The Tower of Nero (Trials of Apollo, #5)

by Rick Riordan

It's time to face the final trial . . .

The battle for Camp Jupiter is over. New Rome is safe. Tarquin and his army of the undead have been defeated. Somehow Apollo has made it out alive, with a little bit of help from the Hunters of Artemis.

But though the battle may have been won, the war is far from over.

Now Apollo and Meg must get ready for the final - and, let's face it, probably fatal - adventure. They must face the last emperor, the terrifying Nero, and destroy him once and for all.

Can Apollo find his godly form again? Will Meg be able to face up to her troubled past? Destiny awaits . . .

• ISBN10: 0141364076
• ISBN13: 9780141364070
• Publish Date: 6 October 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 16 March 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Puffin
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 5 Stars

Wow. What an excellent ending to an extraordinary series! Very sad about a certain someone... but I have Percy, still, and most of the gang; so i'll be okay? Also Nico is just the best; does anyone know if rick will be writing a series about him & Tartarus?

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog coming soon!

By now, I'm pretty sure you all know how much I love Rick Riordan's novels. I read almost everything he wrote and enjoyed every single novel. No surprises here, with the final installment in the Trials of Apollo series he didn't disappoint.
In short, this was quite a ride. As usually there is a lot of action but also a lot of touching moments that'll bring you to the brink of tears. But most importantly, there's a lot of humor!
I don't even know what to say about The Tower of Nero. It's a fascinating story and I just couldn't stop reading. Apart from the regular stuff, this is also an interesting exploration of abuse relationship dynamics and healing from them. I feel like Riordan is doing his best to treat this in a meaningful way that might allow readers to actually learn something without coming across as preachy or condescending.
Furthermore, I appreciated how Apollo learned and developed throughout the series. There are no sudden changes. It's slow but steady acquired through hard work and experience. Apollo knows that he won't magically become a better person/God unless he puts in a conscious effort not to go back to his old ways. Again, the way Riordan approaches this is just very applicable for real life.
Apart from life-lessons to be learned here, it's just an enjoyable story that you'll 100% love if you liked his other books. In my opinion, you can never go wrong with a Riordan novel. The Tower of Nero is a satisfying end to The Trials of Apollo. He manages to squeeze in a decent conclusion for all characters involved without trying too hard or pulling a Harry Potter epilog. Simply nothing to complain about from my side!