Blog Archives

Posted:
Jul 3, 2011
Tags:
Comments:
0 Comments

The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan
Published: October 2010
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: Heroes of Olympus #1
557 pages (hardcover)

This is the first book of a series-sequel to the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Heroes of Olympus takes place in the same world as Percy Jackson, about one year later. And boy does it start things off with a bang — Percy Jackson is missing! And another whirlwind adventure begins …

Our three new demigod heroes don’t know who the heck Percy Jackson is though, so they don’t really care too much at first, despite Annabeth’s worries. Our new heroes have their own issues to deal with, you know? First we have Jason, who wakes up on a bus full of delinquent children going to a delinquent school — and he has no idea how he got there. Jason’s memory has been completely wiped. Next, we have Leo, who seems to be haunted by dreams involving his old baby sitter, who turns out to be the goddess of family, Hera. Lastly, we have Piper, whose father is being held hostage by the giant Encheladus and she must turn over her two new friend, Jason and Leo, to have him back.

And on top of all these issues, the three find out they are part of the seven heroes from the prophecy made at the end of the fifth Percy Jackson book. No pressure, kids. It turns out they have to rescue the goddess Hera from a mysterious enemy who is even stronger than the Titans, but they won’t be able to do it alone, naturally. Worst part is, Zeus has decided that if you can ignore the problem, then it’s not really there, and he’s made all the other gods and goddesses do the same. So they don’t have much help in that department (even though the gods keep breaking the rules, heh). Oh yes, and did I mention PERCY JACKSON IS MISSING?? I didn’t realize it till now but dang, I love that kid.

I am once again in awe at how awesome Mr. Riordan is at mixing reality with Greek mythology. In fact, he has turned it up a notch and has introduced Roman mythology into the story as well! You might be thinking, “Doesn’t that kind of conflict with the story, or at least makes things terribly confusing, since now we have two names for every god?” Actually, no, not at all. The Roman mythology stuff fits seamlessly into the story. You don’t really find out its role until the end of the book, but throughout the story, Jason keeps referring to the gods by their Roman names and he seems to know a lot about ancient Rome, so you know it must be important, but you don’t really know until the very end. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it relates to Percy’s disappearance and … I just … Omg, I just want the second book so badly now! It’s a bit of a cliffhanger ending, so I’m dying of curiosity now.

We do meet some old characters, such as Annabeth, Chiron and Thalia, but they are now minor characters. The new characters, our holy trio, is now Jason, Piper and Leo. I like all three of them. For some reason, I liked Jason the best, even though his memory has been wiped clean so he seems to be in a permanent state of ‘I-don’t-know’. I guess I just gravitate towards the cool, calm and collected.

I admit the villain confused me a bit in the beginning because each character was dreaming of a woman, or remembering a woman from the past, but none of the characters knew who the woman was. So I couldn’t tell if these were separate women, or if they were all thinking of the same woman. It became clearer ’round the midway point, but that is probably my only complaint, and a very minor one at that. I do love the big bad villain of this series though. If you have a bit of knowledge about Greek mythology, you can probably figure it out with all the clues in the book, but anyway, it is revealed at the end, and I’m really curious as to how they can possibly defeat the enemy as it’s bigger and badder than the Titans!

Loved the plot, loved the writing, loved the fun humor! It is, at heart, a kid’s book, but for those of you who are kids-at-heart, you’ll gobble this one up in no time. I can’t believe I put off reading this for so long! I won’t make the same mistake with book two, once I get my hands on a copy … the ending of The Lost Hero is so delicious, yet not enough to completely satisfy me because of the cliffhanger. I need to know what happens next!!

My Rating:

Posted:
May 25, 2011
Tags:
Comments:
0 Comments

The Red Pyramid

Author: Rick Riordan
Published: May 2010
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Series: The Kane Chronicles #1
516 pages (hardcover)

If you’re a Rick Riordan fan, then you may have heard of this series already: The Kane Chronicles. At first glance, it seems to be Percy Jackson Meets Egypt! instead of the Greek/Roman gods, and while it does bear many similarities (the two series even take place within the same world), it’s also quite different: In Percy Jackson, we have a bunch of kids sent to a summer camp for half-god half-human children, who train in fighting and hone their magical abilities that are specific to their godly parent. In the Kane Chronicles, there are only two kids, siblings, who discover that they are from two ancient pharaoh bloodlines, and that their parents have unleashed ancient Egyptian gods into the world.

