Book Review: Percy Jackson:The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5) by Rick Riordan

First Published: May 5^th 2009

Pages: 381 (hardback)

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

ISBN: 1423101502 

Book Depository - AmazonUK - Amazon US

Synopsis 

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds are against them. Kronos is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, his power only grows. 

In this momentous final book in the "New York Times" best-selling series, the prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

Review

What an epic, perfect ending to a brilliant series. I just cannot get over how amazing series this was, and now it’s ended. Again it was full of action, unexpected events, and scenes that pull a smile on my face.

The Action was amped up in The Last Olympian, with the war coming to its peak, and the climax of the series, the prophecy finally coming to its moment. One thing I have to say about this book that it made me think about hard, trying to imagine how, how these Demi-Gods are just so young and they are fighting a war, I know it’s not real and all, but the way Rick wrote and just the whole premise of these books made me reflect about it. It made me imagine how hard it was in WWI and WWII and all those young men fighting. The book starts off with a bang and there is never a dull moment.  There was either war action, or conflict between characters.

I really enjoyed that it was fast paced, like the other novels right from the beginning we can already see things are going to move quickly. There was not a moment where I wanted to put the book down, all I wanted to do was to keep reading and reading.  I found that with all the books the Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series they were all fasted paced but I think The Last Olympian was the most fasted paced out of all of them.

I have probably said this in all of my reviews on the Series, but I love Mythology, especially, Greek Mythology. And I love the way that Rick Riordan incorporates his views on ancient stories. So I loved all seeing and hearing about all the gods and all the Mythology creatures and all about the world, from the heroes to the villains.

Most of the Characters development throughout the series, but I think the Characters development the most in The Last Olympian. They all grow more, especially Percy. He learns to deal with uneasy situations and ones that at the start of the series would not have overcome. I love that we get to see his growth throughout the series, we finally to get to see him grown up. I also like that we get to see ‘normal’ teenage situations occur. It makes the characters more real in a sense.

After wanting to strangle Annabeth for the way she always stands up for Luke, she finally realizes that Luke isn't Luke anymore. It was really happy and heartbreaking at the same time, she finally realizes that he has change in more than one sense, but she also has to come to terms with the circumstances.

Annabeth and Percy's relationship is kind of strained and Rachel showing up isn't helping matters, but after the long wait off 4 books and the war. We finally get to see them together and happy to a point. The end scene, made the fangirl of me, squeal.

We also get to see some other characters such as Clarisse and Grover and all the other demi-gods. We also get to see Tyson again, whom I love to bits.

We finally get to see how the prophecy plays out. I was so what shocked with what happen but not completely as I did guess something bad would happen, just not what occur. We all also find out more about Luke's past, which I thought was great characterisation from Riordan. Many other secrets that come to light, which held to the climax of the book and the series.

I enjoyed this series so much, they were fun, emotional, light reads. That put a smile on my face. I recommend everyone to read these books, they are for everyone. But if you love Mythology, then grab this now. Also people of any age will love these books. I’m 16 and I just was mesmerised by them. I cannot wait to start the Heroes of Olympus Series.  

Some of my Favourite Quotes;

“With great power... comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later.” 

 “It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.”

I have to give this book nothing else than a 5 stars out of  5 

Have you read the Percy Jackson Series yet? What did you think of it? If you haven’t has my review helped in your decision to read it?

Book Review: Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan

First Published: April 7^th 2009

Pages: 361 (paperback)

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books, Puffin Books 

ISBN: 1423101499

Book Depository - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Synopsis 

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical. 

In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet. 

Review

Rick Riordan has done it again. Each Book seems to get better and better and I don’t even know how.  Each book lives up to the expectations that the Percy Jackson series holds.  I never got bored reading The Battle of the Labyrinth. There was always something that got me interested and pulled me in. I never wanted to put the book down when a book makes me feel like this, I loved it. 

The signature humour of Rick Riordan still is very much present in this book but I also feel that The Battle of the Labyrinth had this serious tone to it. I think it’s because Percy and the rest of the character are becoming older and that the prophecy is impending. I also think it could a metaphor in such sense of Greek Mythology stories in the terms of tragedy and consequence. As well the characters are maturing and changing realistically from year to year so The Battle of the Labyrinth is also richer in romance and the dark elements increase as the characters age up. 

