#ripred come get your children

[haveihitanerve]

Regalian person here- i just watched the warrior and his bond balance along across the roof and the bats wing jerked out and hit the warrior and he went flying and i heard a thud and then a shouted ‘THIS IS WHY RIPRED DOESN'T FUCKING LOVE YOU!!’ and i cannot stop laughing.

[originalwinnercheesecake]

Hearing about the Hunger games continuation and thinking about all the Story continuations/prologues I wish we could get for The Underland Chronicles

Gregor's dad

I want To know what Gregor's dad (Who I want a name for... Steve, Lee, Heidi... What is his name? ) first trip to the underland was like. How was he found and brought to Regalia? We know he met Vikus and Luxa's Parents, SO what did he think of them? The Books say he stayed in Regila for two weeks (During which time he was very worried about his pregnant wife, children, and mother) and that he took a BB gun from the Museum. So I am guessing he knew about the war with the rats, but his family was in hell and he felt he had to get back soon. What happened during his capture.

I don't really want to know about his torturous time with the rats, but I would like some on how he was able to keep both hope and his humanity, the interesting relationship he is hinted to have had with Ripred in book 3 (He says Ripred used to feed him sometimes. He also was not scared of Ripred, Even though he was a rat and was "pretending" to attack his son). And lastly I want to know what coming home felt like for him and why, unlike his wife, the experiences did not make him fear or hate the underland.

Ripred

Speeking of Ripred I want All of his backstory, being a pup and growing up with his litter mates. Going into battle and finding out he is a Rager. How this made him famous all around the Underland, but also made him hated by enemies, and feared by allies, unless they needed him. What was going on when He tried to "Take over the fount with an army of Lobsters"? Seriously the Rat's don't even want The Fount. It is surrounded by rapids and sea monsters! What did was your interest Buddy?

Also I want to see his Mate, their family, and how their loss first broke him then made him change his stance on the war. Him building his relationship with the human side. Going up to the Overland to visit Libraries. His view of his relationships with Gregor and Lizzie and how it feels to him to being taking care of kids again after so long.

Hamnet

Up Next is Hamnet. Solovet and Vikus son, the beloved twin brother to the wife of the King/Queen, Brother in Law to the King (recently reread has me thinking they had more of a business relationship than a familiar one), the Regalian Army's most skilled soldier, and for a long time he was Solovet's heir to becoming captain of the Army, because everyone thought he was just like his mother. This is what everyone thought, but they thought wrong. Unlike Solovet Hamnet felt guilt. Guilt that drove him to speak against his mother in a war meeting to which she locked him in the dungeon for a month. When he was finally let out he went back to being obedient to her and buried his grief down, let it eat away at him, until one last horrible act (As a solider) destroyed him.

But give me Hamnet's complete story. Show him being a ruthless soldier and a fearsome killer on the field of battle, then coming home to be a loyal son, good friend, loving brother, and doting Uncle; becasue that is how many soldiers have to be. Show me him not being Okay but doing his best to hide that because that is all he could do. Then show me when everything went to far, and when he decided to leave Regalia, everything he knew and loved and run to a place that he and all his allies feared, for good reasons. Show me him missing his former friends and family. But also show me him meeting Frill and her deciding to take a chance and help him, him also taking chance and letting her (The books generally imply he wanted to leave his old life but did not expect to make anew one). Give me him learning about life in the jungle. How the animals there do not attack each other and instead employ a method of survival where first you hide, then you try to give a warning, then run. fight last. Show me him finding an overland women lost in the jungle and helping her. With the pair eventually forming a relationship and going on to have a child. Why did she never return to the Overland? Hamnet is a good father to Hazard, but you cannot tell me that he wasn't terrified during the entire pregnancy. Anything about Hamnet has to end where he ended. Having to once again fight in a pointless battle on behalf of Reglia, that the city once again brought on itself and got nothing out of. Our tragic beauty

