Reviews with content warning for Murder - Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

I haven't read this book since I was in fifth grade myself, but I picked it up again seven (?) years later to freshen my judgement for the new Percy Jackson series on Disney+.
I honestly thought that I might not like it that much now I did then, and that I'd find it childish, but... I really don't. Well, it's childish, of course, (it's for children), but not so much that I don't enjoy it? It's silly and funny, but not too silly. I think Riordan writes an excellent balance between humour and serious themes here.

There are times where the humour overshadows and ruins seriousness in books (and films especially, [cough-cough] MCU's Thor), but that is really not the case here! Riordan's humour does not make me think it appropriate to include themes such as grief and domestic abuse, and finding that balance can actually be quite difficult, but so important.

There's also me having forgotten how likeable Percy is as a character. What a charming little man.

I was very positively surprised by this book! My expectations weren't that high, given that I last read it in fifth grade and my standards then were «funny haha» and «mythos», but it still holds!

Content Warnings

chronicacademia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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716a_m's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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kendra_taylors_version's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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skeletor23's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A nostalgic read, lightheaded, definitely reflects the mood of the time it was written, which holds a positive memory for me. Definitely an excellent hook into the series!

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skudiklier's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I loved this series as a kid and I'm finally rereading it as an adult for the first time. It's definitely got a couple things that haven't aged well (some fatphobia, some ableism), but all things considered it's not too bad. In my opinion this book holds up and I would still recommend it to anyone interested in the series, with the caveat that it's aimed at middle school kids. We'll see if I still feel that way by the end of the fifth book but my hopes are high!

Content Warnings

raisinbrann's review against another edition

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The way Mr. Riordan describes both his characters and the scenes is somehow both evocative and elusive. While I can see exactly what he describes when a character does or feels something, I appreciate that he leaves the actual physical description of his characters (and the gods) to his readers. I spent my childhood reading books where every single person is presumed white unless explicitly stated, it’s been fun to put my own ideas of what Grover and Annabeth look like (they’re both Black, argue with your mother)! This is a fun start to a very formative experience for mythology kids everywhere!

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danicakvcs's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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