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theamandashowww's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
shakesofmilk's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Pretty fun, I’m definitely no longer part of the target demographic. I’d seen the movie and listened to the audiobook with my fiancé over a few months listening during our bedtime routine. Character development is definitely there, but it is plot driven following what is needed of the characters and that is dictated by the concept of fate in the universe. I wouldn’t call the cast diverse, it’s two powerful white god children and it definitely does fall intro the trope of a token character of color being more animalistic with Grover being a satyr with such focus on his goat-like features and characteristics. Not super deeply engaging, but fun. Scenes with the mother and her husband definitely problematic and confusing. Odd choice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent
sarahthenerd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
[A BIT SPOILER]
I read this after watching the Disney+ TV series and honestly there are so much changes and differences. I don't want to give more focus on the TV series bcs that's a different review. For this book, first of all, WHY THERE ARE SO MANY BLONDE PPL??? ANNABETH, LUKE, ANNABETH'S DAD. THERE ARE SO MANY OMFG. Second of all, I like how the gods feel so god-like and powerful. Especially the Big Three (while in the TV series, Ares and Hephaetus feel very god-like). Also, from what IK, Zeus is the most scariest god out of all 12. Even Hades. But in this book, he was the most considerate and understanding ever. And he didn't care when World War 3 is on the way. This contradict the TV series (again this a different review). Percy also was scared when he was in front Poseidon and Zeus. I like the book more honestly (very a typical statement lol) bcs of how Percy is in the book and the TV series. I love Percy book more TBH.
I read this after watching the Disney+ TV series and honestly there are so much changes and differences. I don't want to give more focus on the TV series bcs that's a different review. For this book, first of all, WHY THERE ARE SO MANY BLONDE PPL??? ANNABETH, LUKE, ANNABETH'S DAD. THERE ARE SO MANY OMFG. Second of all, I like how the gods feel so god-like and powerful. Especially the Big Three (while in the TV series, Ares and Hephaetus feel very god-like). Also, from what IK, Zeus is the most scariest god out of all 12. Even Hades. But in this book, he was the most considerate and understanding ever. And he didn't care when World War 3 is on the way. This contradict the TV series (again this a different review). Percy also was scared when he was in front Poseidon and Zeus. I like the book more honestly (very a typical statement lol) bcs of how Percy is in the book and the TV series. I love Percy book more TBH.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexism
crieraylas's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Incest, Infidelity, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
cluckieduck's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
12 year old me would have been absolutely enamoured with this book and would have obsessed about being great friends with Percy, Annabeth and Grover. 36 year old me has some issues with the dialogue and character descriptions (SO MANY ugly things). I’ve already started watching the new Disney+ series and appreciate the changes that have been made to the story.
But overall it’s a fun little romp - a very easy read and a great way to pique an interest in Greek mythology. I’m interested to see how Percy and his powers develop and where the story goes from here.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, and War
aprilblues348's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and War
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
becca_w_'s review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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? N/A
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Stalking, Abandonment, and War
Minor: Blood and Kidnapping
finnft4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Good. A middle grade adventure novel was refreshingly different to read, especially compared to the sort of novels I usually read. Even though this is the first time I've ever read any Riordan book, it still felt nostalgic, reminding me of what I used to read when I was younger (and, admittedly, read more in general - before having assigned readings, and before I started being so cynical of the content I consumed). It almost made me feel like a kid again. And it does feel like a series I would've loved when I was younger; I hate that I never got into it.
Before I actually get into the book, I'll put a disclaimer here: my view of Percy Jackson was definitely tainted by the bad movies. I had watched both of them (but barely paid attention for the second one since I didn't like the first one) before reading the book and unfortunately couldn't shake the association of the two. As such, I already knew most of the plot points and twists. As the series goes on, I hope this aspect becomes completely negligible. The badness of the movies shouldn't be hurting how much better the books are.
