Reviewed by J. Morton, August 2022
The Dark Prophecy, by Rick Riordan, is the second book in the Trials of Apollo series, following the Hidden Oracle. The book follows Apollo, a Greek god who has lost his powers, trying to recover the rest of the lost oracles, after successfully taking back the Grove of Dodona from Nero in the Hidden Oracle. Now Apollo is flying west to Indianapolis with two companions, Leo Valdez and Calypso (from the Heroes of Olympus series), to find a Greek emperor who is working with Nero.
The Dark Prophecy is a good sequel to the Hidden Oracle, showing again how Apollo must learn to befriend and rely on humans in order to survive. This book delves deeper into Apollo’s past through flashbacks that haunt him during his travels. Apollo has a deep connection to the villain of the book that adds a new layer to the book, showing that not all villains started out bad. The book is a good fit for teens and tweens.