- Buy the book here
- Page Count: 268
- Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade Fiction
I believe that we’re never too old to reunite with the stories of our childhood. For me, the Percy Jackson series was a cornerstone of my reading as a kid. A teacher lent me a copy of The Lightning Thief in 2nd grade and said I’d probably enjoy the story because of how invested I was in our Greek mythology unit in school. I took that first book home and my world was changed. I saw myself in the young characters and I was thrilled by their adventures. I read the entire series quickly and have returned to the books since as a place of comfort.
I’m still a fan of Greek mythology to this day, and my love of adventure stories has taken me far beyond that first book. I absolutely give credit to fantastic educators for making me the reader that I am today, and it angers me deeply that the simple act of offering kids the opportunity to explore the world through books is being so heavily politicized in the United States.
When I heard about The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan, I knew it was a story I would have to read. I’ve read other stories in the Riordanverse since the original Percy Jackson books, and I love how Riordan has amplified writers of different cultural backgrounds to share mythology-based stories. But there’s something so special about reading books with your favorite characters again. It’s like reuniting with an old friend and catching up on their lives.
The Chalice of the Gods is a fairly lighthearted book. There’s no quest to save the world from doom. Instead, Percy is trying to get some college recommendation letters from the gods and the only way to get one is by completing a quest for them. He teams back up with Annabeth and Grover as they race around NYC doing immortal favors. There’s a bit of suspense – because nothing ever goes smoothly when you’re Percy Jackson – but overall it’s a funny and simple book. The themes aren’t overly complex, the story is entertaining, and it’s nice to see old familiar characters again. Even as an older reader, I found Riordan’s sense of humor in this book to be quite funny.
There’s some minor appearances from infamous godly parents, and a few mentions of other characters, but overall, the story focuses back on the core trio that started it all. It was a perfectly nostalgic read and reminded me of why I loved the stories so much in the first place. For older readers who adored these books in childhood, Chalice of the Gods feels like a warm hug.
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