The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) by Rick Riordan | Book Review

2 out of 5 stars. I was pretty bored. Possible middle book syndrome?

Setting:

Midwest! Same as always, demi-gods, Greek and Roman gods and monsters, etc.

Plot:

Apollo is fighting the second emperor in Indianapolis.

The Trials of Apollo is not as exciting as the previous series, because the stakes aren’t as big as before. All conflicts seem to be minor and not big enough for an ex-god.

Image via Author

A major problem this book has is that Apollo doesn’t always push the plot forward. The story has too many important characters to keep track of so our “main character” isn’t the center of the story. In most cases, having other important characters wouldn’t be an issue, but the important characters of The Trials of Apollo are also the main characters of their books. They are more than side or supporting characters, but have fan bases.

It’s like Avengers: Endgame; for all the heroes to get the same screen time and importance in the story, the writers made Thanos the main driver of the story. That made the movie work because the heroes all had equal importance whenever it was their turn to react to Thanos’s actions. Riordan didn’t do that in this story so the plot doesn’t work as…