“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood. I never asked to be the son of a Greek god. I was just a normal kid, going to school playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until I accidentally vaporized my maths teacher. Now I spend my time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive. This is the one where Zeus, god of the sky, thinks I’ve stolen his lightning bolt – and making Zeus angry is a very bad idea.”
What is the book about?
Percy Jackson never asked to be the son of a Greek god. He always thought he was just a normal kid that happened to cause trouble at every school he went to. He had friends – or a friend – and he had enemies. He went to lessons, had exams, played basketball, and got detention, just like every other average 12-year-old kid. But when he vaporised his maths teacher and everyone from school forgot she even existed, Percy realised that there was something weird going on. He tried to ignore it and carry on living an ordinary life, but in the end he had to accept that he was a half-blood and join the others at a camp made specifically for weird demigod children. He spent most of his time training and preparing to battle monsters he hoped he would never come across, but like always he had to cause trouble. Now Zeus, the god of the sky, thinks Percy has stolen his lightning bolt and he is not happy about that. To stop a war between gods, Percy has to go on a quest to get back the lightning bolt and deliver it back to Zeus, before it’s too late…or the whole world will become home to chaos.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
A little while ago I decided I wanted to read some of the most popular series for teens so that I could see what all the fuss was about and the Percy Jackson series happened to be on the list. A friend of mine had read the books before and she told me that she had enjoyed them so it encouraged me to try them out. I was very excited when the books arrived and I wanted to start reading them as soon as possible. I wasn’t exactly sure what the books were about other than something about Greek gods and probably some adventures so I wasn’t as intrigued to read them as some of the other books I had bought. Once I read the blurb, it certainly worked to get me more interested because I immediately needed to know more and was even more eager to start reading. I had only just finished Broken Throne (from the Red Queen series) and I was rather concerned that I wasn’t exactly out of that world yet, however when I started to read all my worries disappeared. The first few pages weren’t really the most interesting but I still enjoyed reading them however after a while I forgot I was reading and just felt like everything I was reading was really happening. The book might not have attracted me from the beginning but after a while I realised how incredible the book was and finished it in a day.
Who was your favourite character and why?
I think that my favourite character was probably Annabeth Chase because of her strength and her intelligence. Annabeth volunteered to go on a quest that she didn’t really know much about and didn’t know if it would succeed, but she was still brave enough to go with Percy and either come back a hero or meet her end. Another thing that I liked about her was how, on the quest, she showed me that you don’t need to be strong and fast to be a hero (thought those are useful so that you don’t die). She was not just good with a knife and brave enough to face monsters, but she was also extremely smart and always had a plan or an idea to get herself – and her friends – out of a sticky situation. I always thought that you needed to be strong to be able to defeat immortal creature, but Annabeth was able to show that strength is not the only skill that is useful in battle and that sometimes even intelligence and wisdom are better than strength.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book would definitely have to be when they find out the truth because I love finally getting answers to my questions and being able to put together the pieces and get the whole picture. I liked this part of the book because the characters – and I – were able to understand what really happened and who the true culprit was. Then, all the clues and all the information they had finally fit together and it all made so much sense. I also liked this part because; since they now knew what had happened and who the real thief was, Percy could actually deliver the lightning bolt back to Zeus and properly complete his first ever quest. I was very glad to know that he would be successful but I already knew he would be because what kind of story would it be, if, at the end, the hero didn’t succeed and the villain won instead – not a very good one, that’s for sure, and I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed every part of the book but this one was for sure my favourite and I really liked reading it.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book and cannot wait to start the next one. One thing that I liked about the book was how even when Percy and his friends thought they were safe and could relax a little; there was always a new monster and a new threat. There wasn’t a single part of the book that I could call boring because there was always something happening, always some action, to make a scene you once thought as calm into another crazy battle. Another thing I liked was how even though the characters were constantly coming across more monsters and problems along the way, they kept going and didn’t let all the life threatening problems make them turn around and give up on their quest. One thing that I thought was a bit strange about the book was the long and informative titles for the chapters. I thought that it was a little weird to have titles that gave more obvious hints about what was going to occur in the chapter, however after a while I realised that they weren’t spoiling anything and instead they were making me as the reader more intrigued by what it could mean and what would happen, which I thought was a very smart idea to keep the reader reading. The ending was also something that I really enjoyed and thought was a little strange because it didn’t necessarily feel like the end and it made it seem like there was more, which is true since there are more books with more adventures. Though the end did leave me desiring more, it didn’t annoy me at all because I knew there were more books to follow. I really liked Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and I cannot wait to start the next amazing adventure.
Would you recommend this book?
I really enjoyed reading the book and I definitely recommend it for readers over the age of 10, especially if you enjoy adventure, fantasy or Greek mythology books. I am sure that even if you aren’t a fan of these genres, when you pick up this book you will enjoy it.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An extraordinary and unbelievable quest full of creatures and monsters I never could have imagined.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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