#leovaldezlover

[sunnytastic]

ok ok I know this long overdue (but in my defense, I am a college student currently drowning in midterms and definitely not writing this while procrastinating my anthropology essay) but here it finally is: my analysis of The Lost Hero

first, I think the decision to remove percy from the first book and instead introduce three new characters was extremely necessary. we already know and love percy but by including him the first book it would have caused us to pay less attention to the new central characters. heroes of olympus is not about percy. its about seven different characters who all have different motivations and responsibilities, of which percy is one of them. by starting with different characters, it is clear from the beginning that other characters will be just as important as percy in the this series. the new characters also allowed for a more seamless shift between first person and third person rotating narration. having percy go from first person to third person without any introduction would have been too jarring and would have probably alienated a lot readers. rick was also really smart for not including percy in the first book because it generated even more anticipation and excitement for the son of neptune.

secondly, jason gets too much hate. or at least for his character in the lost hero. while the amnesia plot line is recycled with percy in the next book, I think the lost hero does it more effectively with jason. for starters, we already know percy and his history, and yes, it is still very interesting to watch percy figure out life without his memories. but jason is entirely new character, and to introduce a new character while also not being to provide a character history is a much better use of the amnesia trope. it makes the readers more invested in the character because we are also trying to piece together his past along with him.

and I think it was a very ballsy move on rick's part because amnesia in a new character means the author really has to focus on showing vs telling jason's character traits because the readers have no context to explain why he is the way he is. and I think that rick really did pull it off because it is very clear from the beginning that jason is a natural leader who knows when and how to support those on his team. especially when compared to percy whose obliviousness often prevents him from noticing when others are upset. this not to say that percy is not a caring guy, I just think jason is more observant and this helps him lead effectively.

piper is always been a really appealing character for me. her powers are more subtle than the others and one of my favorite parts of heroes of olympus is watching her develop her abilities and grow more powerful. and the daughter of aphrodite turned rebellious tomboy who could care less about her looks definitely works for her character. and I really like that despite her attempts to hide her beauty, every character still acknowledges how attractive she is. (also, piper, please, ur too good for jason. you should be with me instead <3). I can't wait to read more of piper and im especially excited to see her interact more with annabeth.

ok now on to my baby leo valdez. I would do anything to be able to wrap him in large blanket and bake him some edibles (leo high would be hilarious and I would pay so much money to see that). and I adore how rick alludes to leo having a potty mouth. it fits his character perfectly and its shame we don't get to hear him say "god damn it" or "motherfucker" every other sentence but I'll settle for little lines that imply that he does. I mean, this is a kid's book.

leo also is a very important character to me because I can relate to him on many levels. as a hispanic american with severe adhd that causes me to talk too much and results in social mistakes that when corrected, I perceive as rejection (gotta love that rejection sensitivity dysphoria). this being said, while I definitely agree that leo has adhd, I cannot ignore how heavily he is autistically-coded. His sense of isolation goes beyond his perceived social rejections. He struggles with identifying how people feel and becomes uncomfortable when he is expected to comfort him. He also mentions several times that he prefers being alone with his projects to avoid and recharge from social situations. And while he is still a son of hephaestus, he seems to be more invested and finds more meaning his work than his siblings. One could even say that it is his special interest. His creations are also the only way he connects with his peers and often relates and describes them using terms associated with machines (like abed from community with tv shows). im disappointed that rick never touches on leo's autistic traits because I don't think you can write a book celebrating neurodivergence and then not make an effort to include autistic people (especially when they are already present and just ignored)

however, as much as I love leo, the lost hero is not his best book. it might even be his worst. compared to jason and piper (especially as this book follows the development of their relationship), leo just kinda takes a backseat and doesn't show as much of the personality that I've come to love. sure, he's fixes festus but then festus almost immediately gets destroyed. and then he really only supports jason and piper as they go along their own journeys. im very much looking forward to leo take a more important role in the rest of the series and become the glue that keeps the seven running. and im very interested in watching him evolve from goofy prankster to hero who understands that the future of humanity is in his hands. in both great prophecies, the fate of the battle rests in singular choice made by a singular hero (first, percy. second, leo) but in pjo, percy only carried that weight of this responsibility for a week before it resolved. on the other hand, leo finds out at the beginning of his journey and it strongly impacts the emotional development of his character.

I honestly can't say much about the plot of the lost hero. it follows the same script as previous percy jackson books though with the uniqueness of the new characters. the characterization is what really stands out in this book but again, piper and leo still are better characters in other books in the series. overall, not a bad book, definitely necessary and a decent introduction to the series.

anyways, this is way longer than I thought it was going to be and I very desperately need to go back to my anthropology essay (seriously, its due tonight). But I did say that I would be analyzing the heroes of olympus more closely and what kinda of person would I be if I didn't keep my word. I have no idea when I will be able to finish son of neptune or when I will be posting my analysis of it but stay tuned because it is definitely coming.

oh, and one more thing, thank you for all the notes and reblogs on my posts. it truly means a lot and im happy to find more percy jackson lovers

tldr: the lost hero is a good book, jason gets too much hate, piper is amazing, leo just needs a hug and some soup, and I need to write a goddamn essay

[happypuppys-archive]

valid!! percy is v cool :] !!! n whos your favorite heroes of olympus character(s) n why??? :O

!!!!!!! hehe get ready ur about to get so much rambling (also HOLY SHIT ITS BEEN 7 YEARS SINCE I READ THE HOO SERIES ok but the point was it’s been that long since i read tha series so if i mess up smth that is why!!)

ok so !!!!!

i love everyone!!! BUT. my favs r

percy. he’s just a fucking!!!!! he’s so nice!!!!! he’s so smart!!!!! i will never forgive rick riordan for dumbing him down percy is so fucking SMART he’s nice he’s kind he will let the world die just 2 save his friends like what else do u want !!!!! he’s so nice okay i love him and he’s funnt !!!!!!! i just. god i love him

jason. JASON!!!!! MY MAN!!!!!! i love jason so much oh my god i don’t even know why!!!!! like yes it’s bc of how rick riordan wrote him but also rick slightly fucked up with some aspects of him BUT I LOVE JASON STILL!!!!!! MY BOY!!!!!! he’s so NICE n he’s KIND but also???? the fact that he will literally be the one to finish the mission bc . FUCK WHAT R THEY. I WANNA SAY RUSSIAN BUT I KNOW THEY ARENT. ok NAYWAYS bc he’s whatever the word is!!!!! but also him slowly goin through and unlearning that slightly??? love it. also i relate to him with having fucked up parents yup yup

leo. LEO!!!! LEO!!!! MR MAN HIMSELF!!!!!! okay fun fact one of my users on minecraft was like ‘leovaldezlover’ or smth (ill get a screenshot after this) but i love him SO MUCH. i heavily relate to him like makin jokes to hide trauma???? MOOD. but even though he’s been through so much he’s still so kind!!!!! he’s still so nice!!!!!! even after he finds out that he doesn’t actually know who jason is, he still helps him!!!!!! he’s still so fucking nice and i just. i love him!!!!!!!