Reviewed by J. Morton, August 2022
The Burning Maze, by Rick Riordan, is the third book in the Trials of Apollo series, following the Dark Prophecy. The book continues to follow Apollo on his harrowing quest to take back the ancient oracles from the evil Triumvirate without the help of his godly powers. Apollo must set out to California, accompanied by Meg and Grover Underwood, to reclaim the third oracle and finally meet the final emperor in the Triumvirate. He must also get the help of Jason and Piper, two of the heroes from the Prophecy of Seven.
This addition to the series is the darkest one yet, as Apollo must deal with loss and grief and learn to not take life for granted. He is also forced to confront one of his greatest failures that has come back to haunt him. Since it is a little more serious than the other books, The Burning Maze is better for older teenagers. Riordan makes a very unexpected decision in this book that changes the tone for the rest of the series and greatly raises the stakes.