Series Author: Rick Riordan
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Where’s the glory in repeating what others have done?
Witty. Thrilling. Heart-warming.
Who will love it?
Anybody who loves Greek mythology will enjoy how Riordan created a modern spin on the timeless mythological gods and goddesses. Also, this book series is a great gateway for children (i.e. 10-12 years old) as they start their own bookish journey. Still, parental guidance is recommended. 😉
If still not convinced, read the full reading notes below.
Where to grab a copy?
This pundit highly recommends finding a copy you can borrow (e.g., from a friend or library), instead of immediately buying a new book. Trees are generally used to make the paper in the books we read, so being mindful won’t hurt.
But if you really want to buy a new book, make sure to support your local bookshops. And make online shopping (i.e., Amazon or whatever online bookstore serves closest to you) your last resort.
Happy reading!
Full Reading Notes
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series will take you through an adventure with characters that are so charming, that you can’t help but make space for them in your hearts.
Click here for a series synopsis…
Percy Jackson thought that the troubles he encounters in his school life are simply because he's unlucky. On top of being dyslexic and having diagnosed with ADHD, he keeps getting kicked out and transferring schools due to bizarre incidents that he swears he didn't cause. But of course, no one believes him. Once he found out that he was a demigod (half-human, half Olympian god) and that it was monsters making his life miserable, he needed to stay on the one place where demigods can't be reached by monsters - Camp Half-Blood. But life became more complicated (and more unsafe) after that. He was accused of stealing Zeus' master bolt which he, along with his friends Grover (a satyr) and Annabeth (also a demigod), discovered was only the beginning of a plot to bring down the Olympian gods i.e. the destruction of the world as they know it. And a great prophecy has foretold that Percy might just be the one who'll save the world or doom it.
I HAVE LOVED MYTHOLOGY since I was young. My father as an English teacher introduced me to them, and my love for them developed into adoration after coming upon this big book of mythology collections back in 6th grade.
From that moment on, whenever I read mythological stories or mythological representations in movies or books, I can’t help but feel like there are butterflies in my stomach and I get extra invested in what I’m reading and watching. If you feel like my opinions are a bit biased, they might be.
It had been almost a decade since I first finished reading this series. A childhood friend of mine, who shares my passion for mythology, introduced me to the first book. Right there and then, I got hooked.
That’s why when a #Percydathon Reading Challenge was announced on Twitter, I immediately jumped into it. I also thought it would be a great chance to reassess the series that my younger self loved so much and see what my “adulting” self can say about it now.
Since I’ll be writing down my thoughts about the series as a whole I decided to outline this review according to 3 of the basic elements of a story: characters, setting, and plot.
The Characters
As mentioned earlier, the characters are charming and you can’t help but love them.
Trust me.
Rick Riordan had created each one of them uniquely and they’ve developed into such lovable characters as the story progressed in every book.
Percy’s character, for example, started as this unassuming kid who felt overwhelmed, yet somehow proud, to be told about his role in saving the world. Despite sounding a bit too mature for his age in the later books, it didn’t feel unnatural. He was just like someone who matured too early despite their age because of the circumstances they’ve gone through.
Try fighting monsters almost every day but the rest of the world thinks you’re crazy, or causing trouble, when you’re actually saving them. That must be quite mentally taxing right?
Mr. Riordan had done a great job maintaining the childish wonder in each one of his characters without limiting their development. Now that I think about it, maybe this is why it was easy to be charmed by them.
And the sass. Oh! Every character seems to have this one common attitude. This might not be such a surprise if you follow Rick Riordan’s socmed accounts, especially on Twitter. He can really be comically sassy. And I love that about him.
The Setting
Most of the events in this series happened around the United States and the way Mr. Riordan described those places through the eyes of Percy made me curious. There are only a few authors I can name that made me want to actually check the places that inspired a book’s setting/event.
Rick Riordan became one of them.
I really want to someday go to the US and have a fun road trip following the quests our young heroes had. I know I won’t be able to go through their actual path but it sounded so real. I’m curious if I’d get that same feeling when I see those places for myself.
The Plot
It was mind-blowingly good the way Rick Riordan integrated such ancient tales to a modern world while staying true to the original stories.
The ancient stories themselves have different versions and he chose a version where the basic structure of the ancient story that readers loved remained in his adaptation. And with that, he was able to capture me with a sense of nostalgia, as if I met a dear friend again after a long time.
I mean, do you know that feeling you get when you see familiar characters you love appearing on another show? That giddy, excitement with a mix of nostalgia?
That’s what I felt, and I guess that made me love this series all the more.
I could go on about other parts of the series but I might end up spoiling it for some. So I’ll end it here. If you haven’t read this series first, this review is your sign to do so.
-The ArKivist
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