 Again it’s an action packed, cliff hanging book that you don’t want to put down. I love action and the action in The Battle of the Labyrinth is pretty awesome.  Practically from the first few pages we have action. You have no idea when danger is near and you want to scream at those characters that go straight into the danger. And then you have those moments when the ends of chapters leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more. 

I love Greek Mythology and one of my favourite myths is Thesues and the Minotaur. So having a whole book based on the setting of the Labyrinth is pretty epic.  In the book we get more in depth of some of the well-known Greek Characters, like Daedalus, the father of Icarus. I think that Rick’s take on Daedalus about his life after the fall was very original and intriguing.

There is trouble again forming in Camp Half Blood. There is another way to get into camp and that's through the Labyrinth (I don’t think this is too much of a spoiler as it is said in the title that they are going into a Labyrinth) So the Gang set off to try and find a way to stop this from happening. 

There is trouble again forming in Camp Half Blood. There is another way to get into camp and that through the Labyrinth (I don’t think this is too much of a spoiler as it is said in the title that they are going into a Labyrinth) So the Gang go down to try and find a way to stop this from happening.

As I read the journey through the Labyrinth I was captivated and so into the story as the Labyrinth is believed to be one of the only  architecture that constantly changes. So you don’t know what was going to happen next, what tunnels would change, new tunnels pop up, traps are in the most unexpected places and monsters could be anywhere.

I love how we get to see new and old characters. Percy is growing and maturing. He is finding more about himself and others. Annabeth is finding it hard to let go of her past and how much Luke really means to her. We also get to see Tyson again and I just love him alot. The way that Rick writes him, makes me put a smile onto my face.

I also believe that in all the Percy Jackson books the young characters are always faced with difficult decisions that affect more than just their individual lives. You can change your actions but the impact of your choices can sometimes be everlasting. This is shown alot through The Battle of the Labyrinth and  I think that is something that everyone can get out of reading the books. 

Some Quotes that I liked; 

“Be careful of love. It'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong.”

“People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed.”

So I Give Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth 5 stars out of 5.

Have you read The Battle of the Labyrinth? What did you think of it? If you haven’t do you want to read it? 

Book Review: Percy Jackson: The Titian's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) by Rick Riordan

First Published: May 5th 2007

Pages: 304 (paperback)

Publisher:  Puffin Books, Disney Hyperion Books , Hyperion Books for Children

ISBN: 0141382899 

Book Depository - Amazon UK - Amazon US

Synopsis 

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

Review

Rick Riordan knows how to write! The Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series just seems to get better and better by each book. More Action, More characters, More Shocks.

There is so much more action in The Titian’s Curse and I love it. Between the demigods and the Gods there is bound to heaps of action and I was not disappointed I could not put the book down, as I just did not want to miss a thing. Now that might sound wired but that is how I felt when I was reading. I love that it is fast paced and in that it is packed with so much action.

We also get introduced into so many different characters. Some of those are "The Hunters" and their leader Artemis. The Hunters are a group of girls who have renounced adulthood, men, and love. They are an immortal group of maidens who follow Artemis on her hunts and where-ever else she chooses to go. I found them very intriguing and interesting. They are very different to what I have seen in other books and I really enjoyed it. 

We also met Nico and Bianca Di Angelo. I really don’t want to give too much away about these two, but they are two demigods. I liked Nico at the start and he grew on me to the end. I understood why he said and did some stuff and I don’t hold him to what he said. As for Bianca I just could not connect her and she got on my nerves alot and I don’t even know why.

Most of our favourite characters are back, like Grover, Thalia, Annabeth and of course Percy. Who of which I love all, and glad they are back. I love Grover and I always will he knows how to put a smile on my face, Rick I think writes him perfectly humorous. I am loving Thalia, we did not get to see much of her in the previous book, but in The Titan’s Curse we do and I really enjoy her.  I have mixed feelings about Annabeth, I do like her, I really do but sometimes she just gets on my nerves. Percy is a lot stronger and smarter in this book to the previous 2 and I guess as he is getting older he is becoming older and also coming to terms with the prophecy. He can come up with strategies that can help them defeat or overcome a monster.