Ares

Speaking again of Tragic Beauties I want Ares to. What kind of Stuff did he get up to to earn the reputation of a reckless, rule breaking, ...thrill seeker?...strength tester? To where he bonded with Henry to be able to get away with more. What were things like in the time HE and Henry were together. I don't think it was all bad. The Books clearly state that what hurt Luxa, Ares, Aurora, Nerissa the most was that they had loved Henry and could remember good things about him. Things that no longer felt the same after he betrayed them, and things they struggled with only becoming memories in the wake of his death. But the also show me his side of his and Gregor's bond, of him coming to love Gregor like he once loved Henry, and how their friendship helped him move on from the Trauma Henry put him through.

Nerrisa

This last one will never happen because its not really Susanna Collins style, but since none of this will happen, I want more Nerissa. What is it like for her loving her family and people so much, but knowing with her frailty and the Kingdom consistently being on the brink of war she cannot protect them. Show me what her visions are like for her. Note whatever we learned about Sandwhich I do believe Nerissa is an actual visionary. Her Visions of a bad and mysterious fate happening to Henry, Hamnet living for 10 years and building a diverse family, and Gregor being secretly being hidden away in the dungeon by Solovet...all came through.

Knowing that I have another question: Did she know suspect that Sandwhich was a fraud? Nerissa spends more time in the Prophecy room, analysis them than any other character. Many of the "misunderstood translations" are later "explained" by Nerissa. She got Gregor and the other questors off death row by replacing Boots with the Bane as the aforementioned "Baby" in the prohpecy and telling everyone: "they actually did complete the prophecy, you are are safe from the imaginary threats Sandwhich illueded to. Let them go and let's get back what's actually going wrong." When Greogor sobs about not understanding what the point of the journey to the jungle was (It had no point) and how him fulfilling the prophecy did not make everything better, Nerissa twist the prophecy to being about a war for the cure and reminds Gregor that because of what they discovered in the Jungle the council was forced to give the Gnawers the cure instead. Lastly she loves the one Prophecy that suggest hope for peace, even though its title is the only suggestion of it. On the day of the surrender she knowing her cousin will want to make the wrong choice about how to end this. So when she see's Ripred marked himself with an X (If Gregor and Luxa knew he did it himself there was no way Nerissa did not, she was always smarter than the pair of then) she decided to lend him a hand in getting everyone to believe he is the peacemaker, and they need to have peace. I really love the theory that Nerissa had realized what Sandwhich and the prophecies were and spent the books studying them, so she could try and mitigate the damages they caused.

[remedyandwrongentwine]

iii: aurora

part i: vikus

part ii: ripred

at this rate, part 10 is going to be posted in 2050 provided climate change hasn’t destroyed the earth but enjoy!

Luxa doesn’t need her as much anymore and Aurora tries not to let that hurt. After all, her bond is queen now and her people never stop calling. Aurora helps where she can, but her flight is hindered as age aggravates old injuries and some things are not meant for old bats with broken wings.

Outside those rare moments together, she keeps to herself mostly, training and thinking and remembering. She doesn’t leave Regalia unless Luxa has need of her, memories of crashing in a far-off jungle still fresh. Sometimes, the young ones ask her to tell them stories, but the words catch in her throat and she ushers them over to the blusterers, the Howards of the world who love nothing more than imparting their history upon those fortunate enough not to live it. 

But today, there is one who will not listen to her, a small girl who reminds her of Luxa when her bond was small, all big eyes and an expression far too serious for her years.

“Go with the other children. I am sure Howard will tell you a wonderful story.”

She shakes her head. “He always tells the same stories. And they’re boring.”

Aurora can’t disagree with her, at least about the first part. Howard, dedicated as he is preserving their history for the next generation, refuses to lie, which she admire. But the stories he chooses to impart to this youngest generation hew as close to fairy tale as possible, with clean lines between good and bad and no mentions of chemical warfare and genocide. Though he tells them well, there’s only so many that fit the criteria and Aurora herself tires of the Reemergence of Ripred on a weekly basis.

