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theespressoedition's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I'm finally diving into this series in anticipation of the upcoming adaptation. Yes, I watched the first movies, and no, I didn't hate them - namely because I didn't know at the time that they were adaptations, so I wasn't aware of all that I was missing. But considering the fact that I've seen them a handful of times, reading the book opened my eyes to all the things that were missing - so I understand why avid readers were upset.
This opening book was so much fun. The characters were likable and creative. I appreciated the fact that there were learning disabilities too and that they were normalized. Sure, for Percy, some of that had to do with the fact that English isn't actually his native language, but for the most part, it was really neat to see how those things played into who the characters were.
I think the thing I had the toughest time with was how quickly Percy adjusted after his mom was taken - or in the reader's eye, killed. It seemed like he bounced back pretty fast, even before he had decided to believe she was only in the Underworld and perfectly capable of being saved.
I loved the sass, humor, and creativity of the characters. I can't wait to see how their stories unfold in the following books.
Also, side note: considering how many years ago these were written, I was greatly impressed with the lack of problematic topics or themes. For the most part, this seemed like it aged really well!
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: War
Minor: Death of parent
ofbooksandechos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Bullying and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Ableism and Toxic relationship
smsam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
ashleycmms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
tintinmd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Also note, I've marked this book as medium-paced but honestly, I feel this book was more slow-paced for me. That's also because I spent a lot of time looking up words and characters mentioned since I'm new to Greek mythology.
This book scared me a lot!ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
How is this a middle grade book?!
But then, maybe middle
graders look at things differently.
Also, this book felt queer coded right in the first para! But after that I lost track coz so scary!ðŸ˜
Percy can be so funny! Love the way he describes things. Eases the tension.
I think once I get over the fear this book caused me, I'll be able to appreciate more. Percy is a protagonist who has ADHD and dyslexia and I think this is the first time I'm reading a book that has these explicitly mentioned and incorporated in the narrative. I don't know if they're good descriptions but from what limited knowledge I have, they seemed to be so. I'll try to check on the quality of these descriptions.
Other than all this, I was slightly disappointed that I could identify elements of a middle grade story centering a young hero. Kept finding parallels with Harry Potter. But maybe that's okay.
I kinda wish I'd read this as a middle grader, would I be less scared then? Anyways, I'll take some time before I read the next book in this series, and I hope I'm not as scared then😅
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Domestic abuse
itshardizzy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
percy is more brave than i remembered and having now the mentality of a 18 y/o really made the plot richer, bc now i can see these subplots that i hadn't noticed it before. uncle rick really did well by introducing how bad the gods are as parents and how this have affected their kids.
percy has this need to have poseidon's approval, this need that grover sees but percy himself won't accept. he want this fatherly blessing and he wants it so bad to have a father figure in his life. the same thing happens with Annabeth and even Luke (even grover!). they want their parent blessing, and it's what shapes them into doing the things they chose to do.
i'm so happy with this reread and with being able to understand the intricacies that uncle rick gave us. the story itself was already amazing for me as a young teenager, now as a young adult is even more with the details <3
(i now will proceed to make headcanons about this story)
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Abandonment
lunep's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There were so many things I didn't remember, it was kinda like reading it for the first time. I love Percy, Annabeth and Grover sm, my silly little kids.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and War
rachel_kay5853's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death of parent
despoena's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Bullying
Minor: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Blood
luluslittlelibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Car accident