Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book Reviews

Matt Hill
Sep 20
6 min read

Updated: Oct 14

A collection of reviews for all seven Percy Jackson & the Olympians books.

The Percy Jackson series has long been a series I've wanted to read. I've always found Greek mythology such a rich and interesting subject, but when you combine it with the modern world to create unique, unifying lore, it's hard not to be curious.

As a kid, I didn't read much and tended to favour simply waiting for the movie adaptation to come out (I know, I know, major mistake). So once I watched the 2010 Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief movie, I found the world interesting, but the movie wasn't all that good, and it halted me from pushing myself to read. Now I've discovered the love of reading, and as I continue to search for old and new tales, I've decided to revisit the series I'd always hoped to enjoy and see how I find them. So, as I continue to work my way through the series, I'll drop reviews for each new book along the way.

Title: Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief

Pages: 377 Published: June 2005

Plot: Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction — Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

The Lightning Thief is the first book in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and as such, has the monumental task of 'laying the land' whilst also sowing the seeds of what's to come. Thankfully, that doesn't feel like an issue at all for Riordan, as the lore and wonder of Percy Jackson's world is so well told and invitingly mashed with the modern world around us that it's just as easy to get lost in it as it is to get on board with.

The main group of characters is great, with Percy Jackson being a brilliant, if troubled, lead that you root for as he is sucked into this world and sent on a quest with his Satyr best friend, Grover, and fellow campmate Annabeth (daughter of Athena). The group have a great dynamic together, as their growing dynamic and friendship evolve during the quest.

And what a quest it is. Riordan does an excellent job laying the groundwork for Percy before he's thrust into the Godly world, fighting mythical beasts, meeting creatures and Gods of ancient Greece as he's thrust into a quest to save the world before war can erupt between the Gods.

I enjoyed the book a lot, and a great deal of that is thanks to Riordan telling the tale from Percy's perspective. This helps give us a greater look into his character while letting his inner thoughts and feelings flow as this legendary quest unravels before us. We also get a good understanding of how this entirely new world affects Percy while helping us acclimate to the fantasy world we're experiencing.

It's a fantastic first adventure, and whilst I appreciate the exposition and groundwork laid in the early chapters, once the quest is in motion, the book becomes addictive. I rarely found myself wanting to put it down. I was excited to see what waited around each corner, whilst a bigger tale was being interwoven that had me excited to continue on Percy and company's journey.

Much like the great Greek tales of the past, Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief feels like a modern reinvention in the very best way. It feels both awe-inspiring and relatable. The central trio are tremendous characters you can't help but love, and the world is so interesting and well crafted, you feel like you just want to keep on reading to find out more. As far as opening books go, The Lightning Thief is a home run. It has heart, humour, intrigue, that work together to pull you into a fascinating Mythological world you won't want to leave.

4.5/5

Title: Percy Jackson & The Sea of Monsters

Pages: 279 Published: May 2006

Plot: When Thalia’s tree is mysteriously poisoned, the magical borders of Camp Half-Blood begin to fail. Now Percy and his friends have just days to find the only magic item powerful enough to save the camp before it is overrun by monsters. The catch: they must sail into the Sea of Monsters to find it. Along the way, Percy must stage a daring rescue operation to save his old friend Grover, and he learns a terrible secret about his own family, which makes him question whether being the son of Poseidon is an honour or a curse.

Percy is back, and this time he's heading to the Sea of Monsters, or the Bermuda Triangle, as it is known to the mortal world. Coming off the back of an excellent debut novel in the Percy Jackson series, The Sea of Monsters had some big shoes to fill; it needed to expand the well-crafted world, continue to feed its overarching plot, whilst delivering a brand new adventure worth sucking new readers in. Whilst it doesn't hit the same heights as The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters is still a worthwhile adventure that's kept me invested in Percy's ongoing struggle in this new, more emotional tale.

This second novel wastes no time thrusting Percy and friends into a new adventure with an endangered Grover reaching out for help and Camp Half-Blood losing its activities director, Chiron, after Thalia's tree is poisoned, allowing monsters to break through and attack the camp. All of this is set up incredibly early on and gets the action moving almost instantly.

Just as before, Riordan's writing style is excellent; the way he captures Percy's personality and inner thoughts pulls me into his quest just as before, granting me a greater understanding of his feelings and conflicts. Riordan manages to elevate the threat whilst also keeping the same tone and humour there, but this time around, the action is amped up with some bigger battles and beasts to contend with.

One of the best parts about the book is the newcomer, Tyson, a classmate at Percy's new school who just so happens to be a cyclops. After things quickly go awry at his school, Tyson joins Annabeth and Percy on their new adventure. The fresh dynamic of the group works really well, and seeing how people treat Tyson's kind, whilst also seeing his relationship evolve with Percy in particular, leads to some of the novel's best moments.

The main quest is an enjoyable tale, with many monstrous altercations coming at the hands of the sea of monsters, each challenging the group in different ways, while Polyphemus, the towering cyclops and main antagonist of the novel, acts as a solid big bad for the story, but his moments alongside Grover's story never seemed to hit home as much as I wanted.

Still, Riordan continues to build the bigger narrative incredibly well, keeping me hooked for what's to come, as Kronos and Luke weave their way into the main quest, whilst throwing up a few big questions for the following books.

Overall, The Sea of Monsters is a good time. I was content reading a chapter or two at a time, rarely being pulled in to keep reading until the very end. Riordan's writing is still as excellent as before, delivering some more emotional moments whilst recapping the mythical modern world without getting bogged down in exposition. It's a good adventure, but just wasn't as gripping as the first. Ultimately, it felt more like a stepping stone in a longer journey, instead of an exciting adventure in its own right.

3.5/5

Title: Percy Jackson & The Titan's Curse

Pages: 213 Published: May 2007

Plot: When Percy Jackson gets an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he will need his powerful demigod allies at his side, his trusty bronze sword Riptide, and… a ride from his mom.