Reviews with content warning for Domestic abuse - The Lightning Thief

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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

316 reviews

maggies's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I'm no longer the target audience for books like this—since I've aged out of it without the benefit of warm childhood memories, I had to continually remind myself not to be too tough on it. That and I'm just not really into Greek mythology. Sad to say I struggled to keep the various gods and other beings straight in my mind! However, a couple elements of the story struck me as odd, nearly 17 years after the book was first published:

References to the western world...saving it, destroying it, decrying it, praising it...in a children's book. At particular moments, the characters seemed to suggest that the non-western world wouldn't be impacted by a fissure in the western world, but this wasn't explained or explored. It also made me laugh that the US is obviously the modern seat of the western world. Okay.
On that note, setting the entrance to the underworld in Los Angeles was quite an interesting choice. Not entirely sure that we need more spurious "evidence" that LA is in some way aligned with satanic/hellish forces. That being said, I do doubt that this book is widely read among people who believe that, so probably matters very little.

All in all, an entertaining read if you're in the right mood.

Content Warnings

theespressoedition's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Somehow, I'm very late to this PJO party, but now that I've arrived, I get the hype. This book was great! It was filled with all the adventure and fun I would've craved in a fantasy book in middle school. My almost 30-year-old self is a little sad that my 12-year-old self didn't get a chance to enjoy it during that time. But, the great thing is that it's appealing even as an adult.

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!

Content Warnings

planetesastraea's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous hopeful informative fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

This book is an easy and entertaining read. I was afraid it might have been "boring" for adults but it wasn't.
I found myself regretting I didn't get to read it as a kid: I think the story is well balanced, with enough of Greek myth to tease a curious mind without being to heavy.
I look forward to the 2nd installment.

Content Warnings