I loved the Percy Jackson books, but I'm much older than when I first read them, so I was excited as well as a bit nervous that I can enjoy this new book like I did the series a long time ago.
I didn't need to worry about it at all. I love Nico and Will and I'm so happy they got their story. I can't wait to discover what awaits Nico and Will in the underworld.

"From the World of Percy Jackson: The Sun and the Star (The Nico Di Angelo Adventures)" is a thrilling stand-alone story written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro, two of the best authors in the world. This book takes place in the famous world of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It follows Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades, and Will Solace, the son of Apollo, as they go on a brave journey that takes them to the realms of death and darkness.

Nico hears a desperate voice in his dreams that he thinks belongs to an old friend, the changed Titan Bob. When a scary omen says that Bob needs help right away, Nico and Will go on a dangerous trip to save him. As they explore the darkest and most dangerous parts of the world, their bond is put to the test.

Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro do a great job of mixing humour, action, and touching moments into a story that will keep both new and old fans of the Percy Jackson series interested. The story has more depth and emotional power when Nico's inner battles and the problems in his friendship with Will are shown.

"The Sun and the Star" is a great addition to the world of Percy Jackson. It's full of action and emotional moments that will make readers eager for the next story in the series. Fans will be happy to go back to the world of demigods, predictions, and great quests, and they will also enjoy Nico and Will's friendship and love. With Riordan and Oshiro in charge, this book is a must-read for anyone who likes fiction. It will leave readers feeling amazed and satisfied long after they've finished it.

***A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.***

I rlly loved this excerpt and I cannot wait to read the full.book !!! I love this world and theae characters more than I have words for

I haven't read any of the more recent of Riordan's books. I adored the original Percy Jackson series, but since then his works have begun to feel repetitive. But the sample available on NetGalley has changed my mind! I was interested to see what he did with an LGBTQ+ storyline, since this is my main area of publishing. While I can't say it stands out as an expression of the unique aspects of the queer experience, Riordan does an excellent job on the characterisation in these early chapters and certainly has me wanting to read on.

Thank you netgalley for the sampler.

I loved the Percy Jackson books growing up and this sampler took me right back to my teenage self enjoying the adventures at camp half-blood.
Although I have thus far only read a sampler of the book, it sucked me right in and I cannot wait to read more about Nico and Will's adventure on his quest..

Rick Riordan never fails to entertain young readers, and this book is no exception. Nico and Will from the Percy Jackson books are back in a story of their own! Fusing queer romance with Greek mythology, this adventure will delight long-time fans of the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.

Review based on first 5 Chapter Sample

AHH. Rick Riordan, Mark Ashiro…

Nico di Angelo!

I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series over 10 years ago. When I was closeted college student whose love for Disney’s Hercules and Harry Potter was enough to drop head-first into Camp Half-Blood,

After a dash through the series I hit a huge 500 page wall called ‘The Lost Hero’ and never picked up another Riordan book again.

Until this year.

In 5 Chapters of queer, demigod joy. This sample, of this book locates and reignited a Greek fire within me.

As a child loving the aforementioned Disneys Hercules I was always drawn to Three Characters. The Muses, The Fates and Hades. Icons.

As a (late) teenager reading PJ&O I found myself drawn to the outcast, Bastard child of Hades. Nico. For his love of all things geeky and his skepticism and baggage. So of course he was also a queer-coded and my closest self couldn’t see the wood for the trees.

Seeing Nico’s pure joy as the Gray Ladies bicker amongst themselves took me right back to my Hercules days, how he talks about unrequited love for unobtainable people resonates so authentically you almost forget the Greek Mythological delicious ridiculousness that’s happening.

Riordan is the joyous compassion and inclusion that is so missing in heart of famous middle-grade authors that were well celebrated in the mid-2000’s and if this the emotion 5-Chapters can stir in me I can’t wait to catch up with his Riordan-verse and appreciate this in its entirety.

It is one thing to love a book, a book series, or a specific character.
It is a whole other thing to have known a character for over a decade, to have followed him through the worst things imaginable, to have read about his sadness and despair and shame (again, for fifteen years!), to then have him have his own journey of acceptance and relief and joy and love.
There is no feeling better than this.
And no other book will make me feel this again. I can guarantee that.

Nico Di Angelo, you deserve all the beautiful things this book gave you.
And to all the Nicos reading this book, you too.

Such a good start for this stand alone. Now I HAVE to read the rest of the book immediately. Rick Riordan has done it again and his characters never leave me wanting.

