Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Author: Rick Riordan
Books in Series: 5
Genre: Middle-grade, Mythology
My Rating: 5 Stars
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
The Percy Jackson series has a very special place in my heart. And not just because I'm obssessed with it. Another reason is that this is a series I fell in love with after I was well incorporated in the world of reading. So that means I can say for sure that I don't like it as much as I do just because I was young when I read it or because it was one of the first few series' that I read. I fell in love with it because it's just that amazing. Hell, I could go on Goodreads now and find out what I thought about the first or second book when I read it for the first time.
But moving on from that, I can say for sure that Rick Riordan has written one of the best series ever and I can easily see it becoming a classic that kids will be reading a 50 to 100 years from now.
Now for the individual reviews:
1. The Lightning Theif: I get very nostalgic over this book, because this is where it all began. I absolute adore it. But the first time I read it, I had a different opinion. I still liked it, but not as much. I wasn't very familiar with middle-grade writing and I thought that Percy was too good at what he did. He was just 12 and a beginner, he shouldn't have been able to fight as well as he did. I also didn't like the fact that they (the characters) coincidently bumped into monsters wherever they went.
3.5 Stars
2. The Sea of Monsters: The problem with this book was also them accidently bumping into monsters. Like with the first one. Other than that, eveything's fine.
But I've heard at least half a dozen people say that they got half-way through this book and then stopped reading. The same thing almost happened to me, too. I got half-way and, for some reason, put the book on hold. Picked it up a month later because I was determined to get through it, and never paused again for the entire series. Maybe it's a curse or a test like, "Whoever can get past the mid-point shall be blessed with loving this series forever". So, if you're one of those people who got stuck, push through, and the next thing you know, you'll be reading The Sword of Summer.
4 Stars
3. The Titan's Curse: This is my favourite book of the series. Maybe it's because of the Dam joke or maybe it's because this is the book that really got me hooked, I'm not sure. I enjoyed the previous two books but this is the one that got me to a point of never looking back. All the problems that I had - with the convenient monster encounters and Percy being too good - got fixed. Everything was perfect.
5 Stars
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth: This is most people's favourite book of the series. And I get why. The idea for the Labyrinth and the addition of the new character. On top of that, eveything that happened in the book from the fight in the underground arena to the blue hair-brush, it was so brilliant. This book also has a lot of tension and fear, you never know what's gonna happen at the next turn, and I enjoyed it so very much.
4.5 Stars
5. The Last Olympian: If there was ever a perfect way to end a series, this would be it. I've read my share of series which had disappointing ends. This, I can safely say, is not one of those series'. From the very beginning to the end, it was just go, go, go. The great battle took up over half of the book and it was planned and written so beautifully... *amazed sigh*
I especially loved how everything came together in the end. And the prophecy! It was intense and terrifying. Percy was so brave and strong about it. Not many people would've been able to do that.
5 Stars
Special mentions to some of my favourite aspects of the series:
- Percy: I don't even think I need to say anything. All I can ask is that you read the series because it's hard to explain. Lets just say that I usually have a hard time picking a favourite character from a book or a movie. Percy is my absolute favourite character of all time. Need I say more?
- Annabeth: Annabeth is supposed to be the smartest person. And she is. I know that doesn't sound like a huge compliment but here's the thing: most of the time, we're told that a certain character is smart. Annabeth shows it. The way she acts, talks and behaves. You know she's the smartest person you'll ever know. She's Annabeth.
- The Prophecies: No one does prophecies like Rick Riordan does prophecies. They twist you around and confuse you and make you worry and when it all becomes clear in the end, you're thinking, "Ohhhh! So that's what it meant!". They're the best.
- The Writing and the Pace: This is a very fast-paced series. You can't go more than three chapters without something huge happening. It could be a shocking revelation, a prophecy, or some monster trying to kill Percy for the billionth time. Add that to the fact that the book is written in Percy point-of-view, and there's not a second of boredom. Rick Riordan is the master of a middle grade voice.
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| 5 Addicted Stars |
