Middle Grade Monday: The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

Image: Disney Books

The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan. Trials of Apollo #5. Read by Robbie Daymond. Unabridged e-audiobook, ~12 hours. Listening Library/ Penguin Random House Audio, October, 2020. (Review of e-audio borrowed from public library. Purchased hard cover.)

Happy Winter Solstice TMS Readers! Today marks the longest period of darkness and the beginning of winter. Starting tomorrow, we get a bit more daylight each day. Also, the forcast is for cloudy skies, so we might not get to see the show that Saturn and Jupiter are putting on tonight.

Middle Grade Monday features The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan. Yes, TMS Readers, the Trials of Apollo series has come to an end. Lester Papadopoulos and Meg have been through A LOT and now have to face their final challenge back in New York - Nero's lair. Will Meg have the strength to resist Nero, her abusive step-father? Will the campers at Camp Half-Blood rally around Apollo when the odds of them walking into a trap and not walking out are high? Can Lou be trusted? No spoilers here!

If you have not read the first four books in this rollercoaster of a series, then you absolutely must. It's hard to believe that The Tower of Nero marks the fifteenth book set in the Percy Jackson world. It's also hard to believe that it has come an end. Fear not Riordan fans, Uncle Rick has hinted at a few stand-alone novels, so let the predicting commence! Will Nico and Will get their own book? How about the Artemis crew or maybe Piper? Then there's Chiron's cryptic line at the end about a severed head and a cat that is also promising. Stay tuned!

I must admit that this series seemed never-ending. It is not my favorite, though it did grow on me as did Robbie Daymond as narrator. He does have quite a range of voices.