johannarose's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Bullying, Child death, Death, War, and Blood
grizzlysnack's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Torture
skeptic_hecate's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
It was better than the last ones, however, the characters are definitely getting smarter. I believe Percy is the one who has grown the most. And finally we see a proper reaction from hearing the nees that your loved one died. Not from Percy, that would be too realistic, but from a child, a little boy. Still, baby steps. Also, I keep hearing how amazing and kind Sally Jackson is, but she can easily be in the list of neglectful parents. On the other hand, I don't like how the relationship between Annabeth and her parents was handled.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture, Kidnapping, and Child death
squinnittowinit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Percy and friends are back for another PJO adventure. While the beginning of this one was slower and a little harder to get into, once the action picked up, it was hard to put the book down.
Rick Riordan's book-to-book inconsistencies begin to make an appearance here, but they remain very minor.
Rick Riordan's book-to-book inconsistencies begin to make an appearance here, but they remain very minor.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Sexism, Stalking, Death, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Animal death, Car accident, and Incest
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
5.0
This one might be the best so far. I had forgotten so many plot points, it was a joy to be sucked into this world again. I love Riordan's interpretation of the gods' personalities, and the way they interact with the half bloods. I may be biased, but Hermes specifically is wonderful in this series.
I also enjoyed the subversion of the damsel in distress trope with Annabeth and later with Artemis, how they were captured, yes, but still showed how strong willed and powerful they are by being able to hold up the literal sky. Also, I can't describe how much my body hurt after reading the description of how it feels to hold up the sky. Absolutely terrifying and painful just to imagine. Amazing.
The last thing, I grew to adore Zoe. I was so invested by the end that it felt like a punch to the gut once the prophecy came to be. Incredible character.
Spoiler
I have a love hate relationship with Thalia, I dislike her as a person most of the time since she reminds me of the people who doubt me and try to stop me from making my own plans, not because I'm unable to do so successfully, but because they feel the need to control everything. The way she undermined Percy, humiliated him in front of everyone and later blamed him for Annabeth's "death" made my blood boil. Every time she did so I felt personally attacked, and I think that's partly due to me seeing myself in Percy but also to how incredibly well written these books are. I understand that she's just a mentally ill child (not an insult, just a fact. Years of parental neglect, having to survive homelessness and violence with only two other kids by her side and to top it all off being murdered and resurrected all before the age of 16 does that to a person) and I think she deserves all the care and patience in the world but I wouldn't enter a room with her in it if I could help it. However I do really appreciate her character, how complex and morally grey she is. This is just as much her story as it is Percy's, and I think that's really cool. I love that at the end she took her destiny into her own hands and joined the hunters to avoid being manipulated again. I can't wait to see her shine more in the next one.I also enjoyed the subversion of the damsel in distress trope with Annabeth and later with Artemis, how they were captured, yes, but still showed how strong willed and powerful they are by being able to hold up the literal sky. Also, I can't describe how much my body hurt after reading the description of how it feels to hold up the sky. Absolutely terrifying and painful just to imagine. Amazing.
The last thing, I grew to adore Zoe. I was so invested by the end that it felt like a punch to the gut once the prophecy came to be. Incredible character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Torture, Child death, Death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: War, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol
chiaraaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, War, Torture, Grief, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, and Medical trauma
melplays9000's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It takes me a little bit to actually get into these books and this one started right in the middle of the action. It kind of felt like the beginning of the book was missing? Like maybe it was cut out do decrease the page count? That made it even harder for me to get into it. This series overall is very formulaic which I imagine probably will get quite tedious towards the end but right now I’m finding it quite comforting. I loved the new characters of the Hunters and how we got to know the gods better in this one. But I also loved that we kept the original cast of characters and I love seeing them grow as people.
The stakes in this one are also much higher in the sense that we actually do get some character death which I honestly didn’t expect with a middle grade. I must mention however that these twists such as the one in the final chapter frustrate me to no end! Just admit it’s Percy and move on! It just seems so unnecessary considering they already have plenty of problems for how short the books are.
Overall this book was predictable and a had obvious flaws to an older reader, and yet I loved it. I feel like I’m really getting into the series now and I can’t wait to start the Battle of the Labyrinth. 4 Stars.
The stakes in this one are also much higher in the sense that we actually do get some character death which I honestly didn’t expect with a middle grade. I must mention however that these twists such as the one in the final chapter frustrate me to no end! Just admit it’s Percy and move on! It just seems so unnecessary considering they already have plenty of problems for how short the books are.
Overall this book was predictable and a had obvious flaws to an older reader, and yet I loved it. I feel like I’m really getting into the series now and I can’t wait to start the Battle of the Labyrinth. 4 Stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture and Gun violence
its_kievan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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
4.0
This truly is the Prisoner of Azkaban of the Percy Jackson series. I forgot just how much I liked this book in particular. The ground rules are in place, the characters have solidified, and the mood starts getting dark.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Torture and Animal death
rachel_kay5853's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
sad
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? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Toxic relationship
bookworm_nic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Grief, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Slavery, Torture, and Violence