A review by theespressoedition
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

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? It's complicated

4.5

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!

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