93. The Battle of the Labyrinth

The Battle of the Labyrinth. (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4) Rick Riordan. 2008. 361 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school.

Premise/plot: Camp Half-blood is in trouble again. To be fair, it's more like destroying Camp Half-blood is step one on the bad guy's to do list. [I suppose you could argue that it isn't a bad guy so much as bad god.] Annabeth, Tyson, Percy, and Grover are teaming up again on a quest. They'll be going underground into the labyrinth. It's super-super dangerous. Those that do manage to come out again are rarely the same. The last person to come out has gone mad--they aren't quite sure how to cure him. But the world's only hope [so we're led to believe] is hidden within the labyrinth. It's a race--who will discover it, acquire it, use it...first. 

My thoughts: All the books are so closely connected. It is definitely best to read them all together. The tension does keep building and building. There is rarely a satisfying moment in the book in terms of suspense and tension. None of the books have that YES moment of success and completion. All the books are leading to the ultimate showdown. Book four still doesn't take readers to that final, ultimate BIG battle between good and evil. I would say book four offers less humor and more intensity. Looking back, The Lightning Thief now has such low stakes--but oh at the time, it felt like such a big quest. 

I do recommend the series. I am rereading the series this summer. 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

88. The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse. (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) Rick Riordan. 2007. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia on the way.
It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. Annabeth, Thalia, and I hadn't seen each other in months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what we were about to do, we were too nervous to talk much. Except for my mom. She talks more when she's nervous. By the time we finally got to Westover hall, it was getting dark, and she'd told Annabeth and Thalia every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about me.
Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh yeah. This'll be fun."
Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" my mother asked.
"No, thanks, Mom," I said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."
"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."
I hoped I wasn't blushing. It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.

Premise/plot:  The stakes have never been higher in the third adventure in the Percy Jackson fantasy series by Rick Riordan. The quest(s) in this third book make the other quests [in books one and two] seem easy-breezy. 

While The Titan's Curse certainly stars some of our well-known and well-loved cast [from previous books], plenty of new characters--both demi-god, god, and monster--are introduced and play integral roles. Like Bianca and Nico. This is also the first book where readers get a chance to learn about the newly resurrected from the dead, Thalia. [She was technically a tree for all of book one and most of book two.] 

Like the previous two books, this one mainly occurs outside of Camp Half-blood and involves a quest....or should that be quests. Because the stakes have never been higher, there will be BIG consequences if the quest goes anything like the prophecy foretells. And Percy, well, he may have to live with the fall out....

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this one! I did. The only one in the series that I am super familiar with is the first book, The Lightning Thief. Reading book two and three is like reading them again for the very first time. And that is such a delight. I think there are pros and cons to waiting so very long to reread a series you've adored in the past. I am loving the characters. I am enjoying the action. I am remembering all the reasons why I made my mom read this series with me.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Last Olympian

Riordan, Rick. 2009. The Last Olympian. (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #5) Disney/Hyperion. 381 pages.

The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car. Up until then, I was having a great afternoon.

Percy Jackson's sixteenth birthday is approaching--and fast--soon the Great Prophecy will be fulfilled. Not understanding just what his destiny holds, Percy and his friends are fighting with all their might to save the world as they know it. To save Olympus--a.k.a. Manhattan--from the Titans--led by Kronus--who would destroy it. Percy, in case you're just getting caught up, is a demi-god. He's got an all-too-mortal mother and a god of a father--Poseidon. He's not alone. There are plenty of other demi-gods (on both sides of the war I might add) with various gods (and goddesses) as parents. All with different strengths and weaknesses. Different temptations. Percy and his closest friends--Annabeth especially--face some difficult choices in this final book of the series.

For those that need a refresher course, the first four books are The Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, and The Battle of the Labyrinth.

Why I love this series:

They're funny.
They're clever.
They're action-and-adventure packed.
They're also packed with mythology. In a fun way. An inviting way.
They're addictive.
They're unputdownable.
They're just as fun to reread as they are the first time around. (How many books can you really and truly say that about?!)


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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The Demigod Files

Riordan, Rick. 2009. The Demigod Files. Disney/Hyperion. 151 pages.

Part of me feels like a complete traitor for saying this, but, I am so very thankful I checked this one out of the library and didn't spend my money on it. Does that make me evil? Maybe. Slightly. But I think it makes me honest as well. And honesty is key. I think the readers who enjoy The Demigod Files are the readers who are so head-over-heels enthralled with Percy Jackson that they just can't wait until the next installment is released in May. These are the readers who probably have a countdown of days going. (May 5th according to Amazon.)

Don't get me wrong. I'm a BIG BIG BIG fan of Percy Jackson. But I can also recognize fluff when I see it. What this book does offer is three short stories about Percy. The rest comes up a bit short in my humble opinion.

What Riordan succeeds at in his writing is the ever-important first line. Most authors, I believe, aim to have that one magical first line to draw the reader in from the start. What Riordan does is offer that one magical first line in each and every chapter. And for the most part, he's a master. I wouldn't have trouble crowning him king or champion when it comes to that. He knows the importance of keeping them hooked, keeping them reading.

"I was in fifth-period science class when I heard these noises outside. Scrawk! Ow! Screech! Hiya!"

"One dragon can ruin your whole day. Trust me, as a demigod I've had my share of bad experiences."

"Christmas in the Underworld was NOT my idea."

The book also offers a sneak peak at the fifth and final installment: The Last Olympian. We get the first chapter I believe. Here is the first line of that one:

"The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car."

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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The Battle of the Labyrinth

Riordan, Rick. 2008. The Battle of the Labyrinth.

Oh my. Trust me it's good. Really really good. The Battle of the Labyrinth is the fourth novel in the Percy Jackson series, a contemporary fantasy series built around the premise that the Greek gods are alive and well and living in modern-day America. The others include The Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, and The Titan's Curse. Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors. His Percy Jackson novels in a way illustrate the ultimate when it comes to the can't-put-downability experience. Once you start, you really can't stop. They're just that good, that suspenseful, that magical.

What can I say about The Battle of the Labyrinth? It's good. It's intense. It's very intense. There really isn't a calm or dull moment in its 361 pages. The story? The plot? Well, I won't be spilling that here. For one, I don't think you'll need the incentive to go and read this one if you've read the other three. You'd read it no matter what I said. You might already have a copy in hand or on order. If you haven't read any of the Percy Jackson books yet, you really need to correct that...and soon! It's fun and educational. The weaving of Greek mythology into a modern-day adventure story starring unforgettable characters...is just brilliant. Each novel adds more depth, more substance, more meaning into the story. New characters, new plot twists, new ways of making this series oh-so-magical.

First sentence: The last thing I wanted to do on my summer break was blow up another school.
Last sentence: "Come inside for cake and ice cream," I said. "It sounds like we've got a lot to talk about."

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews