Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - The Lightning Thief

I didn’t read this series when it first came out, so I’m pretty late to the game. Although this is definitely YA, the storytelling and world-building are beautifully done.

Percy is a 12 year-old boy, deemed a troublemaker. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, being expelled from multiple schools. On a class field trip, Percy begins to understand that he is not normal.

Percy eventually makes it to Half-Blood Hill, where he should be safe from the monsters chasing after him. This is where he discovers he is the son of Poseidon.

Percy sets out on a journey with Grover and Annabeth to find Zeus’s master bolt, believing the culprit to be Hades. There are many monsters to fight along the way, and they eventually realize their strings are being pulled by someone else to start a war amongst the gods.

Throughout their journey, we see the world through a half-blood’s eyes, seeing both the mundane and the mythological. With a storyline different than Greek mythology I’ve read before, I look forward to what the rest of the series will bring.

Spoiler

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ripxw's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny fast-paced

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

5.0

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stinkyrat's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

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the_greywarren's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious relaxing sad fast-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

5.0

Reading this again after so long felt like dipping myself in a bathtub filled with pure serotonin. I read the entire series originally when I was around thirteen (so about eight years ago now) and I remembered absolutely loving it at the time. This series along with The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd and Fang Girl were my jam back in the day, and with the upcoming tv series adaption (along with crushing finals depression) I thought it was time to revisit it. And oh boy. I smiled so much while reading this book, I completely emptied my highlighter and ran out of tabs before I even finished it. This was the perfect companion to my finals studying, and it made me even more excited for the upcoming series.
Since it had been so long I'd also forgotten a lot of the plot points in here, like the gang's side-quest to get Ares' shield and the waterbed emporium. I also loved the subtle foreshadowing and the way Rick writes Percy's character. The only thing I would personally change is the slight fatphobia towards Clarisse, she is the only character who is described as fat and she is frequently called ugly. But other than that, this is an excellent book that I recommend to anyone looking for some serotonin.

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maeveh's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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

Great book and an amazing start to a series

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foxo_cube's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

This was a really fun read. I was never a big one for YA series growing up, but some friends of mine recently(ish) insisted I just HAD to read the Percy Jackson books, so I bought the series when I was able to.

Even if I didn't have the whole series on my bookshelf, I'd have wanted to get hold of the second book, because I enjoyed this one more than I'd expected to!

The way that Riordan incorporates modern elements into Greek myth and vice versa is really funny and nicely done. The story is told from Percy's perspective and feels convincingly like a confused, slightly angsty 12 year old. His friends, Annabeth and Grover, fulfil the role of Brains and Comic Relief without it being grating. I'm really fond of Grover and his occasional goatiness.

The twists in the story are good and it overall makes for an enjoyable adventure.

Spoiler

The bit at the end with Luke's betrayal and connection with Kronos felt a little tacked-on, but it does give the story much more opening to continue. The bit at the end where Percy's mum uses Medusa's head to dispose of Gabe, however? Impeccable. The Medusa's head seemed like a Chekov's gun that wasn't going to be fired, but it was fired perfectly.

One criticism I think is worth mentioning is that there's a tendency for antagonistic characters to be ugly (and often, but not always, fat). It's a common trope but I'm not a fan of that.

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kellis821's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

5.0

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lupitabaeyongo's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-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

4.25

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