The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan

5 out of 5 Robots!

 

My Review:

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan surpassed my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed joining Percy Jackson on his first adventure. I love the Harry Potter series, so this was one of the recommendations on Amazon. I'm glad I took the chance and read it because this book is so much fun. Half-God. Half-Boy. That alone leads to a brilliant plot. The characters are extremely quirky and likable, you will find yourself relating to each of them and wanting to know more.

Percy Jackson is 12 years old and realizes his life is about to get complicated when his math teacher literally turns into a creature from hell. Is Percy insane for slaughtering his math teacher with a pen? Why doesn't anyone else remember her?

There were many times when humor smacked me in my face- I like being surprised with humor and this book had lots of that. Yep, I giggled with the characters AND I got to fight demons. Talk about a book taking you places! We get to watch Percy figure out who he is and what he is capable of. You will find yourself enthralled with the imagery of the sea, demigod camp and creatures.

In short, Percy finds out he is a demigod. He has to live at a camp so that the monsters can't endanger him and those around him. We find out the god who fathered him and what he must do to keep a war at bay between the greater gods. We even get to tag along with Percy as he fulfills his first dangerous quest. 

This book is aimed at children from the ages of 8 - 12. That didn't hold me back! I read this book in a day because I couldn't put it down. It was action packed from page one. If you're into YA and you can do without romance- read this book. I can't wait until I have time to read the rest of the series.

I have one complaint- it was relatively predictable. I'm guessing this is only because I'm 23 reading a book that was written for a younger demographic. The predictability didn't take away from the novel, I loved it all. Who doesn't like being one step ahead of our hero and heroine?

Book Details:

Published: April 1st 2005 by Miramax

Paperback: 375 pages

Other books in this series in the order that they should be read:
1. The Lightning Theif
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan's Curse
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
5. The Last Olympian

I am also excited to say that this book is going to be a movie AND it looks promising! Check out the trailer below: