Blurb: 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.
My Thoughts: Poor Percy does seem to get in quite a bit of trouble and his second year at Camp Half Blood is no exception! I liked the addition of Tyson and that Percy's feelings towards him where a bit complex. The modern twist on Greek mythology was really interesting and really well done. It made me want to refresh my memory on all the classic myths and legends and I suspect that it would have younger readers wanting to pick up some books on mythology for the first time. While the Camp and the rest of the world need to be saved just like they did in the first book I felt like Grover added a fresh element to the story. The pacing is super fast and the teamwork between Annabeth and Percy was nice They don't always get along but when the chips are down they're a great team. While there is a lot of danger and intense situations I never felt like it would frighten younger readers. As well while there are battle scenes Riordan doesn't lapse into descriptions of gore (except for the occasional quick description of goo coming from a monster) which I really appreciated. I think this is a great read for children age 9+ or so and is a fun read for adults as well.
I started reading this but switched to audio on chapter 5. While it does read quickly I feel like I really enjoyed it more in audio. Jesse Bernstein does a great job with the narration. He doesn't overdo the voices and doesn't sound to mature to voice Percy.
It's nice when a book works for kids and can be enjoyed by adults as well. And I've never read these but I've heard lots about Annabeth and Percy- they sound like a fun team. I love mythology and I could totally see where these would inspire one to go back and re- read some of those myths!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great series and I'm so glad that Rick Riordan went down the mythology path. The first book came out when I was still working at the library and, yes, it did make kids (and adults) want to know more about mythology. Riordan was a middle school English teacher in San Antonio and he had written mysteries prior to this. In fact, his name came up last night at our mystery group meeting. Our theme was 'mysteries with a setting in Texas' and more than one had read books in his mystery series. One of our members is a retired elementary school librarian and she and I told the group about what it was like when the first Percy Jackson book was published. She read one of his mysteries and said she was sad that he wasn't writing them any more, but we both agreed that he has given much to the younger readers. And I've listened to them on audio - they are great!
ReplyDeleteThis series is really best on audio! :) I started out reading but finished the last three on audio and it's like they just flew by and the narrator is great!
ReplyDeleteSounds really good and enjoyable! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteI love this series, and I agree with you that they are actually better in audio. Jesse Bernstein really nails Percy. Excellent review!
ReplyDeleteI have never read Rick Riordan and I feel like I should. I will have to go with the audio when I do give this series a try. Glad you enjoyed this one.
ReplyDeleteI have only read one of these books - but I do have the audiobooks and must catch up with them at some stage. Thank you for a great review - it's reminded me that I have these:)
ReplyDeleteThese always sound like such great MG. I'm not likely to read them because I don't care for anything Gods and Goddesses, but I certainly will recommend these books to others. 📚
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this series! I would read it again. Greek mythology has a special place in my heart. I didn't care for the Norse series. I do want to try his Egyptian one.
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