Tag: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

My Thoughts on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan | Spolier Free

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

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!

My Thoughts on Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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)

My Thoughts on Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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 Amazon HERE or on Book Depository 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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Book Review | The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordon (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2)

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordon

Published by Disney Hyperion on January 1, 2006

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adventure

Format: Paperback

Source: Giveaway

Goodreads:★★★★


The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan’s amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a “half blood” whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan’s series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book’s drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

REVIEW

After completing The Lightning Thief, I decided to continue on with the Percy Jackson series right away and picked up The Sea of Monsters. If you’ve read my review of The Lightning Thief (LINK), you’ll know that my main issue with the book was how closely it paralleled my beloved Harry Potter. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the characters and the adventure, so I hoped the series would adopt more of its own voice as the story continued.

Unfortunately, The Sea of Monsters started off on the wrong foot. There was a syntax error in the first few pages, and a scene at the beginning that closely mirrored the Knight Bus in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I couldn’t believe the similarities, but kept powering through, and I’m so glad I did!

The Sea of Monsters introduces readers to a new character named Tyson, who is a young cyclops. In Percy’s world, cyclopes are very dangerous and thus mistreated by half bloods. I absolutely loved the role Tyson plays in the story, and am impressed with Rick Riordon’s decision to include him. Percy’s journey with Tyson is so touching. It teachers readers about acceptance, and how someone who is a bit different is not necessarily bad. I think it’s amazing that children who read this book will get to see how important it is to be kind and understanding of everyone.

Moreover, The Sea of Monsters is a fast-paced and exciting read. This second book jumps right into the action from the start, and readers are along for the ride without hesitation. While I do wish there was a bit more set-up at the beginning, once I adjusted to the new storyline I was fully invested. Percy is such a great narrator, and his voice makes the book so much fun to read.

Finally, I loved the cliffhanger at the end of The Sea of Monsters. It was a bit predictable, but it was still exciting, and made me want to pick up the next book in the series right away. I was surprised at how short The Sea of Monsters was, but I enjoyed it a great deal, and it was a definite improvement over the first book in the series. I’m excited to continue on and see where Percy’s adventures take him and his friends next!

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When you buy a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Book Review | The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordon (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan

Published by Disney Hyperion on July 1, 2005

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Adventure

Pages: 375

Format: Paperback

Source: Giveaway

Goodreads: ★★★


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.

REVIEW

I was unfamiliar with Percy Jackson until last year, and was excited when I won a full set of the series in a giveaway. I don’t often read middle grade unless it is a reread, but I was interested to give this a try because it has such a huge fanbase. After reading the first book, I can definitely understand why this series is so loved, but I did have some issues with it.

First and foremost, I was beyond annoyed with the Harry Potter parallels in this story. Our protagonist Percy is a 12-year-old boy who has experienced strange occurrences throughout his childhood that he cannot explain. As it turns out, he’s a half-blood, which means he is the son of a human and a Greek god. Percy goes to Camp Half Blood in Long Island, New York (aka Hogwarts), where he learns more about his special powers and is trained to kill monsters.

Percy becomes part of a trio that goes out on an epic quest in order to prevent a war between the gods of Olympus. He is joined by Annabeth, a very bright young girl, and Grover, a satyr who is a bit of a doofus, but a great friend to Percy. Oh, and did I mention there is a security guard at Camp Half Blood named Argus? I mean, come on, this is truly inspired by Harry Potter, and with every detail that paralleled Harry’s story I wanted to throw the book across the room. I’m sure author Rick Riordon was influenced by Rowling’s work, but whether he intended the similarities or not, I couldn’t believe how replete they were throughout The Lightening Thief.

Moreover, another huge drawback in the story for me was the predictability. I understand this is a middle grade novel that I am reading as an adult, but I was easily able to figure out most of the action by the plethora of hints Riordon drops throughout the novel. With that being said, I was quite frustrated with the ending of the book because it did not flow logically from the story’s set-up. Instead, it felt like Riordon wanted to shock the readers, and he did so with an unexpected twist that was a bit disjointed. That definitely took away some credibility from the book.

Putting those issues aside, however, I really did enjoy The Lightning Thief. The writing style was very well done, and I really liked Percy as a first-person narrator. Percy was a very relatable character, as he was quite imperfect but still incredible at the same time. If I was reading this as a middle schooler, I’d definitely want to be friends with Percy and his gang.

In addition, I loved the road-trip adventure that Percy goes on in this book, and how he needs to fight a variety of monsters along the way. It was really fun how Riordon included Greek mythology in an American setting, and adapted the gods and monsters for the 21st Century. While it took me about 130 pages to really become invested in the world, once I was hooked I couldn’t put the book down and finished the remainder in one day. I’m really looking forward to continuing on in the series and seeing where Percy ends up next!

Thus, if you are looking for a fun, middle grade fantasy, I think Percy Jackson is a great place to start. I know that kids will really enjoy it, but adults who grew up with Harry Potter as I did will need to read this with a grain of salt. I’m hopeful that as the series continues the books will divulge from Harry Potter and take on its own unique identity.

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When you buy a book though the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.