Finished reading this aloud to my 7-year-old & 9-year-old for their bookdragon club. At page 50, I wasn’t sure they were going to make it. (I forgot how slowly it starts. Like seriously it takes the 50-page first chapter to get out of the living room, and three pages of it is Thorin just giving this massive 3-page info dump of all info dumps that’s like: “here’s everything that’s happened for the last century.”)
But by the end, this was their favorite book we read all summer. They all had a great time gushing about it at the book club meeting, so it turned out to be an awesome one to end on. (We also watched some clips of both the animated Hobbit movie and the Peter Jackson movies, and they were a little appalled how unfaithful the PJ’s Eagle scene was to the original material, purists that they are. In general, I think it’ll be some time before they’re ready for the Peter Jackson trilogy.)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So there are officially now 2 more (very hobbit-like) hobbit fans now in the world. Though if they ask me to read LOTR aloud to them, we might have to schedule it over the whole summer.
What I liked: – Beautiful writing. – The world-building! I loved the idea of courier post between worlds. – Loved the magic system beaded on calligraphy & ink – Tristan & Nan! I loved how the side characters popped from the page – A nice mystery that keeps you guessing
What I didn’t like: – Maeve wasn’t my favorite protagonist. I didn’t dislike her, but I wished she’d played a more active role in events. – Slower pace than I usually prefer (but keep in mind I like my books breakneck.)
Recommended for those looking for a fantasy that feels fresh with a sweet, slowburn romance subplot
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
I’m always here for a cool fantasy world and a unique magic system for it to run on.
So this book reads like vampires + Hunger Games. I liked the characters, it kept my attention throughout, the narration is great, and the twists, while not totally unexpected, were executed well. Honestly, I finished this book approximately five seconds ago, and I’m processing on my keyboard here as I try to figure out why this wasn’t a five-star read for me. I feel like it should be, but maybe I’m just in a reading slump? I don’t know, but I probably won’t pick up the sequel. I can only assume I’ve been broken as a reader somehow. That said, if you like vampires, dystopia, dark magic, and a little spice, you’ll probably love this one.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ll call this one the self-portrait of a broken reader.
Loved the dark atmosphere, heartwarming themes, sweet romance, and strong found family in this enchanting fantasy with super strong Howl’s Moving Castle vibes. Definitely recommend for fantasy fans looking for a mix of gothic and cozy! And the audiobook is narrated by Carol Beth Anderson who is just absolutely lovely!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Basically if it has Howl vibes, I’m already sold. Heart fingers!
Loved the hook and the premise, but I thought we lost a lot of tension in the middle. I feel like I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would’ve liked, and I got a little frustrated with the characters not really utilizing the powerful books to their full potential. Or taking steps to defend / protect themselves when someone is actively trying to un-alive them over the course of years. I nearly DNF’d a couple times, but came back to it at the encouragement of a friend. To be fair, the full-circle elements of time travel were satisfying and the narrator was great.
⭐⭐⭐½
Like, fictional friends, I don’t normally recommend this, but in your case, a concealed weapon license could’ve helped out tremendously.
Okay this is my last Rick Riordan book review for a while. Even though my kids are still fully immersed in the Rick Riordan universe, I think I need a breather from MG. (Not because I didn’t enjoy this one, but just because we’re on Riordan Book 8, and that’s *a lot* for me.)
In general though, I don’t have a ton to say about this series. These characters do act a little older than their counter parts in Percy Jackson & the Olympians which I enjoyed, and my 7yo & 9yo continue to be hooked on this series. This is a solid continuation of the Percy Jackson series (in which Percy Jackson & co plays a solid role) and I really liked the action, development, and universe-expansion in this one! My 9yo inhaled this series and has now moved onto Apollo’s trials, but he will have to forge on ahead without me, because I need a change-up! Still, I do love all the Percy Jackson and Greek God our house is decked out in now, so this of course gets:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
These books have turned my kids into complete book nerds, Riordan fans, and Greek mythology geeks and I’m so here for it.
So we read these two immediately after finishing Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but in retrospect we should’ve (at a minimum) read Heroes of Olympus first. Derp. It wasn’t a huge deal, but Percy does reference characters and events from Heroes of Olympus in passing.
Chalice of the Gods: The stakes are much lower in this series, and even though Percy is 17, he still pretty much seems like the same Percy from the original series. Once again this is fantastic news for my 7yo & 8yo who have now both binged all 7 Percy Jackson books (and are waiting for book 8.) But for me it makes the Percy’s adventures start to seem a little episodic, but if you read the first series and wanted more Percy, Grover, & Annabeth, this series is for you!
