**The Burning Maze: A Game-Changing Novel by Rick Riordan**

As we dive into this review, it's clear that **The Burning Maze**, the fifth installment in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, has left an indelible mark on readers. The author's mastery of storytelling, world-building, and character development is evident throughout this book, which raises the stakes both plot-wise and character-wise. This novel is a masterclass in weaving together elements of humor, adventure, and emotional depth to create a truly unforgettable reading experience.

One of the standout aspects of **The Burning Maze** is its well-crafted protagonist, Apollo. As a god who has been transformed into a mortal, Apollo brings a unique perspective to the story. His character is incredibly dynamic, offering both humorous and emotional viewpoints as he navigates the complexities of human life for the first time. His interactions with other characters are often laugh-out-loud funny, while also providing a glimpse into his growth and development as a person. As Apollo faces challenges and struggles, we witness him make difficult decisions and sacrifices that demonstrate his increasing empathy for the demigods he has encountered in the past.

The introduction of new characters is another notable aspect of **The Burning Maze**. One such character, Meg, stands out as a top five favorite among fans. This spunky 12-year-old is unapologetically herself, fighting whomever is in her way with no regard for consequences. Despite having faced a difficult and traumatic childhood, Meg's strength and resilience are inspiring. Her journey throughout the novel is one of growth, support, and ultimately, redemption.

The stakes in **The Burning Maze** are elevated to unprecedented levels. The author skillfully crafts a plot that is both action-packed and emotionally charged, with true morning love, loss, and heartbreak woven throughout the narrative. This level of emotional depth is rare in young adult literature, making this novel a standout in the genre.

The Oracle aspect of **The Burning Maze** is another fascinating element that adds depth to the story. Prophecies have long been a central theme in Rick Riordan's work, and this novel is no exception. The author masterfully weaves together multiple prophecies, mysteries, and oracles to create a complex web of fate that drives the plot forward. This aspect of the novel also raises questions about the nature of destiny and free will, adding another layer of complexity to the story.

The combination of Roman and Greek elements in **The Burning Maze** is also noteworthy. Apollo's presence is felt in both Greece and Rome, depending on the historical time period, which provides a unique perspective on the mythology of these cultures. The villains in this novel are particularly well-crafted, leveraging their knowledge of both cultures to create a formidable foe.

Overall, **The Burning Maze** is an exceptional novel that has left a lasting impact on readers. With its expertly crafted characters, engaging plot, and emotional depth, it's no wonder this book has become a fan favorite. Rick Riordan's ability to balance humor, adventure, and heartbreak is a testament to his skill as a storyteller. As the series continues to unfold, fans can't wait to see how the author will tackle the challenges and consequences that have been set in motion.