I'll first briefly go over the stuff I didn't like (not a lot of stuff tbh). So I thought the whole "Western civilization is in danger, the Olympus locations are all in Western places, the Gods went with the West" thing to be pretty stupid. A lot of people commented that this was white supremacist. I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely white-centric. Definitely not a book-ruiner, though. Just a bit silly. On the same note, I rolled my eyes a little at George Washington being Athena's son lmao. I also thought that, while the book was generally good at balancing the serious with the lighthearted, there were definitely some instances of tonal whiplash, where a dark scene would happen shortly after or before a comical one, with little room in between - I think this is pretty unavoidable though, considering how fast-paced the book is.
Now onto the stuff I liked. I found Percy, Grover, and Annabeth to all be fun and likable characters. Percy is an interesting narrator; I particularly liked how sarcastic and "impertinent" he was - he definitely had his own, strong personality. Him learning to be more brave and starting to forge his own life path was great to see. Grover and Annabeth's characters, while both being similar to ones I've seen before, both had their own unique qualities as well and their own little arcs, which I appreciated. I also found most of the side characters to be endearing or entertaining (though a couple were pretty outdated and tiring tropes, this wasn't a huge issue for me). I thought the whole ADHD + dyslexia = half-god to be strange at first, but it eventually grew on me. The whole concept, along with the characters being descendants of gods, is all super cool. Certain characters having certain skills or qualities depending on their parents was very interesting. As someone who used to be into Harry Potter, it reminded me of Hogwarts houses (which was one of the big things I liked about that series).
I really LOVED the action scenes in this book, too. They were crazy. The fight scenes were perfectly tense; Riordan really nailed the visual imagery.
I had such a fun time reading this. Looking forward to getting to the rest of the series!
Edit: I used to rank this one pretty low, but it's since grown on me. After thinking on it more, I've only just realized how good it was. It has so many stand-out scenes, and the quest doesn't feel unnecessarily long, menial, and formulaic (like in some other books). It's simple, and it effectively builds the world while investing the reader. A great start.
Before I actually get into the book, I'll put a disclaimer here: my view of Percy Jackson was definitely tainted by the bad movies. I had watched both of them (but barely paid attention for the second one since I didn't like the first one) before reading the book and unfortunately couldn't shake the association of the two. As such, I already knew most of the plot points and twists. As the series goes on, I hope this aspect becomes completely negligible. The badness of the movies shouldn't be hurting how much better the books are.
I'll first briefly go over the stuff I didn't like (not a lot of stuff tbh).
Now onto the stuff I liked.
I really LOVED the action scenes in this book, too. They were crazy. The fight scenes were perfectly tense; Riordan really nailed the visual imagery.
I had such a fun time reading this. Looking forward to getting to the rest of the series!
Edit: I used to rank this one pretty low, but it's since grown on me. After thinking on it more, I've only just realized how good it was. It has so many stand-out scenes, and the quest doesn't feel unnecessarily long, menial, and formulaic (like in some other books). It's simple, and it effectively builds the world while investing the reader. A great start.
RANKING
[1] PJO: The Last Olympian
[2] HoO: The House of Hades
[3] HoO: The Mark of Athena
[4] PJO: The Lightning Thief
[5] PJO: The Titan's Curse
[6] HoO: The Son of Neptune
[7] PJO: The Battle of the Labyrinth
[8] HoO: The Lost Hero
[9] PJO: The Sea of Monsters
[10] HoO: The Blood of Olympus
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, and Bullying
Minor: Child abuse, Sexism, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
despoena's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
3.5
The book is very interesting because the plot is inspired from the Ancient Greek myths but it is presented in a modern version that makes it very fresh.But the book has some flaws the world-building in this book doesn't exist. The author doesn't spend any time building his world so that the reader can be attached to it. The book has a very fast pace and sometimes some events are not mentioned in detail. He could have cut down in adventures and spend more time in world building and in details.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood