The Sun and the Star

From the World of Percy Jackson
The Sun and the Star
A Nico di Angelo Adventure

Original Disney-Hyperion Hardcover
Authors	Rick Riordan Mark Oshiro
Audio read by	A.J. Beckles
Cover artist	Khadijah Khatib
Language	English
Series	The Nico di Angelo Adventures
Genres	Children's fantasy Action fiction Adventure fiction Middle grade fiction Classical mythology Greek mythology Roman mythology Gay children's fiction Bisexual middle grade fiction Children's literature
Publisher	Disney-Hyperion (United States) Puffin Books (United Kingdom)
Publication date	May 2, 2023 (Hardcover, Audiobook, Ebook)
Publication place	United States United Kingdom
Media type	Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, Ebook
Pages	480 (Hardcover) 496 (Paperback) 482 (Ebook) 13 hours and 30 minutes (Audiobook)
ISBN	9781368081153
Preceded by	The Tower of Nero (in The Trials of Apollo series)
Followed by	The Court of the Dead
Website	The Sun and the Star | Rick Riordan

From the World of Percy Jackson: The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, commonly known as The Sun and the Star, is a 2023 American children's fantasy action-adventure middle grade children's fiction novel based on Greek-Roman classical mythology co-written by American authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. The book is a sequel to the 2020 novel The Tower of Nero in The Trials of Apollo series, and is the first novel in The Nico di Angelo Adventures. The story follows the demigod children and boyfriends Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, the sons of the Greek Gods Hades and Apollo, respectively, as the boys follow a prophecy on a quest into the deep dark abyss of Tartarus, underneath the Greek underworld, to rescue an old friend of the boys, commonly known as Bob, who is, in fact, the Greek Titan Iapetus.

The Sun and the Star was published by Disney-Hyperion in the United States and by Puffin Books in the United Kingdom. The novel was released on May 2, 2023, and immediately became the number one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books, the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers, the Publishers Weekly Best Seller List for Children's Fiction, and The Globe and Mail Bestseller List for Juvenile books. The book was listed on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books for a total of 73 weeks, the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers for a total of 44 weeks, the Publishers Weekly Best Seller List for Children's Fiction for a total of 33 weeks, and The Globe and Mail Bestseller List for Juvenile books for a total of 9 weeks. The book was the number one overall bestseller on the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers for the entire year of 2023.

The Sun and the Star was awarded the Common Sense Selection Seal for Families by Common Sense Media, and listed as a Best Middle-Grade Fantasy of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews. A sequel titled The Court of the Dead, which will be the second novel in The Nico di Angelo Adventures, is set be released on September 23, 2025.

Background

The Sun and the Star was announced on October 6, 2021. As a cisgender heterosexual man, Rick Riordan decided to collaborate writing the novel with Mark Oshiro, an author of middle grade fiction centered on characters who are LGBTI children, and a longtime fan and an avid reader of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, to ensure that the perspectives of Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, a young gay boy and a young bisexual boy, respectively, as well the romantic relationship between the boys, would be as authentic as possible. Riordan and Oshiro created the synopsis and manuscript together and received equal credit for the book.

On September 28, 2022, both the cover art and the release date were revealed. The cover art was illustrated by Khadijah Khatib, and the release date for the hardcover version of the novel by both Disney-Hyperion in the United States and by Puffin Books in the United States was announced as May 2, 2023. Riordan also announced that he would be doing a tour of the United States and Canada with co-author Oshiro to promote the book.

Characters

• Niccolò di Angelo, commonly known as Nico di Angelo, is a 14 year old Italian-born Greek demigod who is the son of the Greek God Hades and the late Maria di Angelo. He is the first openly gay character in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, a main character in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, a main character in The Heroes of Olympus series, a main character in The Trials of Apollo series, and the protagonist of The Nico di Angelo Adventures series. He is the boyfriend of Will Solace.
• William Andrew Solace, commonly known as Will Solace, is a 16 year old American-born Greek demigod who is the son of the Greek God Apollo and Naomi Solace. He is the first openly bisexual character in the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, a minor character in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, a minor character in The Heroes of Olympus series, a main character in The Trials of Apollo series, and the deuteragonist of The Nico di Angelo Adventures series. He is the boyfriend of Nico di Angelo.
• Iapetus, commonly known as Bob, is a Greek Titan and the Lord of the West who is the father of Atlas. He is an antagonist of the short story Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades in The Demigod Files supplementary book to Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, a main character in The House of Hades book in The Heroes of Olympus series, and the tritagonist of The Sun and the Star book.
• Perseus Jackson, commonly known as Percy Jackson, is an 18 year old American-born Greek demigod who is the son of the Greek God Poseidon and Sally Jackson. He is the protagonist of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a main character in The Heroes of Olympus, a minor character in The Trials of Apollo series, and a minor character in The Nico di Angelo Adventures series. He is the boyfriend of Annabeth Chase.
• Annabeth Chase is an 18 year old American-born Greek demigod who is the daughter of the Greek God Athena and Frederick Chase. She is the deuteragonist of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a main character in The Heroes of Olympus, a minor character in The Trials of Apollo series, and a minor character in The Nico di Angelo Adventures series. She is the girlfriend of Percy Jackson.
• Rachel Elizabeth Dare is a 17 year old American mortal who is the Oracle of Delphi. She is a minor character in Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a minor character in The Heroes of Olympus, a minor character in The Trials of Apollo series, and a minor character in The Nico di Angelo Adventures series.

Reception

Accolades

The Sun and the Star was awarded the Common Sense Selection Seal for Families by Common Sense Media, and listed as a Best Middle-Grade Fantasy of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews.

Bestseller lists

The Sun and the Star immediately became the number one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books, continued to remain the number one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books for an initial period of 6 weeks, became the number one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books again for another period of 8 weeks, continued to be continuously listed non-stop in the top ten on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books for 72 weeks, and returned to the top ten on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books again for another week, for a total of 73 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade books.

The Sun and the Star immediately became the number one bestseller on the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers, continued to remain the number one bestseller on the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers for 9 weeks, continued to be continuously listed non-stop on the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers for a total of 44 weeks, and became the number one overall bestseller on the American Booksellers Association IndieBound Best Seller List for Early & Middle Grade Readers for the entire year of 2023.

The Sun and the Star immediately became the number one bestseller on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List for Children's Fiction, and continued to be continuously listed non-stop on the Publishers Weekly Bestseller List for Children's Fiction for a total of 33 weeks.

The Sun and the Star immediately became the number one bestseller on The Globe and Mail Bestseller List for Juvenile books, and continued to be continuously listed non-stop on The Globe and Mail Bestseller List for Juvenile books for a total of 9 weeks.

Critical response

Sharon Rawlins of the School Library Journal starred The Sun and the Star, praised the novel as "a seamlessly written, action-packed story that’s also a sensitive, introspective character study", added that "fans who’ve been waiting for more of adorable couple Nico and Will won’t be disappointed", and recommended the book for children in third grade through seventh grade.

Mia Manansala of the American Library Association Booklist starred The Sun and the Star, praised the novel as a "perfect read for fans of Percy Jackson, as well as those who love modern, inclusive takes on classic mythology", and recommended the book for children in sixth grade through ninth grade.

Carrie Wheadon of Common Sense Media gave The Sun and the Star four out of five stars, praised the novel as an "exciting Percy Jackson spin-off" that "offers monster-filled adventures for fantasy fans and relationship goals for everyone", which "makes this read very worthwhile", and recommended the book for children ages 10 and up.

Kirkus Reviews starred The Sun and the Star, praised the novel as "a standout", stated that the "collaborative effort between Riordan and Oshiro maintains earlier Percy Jackson entries' glorious knack for mythical machinations, profoundly sharp conflicts, and contemporary humor", added that "this stellar tale centers a richly woven love story that shines with ease between two boys who are seemingly different from one another", and recommended the book for children ages 10 years old to 14 years old.

Publishers Weekly praised the novel for "reprising the Greek myth–grounded books' goofy humor, high-stakes action, and whimsical worldbuilding", stated that "the collaborators weave in tender romance and emotionally complex ruminations on change, self-identity, and mental health, balancing adventure with heart and heft", and recommended the book for children ages 10 years old to 14 years old.

