The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan's amazing young readers series. Starring Percy Jackson, a "half blood" whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan's series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment.
In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book's drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come. |
“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”
*NOTE - I HAVE SINCE READ ALL OF THIS SERIES, I AM JUST BEHIND ON THE REVIEWS. (I PROCRASTINATE)
I liked this one better than the first – I think it was because I didn’t have to go through the awkward introduction phase where Percy has to first learn about everything, and this one seemed calmer without so many rushed action scenes. This time when Percy returns to Half-blood camp from another disastrous school incident, he has a friend – an adorable one that others may reject, but the best new character of the series. They don’t stay at the camp long since there’s a bunch of bad stuff going on, and of course another quest ensues – this time not handed out, but taken by sneaking off and breaking rules. Go rebels!
If you’re a fan of mythology and legend, you may enjoy the world-building in this one, although creativity liberties abound. I’m not up to date on all the lore and names and bizarre relationships, but this is a fun way to learn about a few of them. Percy is the half-breed son of Poseidon, which is awesome, but the absentee father doesn’t win many favors when it comes to parental bonding.
Some of the scenes weren’t as intricate during the quest as The Lightning Thief, but I appreciated the slightly slowed down pace because the first was almost too much to take. The calmer waters still show plenty of action, but it allows the characters to stand out a bit since I got more of a chance to know them this time. I do wish Percy would have been able to flex more muscle in the water and learn more abilities he has (he shows a few) since he is water based and this was a perfect chance…but we do get a few watery powers making themselves known, some “sea ponies!” (cute) and a cool water bubble shield.
These are aimed at a younger age than later Harry Potters, but it’s still a joy for adults to read. The mythology is used heavily, which makes an interesting background for creative world-building. The genre is mainly humor so there will be a few giggles every other chapter or so. Cute characters help the story flow, and there are twists mixed into some of the tricky quests that keep it creative.
Tyson is definitely my favorite part of the book when it comes to characters – hope we keep seeing more of him.
I liked this one better than the first – I think it was because I didn’t have to go through the awkward introduction phase where Percy has to first learn about everything, and this one seemed calmer without so many rushed action scenes. This time when Percy returns to Half-blood camp from another disastrous school incident, he has a friend – an adorable one that others may reject, but the best new character of the series. They don’t stay at the camp long since there’s a bunch of bad stuff going on, and of course another quest ensues – this time not handed out, but taken by sneaking off and breaking rules. Go rebels!
If you’re a fan of mythology and legend, you may enjoy the world-building in this one, although creativity liberties abound. I’m not up to date on all the lore and names and bizarre relationships, but this is a fun way to learn about a few of them. Percy is the half-breed son of Poseidon, which is awesome, but the absentee father doesn’t win many favors when it comes to parental bonding.
Some of the scenes weren’t as intricate during the quest as The Lightning Thief, but I appreciated the slightly slowed down pace because the first was almost too much to take. The calmer waters still show plenty of action, but it allows the characters to stand out a bit since I got more of a chance to know them this time. I do wish Percy would have been able to flex more muscle in the water and learn more abilities he has (he shows a few) since he is water based and this was a perfect chance…but we do get a few watery powers making themselves known, some “sea ponies!” (cute) and a cool water bubble shield.
These are aimed at a younger age than later Harry Potters, but it’s still a joy for adults to read. The mythology is used heavily, which makes an interesting background for creative world-building. The genre is mainly humor so there will be a few giggles every other chapter or so. Cute characters help the story flow, and there are twists mixed into some of the tricky quests that keep it creative.
Tyson is definitely my favorite part of the book when it comes to characters – hope we keep seeing more of him.
Book Quotes
“I’ve met plenty of embarrassing parents, but Kronos, the evil Titan Lord who wanted to destroy Western Civilization? Not the kind of dad you invited to school for Career Day.”
Cover Gallery
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