In The Red Pyramid, Carter Kane travels around with his famous Egyptologist father, Julius Kane, around the world. His mother died six years ago, and his sister, Sadie Kane, was taken in by his grandparents (of their mother’s side) who live in London. For some reason, the grandparents didn’t want to take Carter. Julius and Carter get to see Sadie twice a year, once every six months. On the day that Julius and Carter get to see Sadie, Julius takes them to a museum in London, where he tells them he needs to do some ‘work’. What he ends up doing is accidentally destroying the Rosetta Stone and unleashing five powerful Egyptian gods, before becoming trapped by the released Egyptian god, Set. Two of the other gods found their way to Carter and Sadie and use them as hosts. Carter and Sadie are hurried away from the scene with the help of their Uncle Amos who mysteriously appears, and are protected by the cat goddess Bast.

They are taken to the House of Life’s headquarters, an underground “town” of some sort where people practice ancient Egyptian magic. The House of Life doesn’t trust the Egyptian gods and are wary about the Kane siblings inhabiting gods in them, but the leader decides to train them. It is revealed that Carter and Sadie are the children of two ancient pharaoh bloodlines, and thus are extremely powerful, even without gods inhabiting their bodies. However, the leader dies rather suddenly, and the new leader decides that Carter and Sadie must be destroyed, prompting them to run for their lives.

Overall, I liked reading this book. With the Percy Jackson books, I was already somewhat familiar with many of the gods and goddesses and ancient stories, but I know next to nothing about ancient Egyptian mythology. So I really liked how, in addition to an adventurous story, I was also learning a lot too. Sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s true. Ancient Egyptian mythology is really fascinating, but also confusing … which I guess is why at times, I found the plot rather complex. Sometimes I had to really stop and think about everything that has happened so far and untangle the story in my head. I never got confused per se, but sometimes, I just had to slow down a bit and digest what is happening.

As with the Percy Jackson books, I love the funny, spunky and witty characters in The Red Pyramid as well. The two main characters, Carter and Sadie, are also biracial (half white, half black), which I really liked the idea of. You don’t often seen biracial main characters in books — unless the novel is about them dealing with being biracial or something where that is the focus — and I think Riordan handled it well. The kids sometimes encounter real world issues with being biracial, but it’s not the focus of the story. The thing about the characters I wasn’t too crazy about was how the first person narration switched back and forth between Carter and Sadie quite often, and they have rather similar voices, so I actually did become a little confused at times with who is speaking, but with this kind of story, it’s not really a big deal.

Though this story is a little too long in my opinion, I enjoyed it, do recommend it, and will most definitely be reading book two!

My Rating:

Posted:
May 9, 2011
Tags:
Comments:
0 Comments

The Last Olympian

Author: Rick Riordan
Published: 2008
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians #5
382 pages (paperback)

This is the final book of the Percy Jackson & The Olympian series (although, if I am correct, there is a spin off series or something in existence) and boy, what an awesome roller coaster ride it was. The Last Olympian is non-stop action, from the very first page to the last. There is always something happening. The story flies by and before you know it, you’re done the book! Even though it is the longest book in the series, it felt like the shortest because there was never a dull moment. Without a doubt, this is the best installment in the series — and isn’t it awesome when the final book of a series ends on such a satisfying note?

The story opens up with Percy and a fellow camper on a bombing mission to destroy Kronos’ ship, but it soon becomes apparent that there is a spy amongst Percy’s friends who is supplying Kronos with the demigods’ every move. Percy, his fellow campers and the gods of Olympus enter into the war against Kronos, who has more or less successfully come back to “life” and is preparing to attack Manhattan — specifically the Empire State Building, where on the 600th floor, Mount Olympus resides. At the same time, there is the constant threat of the greatest Titan monster ever, Typhon, who Percy accidentally released from his prison a book ago. He’s stomping his way across the United States to New York, leaving a trail of devastation behind him. Oh, and while all this is happening, Chiron and Annabeth decide it’s time to reveal the full Great Prophecy to Percy — which causes Percy to question everything he’s been doing up till now.

I think what I loved about the plot in this particular book (besides the speedy action)  is that there’s a lot of intrigue and mystery involved, which kept me guessing and wondering. I just had to keep reading! For example, who is the spy at Camp Half Blood that is actually working for Kronos? What is this mysterious past of Luke’s that Hermes and Annabeth don’t really want to talk about in front of Percy? Who the heck is Rachel Elizabeth Dare really, claiming to be a mortal then doing all these non-mortalish things? And for goodness’ sake, what is the Great Prophecy really all about?? I was positively captivated by the story, and my curiousity kept me glued to the pages.

As with the final book of any series, the ending is doubly important because not only is it the ending for the book, it’s also the ending for the entire series. I’m very happy that the ending satisfied me (though I felt the denouement was a little meh, but I will survive). It tied up all loose ends (that I can think of), there’s a general sense of triumph and accomplishment among the characters, and really, it’s just a great feel-good ending to an epic adventure. For those of you reading this series, trust me: you have a lot to look forward to in this last book and I’m sure it will be one of your favourites in the series.

