The Last Olympian

     The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan is a fitting ending to a wonderful series.  I am sad to see the series come to an end.  It has been a pleasure to spend the last two years with Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson.
     In this book, all of the pieces from the earlier books come together in an epic battle between the Titans and the Olympians.  Although strength and prowess play a role in the battles, the true heroes are successful because they are able to persevere, see the good in one another, and join together to fight for their cause.
     I was intrigued by Prometheus.  He was an interesting character and I am still not sure if he was trying to help or hurt Percy.  I loved the way Prometheus gave Pandora's Box to Percy to test Percy's view of humanity and hope.  I would love to read more about Prometheus in other books.
     Although the characters are growing up, they still kept the internal qualities that I loved about them.  I enjoyed the ending of the book because each character was given an ending that he/she deserved.  No one was overlooked or pushed to the side in a quick ending.
     I loved the way all of the human characters were given redemption, even though they had turned to the dark side.  It was an uplifting view that all of us make mistakes, but all of us can redeem ourselves and make a difference in the end.
     Rick Riordan is an amazing writer.  I love his characters, his creativity in creating a world unlike anywhere else I have ever been, his humor, and his uplifting view of the heroic qualities in all of us.  I am a better person for having read his books.

The Battle of the Labyrinth

     The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan is my favorite book in the series.  This book is a very creative look at the myth of Icarus and Daedalus.       This myth is one of my favorites, and I was thrilled to be able to strap on the bronze wings and soar through Colorado.
     In this book, Luke has found a way to enter the labyrinth, but he hasn't been able to master it yet.  In fact, one of the people he sends into the maze loses his mind.  Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson must find a way to get to Daedalus first.  
     My favorite monster in this book was the Sphinx.  Like her mythical version, you must answer her questions to move on and avoid being eaten.  However, the modern Sphinx has been impacted by No Child Left Behind.  She now asks trivial questions to assess your knowledge and makes you bubble in your answers on a standardized test sheet.  As a teacher, I loved her analysis of modern education.
     I also loved meeting Pan and finding the reason behind his disappearance for the past two thousand years.  He left us with an important message about the environment without hitting us over the head with a moral.
     Calypso was another character I loved meeting.  Her island was beautiful and I loved the way she took care of Percy.  I knew his departure was inevitable, but I wished she could have found a way to go with him.
     I even liked Dionysus in this book, which has never happened before.  After losing a son, he seemed almost "human" at the end of the book and I was finally able to relate to him.
     There were only two parts I didn't like about the book.  The first was the love triangle introduced with the addition of Rachel Elizabeth Dare.  I liked the character, but I didn't like the way Annabeth and Rachel kept fighting for Percy's attention.  I also HATE the Pegasi.  The Pegasus is one of my favorite mythical creatures, and I hate the way the Pegasi in the book sound like they are stereotypes of minority groups.
     This book is an awesome book and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy books, Greek mythology, or Percy Jackson.

The Titan's Curse

     The Titan's Curse is the third book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.  It wasn't my favorite book in the series, but it was still fun to read.
     One of the problems I had was the number of new characters to keep track of in this book.  Thalia joins Grover, Percy, and Annabeth in rescuing Nico and Bianca di Angelo from a Manticore.  Along with many bad guys, we meet Atlas and the goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis.  We also meet Artemis' hunters, Annabeth's dad, Zoe Nightshade, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare.  Thalia, Bianca, and Zoe seemed too much alike and I kept getting them confused.  With so many new characters, I didn't get attached to anyone like I did in the other two books.
     The quest seemed contrived and I didn't feel the urgency for everyone to make it safely to Mount Othrys.  It also seemed redundant to keep using the solstice as the deadline they faced.
     I did not like the Pegasi and that was disappointing because they are some of my favorite mythological creatures.  I did not like the way Blackie talked in slang that seemed to mimic stereotyped versions of African American speak.  Mr. Riordan could have done a much better job of creating the dialogue for them.  I felt the same way about Percy calling the Ophiotaurus "Bessie."
     I liked the ending surprise.  It fit well with the details in the book and made a surprising shock that I didn't see coming.  I am excited to see how Nico fits into the prophecy in the next book.
     It was an okay book, but not as great as the first two in the series.

Sea of Monsters

     The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan is the second in the series.  Nick and I loved it just as much as The Lightning Thief.
     The characters were still well developed.  We both absolutely LOVED Tyson, the baby Cyclops.  A close second was Rainbow, the Hippocampus.  And a third was the Laistrygonian Dodge Ball Players.
     The Sea of Monsters is a parallel book for The Odyssey.  For my English teacher friends, struggling readers could read The Sea of Monsters, while advanced students read The Odyssey.  Then they could share with someone who read the other novel and compare the two novels.
     I love this book and recommend it to everyone!