Apollo’s trials and tribulations continue in The Burning Maze. He and Meg head to California, accompanied by the satyr Grover. The southern part of the state is withering away thanks to the trapped energy of the sun Titan Helios. Fires rage across the land and drought parches what doesn’t burn. Along the way, they recruit Jason, Piper, and Gleeson Hedge to help in destroying the burning maze, along with new friend Crest. But is it too late for the land? 

Grover leads the crew to a sacred place with the ruins of a great house built as one with nature. There are several greenhouses with succulent dryads, including a male dryad! I adored all of these dryads. They had such personality, that really fit with the plants they inhabit. Aloe, for instance, is all about healing. I never really considered that all plants could have dryads. Nature spirits, yeah, but I’ve always associated dryads with trees. Speaking of unusual beings, this book introduces creatures called pandai. Also known as ‘big ears’ they are furry and have huge ears that can allow them to fly, among other things. 

The maze itself is terrifying! I live in NorCal, but we’ve had some pretty nasty wildfires of our own the past few years. Making their way through fiery tunnels and over a bubbly magma pit, just nope! Not only that, but they have several confrontations with the last emperor (whom I correctly guessed!), that end in terrible losses for the group. Losses I really wasn’t expecting, and they hit pretty hard. They hit Apollo pretty hard, too. I’m so glad he’s slowly changing for the better!

It turns out the sacred land is pretty special to Meg. She shares her memories of the place with Apollo, and it’s heart-breaking. However, she does find part of the legacy the ruins have to offer– her legacy- in the form of special seeds. She plants them and tries to help them grow, but it’s slow going. The end result, however, is a true miracle. Crest’s story is likewise heart-breaking. He’s out of place among the pandai, and they insist he be a fighter, something he’s just not. Crest wants to learn music. That’s all. So he gets mistreated for it. 

*******Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for the Seattle Book Review.