The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #5
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: May 12, 2009

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

"You'll do well, Percy. Just remember your strengths and beware your weaknesses."

I've been putting off this review, and to be honest with you, I'm not really sure why. I mean, I liked the book... so I guess I'll just chalk it up to pure laziness on my part, and a serious book hangover. This is the FIRST series to ever make me miss the characters when I closed the book - I kind of wanted to go back and read it all again, just because it was so good! And I don't ever say that lightly.

At first, I was a little hesitant, of course - the ending book of a favorite series is always a little bit rough. I mean, what if it has a terrible ending, or it's *gasp* boring? Thankfully, The Last Olympian was neither of those. There was a fear near the beginning that we might have a "Perachel" situation, but MINOR spoiler, NOPE. (Megan cheers, yes!, then starts chanting "Percabeth! Percabeth! Percabeth!")

Then came a minor issue with Nico, but it's no deal - I actually like the kid. He's so haunted, and maybe his moral compass doesn't always point North, but he's a good kid. I like him, at least!

I also enjoyed the feel of this one - it was a lot different than the other books. Which was... fun. I liked seeing the different atmosphere, what with the war and the sense of impending doom. I never thought that these kids could be very serious, but they really, really showed me! AND Percy really showed me too, because I was starting to doubt that our boy had it in him - but he's got more courage than it seems.

Maybe stupid courage. But courage all the same. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. I WAS SMILING LIKE A MADWOMAN AND REREADING.

I'm always surprised by the twists that Riordan throws in, but this one really took the cake! I mean, a few things crossed my mind... BUT I NEVER EXPECTED THEM TO HAPPEN. *fans self* This book almost killed me, to tell you the truth. It was worth it.

All in all, I really think that The Last Olympian was a fitting end to the series - and I'm scared to read the spinoff. But I've been assured that it's amazing...

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #3
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 8, 2008

IT'S NOT EVERYDAY YOU FIND YOURSELF IN COMBAT WITH A HALF-LION, HALF-HUMAN.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh and guess what. The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

I'm going to come right out and say that The Titan's Curse was probably my least favorite of the series. I think I have a little something called "third book syndrome" because the third is always my least favorite. I mean, it would make perfect sense. I skipped the "second book syndrome" gene... I got something much worse. But enough about me and my genes.

We came here to talk about the book, so I'll begin. Probably my biggest problem with this one was that there was no precursor. I felt like the beginning was lacking - just thrown into a secret mission I know nothing about? Jeez, I'm confused now. All of the others at least had some hint of what was going on. Not to mention the fact that Annabeth goes missing about a chapter in... and Percy without Annabeth? Well, he's a little bit off. I think that Annabeth really balances Percy out, so without her around to mediate, he was kind of... impetuous, but also... a bit sad.

And I just missed Annabeth - she's a big part of the books for me, so with out her there it kind of fell apart. I did like the introduction of new characters, though. Nico, Bianca and Thalia all have a great part to play, and each has a distinctly different personality. I enjoyed Thalia's fiery attitude and headstrong ways; a few times I was even sure that her and Percy were going to outright battle over something!

There were several unexpected twists, and a few expected ones. I had my suspicions about Bianca and Nico - it turns out that in the end, I was right. All in all, The Titan's Curse is my least favorite of all the Percy books, but obviously it holds information that is important to me.

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #4
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: March 6, 2008

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.
In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn

So, The Battle of the Labyrinth. I'm sure you're all expecting me to have something either completely bad or completely awesome to say about this one, considering the fact that this was one of my personal favorites of the series - but words... fail me. I don't even really know what to say! I was going to say that this was my ultimate favorite of the series, but since I've already read The Last Olympian, that's not true. I think that they're tied for my favorite.

I really loved the beginning of this one - it somehow made a bigger impression on me than all of the others - there was immediately something big going on. It was interesting to have Rachel back, after the part that she played in the third book, but I wasn't really sure what to think of her. (By the fifth book, though... I didn't want her around. PERACHEL SHALL NOT HAPPEN ON MY WATCH!)

Since that little outburst is out of the way... I was feeling kind of... I don't know. Sad because I knew that there was no way that everything I wanted could happen in the last two books? It was making me nervous. But in spite of all that, I REALLY love this series.

The Battle of the Labyrinth was the first book where Percy started to realize that Annabeth was a girl - and OMG, I almost died at the adorableness of that! There was some new developments between Annabeth and Percy, with a little bit of tension and GAH it was amazing.

I love the fact that as Percy gets older, it's shown in the books. He makes more mature decisions, and he has an older voice. I like that. It's not something that really happens very often.

I really liked the new twists and plot devices - there's always something super fun going on in this series, and I LOVE IT. Everyone had a part to play, and it was lovely to see everything playing out. I didn't see the ending coming, and it kind of left me stunned!

All in all, The Battle of the Labyrinth was a great continuation of the Percy Jackson series, and since I've read the fifth book, I can tell you that I'm sorry to see these characters go. (Especially Percy and Annabeth! And Nico. I have a soft spot for the little guy.)

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #2
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 1, 2006

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come

My happiness with this series continued right into this book - once again, we start out with a wonderfully action-packed beginning that thrusts us right back into Percy's world. And I loved it! Immediately, stuff was happening and the plot was twisting and Percy was Percy...

