Happy Thursday! Today I want to share my thoughts on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I usually post individual book reviews for each book I read, but I decided I would post a general, spoiler-free discussion for this series instead. I picked up Percy Jackson for the first time in 2015 after hearing how much people love it. While I don’t read a lot of middle-grade books, I thought it would be fun to read this fantasy series while I was studying for the bar. I knew it would be easy to get through, and also entertaining. I did read the first three books of this five-book series in May, but it wasn’t until December where I finally picked up the last two. Percy Jackson took me on an epic adventure, and I want to share it with all of you!
The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series follows 11-year-old Percy Jackson. Percy is a good kid, but he always seems to get into trouble. The series opens when Percy is on a field trip with his class, and all of a sudden his math teacher turns into a monster! It turns out Percy is a half-blood, which means his dad is a God. Percy goes to Camp Half-Blood, which just happens to be located in Long Island, New York. There he learns more about the mysterious world of the Greek Gods, and meets a wide array of characters.
The first book, entitled The Lightning Thief, was my least favorite of the series. While I really enjoyed Percy as a character and first-person narrator, the book is so derivative of my beloved Harry Potter that it actually made me angry! I spent the majority of the book grumbling about how everything in the novel parallels Harry Potter, and was quite frustrated as I reached the ending.
Nonetheless, I continued on with The Sea of Monsters, book two in the series. While it still had Harry Potter undertones, I really liked the new characters introduced to the reader. I also loved how author Rick Riordan wrote a middle-grade story that discusses the importance of accepting those who are different than ourselves. Thus, I picked up book three, The Titan’s Curse directly after finishing the second book. The Titan’s Curse was a turning point in the series for me. It broke away from the pack in terms of the Harry Potter similarities, and while I don’t remember too many details of the story, I knew for sure I would finish the series.
As I mentioned above, I took a few months off from Percy Jackson after completing the first three books, mainly because I was busy. That made it difficult for me to get back into the story when I picked up book four, The Battle of the Labyrinth. I ended up listening to the first third of the book as an audio book to help jump back into the world, which really helped. I was a bit disappointed with the fourth book, but the ending was excellent, and I had to find out how the series would conclude.
The last book, The Last Olympian, is by far my favorite. It is non-stop action, and I absolutely loved how all the loose ends got tied up in the end. Because The Last Olympian was so strong, it really gave me a favorable opinion on the series as a whole, and made me want to pick up Rick Riordan’s other books. I definitely look forward to starting The Heroes of Olympus series, which is a continuation of this one.
What I Loved:
- The well-developed, likable, and relatable characters
- The incorporation of Greek mythology
- The adventures and quests
- Percy’s sassy narration style
What I Didn’t Like:
- How derivative it is of Harry Potter
- The predictability (despite it being middle grade)
STAR RATINGS:
The Lightning Thief: ★★★
The Sea of Monsters: ★★★★
The Titan’s Curse: ★★★★
The Battle of the Labyrinth: ★★★★
The Last Olympian: ★★★★ 1/2
Overall, I highly recommend the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, especially if you enjoy middle-grade fantasy books. If you go into it prepared for Harry Potter similarities at the beginning, then you will like it more that I did from the start. You can pick up a box set of the entire series on Bookshop.org HERE. Let me know in the comments if you’ve read this series, and what your thoughts are! Please use a spoiler disclaimer at the start of your comment if you are mentioning anything that could spoil another reader.
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Violet Voltage is a light purple nail polish packed with a subtle magenta shimmer. The formula is perfection, and is opaque in two coats. I am loving this color of polish! While it’s not totally unique, the shimmer does add a nice punch to it. I also really like how Violet Voltage looks with my fair skin tone. I followed up the manicure with the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat, by the way. It’s my new favorite!
I am so bad when it comes to taking care of my skin! One of my recurring makeup bad habits is not taking off my makeup before bed. I know, it’s terrible! This year I want to make sure I go through an entire skincare routine both morning and evening. That way I can put my best face forward!
It’s a cliche New Year’s Resolution, but I definitely want to focus on my overall health more than ever. For me, this includes taking the daily vitamins recommend by my doctor, exercising on a regular basis, and eating better foods. As you may know, I am a vegetarian, and this year I want to truly embrace my vegetarianism by focusing more on produce and less on grains and dairy. I don’t aim to go vegan right now, but I know that putting good foods into my body will make me feel a lot better. To go along with this, I want to continue trying new recipes on a regular basis!
Last but not least, I always set a reading goal on the website Goodreads. This past year I was able to read 50 books, and I’m setting my goal at 40 for 2016 so I don’t put pressure on myself. I also want to make an effort to read longer books, so I should have a nice cushion with a goal of 40. Here are the books I received for Christmas this past year. I’m so excited to get to them all!
I got this bright coral blush in a Birchbox, and was surprised at how much l loved it! The blush is very pigmented, and has quite a bit of shimmer. Somehow it looked great on my fair skin! I wore it a ton this past summer. It is a high end product, but worth the splurge if you’re looking for an amazing blush.
I was really excited to find a new highlighter line at the drugstore by L’Oreal. I had to get the rose gold one, just because I love anything rose gold. This highlight is no exception! It is quite shimmery, but it works. I wore it a lot in the summer and fall, and will definitely reach for it again once winter is over. Don’t forget to use coupons on this one!
I’ve become really obsessed with Buxom in the past couple of months, and my favorite lip product thus far is Dolly. It is the perfect shade of mauve-pink, and it is so easy to wear. Plus, it feels great on my lips. I’ve been reaching for this consistently since I got it, and even wore it for Christmas Eve!
Thanks for your support!
3. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saénz 
by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff 
I absolutely drooled over the Zoya Satins collection when it was released. My favorite of the bunch is definitely Brittany. It is just the perfect polish, with a flawless formula and a stunning pale pink shade. I need to wear this again very soon!
Okay, it’s time for another blue polish. Beatnik is just gorgeous, and I don’t know what else to say about it. The rich pigmentation is just so beautiful!
You can laugh at me, because I know Sia is super similar to Beatnik. But it’s just a bit brighter in tone, and the formula is just perfect. I wore Sia a lot when I first received it, and I’m feeling the need to put it on my nails as I type up this blog post!
This is the last blue-toned polish, I promise! The good news is Breaking Blues is more of a periwinkle shade, and I just love it. That’s why it’s number two on my list! The color is quite unique, and it works in any season.
My number one polish of 2015 is Chilly Pepper from KBShimmer. I cannot believe I’m saying this, as I’ve tended to bash red nail polishes in the past because of my pink-toned skin. Somehow KBShimmer has created the perfect red polish that looks good on me. Not only was it a go-to for the holiday season, but it’s the red I will grab from now on. You must get it!