Wrath of the Triple Goddess: My 7yo and 8yo have been loving this series so I’ve been trying to keep up with them, but I don’t like this trilogy as much as the original Five. The stakes are way lower, the quests seem episodic, and I don’t feel like we get a ton of character growth.
But if you love Percy Jackson, then you will probably love these. My 7 and 8yos certainly do. Four stars from me. Five from them, and they are happily reading Heroes of Olympus and Trials of Apollo while they wait for Percy’s Senior Adventures #3. Since there’s two of them and one of me, we’ll call it five stars here:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I mean, I get it, it’s hard not to love more Percy Jackson books.
So I told my 8yo I would buddy read this with him since I wanted him to get into the series because I thought it would be right up his alley.
Self-five because I was riigghhttt!!
He’s is now flying through book 3, and is LOVING it. And then my 7yo didn’t want to be left out, and he finished the audiobook yesterday and is very sad our hold on book 2 isn’t ready yet.
I finished today and I can firmly say I get the hype and I’m excited for book 2. A sassy demigod, loyal friends, the cool universe of Greek mythology, and lots of monsters? We are so in.
My husband (who is now also reading these books) better catch up because we’re totally liable to leave him behind!
Book Two:
I’ve been in a reading slump, so it’s been so fun to buddy read this series with my 8yo & 7yo! Honestly, I totally get the hype. This series is fast-paced, the voice pops, the characters are so easy to root for, and the world-building is chef’s kiss.
My 8yo has already finished all 7 Percy-POV books, & honestly just ask for Percy Jackson merch & more Rick Riordan books for his birthday. Even my 7yo is halfway into book 3, so I’ve got to catch up! And I’m so looking forward to it! Middle grade perfection recommended for all!
Book Three:
Another great entry to the series with more intensity, higher stakes, and great character/plot progression. Chef’s kiss.
Book Four:
(4.5/5) Really liked everything about the labyrinth, Percy’s adventures, and Nico’s development in this one… but I feel like Annabeth got short-changed here. I really wanted to see her wisdom shine in the labyrinth, but instead her jealousy really defined her throughout this one. Honestly though, I’ve really enjoyed listening to these as I get back into running, and I’m excited to read book 5!
Book Five:
(4.25/5)
So this series was interesting, because even though Percy Jackson is 16 at the end of the series, this book stayed squarely in the MG territory (rather than skewing into YA), which, honestly, is perfect for my elementary-school kids who are reading it.
But for me, personally, I think it would’ve been cool to see a little more growth from Percy over the five years. (Please keep in mind though, I love me some YA, and I am not the target audience here.) In general, this felt like another solid entry in the Percy Jackson series and we definitely got resolution on the plot threads that have been stretching through the series, but somehow it didn’t feel as epic as I guess I was expecting after all the build-up. And (heads up, unpopular opinion coming in), the chemistry between Percy & Annabeth wasn’t there for me. Their relationship seems high in jealousy content, and in general, I wish Annabeth had gotten more development throughout.
Also, maybe it’s because I’ve been on a Percy Jackson binge, but the narration was bugging me in this book. Hermes & Persephone’s voices didn’t seem to fit, and the mispronunciation of Hera’s name was killing me.
Overall though, my 7yo & 8yo absolutely LOVED this series, and it was super cool to be able to buddy read it with them. I loved the fast-pace and Percy’s voice, and they kept me seriously entertained as I get back into jogging.
Honestly, Nico de Angelo may be my favorite character and apparently there’s a series about him? So totally stoked for that. My 8yo says I have to also read the next two books, so I’ll be getting into those as well, but I think I’ll at least try to read a couple other books first.
(Side note though, we did also watch the show as my family, and my kids weren’t super jazzed about it. They were very disappointed it wasn’t EXACTLY as the books described word for word, and personally, I thought the shows had a darker vibe than the show. But it’d be hard to match the awesomeness of the books.)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Chef’s Kiss. Worth the hype and a MG classic for a reason.
So I usually try to include my writing updates in my bi-annual author newsletter (which you can sign up for here), but it’s been a while since I dropped one in the blog, and I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, I figured I’d post a little recap.
As of this writing, I currently have ten books published.
The 5-book Odriel’s Heirs series is complete. Reading order: Odriel’s Heirs, Burning Shadows, Idriel’s Children, Night of Ash, Time’s Orphan. And honestly, I’m actively trying to step away from further investment in this series in the way of time or promotion. (It’s hard because I do love them so much, but I’m trying to look forward.) They’re all free to read somewhere, and Odriel’s Heirs pretty consistently lives in the top twenty of Amazon’s Free Teen & Young Adult Dark Fantasy ebooks and Teen & Young Adult Epic Fantasy ebooks. It’s downloaded regularly and has over Amazon 200 ratings with a 4.5 star average, so I’m pretty happy with that.