**A 4.5 out of 5 Stars Review**

This reviewer's experience with **The Burning Maze** was nothing short of transformative. The book's ability to evoke emotions, raise questions about destiny and free will, and challenge readers' perspectives on mythology has left a lasting impression. With its well-developed characters, engaging plot, and emotional depth, this novel is an absolute must-read for fans of the series. If you're new to Rick Riordan's work, **The Burning Maze** is an excellent starting point, while experienced fans will appreciate the author's continued mastery of storytelling and world-building.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey guys it's regan and today i'm here to bring you a non-spoiler review of the prustopia book clip of the month for the month of may and this month we are working with disney book group but the book that we are reading this month is the trials of apollo the burning maze by rick riordan and oh my goodness guys this is the third book in the trials of apollo series and yes this is a non-spoiler review but also i am no longer here i have been emotionally destroyed by this book this is probably one of my favorite probably top two of rick riordan's series the tryouts of apollo is shaping up to be an incredible series and i feel like this book brought it's even a next level area emotionally plot-wise just everything if you guys aren't familiar the trials of apollo is an amazing um series it follows our main character you guessed it apollo who is currently being punished by zeus and he was basically cast out of olympus and turned into a kind of a puny teenager named lester and at the start of the series he basically has to befriend uh other demigods to help him on his quest to basically solve the oracle problem this novel has both greek and roman influences with the main centered villains being risen again roman emperors which is super cool so there is an element of like true history through this novel as well with mythology which is something that i just think is great as this is the third book in the series i am going to try to be careful to be as non-spoiler as possible but do keep in mind that like i am going to reference some things that happened in the first two books this was just an incredible middle novel to the series i mean to say that rick riordan raised the emotional stakes of this book is like understating it i'm still kind of in shock of what occurred throughout this story and i'm honestly curious to see how it's gonna play out in the next book um because i'm not quite sure how i'm gonna wait because it was just so good the thing about the trials of apollo series that i just feel like is so great and what rick riordan does so well is that he balances so many things that make this book just so incredible first and foremost there's so many cameos of characters that we love from previous series and they're brought in not just like randomly their cameos make a lot of sense and when they appear we get to basically dive a little more into their own character complexities and also the consequences of what was occurring in the last couple of books you really got to see in this series i mean the emotional fallout of going through an intense conflict that we saw in the heroes of olympus really explored through two characters both piper and jason in the story and it is emotional and it is dark and is just everything our element to the series and this book particular that rick riordan does so well is that he brings in elements of humor like perfectly apollo as our character is incredibly dynamic and he offers both emotional viewpoints and humorous viewpoints because he is a god he's basically encountering a lot of human activities for the first time as a mere mortal and his perspective and all of that is usually always very very funny and also just as hot takes on characters and interactions and is reminiscing on past memories it's also really really funny and adds a lot to the story but we also get to see apollo throughout this series basically grow more and more human and gain a lot more empathy for the demigods that he's faced in the past but also what he's put demigods through throughout all of rick riordan's books the quest the loss the fear the friendship everything he's gaining a lot more perspective on and therefore it's becoming a lot more human and we see him make decisions and sacrifices for the people around him that ultimately we know for a fact he would not do if he wasn't turned into a human and we didn't see him with these interactions right right jordan also introduces so many amazing new characters to this as well we obviously get some great cameos of past characters that we love but we also get characters like meg who is by far and away top five one of my favorite rick riordan characters she's this spunky 12 year old who literally does not give two craps about anything she will fight whomever is in her way she's also a child who had a very complicated and hard childhood and we get to see her not only have to face that emotionally but get support from people who actually care about her and that is really something to behold add such a rich and complex emotional story arc that you just get to see throughout the series moving on more specifics about this book overall i mean to say that this book raised the stakes both plot-wise character-wise again as an understatement this book was action-packed from page one we got introduced to a whole new emperor who was utterly terrifying and had a very interesting historical background which was great to delve into and i feel like rick riordan covered it super well also i thought the quests finally had stakes there was true morning love loss that that occurred in this novel which we don't often get both in y or middle grade the level of stakes that ricky garden created in this book i feel like is gonna be carried over into all of his later books because honestly i feel like this book changed the game in a lot of ways and i'm still personally emotionally reeling from it i also love the oracle aspect of this novel i mean i just feel like prophecy has always been very centered to a lot of his other novels i mean they kind of start the journey but it's very much central throughout this entire book series there's always a new prophecy there's always a new mystery to unravel there's always a new oracle to be found and there's always a new fate that's going to be basically like unraveled or destroyed or created overall i just thought it was a really interesting element to have central to the story i also really liked how rich rorden combined both the roman and greek aspects of both of his past series together i mean apollo is present both in greece and rome depending on the historical time period so i like that we have both of those elements explored and it's obviously especially apparent in the villains of this novel and it's just it's it's dark overall i would say this book was amazing i'd say it's probably my favorite book of the series so far it not it broke my heart don't get me wrong but i also felt like it really brought this series to a whole new level and also rick riordan's like plot game to a whole new level and i can't wait to see how the next books unravel this is a story that's full of humor adventure but also it has so much emotional stake as well i mean we see people grow we see people learn we see people hurt we see people more and we see people go through emotional trauma and face it and find support in their friend groups or their family groups i guess what i'm trying to say i feel like for the first time rick riordan is making his characters face uh some of the emotional consequences of some of the horrors that they've seen at such a young age and i thought it was a really good novel at the end of the day i would highly recommend this book