: his hurt while he’s not alone.

"Look at you, still thinking this is a dream. You are so cute when you’re delusional, Nico di Angelo!"

When I heard this book was coming out, I was so, so excited. I forced myself not to speculate, to pin hopes on it that it couldn’t possibly live up to, but it was hard, because Nico was finally getting the book he deserved! And what more, the House of Hades treatment with his boyfriend??? Like. We are living in the best timeline. And then a queer author known for their poetic works??? GOD.

And wow did this book do everything I needed and wanted it to do. I find it really hard to talk about this without spoiling everything, so I’ll try my best but essentially: the humor, while different from other PJO books, fits in with the fact that Nico and Will are very, very traumatized teenagers who come from very different times; the romantic scenes left me swooning and falling onto my feet; the touching scenes left me wanting to throw the book across the room but not wanting to hurt it; and the conflict between Nico and Will felt so very alive.

"Wow, Nico," said Will. "Why are you like this?"
"Childhood trauma," Nico said, nodding.

The plot itself is amazing but I don’t think that’s the highlight. As in House of Hades, it wasn’t the fact that Percy and Annabeth are in Tartarus - it’s the fact that they’re in it together. That they’re going to be losing their minds, but they’ll do it together. This book is in the same boat (hah): the plot is amazingly put together but it’s Nico and Will’s personalities and struggles that really shine through.

But he existed with Nico. His sole comfort was that he wasn’t alone.
He had Nico.
And together they fell.

And oh god, if Percy and Annabeth got to you the first time around, then the son of Hades and the son of Apollo (god of the sun, if you forgot) going through Tartarus will probaaably get to you. Especially Will. Especially Will. The whole idea of the son of Apollo going through the darkest place in the world is tackled to what I found to be satisfying, and the fact that his biggest struggle was a darkness about his place in the world… NUgh……

It was a son of Apollo falling for a son of Hades.
It was this.

And the conflict between Nico and Will! As aforementioned, it felt so very alive, but just so perfect for a couple in love for the very first time and as hurt as they are. They’ve been through so much, and talking is hard, but they need to talk! It’s key to their love.

But at the end of the day, this book is more a Nico di Angelo adventure than a Solangelo book, and it navigates his PTSD and hurt so masterfully. Of course, Nico could literally not have done this without Will. He would not have even begun to tackle his PTSD without Will. But I feel like selling this as just a romance book isn’t giving it enough credit. It talks about his pain and suffering, even the parts that aren’t going to be wrapped up nicely - it talks about Cupid and Jason and Bianca and Percy and Tartarus and Hades and so on, so forth. But this isn’t a book of Nico suffering. No, this is Nico triumphing. This is the happy ending he’s deserved for so long.

Okay, I wanna talk about the criticism this book has been getting because I’m very defensive of it. First off, I’ll acknowledge that if this review was objective rather than subjective, it probably wouldn’t be a 5/5.

Things that I think should be talked about: yeesh, the amount of typos. There’s a moment where they accidentally refer to Bianca as Nico’s mom - as in, his sister. It shocks me that no one caught that, especially because of how much it just pulled me out of my reading zone.

A spoiler:

Spoiler

Hades dream sequence at the end. I feel like it’s a disservice to Nico’s handling of his trauma to just have Hades bring up Bianca and Maria (also I was like ‘Why wouldn’t Jason be here?’) Because he went through all this trouble to make peace, and then Hades is just like ‘haha let me break the rules’ no? I don’t know, this entire sequence rubbed me the wrong way. I would’ve liked it a lot more if it was just Nico having a good dream because he spent the entire book having nightmares! His brain should give him one good dream. Of Bianca, Maria, of everyone he misses just having a picnic or something.

And then there’s kind of a lot of handholding with the key theme or motif of this book. I’m not going to spoil it, but it is kind of obvious what it is. I don’t think it negatively affected how I read the book, but it would’ve been nice to have been allowed to draw my own conclusions about what I was being presented rather than being given the objective reason.

