“The Last Olympian”, written by Rick Riordan as the conclusion to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series is an excellent capstone for the story.

Some of my previous frustrations remain and some new ones have risen. The attitudes and lack of maturity of the gods still bothered me in this book, but they were consistent with the rest of the series. Several places throughout the book it becomes clear that certain groups were not going to be willing to work together and this was very frustrating, but it did serve the needs of the book.

I didn’t really like the way Percy’s character grew in this final book, as I prefer heroes who learn humility and the advantage/necessity of working with and depending on others. There were some elements of this as Percy progressed to become the hero, but he didn’t have to grow in this way as much as I would prefer. Also along these line, the “advantage” he takes upon himself to help in battles, while intriguing, is less interesting than if he could have facilitated the ending without the “advantage”.

Still, “The Last Olympian” is definitely worth reading. This final book had a consistent theme of sacrifice and collaboration which made it enjoyable to read. I felt that all of the characters grew and that the ending was believable. I thought the “blessing” that Clarisse received from her father was pretty cool. I liked how the story played out, and I felt the author’s choices of characters and themes in the ending were excellent.

“This Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan is definitely worth reading, and the resolution of the plot is enjoyable enough to make this entire easy-read series one that I’d say is worth the time spent.

“The Battle of the Labyrinth”, book four in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, is another enjoyable adventure rich in Greek mythology, with exciting new characters, places, plot twists and abilities being discovered by Percy and his friends.

I’m getting way too far behind in my “book reports”, I’m so going to limit my focus on this book to one thing in order to save time. The introduction of the tame and loveable hellhound, Mrs. O’Leary stood out to me. I dislike it when fantasy stories create “evil” species or races, and so the addition of a “good” version of a typically evil and frightening hell hound brought depth to the Olympian world that had been lacking. This is a good example of how this book grew and matured the series in preparation for the final addition, “The Last Olympian”.

I enjoyed Rick Riordan’s third book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, “The Titan’s Curse”, but it was riddled with some dissatisfying elements. A favorite character is mostly absent in this book. A death of a major character is assumed and is integral to the plot of the series, but the death is not actually confirmed until the next book (and even then the revelation lacks the drama and power that the suspense has built). Annabeth’s stories of her family seem to be shown to be untrue, but no clear reason for the fabrications is ever presented. Also, it becomes clear that there are two storyline threads in this book; One with pieces that will need to be addressed before the end of the book and one with pieces that aren’t intended to be addressed until a “different” book (an unfortunate but common occurrence in stories that are intended to span several volumes). Elements such as these detract from what makes the novel good, but the novel maintains interest and is enjoyable despite these frustrating additions.

All negative opinions aside, “The Titan’s Curse” was a pleasant, easy read that moved the series forward nicely. Riordan does a good job of introducing new elements of mythology and intertwining them with the existing story, and the result is another exciting adventure enriched with elements from Greek mythology.

“The Sea of Monsters”, book two in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, significantly improves upon the original. With this book Riordan begins to draw on the rich mythological histories behind his characters and the depth that these histories bring to the story makes it much more interesting and enjoyable. The introduction of Tyson begins the process of changing Percy from an annoying, self-centered narrator to a likeable hero, and Tyson ends up being not only a key part of this book, but also a key-factor in the value and enjoyment of the series (I would argue that the character of Tyson is the most important in the series, because of the effect he has on Percy). Riordan makes use of existing mysteries and places (such as the Bermuda Triangle) in this book, thereby successfully inserting the reader into the story. The ending of “The Sea of Monsters” is surprising and unexpected, and Riordan does an excellent job of misdirection while revealing his ending, keeping it exciting and changing right up to the end. This book should win an award for “Most Improved Sequel”.

“The Sea of Monsters” still falls a bit short of being great, mainly because the gods and monsters throughout the book do not act as though they’ve been around for thousands of years, but it is definitely a book worth reading. Anyone who made it through the first book should at least reward their effort by reading the second.