and this series i'm a huge fan of it obviously i ultimately gave this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars it was so good and everyone just needs to read it hey guys that is my non-spoiler review of the burning maze by rick riordan i hope you guys enjoyed and i will see you soon with another video soon goodbyehey guys it's regan and today i'm here to bring you a non-spoiler review of the prustopia book clip of the month for the month of may and this month we are working with disney book group but the book that we are reading this month is the trials of apollo the burning maze by rick riordan and oh my goodness guys this is the third book in the trials of apollo series and yes this is a non-spoiler review but also i am no longer here i have been emotionally destroyed by this book this is probably one of my favorite probably top two of rick riordan's series the tryouts of apollo is shaping up to be an incredible series and i feel like this book brought it's even a next level area emotionally plot-wise just everything if you guys aren't familiar the trials of apollo is an amazing um series it follows our main character you guessed it apollo who is currently being punished by zeus and he was basically cast out of olympus and turned into a kind of a puny teenager named lester and at the start of the series he basically has to befriend uh other demigods to help him on his quest to basically solve the oracle problem this novel has both greek and roman influences with the main centered villains being risen again roman emperors which is super cool so there is an element of like true history through this novel as well with mythology which is something that i just think is great as this is the third book in the series i am going to try to be careful to be as non-spoiler as possible but do keep in mind that like i am going to reference some things that happened in the first two books this was just an incredible middle novel to the series i mean to say that rick riordan raised the emotional stakes of this book is like understating it i'm still kind of in shock of what occurred throughout this story and i'm honestly curious to see how it's gonna play out in the next book um because i'm not quite sure how i'm gonna wait because it was just so good the thing about the trials of apollo series that i just feel like is so great and what rick riordan does so well is that he balances so many things that make this book just so incredible first and foremost there's so many cameos of characters that we love from previous series and they're brought in not just like randomly their cameos make a lot of sense and when they appear we get to basically dive a little more into their own character complexities and also the consequences of what was occurring in the last couple of books you really got to see in this series i mean the emotional fallout of going through an intense conflict that we saw in the heroes of olympus really explored through two characters both piper and jason in the story and it is emotional and it is dark and is just everything our element to the series and this book particular that rick riordan does so well is that he brings in elements of humor like perfectly apollo as our character is incredibly dynamic and he offers both emotional viewpoints and humorous viewpoints because he is a god he's basically encountering a lot of human activities for the first time as a mere mortal and his perspective and all of that is usually always very very funny and also just as hot takes on characters and interactions and is reminiscing on past memories it's also really really funny and adds a lot to the story but we also get to see apollo throughout this series basically grow more and more human and gain a lot more empathy for the demigods that he's faced in the past but also what he's put demigods through throughout all of rick riordan's books the quest the loss the fear the friendship everything he's gaining a lot more perspective on and therefore it's becoming a lot more human and we see him make decisions and sacrifices for the people around him that ultimately we know for a fact he would not do if he wasn't turned into a human and we didn't see him with these interactions right right jordan also introduces so many amazing new characters to this as well we obviously get some great cameos of past characters that we love but we also get characters like meg who is by far and away top five one of my favorite rick riordan characters she's this spunky 12 year old who literally does not give two craps about anything she will fight whomever is in her way she's also a child who had a very complicated and hard childhood and we get to see her not only have to face that emotionally but get support from people who actually care about her and that is really something to behold add such a rich and complex emotional story arc that you just get to see throughout the series moving on more specifics about this book overall i mean to say that this book raised the stakes both plot-wise character-wise again as an understatement this book was action-packed from page one we got introduced to a whole new emperor who was utterly terrifying and had a very interesting historical background which was great to delve into and i feel like rick riordan covered it super well also i thought the quests finally had stakes there was true morning love loss that that occurred in this novel which we don't often get both in y or middle grade the level of stakes that ricky garden created in this book i feel like is gonna be carried over into all of his later books because honestly i feel like this book changed the game in a lot of ways and i'm still personally emotionally reeling from it i also love the oracle aspect of this novel i mean i just feel like prophecy has always been very centered to a lot of his other novels i mean they kind of start the journey but it's very much central throughout this entire book series there's always a new prophecy there's always a new mystery to unravel there's always a new oracle to be found and there's always a new fate that's going to be basically like unraveled or destroyed or created overall i just thought it was a really interesting element to have central to the story i also really liked how rich rorden combined both the roman and greek aspects of both of his past series together i mean apollo is present both in greece and rome depending on the historical time period so i like that we have both of those elements explored and it's obviously especially apparent in the villains of this novel and it's just it's it's dark overall i would say this book was amazing i'd say it's probably my favorite book of the series so far it not it broke my heart don't get me wrong but i also felt like it really brought this series to a whole new level and also rick riordan's like plot game to a whole new level and i can't wait to see how the next books unravel this is a story that's full of humor adventure but also it has so much emotional stake as well i mean we see people grow we see people learn we see people hurt we see people more and we see people go through emotional trauma and face it and find support in their friend groups or their family groups i guess what i'm trying to say i feel like for the first time rick riordan is making his characters face uh some of the emotional consequences of some of the horrors that they've seen at such a young age and i thought it was a really good novel at the end of the day i would highly recommend this book and this series i'm a huge fan of it obviously i ultimately gave this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars it was so good and everyone just needs to read it hey guys that is my non-spoiler review of the burning maze by rick riordan i hope you guys enjoyed and i will see you soon with another video soon goodbye\n"