The Court of the Dead

The Nico di Angelo Adventures #2

by Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro

New York Times #1 bestselling authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro collaborate again on a new adventure in which demigod Nico di Angelo teams up with his half-sister Hazel Levesque to protect . . . monsters?

A few months after returning from the depths of Tartarus, demigods Nico di Angelo and Will Solace agree to join Nico's half-sister Hazel Levesque at Camp Jupiter on the West Coast. She needs their help in managing a situation that the boys inadvertently brought about: the demigods showed the monsters of the Underworld that they have options; they don’t have to be evil.

Now some of those monsters have taken up residence at Camp Jupiter to seek refuge. Nico and Will are on site, assisting Hazel when one by one monsters start disappearing from camp. A mysterious dark force is at work, and its plan is to punish all monsters for their past crimes.

Things only get worse when Nico, Will, and Hazel learn that they’re all connected to it . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Percy Jackson, LGBT, Queer

438 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2025

About the author

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series.

Reviews

[fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

nico will always have such a special place in my heart, he was the first gay character i remember reading about, and his growth and development is so important to me🫶

also i think it’s incredibly important for middle grade and young teen readers to have a series with queer protagonists that deal with themes of shame, grief, trauma, panic attacks, setting boundaries, growth, etc. i know twelve year old me would have appreciated this so much.

(i also adore hazel and really loved her in this)







———
pre-read:
i'm seated. the bookstore employees are scared and asking me to leave because it's "not september yet" but I'm simply too seated.

[sally ✿ · Rating 4 out of 5]

do i think this will be well written? no. but am i going to read it anyway? yes.

-

edit: 3.5/5
this book was exactly what i expected it to be, but regardless, i am so proud of my gay disaster child nico di angelo.

[Lance]

HELLO??? SEQUEL to the NICO/WILL book??

[Rosalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

edit: 3.5/5
I liked this one way better than the first one: the story is more solid, the plot is tighter. But I can’t get over the decharacterization of multiple characters and the over-preachy messaging and writing. All for using books and writing to spread a positive message about tolerance and self-acceptance, but that message doesn’t have to be punching you in the face with every bit of dialog. Oshiro’s writing is just not for me.


YAY MORE NICO, MY LITTLE GAY DISASTER 🫶🏻

[kazzle dazzle]

NICO MY CHILDDDDDD

[Isla ☆]

I see people mad because rick keeps writing new books but like.. stay mad?? Because this 60 year old guy just wants to write because it makes him happy.
Like yall don't have to read the new books if you're okay with how the story was before??

[Anirudh Kukreja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came for a new addition in the Percy Jackson universe but instead found a beautiful novel with many other facets:
1. It's a heartwrenching and heartwarming novel on loneliness, alienation and second chances.
2. Our favorite emo, Nico, has finally found a grasp on his emotions and utilizes them to assist others.
3. DIONYSUS IS A REVELATION. Who knew that he would be the best mentor in this entire series (including the entire Riordanverse in this judgement).
4. "I'm the Ghost King, you don't scare me" Nico you badass.
5. The only bad thing about this novel is that it ended. Rick Riordan, you coward, write a book with atleast 1,000 pages in it so that you can start to satisfy your readers' cravings for your amazing stories.

PS. Look out for a character named Orcus. Your heart will no longer be your own.

[✰DoveyV✰]

honestly i've kind of lost my faith in uncle rick but i'll definitely give another nico novel a chance :D

[kitcantspell ( semi hiatus ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOLANGELO MY BABIES

[audrey (completely gone rn)]

I fucking hated the sun and the star but I would sell my soul for nico and will moments like even just a one shot so this is going on my tbr and I will be buying it when it comes out

[helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

calling nico and hazel necro babies has to be one of his best jokes yet

[Jackson Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve only had Naomi Solace for a day but if anything happened to her I would kill all of you and then myself

[ray ౨ৎ]

this is acc one of the most amazing things that have ever happened to me. a SIGNED edition on B&N? with sprayed and stenciled edges??


brb I need to tell my pjo group I mod in the wonderful news

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

get hazel out of these situations she should be at the club

[abby_theater_nerd]

Guys if any of my babies die, I'm fighting the authors😊

[Book Reviews by Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐ Przeczytałam jednym tchem! Uwielbiam postać Nico i to jak rozwinął się na przestrzeni tych wszystkich książek. Ten tom też skupia się na jego emocjach, generalnie na tym, żeby nie tłumić ich w sobie, żeby rozmawiać. Kolejną myślą przewodnią tej książki jest to, że nigdy nie jest za późno na zmiany. Do tego mamy tu całkiem ciekawy plot twist związany z pewną mitologiczną postacią o istnieniu której kompletnie zapomniałam. Świetna kontynuacja, ale mam wrażenie, że pierwszy tom był ciut lepszy :)

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SUN AND THE STAR 2! NICO AND WILL ARE COMING BACK!! WITH HAZEL!! I BETTER NOT BE DREAMING!!!

