Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

Release Date: May 6th 2008
Publisher: Hyperion
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 362
Overall:

Percy Jackson's fourth summer at Camp Half-Blood is much like his previous three—high-octane clashes with dark forces, laced with hip humor and drama. Opening with a line for the ages—The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school—this penultimate series installment finds Percy, Annabeth and the satyr Grover furiously working to prevent former camp counselor Luke from resurrecting the Titan lord Kronos, whose goal is to overthrow the gods. When the heroes learn that Luke can breach Camp Half-Blood's security through an exit from Daedalus's Labyrinth, they enter the maze in search of the inventor and a way to stop the invasion. Along the way they encounter a lifetime supply of nightmare-inducing, richly imagined monsters. Grover's own quest to find the lost god Pan, meanwhile, provides a subtle environmental message.

This book just sends the story even deeper as it explores not only what it means to be a hero, but also the relationships between the characters. Annabeth and Percy have grown much closer in this book, but there is still a lingering disappointment when it comes to Luke and possible feelings Annabeth may harbor for him. Percy gets the chance to leave the battle behind, and yet he preserves like any true hero, along with the help of his friends.

The reader also gets to meet some more Gods in this book including Hephaestus who is seen in overalls with his name embroidered on it as if he were working at an automobile repair shop. We meet the mysterious Calypso, and some interesting creatures who are obviously up to no good.

The best part of this book that intrigues not only guys but girls who like a little action is the fight scene. It was great to see how even though the army might be small, with companionship and friendship anything can be overcome.

I absolutely love this series and enjoy just getting to enter the world of Half-bloods.

Who Might Like This Book:
Harry Potter Lovers
Mythology Lovers

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Percy Jackson: The Titan's Curse

Percy Jackson: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

Release Date: May 1st 2007
Publisher: Disney Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320
Overall:

When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been kidnapped. And now it's up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened. Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess? They must find Artemis before the winter solstice, when her influence on the Olympian Council could swing an important vote on the war with the Titans. Not only that, but first Percy will have to solve the mystery of a rare monster that Artemis was hunting when she disappeared -- a monster rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus forever.

There were so many things happening in this book, that it was sometimes difficult to guess what was going to happen. When the Oracle recited the prophecy of saving Artemis, like many of the characters, I thought it meant one thing, when it meant something entirely different. This book was one that I couldn’t put down because I had to know what happened.

It is in this book that the relationship between Percy and Annabeth really starts to become apparent. For anyone who knows anything of stories revolving between two characters, one male, one female, know that they will probably end up together. While this story is not surprising in that fact, it is fun to see how they slowly decide how they feel about each other.

While the other books before this one basically set up the story line and introduced vital characters, this book starts to center on the war against Kronos. Readers learn more about how Kronos is affecting the world around him.

We also get to meet more mythological characters like Atlas and Calypso. My favorite group is the Hunters of Artemis, who bring their own personal twist in the story which become vital in the other books later on. This series has easily become one of my favorites.

Who Might Like This Book:
Harry Potter Lovers
Mythology Lovers

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Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Release Date: April 1st 2006
Publisher: Disney Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 385
Overall:

After a summer spent trying to prevent a catastrophic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson is finding his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson, a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any normal friends. But things don't stay quiet for long.

Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: the magical borders that protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters, the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millennia. Only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name: The Bermuda Triangle.

Together with his friends, Percy must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family, one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Like the first book, this book was amazing. I loved learning more about the world that Percy Jackson and his friends live in. It would be amazing to join that world, which makes it a new absolute favorite of mine.

The characters become even more detailed in this book. It is easy to see a budding relationship happening between certain characters, as well as learn to love new characters that are brought in. Tyson is one of my new favorite characters and he is adorable! I love how he treats Percy and is so protective of Annabeth. We also get to see more amazing takes on mythological beings such as the Cyclops that Odysseus encounters.

The thing that I love about this series is how easy it is to get drawn into the world, making it impossible to leave even more a second. Just like any other good series (thinking along the lines of Harry Potter), this series makes the reader wish they could simply jump into the pages and join the adventure.

I just love it.

Who Might Like This Book:
Harry Potter Lovers
Mythology Lovers

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Teaser Tuesday (9)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme held by Should Be Reading and here is my Teaser for today.

”Hi, Abby. How was your day?”

“The usual.” Liar, Liar, Pants on fire…

“Did you have any standout readings?” My sister loved to hear about the people I read. Tales of my clients were a bit of a soap opera for her, and typically I would rattle off a list of the highlights, but I just didn’t have it tonight.

Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye by Victoria Laurie, Pg. 124