PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS by Rick Riordan

I’ll begin this review with some background. If you don’t care to read that, feel free to skip on down to the actual review. I’ll even mark it clearly for you so you can find it. 

The Background

I don’t know about you, but this year has been the year of book escapes for me. In this time of emotional turbulence and mental fatigue, I find myself intentionally picking books with certain criteria: 

1. It needs to be a series. I want to get attached to the characters and spend a while with them. (And ignore the end-of-series despondence that will follow). 
2. It needs to be “light.” The writing can still be good, the story can still have some heavy elements, but I want readability. I don’t want to think that hard. 
3. There needs an element of make believe. I used the word “escape” above, and I meant it. I want the book to transport me to another world where I can get lost for a while. I praise God for the beautiful world He has created for us to live in, despite all its brokenness… but there is also beauty in being whisked away to a different one for a little while now and then. 

My first foray into this current reading state I found myself in was with the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. I know I jumped on that train waaaaaay late. However, I have decided I read them at the perfect time. Quarantine happened back in March, and I spent two months with Harry and the gang, getting lost in the wonderful wizarding world Rowling created. I loved it. But that’s another review for another time, if I can ever get over the fact I had to finish that series. 😉 

I finally read and loved Harry Potter after years of prompting by our fellow literature lady, Jessica. Since she clearly knows her stuff, I decided to pick up one of her favorites: Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. And again, it did not disappoint. 

The Actual Review 

Riordan is a fantastic writer. He crafts witty dialogue and character commentary on the action unfolding, without taking away from the plot or becoming overdone. His characters are likeable. The world he creates out of Greek mythology is amazing; random pieces of stories I’ve heard or read over the years came together in a new light through the way he weaves them into our hero’s adventures. 

Percy Jackson is an ordinary kid, except he’s not. Through a variety of circumstances, he learns he is a demigod, discovers trouble brewing on Mount Olympus (and the Underworld), and goes on quest after quest with his faithful companions. We meet titans, gods, and more along the way as Percy grows up through five adventure-filled books. 

Riordan creates a fantasy world, but he places it within the real one. This is one of my favorite elements of his storytelling, and I think something that makes it unique. The way he weaves old-as-time mythology into modern day America makes these stories come alive. 

As I mentioned above, the writing is funny. These are technically young adult books, and they do read as such. It’s light without being poorly crafted. The story is well blended: it’s funny without being only funny, action-packed without being only action-packed, and heartfelt without being overly mushy. (Although, I would take a little more romance and not complain.) 

It’s hard to review a series without giving too much away. I’ll close this brief review with this: if you want a little escape that will keep you interested in the story unfolding and make you smile, take a little trip to Camp Half-Blood and hang out with Percy for a while. Oh, and read at least the first two books. It’s hard to judge a series by Book One. 

If You Want Even More Review To Read

Jessica interjecting now (I know, we haven’t both written one review before, but this is our blog. We can do what we want!). Because Percy Jackson is one of my favorite series and, if it weren’t for me, Meredith would’ve never read it, I wanted to share some of my thoughts as well. So, why is Percy Jackson on my favorites list?

• Similarly to Meredith, I fell in love with the world Riordan created. The way he intertwines modern day America with the Greek mythology is genius. He doesn’t sacrifice the integrity of the stories but manages to give them new life and humor. Readers will learn accurate Greek mythology but in a fun and creative way. 
• Riordan creates lovable characters. They’re funny, relatable, and likable. You root for the team! Like Harry Potter, we get to follow along as the characters grow throughout the entirety of the series. Riordan does an excellent job of aging and maturing them without changing who they are, starting from the first book. I valued the friendships and relationships Riordan developed between characters. While there is always some drama, there are no gimmicks. Unlike some other YA books, the main characters did not have the same arc with each other in each book. Their relationships changed and grew with them. And they made sense for their ages. 
• The books are not too long. I know this sounds silly, but there are some series that are a commitment to get through (Harry Potter, Eragon, to name a few). Riordan develops a whole world and cast of characters with big quests, scary monsters, character growth, action, romance, and everything in between without dragging on or overwhelming the reader. He’s efficient, and I think that shows just how talented of an author he is.
• They’re funny but not heartless. I am not a fan of comedy, to my husband’s chagrin. But I’ve read Percy Jackson three times from start to finish, and I still laugh out loud. I love the humor of the books. But what I love more is that the humor is not overwhelming or over-the-top. It leaves room for some serious, romantic, and emotional moments that connect the reader to the story. 
• The stories change in each book. The characters go on a quest in every novel, but the basic “format” of the quest changes each time. The first book has our original trio: Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Book Two introduces Tyson to the mix. The third book takes out Annabeth as a member of the quest. Book Four puts Annabeth as the leader instead of Percy, changing the dynamic. And Book Five is just well-written chaos, so we’ll take that one out of the running. I liked that each book was a little different in not only the plot but also in the character dynamics. 

Alright. I’m done taking over Meredith’s review. I absolutely agree with her: while it’s not super mature (it’s a kid’s book!), it is well-crafted and full of fun. In a vastly unpopular opinion, I prefer Percy Jackson to its competitor Harry Potter. Next time you want a lighthearted escape, jump into Percy Jackson. You won’t regret it!

Meredith & Jessica

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Copyright Rick Riordan and Disney-Hyperion Books. Image from Amazon.com.