 We get to see more of the God and Goddess in The Titian’s Curse and I love this. I love Greek Mythology and I love seeing the Gods as Rick perceived them in the book. It was different and really interesting. The Gods and Goddess have more of spotlight in this book than the previous 2 books. We meet Ares, again but we also meet Aphrodite and Apollo and obviously Artemis. We also see alot more of Mr. D and find alot more about him. I love how they have this more modern vibe to go with the modern world that Rick Riordan created. I never feel bored and I love the view he takes on different mythology stories. 

There were many cliff-hanger moments and some very unexpected moments that rocked me to my bones.  I don’t know how many events, Rick can put into such a small, but I love it. There is also some new evil arising and some old as well. There were many shocks in the book good and bad.

The tone of the book also becomes a little darker. This time, even though Riordan's trademark humour remains, the demigod’s choices take on new significance and have real implications for the future, both personally and cosmically. It makes sense since everyone is getting older and the inevitable prophecy is getting closer and closer.  

I just love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series so far and Rick Riordan knows how to capture an audience.

Some of Quotes that I like;

“Ever had a flying burrito hit you? Well, it's a deadly projectile, right up there with cannonballs and grenades.” 

"That's us," he said. "Those five nuts right there." 
"The little deformed one," Zoe suggested. 
"Oh, shut up.”  

“Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves in a pattern that made no sense to me, but Grover looked concerned. 

"Which one is me?" I asked.  "The little deformed one," Zoe suggested.  "Oh, shut up.”  

I Give The Titian's Curse 5 Stars out of 5 

What are your thoughts on The Titian's Curse?

Book Review: Pecry Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan

Published Date: April 1st 2006 

Pages: 279 (hardback) 

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books, Penguin Australia 

ISBN: 0786856866 

Book Depository  - Amazon 

Synopsis 

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.

Book Review 

I read Sea of Monsters straight after I finished reading The Lightning Thief and I'm glad I did. I just love the world that Rick built in The Lightning Thief and I love how it continued in Sea of Monsters. It has all this Humour, but then you get those moments when you have to really feel for the characters. I love we get to see all the old characters from The Lightning Thief and I love how we get to see some new characters, especially Tyson. I just can't stop myself for loving Tyson, he is just so cute and brave and the way he cares about Percy is adorable. 

Sea of Monsters is an exceptional book and a perfect and fitting sequel to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. It's packed with undeniable drama and hilarious adventure, which compels you to never put the book down. Like the first book, it’s fast paced, and excitement on every page that never seems to slow down. The character development thought out the book is simple amazing, but I guess that Rick can do that and does it fantastically, as his characters are so young and they can be built on. I think Rick does this perfectly. 

Camp Half Blood is in trouble and it means so much to all the campers but Percy and Annabeth just that much more, and I think their determination to help it survive is demonstrated completely. Thalia's pine tree was poisoned and the magical borders of the camp are not strong enough to protect the demigod from the monsters and the only thing that cure the tree and that is the Golden Fleece. The Adventure to find the Golden Fleece just makes every Mythological geek and I am one of those, squeal with excitement. If you love Greek Mythology then you will not be disappointed. Percy’s quest somewhat mirrors that of Homer’s Odyssey and the similarities attached with the modern-day setting make for gripping fare. 

The way Rick describes the events that happened; you can picture yourself in the scene and fighting the battle or watching. All the complications that came with the quest of finding the Golden Fleece are exciting and unexpected.  Rick seems to have so much to play, and just likes to mess with our minds untold prophecies, old rivals, new foes, and unexpected allies.

The way that Rick Riordan can captivate a reader is beyond me, he just seems to draw you in. I just love how he writes Percy. Percy finds out so much about himself thought sea of monsters and I can say this series could be a coming to age novels with that little twist. I also adore the growing relationship between Percy and Annabeth, I think it’s so cute and just adorable, and my heart just aches, I also like that they are not in a relationship, they are still young here, and their feelings are growing and they are starting to notice what these feelings are especially Percy. I recommended everyone read  the Percy Jackson books, they just seem to take you to another world, to go on a adventure.  

Some of my favourite quotes;

“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.” 

“Before I could figure out how to apologize for being such an idiot, she tackled me with a hug, then pulled away just as quickly. "I'm glad you're not a guinea pig.""Me, too." I hoped my face wasn't as red as it felt.”  

I can give The Sea of Monsters nothing else than a 5 out of 5 stars.