“Then go find your parents.”

The little girl shakes her head. “They’re right over there.” Two women near the hand-to-hand sparring ring notice she’s pointing at them and wave. She returns the gesture before turning back to Aurora. “Now, will you tell me a story?”

“I am sure Howard--”

“No.” She sounds so much like Luxa in that moment, it hurts. “He can’t tell me about the black bat.”

“Black bat?”

She nods, holding out her arms like they’re wings. “The big black bat. The one who died. My mommy told me you were friends with him.”

Aurora looks back at the two women, no longer paying attention to their conversation. She doesn’t exactly want to kill the woman, never mind she’s not sure which one it is. But many people have tried to talk to her about Ares over the years and the conversations always go the same way. Most of them try to get her to admit to his nefarious deeds, despite the fact he proved himself to be the opposite through the moment he died. She just doesn’t speak of him anymore; it hurts too much.

The little girl pushes on, apparently not noticing her silence. Or not caring. “I want to be him when I grow up!”

“You are a human. Not a bat.”

“Don’t be a silly. My mommy told me that he helped the Warrior all the time and saved the world and flew everywhere in the Underland and was really, really, really cool!”

Her heart skips as the little girl keeps talking about all the things Ares did, truth painted in the varnish of a fairy tale, rather than lies dressed up as horror stories. Eventually, she interrupts her. “Would you go get your parents please? I have a question for them.”

A short conversation and a few effusive promises of safety later and Aurora and the girl (Aurea, she learns. Aury for short) leap into the air above Regalia, Aurora ignoring the faint ache in her wing as they make their journey.

Eventually, she finds her way back to his cave, muscles remembering what her mind has long forgotten. Aury leaps off her back as soon as they land, big eyes growing even wider with fascination as she takes in her surroundings. “What is this place?”

“This is where Ares lived, before he died.”

“Why didn’t he live with everyone else? I thought he was a hero.”

Aurora nods. “But not everyone agreed with that.”

“What does that mean? Heroes are heroes. Everyone knows that!”

She gestures to the stone beside her with her aching wing. “Come, child. It’s time for me to tell you a story.” So Aurora does. She speaks for hours, everything she remembers about the bat that had once been a dear friend. Aury listens raptly and though it hurts in more ways than one, it’s nice to feel needed again.

[shrikeofficial]

📌✨🏳️‍🌈🎥💎

📌 how did you find your hyperfixation?

TUC: I actually found out about tuc after finishing the hunger games trilogy when I was about 10 or 11. I loved that trilogy so I was just HUNGRY for more good books and I really hoped the author had written other series that could hook me. Of course I saw tuc was ~for kids~ and had giant talking animals so I almost didn’t give it a chance but um. IM SO FUCKING GLAD I DID. Bc this series is damn BRILLIANT. Wouldn’t unread it for anything!!! I love it so so much.

Hanako: just found it recently actually!!! Right after episode 1 aired. I saw the anime’s art style and was immediately enraptured. Decided I would watch it even if the story ended up sucking bc the art was so gorgeous (and hanako’s seiyuu is megumi ogata). TURNS OUT I love aidairo’s art style even more than the anime’s (but they’re both amazing don’t get me wrong) also the story is SSOOO GREAT AND THE CHARACTERS ARE AWESOME SO I WAS IN FOR SUCH A TREAT. I’m so lucky....

✨ what draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it?

TUC: there are honestly so many things I love about TUC. The characters are so lovable and dynamic. The plot is engaging and paced well. The story integrates lots of dark, important and deep themes while also being innocent enough to be marketed as a children’s book. You WILL be shocked at how dark it gets, I will just let u know. It’s so memorable and really leaves a unique feeling in your mind. The ending is one that I can never quite forget. But I think it really ended perfectly for the point it was trying to get across. (As painful as it is.) I could go on and on. I love the blurred line between “good” and “evil” and the very ambiguous characters on each side. Who is the REAL villain of TUc? Well I have my own theories, but you’ll just have to read it and find out for yourself. (Also, I love the progression of Gregor and Luxa’s relationship. It is so sweet and soft and pure and very comforting for me, and has been since I read the books when I was 10. ;W; ❤️)

Hanako: (I was first drawn to this series by the art, so I gotta just say that I am OBSESSED with aidairo’s art style.)