The Gatekeeper of Pericael remains as my only upper-middle-grade adventure, and again, I’m trying to actively step away from further investment. Also permafree, it still gets downloads on a weekly basis, and some reviews trickle in. An agent once told me, “You’ve written a beautiful book, but I have no idea how to market it,” and I completely agree with her. I love the creepy little monsterific book, but its target audience is strong middle grade readers who are looking for a good scare in their fantasy… which is a hard group to reach. As someone who was a horror-loving middle-schooler myself, I do absolutely love it though when it finds its way into the hands of the right reader. *So satisfying.* Strangely this “middle-school boy fantasy” is the only one I’ve sold out of at book signings, so that’s pretty cool too.
The 5-book Into the Churn series is also on the verge of completion. Reading order: Into the Churn, Into the Fire, A Churn in the Dark, Into the Abyss, A Churn in the (Virtual) Society. That last one now available for preorder and will release on September 16th. Since this is still a very new completed series, it’s currently the one I’m marketing most, and with Amazon ratings creeping up (184 now) I finally feel like it’s finding its audience. Overall, I’m super proud of this series, I can’t wait to hold that 5th book in my hands, and see what readers think of our last adventure in the Casolla system.
So where are we going here? Well, this year, my coauthor (E.P. Stavs) and signed a 2-book deal with Charlesbridge Publishing for Midnight Falls, our YA Paranormal Mystery (think of it as Gilmore Gils + Spirited Away + Addams Family.) But that won’t be coming out until Fall of 2027. Erin and I have two more Paranormal Adventures in that same universe—Borrowed Magic & Other Catastrophes (complete and with our agent) and A Witch’s Guide to Mischief and Moonlight (hoping to complete the first draft in June)—that we’re hoping to package together into a magical tourism series, but we’ll see how it goes.
But what about a 2026 release?! Well… I may have a little secret up my sleeve. It’s a little too early to say for sure, but I’m thinking my other Paranormal Mystery (think Veronica Mars + Bride + The Office) maybe be launching into the world in September 2026. The first draft is complete, but I’m still working on the first revision before I send it off to the powers that be. If all goes well, the official announcement will go out in October, and that will be part of a trilogy slated for 2026, 2027, & 2028 release. Fingers crossed!
But what about all of these other books you talk about? Indeed, dear reader, indeed. The traditional publishing pipeline is a long one with many ups and downs. My contemporary YA romcom, Inky & Heater IRL (think You Got Mail + Falling Into Your Smile), is technically on sub, along with my creepy YA Paranormal, The Ninth Circle (Stranger Things + Supernatural + Buffy), but we’ll be pivoting our energies to focus on my other WIPs ready to launch into the sub trenches.
Most notably, Codename: CNDRLA (Ever After + Mission Impossible) is the newest penguin to jump off the iceberg into the unpredictable waters of submission, and my agent (Kristen Terrette) and I are super excited for it!
Exit Seats (When Harry Met Sally + Fangirl) is next in line. And then I also have a *dark* NA Fantasy, House of the Chosen, (Gideon the Ninth + Phantasma) that I’m hoping to send my agent at the end of the summer.
And that’s basically the long and short of it. To sum up: 10 books published 1 book scheduled for September 2025 release 1 book planned for a September 2026 release 2 books planned for 2027 release 2 books planned for a 2028 release 3 books on sub 1 book with agent 2 books on route to my agent this summer
So where is my energy concentrated right now? – Promoting the Into the Churn series – Bagging that September 2026 contract – Crossing my fingers SUPER hard for Codename: CNDRLA (like SUPER hard. It’s seriously one of my favorite book children)
Anyways, thanks for coming on the journey with me! And if you want to make sure you hear about my releases, remember to sign up for my newsletter or follow me on Amazon for notifications when I have another book published!
If you’re looking for ways to support me and enjoyed my books, ratings & reviews help a ton.
Whoa. I read this book in one sitting when I was exhausted and worn out with the world, and it was exactly the breath of fresh air I needed. Brimming with emotion, haunting in its symbolism, and unapologetically unique, this is the book I didn’t know I was looking for. Human Scars on Planet Skin meets you at the intersection of environmental devastation, overwhelming grief, and dogged restoration. It’s a story of the scars of both the world and those we carry with us. Of the things we cannot carry. Of our place in the balance of nature, life, death, and the other souls around us. Of the pain and process of healing, even in the face of unspeakable horror. Told through the eyes of a psychedelic mushroom and somehow comfortingly bizarre, this is a one-of-a-kind story for those looking for a visceral, heartfelt journey that takes you to the depths of despair while also highlighting the tenacity of hope in a lovable word that you can feel to your bones. Highly recommend.
Hayley Reese Chow 