Speaking of Percy, I really do like him. There's something sweet about his personality, and I like the fact that he's so loyal to all of his friends. He would do anything to save them all, and I just think that he's a brave boy. I also like that he seems older in this one - he's growing throughout the books, and there's nothing better than that in my opinion.

I also liked that we get to meet a new character in this one - be prepared for Tyson, y'all. You will fall for his sweet little cyclops self. He's just so precious! There is a bit of drama associated with him, but believe me it's barely a blip - and he overcomes it with his adorable big puppy dog-ish-ness.

I loved the new quest - it seems like every book is going to have a different quest, and I'm not gonna lie - I'm super excited about this! It's like the perfect blend of nerdiness + fantasy for me. I mean, Greek mythology AND quests? There will never come a time when that isn't awesome!!

Let's talk about Percabeth, though. Let's really talk about it - nothing has really happened, but OMG. I want it to happen so bad, it's like I'm dying for it! I definitely definitely ship it, and I'd be the kind of person to push it on them. IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. Like, really.

AND THE ENDING. It's a cliffy, y'all. Be prepared to immediately reach for the next book, because you're going to need it!

Scene It Sunday #12 - Percy & The Flying Shoes

The Lightning Thief
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians, #1
Release Date: February 12, 2010
Leads: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario

A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

Percy & The Flying Shoes, Book Scene -

I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"
He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air...that would not be wise for you."

Percy & The Flying Shoes, Movie Scene -

In the movie, it seems like Percy is using the shoes every time you turn around! He uses the shoes to get the pearl. (Which is a completely made up quest, by the way.) He uses the shoes to fight Luke. He uses the shoes ALL the time!

This may seem like a small thing, but to me it really wasn't. That was a complete deviation from the book, and a bad one at that. It makes no sense to add that in, and obviously it's just kind of stupid. Did they do it just so that Percy could have cool flying shoes? Jeez.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Source: Bought
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: March 21, 2006

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I'm not going to lie here - the reason that I put off Percy for so long was because of the hype surrounding this series - I mean, we have buckets and buckets of fans. I don't even know if there's any haters, and let's be honest here - I tend to be a naysayer. But I'm super happy to tell you that I actually really enjoyed The Lightning Thief! But first, a quick backstory: Nitzan has been trying to get me to read Percy FOREVER. She was just telling me how awesome it was and everything else - and then, suddenly, whenever I looked at Pinterest, there were headcanons for Percy everywhere. And there were words on them, so I HAD to read them... and I became slightly obsessed. Then there was a discussion on Twitter, and the #PercyPowWow was born... that is the story of how I came to read Percy Jackson.

Now that I've cleared things up with y'all, let's start back at the beginning. I liked this more than I expected to! For some odd reason, I had this idea that I wouldn't really care for Percy as a character. Maybe because he's a guy, or because he's a pre-pubescent guy... whatever. Turns out that he's really great, though! Percy is just so snarky and lovable.

He loves his mom, and I actually think that he seems pretty smart. Flighty, yes. But still smart. I liked that he read like a twelve year old boy - it was nice that he matched up, and wasn't too mature or immature. I also liked the relationships that he formed with the other characters throughout. I loved his friendship with Annabeth & Grover, and I can't wait to see where those relationships will take him in the future!

Another thing that I liked about The Lightning Thief was the ridiculous jokes and the over-the-top plot twists throughout the book. I laughed out loud (hysterically) a few times, that's for sure. And every single plot twist - as ridiculous as they were - somehow made sense. Anyone who can fit pieces like that together most definitely gets my vote.

I liked the never-ending presence of the Greek gods, and the explanation for how they came to be in America. I, for one - have pretty much questioned every myth retelling ever, because of the fact that they all take place in America. It was WONDERFUL to have an explanation for once!

All in all, The Lightning Thief really was a fun read. I'm enjoying the series so far, and I can't wait for shipping Percy and Annabeth. Also, can't tell you how disappointed I am in the movie now.

Scene it Sunday #11 - Percy is Undetermined

The Lightning Thief
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians
Release Date: February 12, 2010
Leads: Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario

A teenager discovers he's the descendant of a Greek god and sets out on an adventure to settle an on-going battle between the gods.

Book Scene, Percy is Undetermined -

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."
"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.
I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."
Everybody groaned.

Movie Scene, Percy is Undetermined -

From the very beginning of the movie (as soon as Camp Half Blood happens) Percy is introduced as the son of Poseidon, and he's claimed almost immediately. They put him in his own private cabin, and he never lives in the Hermes cabin.

This is just one of the ridiculous changes that they made in the movie, but it's one of the bigger ones - it messed up Percy's entire developmental arc. In the books, he's shown as a relatively sweet and normal boy, who's obviously a little unsure. But in the movie, Percy is made out to be slightly arrogant, and a "hero". It's a stupid change. (Lets not even mention the fact that Percy is only twelve in the books, and is like 16 in the movies. Or the ridiculous quest. Maybe these will get mentioned at a later date... maybe.)

Did this change bother you? Have you seen this movie?