But I stayed for characters I absolutely adore, (all of the main four are my kids and I would do anything for them), and a really fun plot full of wacky hijinks, some time travel, fun comedy. And of course, (my favorite), an overlying plot of darkness, murder, and tragedy. I love the mystery of hanako and his past. The way they tease u with little hints and set up foreshadowing of future chapters and revelations is just //chef’s kiss// I love the way comedy is integrated through the story, so while it gets progressively darker, you can still have brief moments of reprieve and humor. Overall I find myself tearing up in one way or another almost every chapter. It really hits hard, honestly.

🎥 do you have any favorite scenes from your hyperfixation?

God I’ve got so many favorites I don’t even know how to choose. Also a lot of them are spoilers. So I’ll just try to pick moments from early on (like book 1 of tuc) to minimize that

TUC: Luxa’s entrance scene. Including getting out-smarted by a 2 year old.

When Luxa drinks the root beer “weapon”

Every instance of Gregor taunting Henry and Luxa. (I love him so much? He’s so realistic. I love that he has such a gentle heart but he WILL NOT let u mess with his friends and family. He can and will snark at u with deadly precision)

Honestly like every scene with Luxa in it. Luxa and Gregor slowly learning more about each other and coming to an understanding of each other’s differences? I.... love them so much ;;;

Speaking of, the scene where Luxa opens up about her trauma and Gregor thinks “he forgave her for everything in that moment. He even forgot why he needed to forgive her.” Why is he such a good boy? Anyway I’d do anything for them,

Hanako: hhdndndndmndhd like every moment? Uhhhh I love all of the moments when Hanako opens up about himself/his feelings. We need more of them.

Can’t say that one bc spoilers.... OR THAT ONE.... OKAY I GIVE UP JUST READ THE MANGA PLEASE

Also I love... hananene so like all their interactions make me tear up.

🏳‍🌈 do you have any headcanons (lgbt, race, neuro, etc) that are important to you?

TUC: I have SO MANY headcanons. But I’ll stick to a few. I love African American Gregor. I’ve also seen mixed race hcs for Gregor which are great too. Also Luxa has ADHD. I’m certain of this but I forgot what made me so certain. Just trust me on this tho

Hanako: My autistic Hanako hc is so important to me omg.... like I would go down with this hc

I have LOTS of headcanons ttho. About random things like Gregor’s amateur family band, Luxa’s hatred of airplanes, all Gregor’s overland friends infuriating Luxa with Rick rolls, and more

💎 are there any fun facts or trivia that you would like to share?

A lot of the ones I can think of have spoilers so I might skip out DJDNDNNDNCJC BUT

TUC: Luxa’s name comes from the word “lux” meaning “light” which is so coincidental bc she’s the light of my life. (Yeah I’ve made this joke like 20 times but it still hits for real)

Bats run into each other a lot, also, so u can just imagine Gregor and friends constantly crashing into other bats.

I lowkey wanted to call Chillie (stray cat I’m feeding) “ripred” but Chillie doesn’t have a very ripred-like personality tbh. I one day wanna have cats named Ripred and Twitchtip

Hanako: I can’t really think of any off the top of my head that aren’t spoilers IM SORRY. But my friend and I did come up with a whole warrior cats AU for hanako-kun so there’s a fun fact for u. Yeah we’re the most valid tbh

[sometimes-my-brain-doesnt-work]

TUC Week Day 3- What’s your plan?

Hi, I know I’m late to day 3 but I was woefully unprepared for this week. Anyway, here the third little one shot.

---------------

Gregor was definitely panicking now. 10 minutes ago, his youngest sister, boots, now maggie, had been right beside him. He had turned away for 10 seconds max to see if he had enough money to buy ice cream, and when he turned back, she was gone. He looked all around the fairgrounds but with all the young children and general noise, it was hard to pinpoint her location. Gregor saw a flash of pink sandals to his left, accompanied by a loud giggle, but when he turned it was just some random kid. A voice, rough and deep, drifted into his brain. At first, he thought it was someone at the fair, but there was no mistaking that voice, it brought back memories of a beautiful city, each building carved with its history, along with screams of terror, blood gurgling from recently deceased bodies. Ripred’s voice sprang through his mind. What’s your plan? Right. He needed a plan. Running around looking for boots-Maggie wasn’t going to help anyone. Maybe he could go to the information centre, have them look out for her, maybe even help him search. Or he could try and think where she could be.

The ducks! They had gone past the duck pond only a few minutes ago, he hadn’t wanted Maggie to get all wet in the middle of the day so he told her they could come back later. Maybe she had gotten impatient and ran off. It was worth a shot. Gregor quickly sprinted over to where he remembered it to be and-

“Gregor, look! Look at the baby ducklings, they’re so cute!” He let out a breath of air, closed the gap between them and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again, little girl” He checked her head for any injuries and when she squirmed away he only said, “Sorry, force of habit” and it was a force of habit. The Underland did that to you, to him.

“How about you and I go get some ice cream and then we head home. Sound good?” They’d both had enough excitement for the day.

“Yep! Can I tell Lizzie about the duckies when we get home?” The six-year-old was still very excited.

“I’m sure she’d love to hear all about them” He wrapped a protective arm around her and ordered two single scoops of hokey-pokey. Just like that stupid dance. He thought.

@tucweek

[darkestwings]

November 2017 Reading Wrap-Up

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (Underland Chronicles, book 1) Rating:  ★★★★☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 3 - 4 Read Count:  3 Favorite Thing:  Ripred being a little shit. Least Favorite Thing:  Henry. Blah. Dickhead.

I woke up in the middle of the night with an urge to reread this series, and seeing as I have poor impulse control, I immediately arranged for my husband to go get them all for me from the library.

I know these books are Middle Grade so a few things are a bit silly, like a guy called Sandwich, but the story itself is quality and I recommend it to anyone who likes a fun fantasy adventure.

My Posts About Gregor the Overlander

Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins (Underland Chronicles, book 2) Rating:  ★★★★☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 5 Read Count:  3 Favorite Thing:  Twitchtip. I miss her already. Least Favorite Thing:  Please read this in your most disgusted tone, while screwing up your face as if you smell something foul:  Shiners.

Gregor has a lot more self-restraint that I do when it comes to not yelling at people...

I have to admit though, reading this book is a bit more difficult once one knows what's going to happen in the next books!

My Posts About Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins (Underland Chronicles, book 3) Rating:  ★★★★☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 6 Read Count:  3 Favorite Thing:  Gregor grooming Lapblood. Least Favorite Thing:  The descriptions of some of the grosser things like plague victims and Gregor's acid toes...

I read this whole book in like 2 hours! I surprised myself lol I didn't intend to read it that quickly, but since it's middle grade and the story is pretty engaging, I zipped right through it.

My Posts About Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods

Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins (Underland Chronicles, book 4) Rating:  ★★★★☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 6 Read Count:  3 Favorite Thing:  Boots' fucking princess scepter lol Least Favorite Thing:  The Bane. He skeeves me out.

Oh man I had forgotten that this book is way sadder than the others! :(

My Posts About Gregor and the Marks of Secret

Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins (Underland Chronicles, book 5) Rating:  ★★★★☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 6 - 7 Read Count:  3 Favorite Thing:  Ripred and Lizzie. It's too sweet! Least Favorite Thing:  I hate one very specific thing about the ending, but only read about it if you don't care about spoilers. (Tumblr people will have to go to the WordPress post for the spoiler.)