Finished Reading!
OH MY GOLLY GEE! THAT WAS AMAZING! I PHYSICALLY COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! I FINISHED IT IN 2 DAYS!

[kaylynnlalala · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’ve gained maternal instincts for a texan mother and a god going through alcohol withdrawal. i am very satisfied

[Amina · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰ 2.75 stars ✰

“Me who? I don’t know any bananas!”
“It’s Will!” he said. “Wait, I’m a banana?”
“It’s the Mist,” Nico said. “And I lost my Cocoa Puff.”

Without any subtext, the above dialogue would very much be hard to explain. 😆 ( But, that's just another day in the life of the son of Hades and sun (yes, this is deliberate because with all the flurry of nicknames that Nico bestows on his Ray of Light of his incredibly handsome boyfriend, it's the most accurate one) of Apollo. And when dealing with The Court of the Dead nothing can quite prepare them or their friends what kind of wild surprises they have planned to enact their vengeance of justice. 😤

“He was only sure of one thing: this group of mythic misfits needed a home, and the world was conspiring not to let them have one.”

The vibes to The House on the Cerulean Sea were definitely there. Nico's empathy towards them as a group relatable to his feelings was heartfelt. The allusions to the attack on certain scenes from Harry Potter were picked up on, even if one would argue that I'm reading too much into it. 😕 But... I felt like this quest of aiding Hazel with the decision to have the reformed monsters, terrifying, strange, and rough around the edges, blend with the students of Camp Jupiter had more of an agenda-sh feel to it. Even the various mythical characters from lore did not create that much of a hype or buzz to them, for so much was weighed down by the tone and direction of the narrative. 🤨

l respect the message. I do. I feel the pain and tension of dark forces lurking that wish to silence and shame them from existence. I know and see how the world is so incriminating in discriminating and ostracizing that which they cannot understand - to attack those who simply are. 😟The mythics represent those who are being treated unfairly and unjustly. I do. However, the overarching emphasis on these points was so painfully obvious, that it detracted from my overall investment and enjoyment.

“We are not perfect, and we can never be perfect. As for this cage…I have been in many. And I believe all cages are meant for breaking. We will survive this.”

I'm not sure how much of it was intentional; but, with each voice being a loaded gun as an attack on the naysayers and disbelievers - the story lost momentum and steam. Because, as readers, we do agree with this sentiment. 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️ Does one write with the purpose of trying to sway one's opinion, when they still do not hold back in the vitriol of those who oppose them?

For it is very peachy and satisfying to see the demigods and the mythics find that harmony of co-existing, a temperament we're all struggling and hoping to achieve only with honesty, empathy, and care. To find a voice to speak up against the relentless and undeserved, unwarranted persecution. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 So, if that is the reason, fine, I can take Nico's latest quest of finding peace in himself and around him as a success; but, as a reader, this did not really feel like a PJO-esque story.

The pointed-ness to the preaching made even the subtle humor fall flat. The character dynamics stilted; the interactions less impactful and memorable. The gods introduced dull and forgetful. The new characters, themselves - did not feel fleshed out enough, save for one. I liked Asterion, but he also lost his mojo. Hazel... yeah, I was miffed for personal reasons, but once again, I was not a fan of the whole classic fight, which took a comical turn that dialed down the seriousness of the situation. 🤷🏻‍♀️

“Fools can be dangerous especially if they convince others of their importance.”

Will needed to be a more proactive player, rather than simply being a side piece to Nico's emotions. I mean, yes, he displayed his fighting prowess and his ability to sweet talk Nico into being more assertive and confident in himself, but his presence was just there - he didn't add much. 😮‍💨 He also deserved his own pov; I would have liked to have known his thoughts about Nico; it miffed me even more when someone else got a pov, simply because it was needed for the plot. 😒

Not to say it was all that bad or boring. Nico and Will were still very heart-crushingly adorable, and his blinding smile that had Nico’s misgivings melted into plain joy. 🥹 Loved the Cocoa Puffs! Hands down, stole the show. I need a fanart of them following Nico like the Pied Piper and his ducklings, like yesterday. 😄 Mr. D's surprise reveal was interesting. But, I would have liked to have felt something - an emotion that touched me. Make me laugh, make me smile, make me hurt. When it's none of the above, it just feels stale. 😞

