I already posted my review of The Lightning Thief on here, but just as a refresher, I’m going to include it here.
The Lightning Thief – 4 stars
So I was a bit spoiled because I had seen the movie well before reading the book. However, I also knew going into the book that the movie was one of the lesser faithful adaptations going around, so I knew that while the traitor was the same, the scenes in which the traitor was revealed were different. I also knew that the ages of the characters were not the same in the book and the movie, as they were much younger in the book. I have to admit that I do enjoy the movie on its own, but comparing it to the book, I can see why people did not enjoy the movie. Again, like with The Chronicles of Narnia, I am fairly late into the Percy Jackson game, but overall, I found the book to be fast paced with likeable characters who you can’t help but root for. I loved the rivalry between Annabeth and Percy and how it echoed the rivalry between their parents. I also appreciated that so far there is no romance between the two of them, given the fact that they are 12 years old. I loved all of the references to the Greek myths and I feel like Riordan really captured the gods well, though I had a hard time taking Hades seriously in the book because I could not get the mental image of Steve Coogan out of my head. I have a feeling that if I had read this when I was younger, I would have given it a 5 star rating, but since I am a bit older, it just didn’t hit the 5 star mark for me.
The Sea of Monsters – 4.5 stars
I really loved the addition of Tyson to the gang of Annabeth, Percy, and (eventually) Grover. I did miss having Grover along for the journey, but his interactions with the cyclops were pretty funny. I really like how Riordan continues to weave in Greek mythology like the story of No One and including the Golden Fleece. I really liked the cliff hanger that the book ends on, which made me eager to pick up The Titan’s Curse to find out what was going to happen. I liked this one more than The Lightning Thief, but it did also feel rushed at times, which is why I took off a half star.
The Titan’s Curse – 4 stars
The first part of this really dragged for me, to be honest. I really missed Annabeth and didn’t particularly care for Bianca or Nico or Zoe. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of Grover in this one. I did enjoy getting to meet Annabeth’s father and that he was able to save them. The ending definitely made up for the lack-luster beginning, but it is getting a little old that it’s a group of heroes traveling cross-country to try to complete a quest. It just feels a little formulaic right now.
The Battle of the Labyrinth – 4.5 stars
I know I said in my review for The Titan’s Curse that the format was getting a little too formulaic for me, but I did enjoy the trip in the Labyrinth. I loved seeing Percy, Annabeth, Tyson, and Grover all working together again. I’m not the biggest fan of the Pan side-plot, but that’s just me. Nico grew on me a little bit more, but I’m still not his biggest fan. I did enjoy the battle at Camp Halfblood and thought it was a good lead up to the finale.
The Last Olympian – 5 stars
This was a really great conclusion to the series. And I really liked that the majority of the book was set in New York City/Mount Olympus. I really liked that we got to see how the prophecy played out and how Riordan made it to where no one character was perfect. They all had a hand to play in what happened and I like that Riordan made them take responsibility for that. I really liked Hestia and wish we got more of her. I grew to really like Nico and loved when he came to be a badass. I’m glad there didn’t end up being a love triangle with Rachel, Annabeth, and Percy because my little shipper heart needed Percabeth to happen. I just really enjoyed this and am looking forward to starting The Heroes of Olympus.
Overall – 4.4 stars
NerdyNurseDaria 