orchidlilly's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Death, Violence, Ableism, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abandonment, Murder, Physical abuse, Classism, Death of parent, and Gore
foxo_cube's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
4.25
Another fun adventure with our boy, Percy Jackson, and his friends.
I felt there was better character development in this one, maybe partially due to the appearance of Tyson and the character arcs that come with him. Tyson is a Cyclops child who Percy meets at his regular school and who everyone is mean to, seeing him as an ugly, mentally disabled kid who lives on the streets. Percy, not knowing he's a Cyclops, gets on with him well and tries to defend him from bullies, only to be defended by Tyson when it turns out monsters have infiltrated the school. When they end up at Camp Half-Blood, everyone is mean to Tyson because he's a Cyclops. Poor thing, he's a good boy! I feel like the book deals pretty well with Percy's mixed feelings of genuinely caring about Tyson, but still being embarrassed by him- it's a difficult topic to do, but it didn't seem too ham-fisted, overly sympathetic towards Percy, or overly patronising towards Tyson.
As with the first one, the application of mythology to the modern world is fun and nicely thought-out. The thing that's really cool about these books is that there's some interactivity in placing the stories that are being referenced, and, as someone who's not hugely knowledgable on Greek mythology, I'm learning lots of interesting bits, too.
I was glad to see a return from Grover, as well as a lead for him to come back later on. Unlike the first book, I felt like the lead-in to the next book was less shoehorned in, too. Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
I felt there was better character development in this one, maybe partially due to the appearance of Tyson and the character arcs that come with him. Tyson is a Cyclops child who Percy meets at his regular school and who everyone is mean to, seeing him as an ugly, mentally disabled kid who lives on the streets. Percy, not knowing he's a Cyclops, gets on with him well and tries to defend him from bullies, only to be defended by Tyson when it turns out monsters have infiltrated the school. When they end up at Camp Half-Blood, everyone is mean to Tyson because he's a Cyclops. Poor thing, he's a good boy! I feel like the book deals pretty well with Percy's mixed feelings of genuinely caring about Tyson, but still being embarrassed by him
Spoiler
particularly when it's discovered that they're half-brothersAs with the first one, the application of mythology to the modern world is fun and nicely thought-out. The thing that's really cool about these books is that there's some interactivity in placing the stories that are being referenced, and, as someone who's not hugely knowledgable on Greek mythology, I'm learning lots of interesting bits, too.
I was glad to see a return from Grover, as well as a lead for him to come back later on. Unlike the first book, I felt like the lead-in to the next book was less shoehorned in, too. Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Injury/injury detail, Violence, and Classism
aceofshades_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Death
Minor: Blood and Cannibalism
theniallmc1's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really wasn't too on board at the start, I was enjoying it but not as much as the first. But about halfway through it really picked up steam and I was loving it. The action sequences are far better, the villains are more interesting, and the character development is awesome. The ending made me immediately reach for the next book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
Use of r-slur in Chapter 2em_davies7019's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Death
Minor: Transphobia and Cannibalism
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Death
Minor: Ableism
a_bloom's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
✨I✨CON✨IC✨
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism
honeypaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.0
knocked off a star for the slur.. wtf… to be honest, the story was engaging but it didn’t keep me as riveted as the first one. something about reading a slur in the first forty pages makes me just disengage from a book. i liked how we saw different ways the characters worked together and how we saw a little bit of percy’s life away from camp.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
“r” slur twicejmahawaii's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Ableism
Minor: Racism
mengzhenreads's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Another absolute banger. I'll admit that the plot is a bit all-over the place for this one but it's still amazing. Loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Ableism, and Bullying
Moderate: Cannibalism, Blood, and Death