I grew up reading the universe of Percy Jackson and I always love returning to the series through different characters! Nico was a personal favourite from the original books and reading the first 5 chapters of the book have me excited for the rest of the book! Ricks writing has always been a favourite and I know the rest of the book will be as fast paced and as entertaining as the first 5

Before I start the review itself, I want to say three things: 1) If you haven’t read any of the Riordanverse books and want to read this, feel free to do it; however, if you plan on reading them or are not up to date, do not listen to those who say you can read this first. It will spoil all three the main sagas and even some of the short stories. 2) If you are looking for an objective review, mine won’t be that, I am sorry. 3) Which leads me to the third point: Nico Di Angelo is my all times favourite character and I won’t be able to write a coherent review, probably, so please be patient with me and just take this for what it is: me, crying.
Now, let’s begin. When I first found out there was going to be a Nico book I was very conflicted: on the one hand, I had been waiting since forever for something like this, on the other I was so scared they were going to ruin my favourite character forever.
Fortunately, they did not ruin him. Instead, they gave him and Will a very nice character arc and character development, and I will cherish the existance of this book forever and ever. Aside from being my favourite character, Nico is also one of my highest kins, if not the highest. You can imagine how I felt reading a book from his perspective, after years of only getting to have crumbs in other character’s point of views and fanfictions.
I planned on starting and finishing The Sun and the Star in one night. It took me more than a week to actually finishing it, because I cried too much. I am not even kidding, there were some specific passages — if you’ve read it, you know what I am talking about — that hit me in the chest repeatedly and I had to take breaks from reading, because it was too close.
Another worry I had was the fact that the book was co-written: granted, I loved Mark Oshiro’s works in the past, but what if they didn’t know how to write the Riordanverse in general, or Nico specifically? I have been reading Rick Riordan’s books for half my life now, so you can say I am slightly attached to them. In a healthy way (maybe). I have to applaude both Rick and Mark, though, because while it was a bit different, it also made sense that it was, since it was from and about two characters that had been secondary up until now.
The structure was there: the quest, the travelling — to the Underworld and Tartarus in this case — and the humour mixed with serious passages. It was a Riordanverse book from start to finish, and I am so glad it didn’t try to be something it shouldn’t. This goes both for the plot and the writing style, as I was saying before, so bravo Mark and Rick, and thank you!
This book was an emotional rollercoaster, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to reread it, because it truly devastated me — in the best possible way, but still. One day, it will happen, especially because I want to try and reread it in Italian, since I read most of the Riordanverse books in Italian first, but I am not ready yet.
I am so happy and relieved that I ended up loving this book, and I am also very happy that while it was very relationship-heavy, it focused on Nico and Will individually as well. I also loved the themes it tackled and the way some topics were handled.
Now, I am even more excited to read The Chalice of the Gods later this year. That won’t be emotionally devastating like this one was, but it will still be a crying fest for me, because I can feel it’s going to be so nostalgic, and we are getting the OG trio again. I will be of course reviewing that as well, probably in a way that’s understandable, not like this one.

A fantastic snippet into this highly indulgent standalone story in the world of Percy Jackson. Now, with the novel already out, I'm definitely going to go get the full-length deal!

Mark Oshiro’s voice as an author fits well into the Percy Jackson universe but still maintains his own flair. I’m really excited to read the rest of the story, and from what I got I’m expecting it to be a 5 star read!

Will and Nico from Percy Jackson's series are well known and loves characters. The facts that their story written by another author is a brave decision.
For me this book bring different voice than Rick Riordan on but also offer uniqueness and new depth emotional growth from both characters. I enjoyed this sample, a fresh teaser from the world I enjoyed for years. But I kinda lost with so much popular chitchat about trend pop culture and starwars stuff. And missed the sarkas jokes trademark from RR.

I put this title on DNF shelves because I only got sampler 50 pages. I will revisit the review after got my hands on full version of the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Puffin from Pinguin Random House Children UK for provided the ecopy. Published 2nd May 2023

The dedication at the beginning moved me🥹🥹
After the Heroes of Olympus series, I had tried getting into the Trials of Apollo but it didn't seem to be my cup of tea.
But, this book is going to be about two of the "old" characters from previous Percy Jackson's series; they have grown older and the tone of the narrative is more serious. There are going to be very important events ahead. Probably painful ones. I'm now looking forward to read the whole book!
Thank you for this sneak peek!

This was such a great sampler, I need more!!! Amazing to be back in the world of Percy Jackson, loads of fun. Now I need the rest of the book to see how the book ends!

Really exciting taste of a new instalment in the Percy Jackson world! I appreciate how the world has only grown more expansive and diverse over time, and these two characters specifically are two that have been close to my heart since early on in the series

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the 5 first chapters in this book.
I am obsessed with Percy Jackson and that universe and I think Nico and Will are such interesting characters.
The first chapters of this book are really immersive and it's easy to got back into the story.
I cannot wait to see how their realtionship evolves.

I am really excited to read the rest !

I haven’t read anything from Rick Riordan since I was about... 13 and I am 23 now, and this still gave me such a thrill of excitement, nostalgia and giddiness as it did a decade ago.

Nico and Will were always a pair I was so enamoured with so getting to begin their story here was so swoony and delightful. I am currently running to buy the book because I need more right now!

Loved this little teaser. It’s a strong start and I cannot wearing until this is out for me to devour in one sitting!