But also on the other hand it was really worth it seeing some of those really cool

Spoiler

light and darkness fighting

scenes so you're not gonna really hear me complaining.

"There cannot be light without darkness, nor darkness without light. You must have the contrast for both to exist." She helped Will stand, and he passed the stone back to her.
"But with Nico… It’s hard, Persephone. I want the best for him, and he seems to disappear into his darkness, like he’s hiding in a place where he doesn’t want my light."
"Then why not offer him your darkness?"

The book has moments where you wonder why it made certain choices, but, I think at the end of the day, those moments aren’t the majority.

A lot of people are saying Oshiro’s writing just didn’t fit the PJO vibes and I wholeheartedly agree! This book isn’t supposed to be a PJO book. It’s supposed to be a Nico di Angelo book. And Oshiro’s writing style just fit it so perfectly. The flashbacks to something that hasn’t happened yet, the dreams, all of it, just so, so Nico, and I loved to be a part of it. (I will say I didn’t like some writing choices (both Oshiro + Riordan), but again. Read the ‘book was not perfect’ sign)

Again on Oshiro’s writing, people are saying the book reads like fanfiction (which is just really insulting to fanfiction, using it as a negative connotation) (please I’m begging you stop saying it reads like fanfiction) and that Nico acts out of character. Now, Nico probably acts OOC if you only read Heroes of Olympus. In which, I’d like to kindly ask you to read Trials of Apollo. In which, in the very last book… yeah, Nico doesn’t really act all that OOC.

"I find this fascinating. Sometimes mortals are not aware of the threads that bind them. You could both be wrong about the first time you met, and yet the two of you have orbited each other for so long, like bodies in the sky."

And a spoiler:

Spoiler

NICO’S COCOA PUFFS ARE NOT A COP-OUT FOR HIS TRAUMA! EVERYONE SAY IT WITH ME: HIS COCOA PUFFS ARE NOT HIM ERASING HIS TRAUMA. It is the physical manifestation of his trauma! The whole “leaving something behind” line is supposed to refer to the mentality that without your mental illness, without your trauma, you are nothing. He’s not actually leaving behind trauma, because that’s not how it works. Rather, Nico is letting go of the belief that if he lets go, he is betraying everyone he loves. His trauma has become physical so that he could see that he doesn’t have to treat it as a burden to carry. He can treat it with love and kindness and nurture himself and take care of himself. He is leaving behind the anger and hatred he regards himself with and I am not going to take any slander for this scene.

The plot… as I said, it’s not the main focus, but I can admit that the tension isn’t the same as in the House of Hades. However, I expected that, so I didn’t find myself disappointed. Mainly because 1) Nico is the son of Hades, 2) Nico has done this before, and 3) They went to Tartarus willingly, compared to Annabeth and Percy who fell. I also feel House of Hades had the benefit of not being only from their POV, switching to what was happening above ground which helped build up suspense, while this book was 100% focused on what happened down there. So yeah, the quest felt a little too easy in some places, but I personally didn’t care much for that.

And finally. Nico calling Will his boyfriend every two seconds is cute okay. He’s finally allowed to be gay and himself, let him be gay and silly. Let him be happy.

So yeah, I said if I was talking objectively, this book wouldn’t be a 5/5, but it made me feel so many things and made me just so, so happy, and if a book manages to do that… then doesn’t it deserve a 5/5? Embrace the cringe. Embrace the silliness. Embrace that maybe it doesn’t need to be that bad. Let them be happy!!! (sobbing in the corner)

"My little Care Bear."
"Please stop."
Nico gave Will a tight hug. "My little sun-therapy globe."
"All right, all right," said Will. "Go get some rest. Now."
"Yes Field Medic Will Solace," said Nico.

Just. Please give this book a chance. Read it with an open mind. (I think we should all just remember this is a middle-grade book!) It’s not perfect but no book is. Also, stan Gorgyra. Thank you and have a good day while I fight the urge to re-read this book and analyze every one of Nico’s lines.

pre-read: the cover is glorious the title is glorious I am in shambles I will never recover this is all I've wanted in life I am so upset I love this