Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Tuesday (Series) Reviews: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

So there's this book series, you may have heard of it, I dunno. but it's called Percy Jackson and the Olympians?
Apparently it's some sort of big deal?
I don't really know why...

Oh.
Maybe because it's freaking aWESOME!

I thought it was high time I did a series review for this one, so look out below.

*cue the fangirling*



Titles:
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1)
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2)
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4)
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5)

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Release Dates:
The Lightning Thief- 3/1/06
The Sea of Monsters- 4/1/06
The Titan's Curse- 5/5/07
The Battle of the Labyrinth- 3/6/08
The Last Olympian- 5/5/09

Formats Read: Paperback, New Covers


Description from Goodreads for THE LIGHTNING THIEF: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends-- one a satyr and the other a demigod daughter of Athena-- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.



Description from Goodreads for THE SEA OF MONSTERS: The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Ricks 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 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.



Description from Goodreads for THE TITAN'S CURSE:  It's not everyday you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, ha;lf-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 none of us will survive...



Description from Goodreads for THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH: 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 a 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.



Description from Goodreads for THE LAST OLYMPIAN: All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of 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, Kronis 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 Percy Jackson and the Olympians 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.


I'd actually been wanting to read the Percy Jackson books for a really long time, before picking them up a year and a half ago. There were two reasons I hadn't done it-- 1.) I only owned SEA OF MONSTERS, and 2.) I really loved the movies, and knew by the reactions from you demigods that if I read the books I would end up hating the movies. But one night, I picked up the boxset, and I dove into it and finished all five books in five days. 

Percy was one of my favorite series ever to binge. I can't imagine reading them as they released and having to deal with those cliffhangers. But holy crap, you guys. These books are fantastic in more ways than I can count. Not only is Percy hilarious, but he's such a genuine character that I couldn't help but love him from page one. 

Also, can we talk about how sassy he is? Like, you guys got it right when you nicknamed him Persassy. He's a sasspot and a half, and it's amazing.

Literally each book in the series was great. They just got better and better as they went on. That being said, I can safely say that BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH was my favorite. I really enjoyed the setting of the Labyrinth and the added suspense and mystery it gave the series. 

It's kind of crazy to me that it took me so long to pick these books up. If I had known that I was going to love them so much, I probably would have done it a long time ago. Though I think I read them at the perfect time, because it gave me the opportunity to dive right into the sister series, The Heroes of Olympus.

I give PJO five stars, and recommend it to literally everyone. I've yet to meet a reader who didn't adore the series, and frankly, I'm not sure one exists. If they do, that's the kind of person I wouldn't get along with. How do you not like Percy and Annabeth and Grover and Tyson?

How many of you have read the Percy Jackson books? If you have, who is your godly parent? Daughter of Athena over here *waggles eyebrows*

Happily,
Stephanie

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