July 2023’s newsletter main feature, “Book Recommendation: The Sun and The Star.”
Book Recommendation: The Sun and The Star
The Sun and The Star is a stand-alone Olympian adventure co-written by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. It follows Nico de Angelo and his boyfriend Will Solace as they journey through the Underworld and into Tartarus to rescue their titan friend Bob.
I can’t tell you how excited I was to read this book! Previous series only briefly explored Nico and Will’s relationship, so I was thrilled to see them get their own stand-alone novel. And in my opinion, the hype paid off.
As this is a new release, I’ll try not to give too many spoilers!
Do You Need to Know the Previous Books?
Rick Riordan has written three serieses in the Olympians continuity before The Sun and The Star: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and the Trials of Apollo. With 6 books in each series, plus multiple short stories, new readers may find jumping in intimidating.
So the question remains: do you have to read the three previous serieses to enjoy The Sun and The Star?
Well… probably.
Wait, don’t click away! There is hope if you haven’t read everything. The Sun and The Star does a pretty good job explaining the necessary character and setting exposition. New readers who haven’t read through the previous serieses aren’t left wandering in the dark, grasping at easter eggs that don’t make sense out of context.
However, in my opinion, readers will appreciate it more if they know Nico’s history with Will, Percy, and the other characters. There are also multiple callbacks and dangling plot threads that are wrapped up. I’d say the book that leads most strongly into The Sun and The Star is The House of Hades, the third Heroes of Olympus series installment.
In summary: while it’s not fully necessary to know the previous storylines to enjoy The Sun and The Star, readers already familiar with the Olympians books will get more out of it than newcomers.
Relationships
The last time we visited Tartarus, it was with Percy and Annabeth– a long-standing relationship that had been developed over 2 whole serieses. Their relationship was already stable and founded on trust.
This time, we’re seeing a newer relationship tested in Tartarus. Nico and Will don’t have the history yet that will carry them through Tartarus’ hardships. As a result, they have to learn to open up and lean on each other. Either their trials will make them buckle and break, or solidify them into something far stronger than how they went in.
I found the contrast between the two relationships particularly interesting. Percy-Annabeth and Nico-Will are put through the same harsh environment, but since they’re at different stages in their relationship, their journeys are also different. It leads to a new, unique story.
Accepting Trauma and Personal Darkness
The story focuses on Nico dealing with his painful, complicated history and coming to terms with who he is, both the light and dark sides of his personality.
As long-time readers know, Nico just can’t catch a break! We’ve seen him deal with his trauma by withdrawing from his friends so he won’t be hurt again.
But Nico can’t with Will– not if he wants their relationship to last. He has to learn how to live with his pain and darkness rather than being defined by it. He must accept it as part of himself to move forward. And he has to trust Will to see it and not run away.
On the flip side, as a healer and child of Apollo, Will is accustomed to fixing wounds. But some wounds can’t be “fixed.” They’ll always be there, and they’re part of what makes Nico Nico. Will has to learn to accept that.
It’s a lesson I think many people can relate to. Nico’s and Will’s struggles and character growth feels very real, very natural. It was an emotional read– we watch them go through literal hell, after all!– but without giving spoilers, I can say the conclusion was all the more satisfying for it.
Co-Authors
If I’m right, this is the first novel Rick Riordan has co-written with another author. I haven’t read anything from Mark Oshiro before, but I enjoyed how these two authors blended their styles to create something unique.
The Sun and The Star had the same cheeky humor as the Olympian books before it, but overall, it was more introspective. In a book that focuses so much around self-reflection, the characters’ deeper ponderings were necessary for their development.
Also, thanks to Mark Oshiro, the story’s queer content feels genuine. When Nico and Will talk about their experiences coming out, you can tell it’s authentic. It’s always good to see queer authors writing their own stories.
Outro
The Sun and The Star is darker than many of the previous Olympians books, but it’s filled with love, warmth, and emotional intelligence to balance out. It’s an emotional story where we follow the characters to the darkest parts of themselves and watch them walk back out hand in hand.
Check it out at your local library or buy it online and let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
-S. Labrecque
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