The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and The Olympians, #2) by Rick Riordan

Sea Of Monsters
SPOILER WARNING

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.

What an awesome sequel! Let me say, I've always been a bit reluctant to read the series because, well, it's for younger kids. But it's such a fantastic adventure full of myths, humor, and the kick-ass action.

Percy Jackson is a funny kid, he's believable and his action, although intensified because of his demi-god statues, are real and right for his age. He and his friends embark for a new quest that's even harder than the one before.

The family secret, I don't want to spoil it, but it adds a new spice to the books. It makes the stakes higher and at first, I wasn't glad for it (like Percy) but then I saw how it made sense and appreciated it.  And the finish, oh, my god(s) it will leave you wanting the next book, and fast!

Although it's a bit slower paced than the first, you can tell that the story is taking a very constant pace and everything starts to happen pretty quickly (contradiction? ay me, I never know what I'm talking about). It has some pretty intense parts, too.

In one sentence:
"Percy Jackson has me in love with mythology!"

Plot: 4
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 4.8

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and The Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

When they started announcing the movie I said, "I want to read the book first." But then my friends wanted to go out and see it so I agreed to go along. I liked the movie a lot but this isn't a movie review, it's a book review.

I am so mad at myself for not reading this book sooner. The book is fantastic and it can never be compared to the movie. It has been such a long time since I've enjoyed a middle grade/fantasy series. I can't even begin to do a small synopsis of the book so I will leave the above synopsis and I hope it suffices.

The story, the mythology, the characters. It's amazing how everything told in here rings with such honesty and truth. You truly believe everything that's happening there could happen around you. Thanks to the first person POV, I was completely submerged in all of the action and sometimes it was even too fast to almost keep up!

Percy and the rest of the characters are unique and very distinctive. There is also a mix of humor in this book so I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. It's such a fun and light read, perfect for the beach! (I do not intend any sort of pun here).

In one sentence:
"Mesmerizing! It would have you googling Greek Mythology for a while."

Plot: 5
Characters: 5
Writing: 5
Cover: 5
Overall Feeling: 5
Average: 5