Introduction
The Sun and The Star, co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, was published on May 2nd, 2023, by Hachette Books. This book was written to follow up The Tower of Nero, the final book of the Trials of Apollo series. Happy Pride Month! This book is my themed read for the month, containing characters that are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and co-written by Mark Oshiro, an author in the community as well. In fact, Riordan brought Oshiro on to this project because of his unique experience as a member of the community. I adore the Percy Jackson universe, and the announcement of this book had me brimming with excitement. When my friend asked me if I wanted to take a Barnes and Noble trip, I immediately said yes, and The Sun and The Star was in my hands within seconds of entering the store. Any fan of Riordan or Oshiro’s work should check this one out. As a reminder, the Plot section provides a general overview of the book, while the section containing my Thoughts will contain spoilers. If you haven’t caught up with the three previous series set in the Percy Jackson universe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and The Trials of Apollo, I would start with those before continuing here.
If you want to learn more about Rick Riordan and his upcoming projects, check out his website https://rickriordan.com/, and follow him on social media @rickriordan.
If you want to learn more about Mark Oshiro and their upcoming projects, check out their website https://www.markoshiro.com/home, and follow them on social media @markdoesstuff.
Plot
After the events of the Trials of Apollo series, written by Rick Riordan, Nico DiAngelo is left with a chilling prophecy. In order to right a wrong, he must face his trauma head on and travel back into the depths of Tartarus with his boyfriend, Will Solace.
Thoughts
I have been looking forward to this book for a long time, especially because Nico is one of my favorite characters in this universe, and I always wanted to see more of him and Will. Before reading this, I read The Stardust Thief, a young adult fantasy, so the jump to what is technically a children’s book took a few chapters to get used to. Even then, the writing style felt different than usual for Riordan. This wasn’t shocking to me, as Riordan decided to co-author this book with Mark Oshiro. Oshiro is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and Riordan brought them on to bring a new perspective to the series that would help him more accurately capture some of the experiences of those in the community. Before reading this book, I would strongly recommend catching up on the entire Percy Jackson universe - not just because all of them are amazing - because there are callbacks and references in this book to every series that came before it. If nothing else, the Heroes of Olympus series would be the most important one to review. As a final note on the writing style, I really enjoyed the stories Will and Nico told Gorgyra in between chapters. It kept the book light while also filling us in on their relationship without letting it all out at the same time when they meet Gorgyra or exposition dumping at the beginning. It created a very enjoyable balance throughout the first half of the book.
While we’re here, I want to touch on Nico and Will’s relationship. This is almost the definition of an “opposites attract” relationship, but it often begged the question of whether or not Will and Nico were too different from one another. I had hope that they would last through the book - and they did - but it wasn’t easy by any means. Will didn’t quite understand the Underworld and all of the beauty that could be found in a place without sunlight, and Nico was often frustrated with his seemingly willful ignorance. After a trip to Persephone’s garden at Hades’ palace and meeting the queen of the Underworld herself, Will realized that love is a choice. It is never an easy one to make, especially for those like Will and Persephone - who thrive in the light - who love those like Nico and Hades. It requires them to not only embrace their partners’ darkness, but to seek out and accept their own as well. After meeting Nyx and having an open and honest conversation with Nico about their relationship - which I loved, as it embraced honesty and forgiveness without the need to have a full-blown and unnecessary fight - Will chooses to love his own darkness and Nico’s. Will does this literally with the Cocoa Puffs at the end of the book.
The Cocoa Puffs, a physical manifestation of Nico’s trauma. One of the reasons I was so eager to get this book was because I wanted to read more of Nico’s perspective. After experiencing it in the final installment of the Heroes of Olympus series, The Blood of Olympus, I have been waiting to delve deeper into his past and current mental state. We see first hand how he often doesn’t eat or sleep as a form of self-punishment for his lasting guilt and grief brought on by the events of the previous books. Reading as he makes jokes regarding his mental health is both relatable and - in my experience - realistic, including the exasperation of those around him who want to help. While he takes a somewhat comedic approach, the dream sequences of him reliving the events of his first trip through Tartarus, as well as the experiences we only previously heard about from the perspectives of others was heartbreaking. Though I will say, seeing him and Will comforting one another was almost enough to warm the story up again, even through the coldest chapters.
While I am sad to see the end of the Percy Jackson universe (chronologically, as The Chalice of the Gods is on its way), I am grateful that we finally get to see them have a happy ending, especially because that ending was brought about by Nico and Will embracing all of themselves and one another. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I also loved that Nico decided to reach out to Piper at the end of the book. It makes sense that though they should have spoken already, they hadn’t. Both were grieving Jason and needed time, and I appreciate that Riordan and Oshiro further acknowledged Piper’s sexuality. If anything, I would want to see more of her, maybe in a novella of some sort. I want to know Shel better, and I think it’s something that deserves some more time.
I miss this world so much, and this book was an absolute joy to read. It was funny, emotional, and well-paced. The themes of change and choices are strong, but I would have liked to see more characters from previous books return one more time. Overall, this book earns a 9/10 from me, and I highly recommend it to fans of Riordan, Oshiro, and the Percy Jackson series.
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