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A review by slowreaderpeter
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Disclaimer for review: I’m gonna be completely honest, I picked up Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief because I’d been searching for something to sort of replace that Harry Potter itch in my head. Every time J. K. Rowling opens her mouth to spew more petty hate, she taints the product and world she had created. I will always have a certain amount of nostalgia for Harry Potter, it’s what I grew up with adoring. But it’s hard to separate the author from the work when the author has made her entire existence in recent years about hate and attacking the most marginalized of society.
That said, I had heard great things and recognized people a strong passion for the world of Percy Jackson, but had always felt I had only just missed out on it growing up. It came out when I was entering high school, so I just missed it. But recently I had learned that the main character, Percy, was ADHD/neurodivergent. And as someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD multiple times and struggles a ton, and as someone who had a huge affinity to mythology growing up, I actually had some excitement going into reading this.
Within the first three chapters, I could safely say I felt I more strongly related to Percy Jackson than I ever did Harry Potter as a character. This was the neurodivergent character I needed growing up, the one I could see myself in. This book really did feel like it was written for me, and I felt fully immersed in it. Doesn’t matter that I read it at 31, I saw myself all through it. I fully plan on finishing the series and probably checking out more of Riordan’s works!
That said, I had heard great things and recognized people a strong passion for the world of Percy Jackson, but had always felt I had only just missed out on it growing up. It came out when I was entering high school, so I just missed it. But recently I had learned that the main character, Percy, was ADHD/neurodivergent. And as someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD multiple times and struggles a ton, and as someone who had a huge affinity to mythology growing up, I actually had some excitement going into reading this.
Within the first three chapters, I could safely say I felt I more strongly related to Percy Jackson than I ever did Harry Potter as a character. This was the neurodivergent character I needed growing up, the one I could see myself in. This book really did feel like it was written for me, and I felt fully immersed in it. Doesn’t matter that I read it at 31, I saw myself all through it. I fully plan on finishing the series and probably checking out more of Riordan’s works!