Plot

Two months after the defeat of Nero and Python, the Oracle of Delphi, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, provides the prophecy for the demigod children and boyfriends Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, the sons of the Greek Gods Hades and Apollo, respectively, as the boys follow the prophecy on a quest into the deep dark abyss of Tartarus, underneath the Greek underworld, to rescue an old friend of the boys, commonly known as Bob, who is, in fact, the Greek Titan Iapetus.

Making their way into the Underworld through the Door of Orpheus, which Nico and Percy had previously used, the two demigods are immediately set upon by the demon of nightmares, Epiales, who reveals that their mother is after Nico before Will manages to kill the demon using his newly-discovered power to emit light. Nico and Will seek the help of the troglodytes, who agree to lead them to a shortcut to Tartarus. But first, they pass the farm of Menoetes, who only agrees not to tell Hades about their quest in exchange for some stolen fruit from Persephone's garden. Although the heist is successful, Will encounters Persephone herself, who offers advice on his struggles to understand Nico, suggesting that Will embraces his own inner darkness rather than rejecting it, before gifting Will the stolen pomegranates.

Pleased with their success, Menoetes reveals that Bob, while reforming from dying while helping Percy and Annabeth, was captured by the primordial goddess of night, Nyx, who seeks to force Bob to go back to being Iapetus despite Bob's continuous rejection of his past. Nico reveals that he had encountered Nyx while traveling through Tartarus before getting captured by the giants and she took an interest in him, realizing that Nyx is using Bob as bait to get at Nico. The trogs lead the demigods to the River Acheron, where the nymph Gorgyra agrees to help them in exchange for Nico and Will sharing their story with her.

Using Gorgyra's canoe, Nico and Will descend into Tartarus where the power of the river forces them to confront their insecurities and differences of opinion, particularly on the nature of the Underworld. Locating Bob's pet saber-toothed skeleton cat, Small Bob, the demigods discover that Percy and Annabeth's giant friend Damasen is still reforming and can't help them before finally reaching Nyx's home, the Mansion of Night, where Bob is imprisoned in a continuous regeneration cycle. By combining their powers, Nico and Will free Bob before Nyx arrives with Nemesis, Hypnos, a reformed Epiales, and an army of monsters to cut off their escape.

Nyx reveals that she has created cacodemons out of manifestations of Nico's darkness and urges him to accept his darkness and stay in Tartarus, where the goddess believes he belongs. With the encouragement of Will and Bob, Nico fights back against Nyx's manipulations, embracing the fact that he is more than just his darkness, while Will accepts his own darkness to tap into Apollo's plague powers to fight Nyx. Taking control of the cacodemons, Nico decides to release them, symbolically letting go of his demons and fulfilling the part of the prophecy that he would have to leave something of equal value behind. Nemesis, Hypnos, and Epiales turn on Nyx and restrain her long enough for the group to get on the Acheron, which Nyx can't cross. To Nico's surprise, the cacodemons, which he renames Cocoa Puffs, decide to join them of their own free will.

As Bob sails the group back up the Acheron to the Underworld, Nico is visited in a dream by Hades and the spirits of his mother, Maria, and sister, Bianca. Hades reveals that he had sent Nico the prophecy so that he would rescue Bob, and arranged this dream. Maria and Bianca express their love and pride in Nico, as does Hades, who admits that Percy's actions have made him rethink his behavior towards his son, particularly when Hades realizes that the quest has risked Nico losing someone else that he loves. Hades, Maria, and Bianca urge Nico to enjoy his future with Will and find happiness.

Returning to Camp Half-Blood, Bob declines an invitation to stay and decides to head west to figure out his future, looking forward to finally having the freedom to do so. Nico and Will adopt the Cocoa Puffs and contacts Piper and her new girlfriend, Shel, to discuss their shared grief over the loss of Jason Grace. With a more hopeful outlook on life, Nico and Will look forward to what the future holds for them.

Sequel

A sequel to The Sun and the Star titled The Court of the Dead, which will be the second novel in The Nico Di Angelo Adventures, is set to be released on September 23, 2025.

External links

• Official website