Review: The House of Hades

Being a mom and a fourth grade teacher, plus a lover of fantasy and mythology, Percy Jackson is one of my all time favorite characters and I have read all of the books featuring his character.  I love this series almost as much as I loved the Harry Potter books.... almost.  :)

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble:
At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors from both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

They have no choice. If the demigods don't succeed, Gaea's armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus.

I was anxiously awaiting this book since there was such a cliffhanger in the last book.  I still really like the way the point of view changes every few chapters.  We get to see what's happening to each of the main characters in two to three different places until we get close to the end where everyone is together again fighting the final battles of the story.  No spoilers here so I won't say much but this book had, in my opinion, the perfect combination of personal back stories, action, and fun.  There were times when I laughed, when I was on the edge of my seat, and when I was empathizing with what the characters were going though.  I have my hunches about how the series will end just from how most stories go but I'm hoping that Rick Riordan still has a few surprises up his sleeve.  The next book can't come soon enough for me, but alas, I have to wait another year...