"A good start to a series that introduces kids to mythological figures such as Zeus, Chiron etc but at the same time there was a lot of violence. It seemed a bit excessive for a book geared towards younger readers." 4 Stars.
Pros: A good start to the series, the ending definitely left the reader curious for more/The use of things such as an Oracle, an ancient Prophecy, it was fun, like reading the myth of Hercules only in language that any layman could understand.
Cons: Having seen the movie first, the way they had them complete the quest seemed to make a lot more sense while in the book, things felt rushed at the end, kind of like Riordan remembered halfway through writing that he had set a deadline for himself and was rushing to meet it. It just felt odd.
Full Review
Percy (Perseus) Jackson is a troubled tween. He's been kicked out of six boarding schools in the past six years and he is convinced that none of what happens to him is his fault; bad luck just seems to follow him. So when he's on a field trip with his history class and his history teacher literally turns into a demon and attacks him, he's pretty sure something more serious is going on.
But then everyone around him starts acting like the history teacher, Mrs. Dodds, never actually existed. And Percy is convinced that she did. Even his best friend Grover, whom he can always count on, pauses and says that there was never any Mrs. Dodds but Percy isn't convinced. The school year ends without incident and he returns to New York City and to the small apartment his Mother lives in with her husband Gabe Ugliano.
Gabe is a cruel, uncaring man, more interested in playing Poker with his friends than in what Percy is doing. So when Percy's mother suggests a trip to their favorite place, Montauk Beach off of Long Island, Percy jumps at the chance. He knows that that is where his Mother met his Father, though she claims that he was lost at sea and that's why Percy has never met him. She's adamant that he's not dead, just, lost at sea, and Percy doesn't push because he doesn't want to upset her.
While on their mini vacation, Percy has a dream of a Horse and an Eagle fighting each other viciously on the beach while the water rages around then. And all while he's running, trying to stop them, knowing that he has to stop them from killing each other, there is a frightening, sinister, dark voice booming from the ground, laughing. He awakes with a start to the sound of a hurricane raging outside the door and to his surprise, someone banging on the door of their small cabin. Much to his surprise, it's his best friend Grover. And though Percy is sure that Grover and his Mother have never met in person, they act as if they know each other, and they agree that it's high time they take Percy to "the place."
No one will explain anything Percy as they race along, heading to wherever this "place" is. And once they get close, they realize that something is chasing them. The car is struct by lightning, throwing it into a ditch and Percy and his Mother drag Grover out of the car and over to a large tree, where Percy's Mother swears that he and Grover will be safe. Percy doesn't understand why his Mother can't set foot under the tree with them. But there's no time to ask questions as the thing that was chasing them closes in and much to Percy's shock, it's the Minotaur. A creature with a man's body and a bull's head and before Percy can even begin to make sense of any of this, the creature grabs his Mother and she disappears in a shower of golden dust.
Percy, in a rage, fights the Minotaur and manages to defeat it, then drags Grover away from the tree and over to the large farm house with the lights on, where he promptly collapses. When he regains consciousness, he finds that two days have passed and that is now at Camp Half Blood. He meets his Latin teacher once more and the head of the Camp, Mr. D. which of course stands for Dionysus. Percy is having a hard time making sense of any of this but it soon becomes clear that Camp Half Blood is meant for the children of the God's and mortal man or woman, Demi Gods and that Percy, is himself, part God.
The story goes onto explain who exactly his Father is, and that something vital has been stolen and must be returned before the Summer solstice or else Percy's dreams will come true.
It was an interesting read, though if the reader had no knowledge of the Greek Gods or their Myths it may be difficult for them to understand some of the references. Though I did enjoy how they made it seem all so natural, that of course the God's would have had children with Mortals, why not, they'd been doing it for thousands upon thousands of years, so why would they have stopped now? And though Percy is brash, headstrong and quick to anger, he is well balanced by the others that are chosen to go on the quest with him, Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, who is rational, strategic and always one step ahead and of course, Grover, who is empathic, sensitive and generally a good soul, intent on keeping Percy and Annabeth safe.
As I said before, at times it felt as if Riordan had forgotten that he had put the major plot point onto a deadline, needing whatever has been stolen to be returned by the Summer solstice, so though the book is spent with Percy/Annabeth et al on their adventure, things that are important, feel rushed and quickly passed by. Perhaps in the books that happen later in the series, things are taken a little slower but some of the plot points felt glossed over and rushed though they were important in the end. And though I knew who the big betrayer was, since I had seen the movie, it did come as a shock and Riordan handled it well. The ending leaves things very much open to a series and the reader is curious as to what will happen to the betrayer and what will happen to Percy and Annabeth etc over the summer.
I'll most likely be reading the next book but I'll most likely be getting in from the library.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to introduce their child to the ancient Greek Myths in an easy and relatable way, though I would warn that there is an awful lot of violence, especially for a book categorized as "for younger readers" so just be warned.
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