Review: The Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

I’m going to do something a little bit different for me. Rather than review each book of this series individually, I’m going to share my thoughts with the series as a whole. The reason for this is that I read all five books pretty much back to back and what I loved about each of the books is pretty much the same for each book and I don’t fancy writing five separate reviews that all say more or less the same thing! That’s a waste of time, energy and web space. :) 

So, the ‘My Thoughts’ section covers off the entire series, and my usual info breakdown (story length, format, violence etc etc) will be generalised for the series as a whole too unless there is a specific example in only one book that I want to flag.

Book One 

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief 

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Book Two 

Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters 

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. 

In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

Book Three 

Percy Jackson and The Titan's Curse 

It's not everyday you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, half-human.

But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster.

Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...

Book Four 

Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears at his potential new school, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.

In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Book Five

 Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. 

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

Paperback

Full-length novels 

Third Person, Single pov

No

No, events from previous books are recapped as the series goes on but I do think you'll miss a lot if you don't read from the beginning

No, each book concludes it's own adventure but builds the over all story arc which is resolved in book five.

Mild violence... There's fighting of mythological monsters, Gods and the like.

I liked this series. No, that’s not quite right… I loved this series. I loved it lots and lots. 

In fact, I’d say that I loved this series in the same way that I loved the first Harry Potter series. It was just so… Good and familiar but oh so different. 

This series follows the adventures of Percy Jackson. When it begins you have a twelve year old boy who after some strange events discovers he’s a demigod. A son of Poseidon. That discovery was like Hagrid bursting into a hut and announcing, “yer a wizard Harry.” It was that kind of awesome. 

Then after adjusting to the truth bombs, Percy and his friends have to go on mission and battle many mythological monsters and I was hooked! 

I inhaled one book after another until they were finished and I’m bracing myself before beginning the Heroes of Olympus series because I know that will suck me in too, but I digress...

In each book you see Percy evolve. He learns more about this world he is a part of, he’s loyal, strong, fierce and funny. His friends are awesome. His frenemies are awesome. The Gods made me laugh and were so annoying and so cool… Each person, given anything more than a passing mention, is their own character and each has their part to play in the epic adventure. 

The pace of each book is full on and by the time the series ends, Percy is sixteen and has become one hell of a dude. 

I totally understand why this series is so beloved of so many kids - my own kid included - for if it takes you away on an amazing adventure in an amazing world. I wanted to be a demi-god battling the mythological monsters! I wanted to be a member of camp half-blood! I wanted to save the world using my awesome powers! 

My little dude is seven and it has sparked so many wonderful conversations about ancient civilizations, various pantheons of gods, myths and legends… It’s totally awesome (yes I’m using awesome a lot, sue me) and I can’t recommend the series highly enough! 

They're not fabulous but they're not bad either! 

“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.”

💬 

“The real world is where the monsters are.” 

💬

“You weren't able to talk sense into him?"

"Well, we kind of tried to kill each other in a duel to the death."

"I see. You tried the diplomatic approach.” 

💬

“Love conquers all," Aphrodite promised. "Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?"

"Didn't they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?"

"Pfft. That's not the point. Follow your heart.” 

💬

“Be careful of love. It'll twist your brain around and leave you thinking up is down and right is wrong.” 

💬

“People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed.” 

💬

“It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.” 

💬

“Why do you need to gallop while you fly?"

"Why do humans have to sway their arms while they walk? I dunno boss, but it just feels right.” 

💬

“Well . . . sure good to be together again. Arguing. Almost dying. Abject terror. Oh, look. It's our floor.”