I really love this series, I'm so glad it was recommended to me back in high school.

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Mansfield Park by Jane Austen Rating:  ★★★★☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 8 - 14 Read Count:  2 Favorite Thing:  The end when Jane wraps everything up. I like the way she does it. Least Favorite Thing:  The way literally no one ever listened to Fanny about her own feelings?????

I'm glad I reread it, I think I even liked it more than Sense & Sensibility now.

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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 1) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 13 - 15 Read Count:  2 Favorite Thing:  Puppyyyyy! Least Favorite Thing:  Come on, as if I was going to say anything other than Gabe? Please.

It's been a long time since I first read this book and I admit to not enjoying it as much this time around, but I think that's only because it's geared more for younger readers and sometimes I have trouble with the rhythm of Middle Grade books. I'm glad I'm going to finally get down to going through all of Rick's books though.

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The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 2) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 15 Read Count:  2 Favorite Thing:  lol Tyson Least Favorite Thing:  Clarisse not knowing when to shut her damn mouth...

Oddly enough I remembered almost nothing from this one except for Tyson... So rereading it felt more like reading it for the first time. I have a feeling the rest of them will be like this too.

My Posts About The Sea of Monsters

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 3) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 15 Read Count:  2 Favorite Thing:  Bessiiiiiiie! Least Favorite Thing:  I actually find Nico incredibly annoying...

Would it kill anyone to stop being cryptic? Like wow. Just answer a question somebody!

My Posts About The Titan's Curse

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 4) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 15 - 16 Read Count:  2 Favorite Thing:  Poseidon showing up for Percy's birthday just to be a drama queen. "Blowfish?" lol Least Favorite Thing:  STILL NOBODY CAN JUST ANSWER A FUCKING QUESTION OR SHARE INFORMATION!

So far this is my favorite of the series. I'm wondering if they will just keep getting better or what.

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The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 5) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 16 - 17 Read Count:  2 Favorite Thing:  Percy being like "acknowledge your fucking children assholes" at all the gods. Least Favorite Thing:  Guess what. It's still the fact that no one will answer a damn question. I'm so annoyed.

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The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus, book 1) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 17 - 18 Read Count:  1 Favorite Thing:  Leooo! Precious little fireball. Least Favorite Thing:  It took them way too long to figure certain things out... Like everyone who spoke to them alluded to 2 or 3 specific things and they didn't get it until the very end? Oookay.

My Posts About The Lost Hero

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus, book 2) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 18 - 19 Read Count:  1 Favorite Thing:  Ella/Tyson lololololol Least Favorite Thing:  When Octavian talks I roll my eyes so hard I get a headache...

I'm not sure if this one was better than the first one (Lost Hero), but I was really glad to be back to Percy so I enjoyed it more.

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The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus, book 3) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 19 - 20 Read Count:  1 Favorite Thing:  "If they'd let women warriors into their cult, the might have learned some common sense." Least Favorite Thing:  Literally only Leo talks about things, everyone else is like "I'll explain later" and "we can talk about it later" and "I hope it's not what I think it is" but they never talk about it!!

My Posts About The Mark of Athena

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus, book 4) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 20 - 21 Read Count:  1 Favorite Thing:  Bob + Small Bob (I'm not crying, you're crying.) Least Favorite Thing:  Gaea is so fucking annoying...

IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR LITTLE NICO TO GET A DAMN HUG????? My poor little spooky baby...

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The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus, book 5) Rating:  ★★★☆☆ Review:  No Reading Dates:  November 21 - 23 Read Count:  1 Favorite Thing:  Nico gets to be happy!!!!! Least Favorite Thing:  Zeus the douche...

I've got all the warm fuzzies from the ending of this book. Thanks, Rick.

My Posts About The Blood of Olympus

In Progress

November 2017 Wrap-Up | WordPress Book Blog