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Yum!" Johan said. "I will now eat everyone else's food."
"No," Will said gently. "Because I am setting boundaries."
"Oh!" Johan looked delighted. "That was very good, Will Solace! We are learning together!" (133)

[Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh! Not only is this book bad, but it also messes with the established lore and integrity of a beloved 20-year-old series in a way that is truly mind-boggling. I went into reading this knowing in my heart that it was going to be mediocre and vaguely charming at best, but I wasn't expecting it to be (in my opinion) genuinely detrimental to the series as a whole and truly the worst output we've seen from Rick Riordan in years.

Characters read like cardboard cut-outs who talk in permanent thera-speak, perfectly suited to diffuse every emotionally tense situation with some boring platitude about empathy or boundaries. Mental health is a huge component of this story, but it's so surface-level. What's the point of exploring negative emotions like loneliness, sadness, grief, anger, and jealousy if our characters don't get to actually experience them in meaningful ways? Characters in the original series are flawed; even the heroes are inconsiderate, unkind, or quick to judge, and that's a good thing! It makes for an interesting story. Nobody in this novel gets to act like that with any degree of nuance afforded to them, not Nico or Will or Dionysus, and certainly not the monsters who have spent hundreds of years murdering children (who are good now, we promise). Every complicated issue that could be explored is effectively flattened, and characters are intentionally de-fanged to make the hamfisted way they're shoved into the narrative make any sort of sense. See, it's okay that the Minotaur carried around beads from the necklaces of dead Camp Half-blood children during the Battle of Manhattan as spoils of war, because he knits now! Mr. D is suddenly really interested in therapy and breathing exercises, and we promise it's because he actually cares about the demigods at camp, and not just because Riordan realized that Nico has no one to confide in other than his boyfriend!

And Nico. Poor, fan-favorite Nico. He's almost unrecognizable. Any personality he has is stripped away, and it makes him almost as boring as Will, who is there to act as nothing more than a shoulder for Nico to lean on in the brief moments where he's allowed to express actual feelings. He possesses zero interiority or flaws and attributes that make him interesting enough to be the secondary lead of an entire series.

I could go on. The book was overly long, the pacing was a mess, and it was sentimental in an empty, saccharine type of way. The monster (sorry, mythic!) characters are one-note, and the central thesis that every living being has the capacity to change rings incredibly hollow when, again, we're talking about millennia-old monsters who have somehow never questioned their orders to kill and maim demigods before Nico and Will stumbled into Tartarus. Gods help Percy when he visits Camp Jupiter on break from school, only to find out the creature responsible for kidnapping his mother and trying to murder him in one of the scariest moments of his entire life is now a beloved hero figure amongst his friends and family. This book is great and makes complete sense.

(Why two stars instead of one???? I liked the Cocoa Puffs, and I want 100000000000. The concept of negative emotions being externalized like that is actually really interesting. Those are the only flowers I'll give.)

[faith𝜗𝜚]

uncle rick just please keep em coming 🙏

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG DAM I DID NOT EXPECT MY CHILD NICO TO GET A SECOND BOOK YASS

[Nott]

I'm always giving Nico's books a chance! My boy <3

[vee ! ᰔᩚ]

the sun and the star was a betrayal to nico’s (and will’s) character but will i still give this one a chance? probably. i’ve got no self-respect.

[Shy★彡(gcse lit's version)(byler & lumax ftw!!!) · Rating 2 out of 5]

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ:
ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏ - ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ sᴡɪғᴛ
↺◁‖▷↻
(ᴀ sʜɪᴛ sᴏɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴀ sʜɪᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ)

"ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇs, ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴛʟᴇᴅ sᴛᴀɢᴇ"

dnf at idfk i wanna say about near halfway??

anyway so i gave up after another once good joke that got turned into... something... but whatever. this books was so ass like what plot?? what relationship?? solangelo (spelt that wrong twice) has become the book version of mileven i shit you not. also the references were so cringy 💔🥀 like why are they talking about taylor swift and memes??? what next?? they'll start talking about kpop demon hunters or some other overhyped movie?? if that ever happens i might jump /hj also the references to previous books like are we being deadass? nico, will gtfo you are NOT requoting thalia and percy over here 💔

ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs

𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐝𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐨🧿
"𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝. 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟𝐟!"

does he not sound like a bitch with this quote?? like he was so jealous for no reason like god forbid Will's friends with women. is he not allowed to be friends with men either?? like he's just being an asshole then pulling "woe is me" everytime something goes wrong. #bringbackpresolangelonico. like every single one of his crashouts have been valid up until the start of toa. now he's js a controlling asshole.

𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞🧿
"𝐲'𝐚𝐥𝐥"

yes he actually said that 💔 honestly the texan stereotypes were insane like it was so uncalled for 🥀💔 but seriously. i cold only find one decent quote bc he had NONE! although he had one decent bit of lore which made me cry but we're not gonna talk about that also he glows?? like fully i-am-the-motherfucking-sun glows. but even though he was seriously barely there he's still pookie and deserves better than nico <3

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐳𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠🧿
"𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫... 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞"

since when??? frank babes you do NOT have anger issues did they srsly run out of interesting ways to rope you into the therapy shitshow that was this book? also he was the only rational one, especially about the c*co p*ffs, like everyone else is literally delusional and need to be in the white padded room especially nico compared to him 💔

"ʜᴏɴᴇʏ, ɪ ʀᴏsᴇ ᴜᴘ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, ɪ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ"

𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧🧿
"𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭?"

bro took "i wont raise my white flag" too literally i swear 💀 he was silly ig but are we js gonna ignore how he tried to kill percy and sally?? no... looks like we are....

𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞🧿
"𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞"

DIVAA 😛 im jk her characterisation in this book made me want to get trampled on by johan her character just felt so flat which is a criminal offence because i love hazel omfg whyohwhyohwhy did they do thus to her?? #notmyhazel

"ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏ
ᴏʜʜ, ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏ"

ᴛᴏᴘ 𝟷𝟶 ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘɪssᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏғғ

1) oludare being a child of hestia, not only does this break pjo canon but actual mythology
2) savannah being a legacy of minerva WHAT HAPPENED TO MINERVA HAVING NO CHILDREN???
3) the reference to lwymmd like that is singularly taylor swifts WORST song they could've referenced shake it off or 22 and that wouldve been better
4) the requote of thalia and percy in the titans curse.... that made me dnf the entire book. great.
5) the constant therapy speak like sybau i dont need you constantly telling me "everyone deserves to be treated equal" but charles dickens style (rewording the same thing a billion times I AM NOT DISSING DICKENS I ACTUALLY LOVE HIS BOOKS 🎀)
6) THE MEMES AND POP CULTURE REFERNCES!! nico you're 80 years old stop trying to be down with the kids
7) the blatant possessiveness coming from nico. like mate he called her pretty. empousai are usually pretty. he's not gonna ditch you (although he should)
8) the fart jokes 💔🥀 okay i get this is middle grade but really? i'd expect that from captain underpants
9) the nicknames. like seriously, its cringe. shut up please
10)the attempt to make some characters seem racist towards the monsters mythics and it just came off as forced

"ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ sʟᴇᴇᴘ
ʟᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴡ ᴀ ғᴇᴀsᴛ (ᴡʜᴀᴛ?)"

ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴍᴀᴄᴇ (ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴄᴀʟʟ ɪᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ)

are we serious here? are they dating or did they have an offscreen secret breakup?? like i said, they're the book version of mileven. and i mean that in a derogatory way. like i forgot they were together like 8 times while reading and everytime they pulled a staged asf kiss it refreshed my memory

ᴄᴏɴᴄʟᴜsɪᴏɴ

i'll be honest, it was less of a dumpster fire than tsats, shocking ik. but the 2 stars are for the bit with will's lore and arielle for briefly pissing off nico. 3/10 only recommend if your the book version of tone deaf... or are used to reading shitty ao3 bc thats how this read

xoxo shy <3

"ɪ'ᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴏɴᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ
ᴡʜʏ? ᴏʜ!
'ᴄᴀᴜsᴇ sʜᴇ's ᴅᴇᴀᴅ!"


𝑷𝑹𝑬-𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫
right so i'm fucking terrified. if you've seen my review for tsats then you'll see i absolutely hated didn't like it... this is my most anticipated read of 2025 but my expectations were left in tartarus with the last book

go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. go in with an open mind. (positive affirmations ❤)

I've already made my bingo card so there's no going back now 😼

[Samuel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ve read better fanfics in the PJO universe than this. I get that the author wants to milk the cash cow for every last drop, but seriously, why?

All we got was subpar writing, weak characterization, and a story that’s completely out of steam.

[Slug · Rating 1 out of 5]

are we deadass

[Jenna-booklooksbyjenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

yeah….thats my son. i love him.

[mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

whoever i saw that said they thought this book was like a fanfiction, needs to give me fanfic recs cause i LOVED THIS