My Rating:

Posted:
May 5, 2011
Tags:
Comments:
0 Comments

The Battle of the Labyrinth

Author: Rick Riordan
Published: 2008
Publisher: Hyperion
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians #4
361 pages (paperback)

Percy Jackson once again manages to somehow blow up another school, and as usual, is grateful that it’s summer vacation so he can go hide out in Camp Half-Blood. Really, mortal troubles are the least of his problems when there’s possibly another war with the Titans approaching. During a game of Capture The Flag at camp, Percy and Annabeth stumble upon an entrance to the Labyrinth — an enormous underground maze that spans pretty much the entire country. Their worst fears are realized when they find out that Luke — their enemy — already knows about the Labyrinth and they worry that he will use it invade the camp with his army. The only thing probably stopping him is the fact that the Labyrinth is so complicated, people have gone mad trying to find their way out of it. Percy and his friends decide they still can’t take any risks, so they seek out Daedalus, the maker of the Labyrinth, to try to persuade him to not help Luke. Problem is, Daedalus lives inside the Labyrinth …

That’s pretty much the plot in a nutshell. Truth be told, I didn’t find this book that fun to read, unlike the previous ones in this series. I haven’t read book five yet, but I’m pretty sure The Battle of the Labyrinth is the weakest book in the series. For one, it was really long. I know what you’re thinking: “Uh, you’ve read thousand page books before, and you’re complaining about a 360 page book?” Um … yes. If you have enough of an interesting story, page number doesn’t matter, but for the story this book told, I feel it dragged on a little too long. Many parts felt sluggish and slow, and honestly, their adventure in the Labyrinth wasn’t as adventuresome as it could have been. I pretty much ho-hummed my way through.

Another reason I didn’t find this book as awesome as its predecessors is the fact that this book utilized a lot of visions and dreams on Percy’s part in order to tell events that happening to other characters elsewhere. It’s cool to use it once or twice, but I just felt like a lot of crucial background information scenes were being told through Percy having a dream, or being sent a vision by a mysterious benefactor, and it was all a little too convenient.

But of course, if you’re reading this series, you’re going to have to eventually read this book. It’s by no means terrible, but when the first three books are generally really awesome, you may find The Battle of the Labyrinth a bit underwhelming. On the bright side, the next — and final — book of the series is, according to my friend, really good and one of her favourites, so I am looking forward to reading it and finding out what happens between Olympus, the Titans, and Percy in the finale.

My Rating:

Posted:
May 4, 2011
Tags:
Comments:
0 Comments

The Titan’s Curse

Author: Rick Riordan
Published: 2007
Publisher: Hyperion
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians #3
312 pages (paperback)

Books one and two were the beginnings of an epic adventure and were stepping stones to a larger story. In book three, The Titan’s Curse, the series’ plot really starts to unfold itself. This is, so far, my favourite book in the series. There was a real sense of saving-the-world, a real epic feeling involved in this book.

In book three, Percy, Annabeth and new companion Thalia are scouting out two possible new half-blood recruits, Nico and Bianca. With the help of Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, and her band of Hunters, they manage to temporarily ward off the dangerous servant of Kronos who tried to stop them. Afterwards, Artemis leaves on her own to hunt down a dangerous monster believed to have the power to destroy Mount Olympus, but to everybody’s horror, Artemis becomes kidnapped! Percy and his friends must find Artemis, and quickly, before the Winter Solstice, when the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus gather together to decide on how they will deal with the impending second war with the Titans.

There’s definitely something different about this book compared to the first two. Oh, it is definitely just as funny and adventurous, but something about the plot made it not quite as light hearted as The Lightning Thief or The Sea of Monsters. Like I mentioned before, I think starting with this book, the series’ plot’s complexities are starting to be revealed; that Percy’s story is not as simple as going from Quest A to Quest B. The first two books dealt with minor adventures; this third book reveals that there is something way more sinister working in the background. Because of that, there is a greater sense of urgency and seriousness that the characters must take on. The climax of the story, in particular, was an incredibly epic battle. As usual, things happened in the fight that made me laugh or snicker, but I think overall, this has been one of the more serious scenes in the series thus far. I mean, there were real deaths in this book!

The characters certainly have matured, if only by a little bit. The characters are what, fourteen years old by now? Love and romance is definitely starting to poke its head through, to become a theme. More importantly though, loyalty and friendship shine through. Throughout the novel, Percy has to cope with thinking he has lost friends, and what he could have done, or can do now, to help them. Of course, he has always cared about his friends before, but there is something more mature in the way he is tackling the situation now. I think this is most exemplified when Percy is told that his fatal flaw as a hero are his loved ones.

The only thing that bothered me was Thalia’s introduction and to some extent, her role. In book two, it ended off on a cliffhanger — Thalia, daughter of Zeus, has been “brought back alive”. I guess I expected some sort of flashback at least that explained how Percy and Annabeth handled the whole situation initially now that the daughter of Zeus is among them, but The Titan’s Curse opened up in such a way that it felt like Thalia has been adventuring with Percy since book one, like she’s always been there and is not a new addition to Percy’s posse. Then, at the end of this book, Thalia basically decides she’s not going to adventure with Percy anymore. So I guess what bugged me was that Thalia was a main character for one book, possibly as a replacement for Annabeth, who was missing for the majority of the novel, and now that Annabeth has returned, Thalia conveniently finds a reason to remove herself from the main action. I guess I expected more from the daughter of Zeus.

Anyway, to sum it all up — The Titan’s Curse is definitely one of the best installments of this series :) If you are reading this series as well, I’m sure book three will rank somewhere in the top for you as well. I’m really excited to start on book four now!

My Rating:

Posted:
May 4, 2011
Tags:
Comments:
0 Comments

The Sea of Monsters

Author: Rick Riordan
Published: 2006
Publisher: Miramax
Series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians #2
279 pages (paperback)

Finally, finally, finally. These books are so popular at my library that I never even see them on the bookshelves, but on my last library trip, I finally saw them: books two through four. I would have grabbed all the way to book seven five (sorry, was thinking of Harry Potter) if they had it, but they didn’t, but still, I’m glad I’m finally able to continue reading this fun and cute story :)

In this second installment of the series, I am reintroduced to the lively and colourful world of the urbanized Greek gods and goddesses. And Percy Jackson, of course. It’s the last day of seventh grade for Percy and his new, misunderstood friend Tyson, and Percy hopes for the day to go smoothly so that he may go back to Camp Half-Blood for the summer. However, this is Percy, and of course, nothing ever goes smoothly for him. It turns out he may not get a chance to go back to the camp … possibly forever. Camp Half-Blood is in great danger: the magical tree of Thalia that protects the camp has been poisoned and is slowly but surely dying. Percy is determined to find a cure for the tree, or else the only place on earth where it is safe for a demigod to be — the only place where Percy has ever felt he belonged — will be gone.

The thing with the Percy Jackson books, that I feel like I must stress over and over again (because my friends give me the raised eyebrow whenever I say I’m reading the Percy Jackson books), is that it’s not “serious” at all like the movie portrayed it to be. These are humourous children’s (or tween) books that border on the silly side of things. So, my general thoughts about this book when I finished it were that it was fun and lighthearted, much like the first. I didn’t like it as much as the first book, but still a very enjoyable read!

In comparison to the first book, I felt the plot in this second installment was a bit less epic. From fighting the Titan lord Kronos in book one, to sailing in a ship to find the Golden Fleece to save Thalia’s tree in book two … well, you can see how one plot just seems more epic than the other. Not that the plot was in this book was bad or anything; I just mean, in relation. This book is probably just a stepping stone to the larger plot, maybe. I’m totally expecting a lot more from the next books in the series now! Considering how the book ended, I feel The Sea of Monsters is really acting as a bridge to connect book one to book three.

Anyway, if you have any sense of humour at all, I’m sure you’ll find this book hilarious. I mean, what do we have here? Cannibalistic giants with names like Joe Bob; the most adorable baby cyclops (who is also six feet three inches tall); a hippocampi (horse-fish hybrid animal) named Rainbow; a bunch of centaurs throwing a party and wearing T-shirts that say “Party Ponies”; a spa resort that turns men into guinea pigs (because actual pigs take up too much room) … I can go on and on, but you see what I mean about this book just being good fun, right? Some books I really need to concentrate when I read; others, like this book, I just have a blast.

The ending was interesting, actually. I didn’t expect a cliffhanger sort of ending because, if my memory serves me correctly, the first book didn’t end in a cliffhanger. I’m pretty sure it didn’t because I had no real desire to locate a copy of book two right away. But The Sea of Monsters ends in such a way that I am super curious to find out what happens next — and luckily, I have the third book sitting right next to me! I won’t spoil the ending, but let’s just say that the prophecy that involves Percy Jackson may or may not have become extra complicated due to recent events … haha. Actually, kind of reminds me of Harry Potter and his own prophecy. Ooooh, we’ll see what happens.

Expect a post about The Battle of the Labyrinth — HAHA oops, I meant The Titan’s Curse! — soon!

My Rating: