It's not easy being Apollo, especially when you've been turned into a human and banished from Olympus. It takes some time to get all the wheels in motion because there are more wheels than The Tyrant's Tomb needs, but most everything rolls neatly to the end - well, at least the end before the real ending in Book 5.In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying. (Like why's the guy in the tomb in cahoots with the other emperors, and why on earth would you want to pay him a visit?) Plus we're back in Roman territory with Roman terms, rules, and characters. So many characters and mythological creatures and side quests swirl about in the story that sometimes it's hard for the reader to piece it all together.

There's a delight just in the sheer randomness of author Rick Riordan's imagination. Luckily, nothing ever gets heavy for too long, not when the best weapons are sometimes horrid Dean Martin songs and the best way for a harpy to remember a prophesy is to tattoo it on her cyclops-boyfriend's body. This Apollo series stays exciting with loads of mythological mayhem, but also gets heavy with sad departures and some serious comeuppance for a now-mortal god growing a conscience. Facing his past, he feels shame and regret (mortal emotions new to him), is nearly killed, and is willing to sacrifice everything for his friends. We learn more about Apollo's bad behavior when he was a god, including having a girlfriend killed and bullying a minor god. Plus, there's not one but two car crashes off cliffs, with one broken leg. Expect a huge climactic battle with all kinds of mythical creatures (including lots of undead warriors), more casualties and injuries, and a little bit of gore (a stabbing in the eye, a horrible burn wound that eventually kills). After the death of a beloved character at the end of Book 3, The Burning Maze, there's more bloodshed to come in The Tyrant's Tomb.

A lot is thrown at readers in the way of ancient history, Roman terms, and Greek and Roman characters, so thank goodness for the 16-page glossary at the end of the book.

And, for extra credit, reading the Apollo chapter in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods helps when our 'suddenly mortal and very unhappy about it' narrator, Apollo, recounts key moments of his godly life. The storyline picks up after the war at the end of the Heroes of Olympus, and many old favorite characters make cameos or are mentioned, like Frank, Hazel, and Reyna. It helps to read them both before digging into the Trials of Apollo series. The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series came first, then the Heroes of Olympus. Parents need to know that The Tyrant's Tomb is the fourth book in a series that's a spin-off of a Percy Jackson spin-off series.

The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan