Last Friday I decided it was time to set out on a journey I had yet to take. I had a Greek mythology phase in elementary school (a bold statement I know) but I had never read the entire Percy Jackson series. I mostly read books about the gods and their stories but only read the 1st Percy Jackson book in 6th grade. Can I truly consider myself a fan of Greek/Roman mythology if I had not read these books?! It seems like a necessary read if I was going to continue calling myself a Greek/Roman mythology nerd. So after some peer pressure from a classmate telling me to read them, I checked books 2-5 out of the library the Friday before fall break. I set an ambitious goal for myself: read the whole series (minus book 1) that weekend.
Here is an informal reading log I kept over the course of my read:
Friday 15, 2021 11:57am
I checked books out from the library… excited!!!
5:07pm
Starting book 2
5:54 pm page 12
Reading at a volleyball game. So far I am remembering the characters from book one. Very easy to read, probably because it is a children's book.
Saturday 16, 2021
4:01pm page 15
Reading during a scholastic bowl meet. I have had my book stolen twice by a teammate so I didn't get a chance to read either.
Sunday 17, 2021
1:22pm page 43
Today I plan on finishing the 1st and 2nd books since I am behind schedule. The book is good so far although nothing much has really happened I just underestimated my free time this weekend.
6:25pm page 143
ACTION IS FINALLY STARTING YAYAYAY. I plan on reading quickly for a few minutes but won’t have time to finish rn.
9:37pm page 154
I AM DETERMINED TO FINISH TONIGHT. I am about to speedrun this book (not skipping anything though. I have morals).
10:56PM
DONE WITH 2ND BOOK. Okay so at first I found Tyson annoying just because he was so unexpected but he ended up being a valuable character. I love how the author incorporated Circe and her island but with the guinea pigs instead of pigs twist. Overall I give it a ⅗ definitely would have liked it more if it wasn’t so predictable but hey it’s a children's book.
Monday 18, 2021
2:31pm book 3 page 125
Reading 3rd book now!! Liking it more than the last book
10:49pm page 185
Really want to finish this book tonight and also the fourth but it is already so late and I am tired. I like the introduction of the new characters and I think I can tell their parent is Hades. Thalia is an odd character but she definitely adds to the book.
Tuesday 19, 2021
3:55pm page 234
My reading speed is very slow. I am definitely not going to be able to finish these by tomorrow. I really wish the books did more on characters and their backgrounds but so far I like this book. Artemis is my favorite goddess so having her in this book is cool.
4:40pm
DONE! I give it 3.5/4 stars. It was slightly better than book 2, meaning it was less slow at the beginning but I still have the same complaints as I did for 2.
6:19pm book 4 page 31
It has a slow start so I don’t think I will read it all tonight.
Wednesday 20, 2021
11:50am page 113
Currently reading on the bus. I will admit the labyrinth is something that interested me previously so I am liking where this is going. I am concerned about Nico though.
6:43pm
Finished book!! I liked this one a lot ⅘ stars but I really hate how everything just works out for them. The whole Pan dying thing made me sad. I really REALLY DISLIKE Rachel so didn’t like her being in this book. Not going to read much of book 3 tonight because I am tired but EXCITED FOR IT.
Thursday 21, 2021
7:30am page 24
STARTING EARLY IN THE MORNING. This book is already starting strong and with a year gap from the last book. Not sure how to feel. BUT STILL, DONT LIKE RACHEL #WYAANNABETH
5:40 page 255
I have not been able to put this down. It is so good. I really hope Percy wins but I am sure he will.
8:59pm page 375
SO CLOSE TO COMPLETING IT. I am so happy they won and Percy turned down being a god.
9:09pm
I FINISHED THE BOOK SERIES I AM SO HAPPY! THIS WAS SO GOOD, I GIVE LAST BOOK ⅘
I have a lot of thoughts on this series so I will try to keep it concise. Starting with my favorite characters, I like Annabeth a lot. She is really well written, she has life goals other than dating Percy and I really appreciate that she is so headstrong and ambitious because it will be helpful for young girls reading this series. I also liked Percy even though he could be annoying. He is very funny and stupid but that adds to his character. I did not like Rachel as a character as mentioned in the reading log. She was funny and also well written but I found her annoying because of how bubbly she is. I didn’t like Clarrise in the first books but by the last two I slightly warmed up to her.
As for the book’s plots themselves I can’t complain. They were easy to read and just overall enjoyable. I can definitely see why so many people liked them as kids and still like them. While reading the books I learned a lot because when the book mentioned a God or Goddess I would immediately look them up and read about them on Wikipedia. Throughout the series, I really wanted to hear more about Percy and his friend’s time at Camp Half-Blood. Even more so than their adventures, which is odd since the adventure is the main part of the books. The strongest aspect of the series that I think is under-appreciated is the setting. The author knows how to write the setting so well the reader feels immersed in the story.
To sum my thoughts: This is an amazing series and everyone should read it. I give it an overall ⅘ stars.
- Callie
(a special thanks to Fabiana for being the classmate who forced me to read this)
I thought this was a very creative way to write your blog! I like how you wrote the reading log with your thoughts (glad to see you actually were able to put them into words and not just frantic keyboard smashes ) while still adding a more reflective paragraph at the bottom. I definitely agree with what you said about Annabeth! For sure one of my favorite characters. Overall I'm really glad you enjoyed the series and can't wait to hear your thoughts on Heroes of Olympus!!
ReplyDeleteHey Fabiana thanks for the great comment! It took a lot of time, reflection, and courage to not just write keyboard smashes! Glad to see you agree about Annabeth. Such an internet charecter!
DeleteI love how you included the reading log as well, I think it was a nice touch and kinda shows how much the series keeps you hooked in. I had... quite a strong Percy Jackson phase and it makes me happy to see you enjoyed the books, and it encourages me to reread the series myself. I also loved how strong of a lead Riordan made Annabeth, but I must disagree with your point about Percy being annoying... though I am biased. Overall, great post!
ReplyDeleteI've been really into Percy Jackson for several years and it's great to see someone else enjoying the same books I did. However, I must disagree with your review on several points. I personally really liked Rachel and I also disagree with Percy being annoying at times. I saw your points about it being predictable and I agree. If you're looking for a series with a slightly better plot, I would suggest the Heroes of Olympus series written by Riordan and it's set right after this series. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteHey Callie! I love the Percy Jackson series more than I love fruit roll ups, and I do believe this is very #girlboss of you. I started reading the Percy Jackson series in elementary, and obviously moved on the Red Pyramid series, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase, etc., and that took me quite a bit, so I'm very impressed. Nice blog!
ReplyDeleteI read the Percy Jackson books in elementary school and really liked them, and of course had lots of conversations about them with other friends who had read the books, but I've never really thought about the book in a more review-like way like you did, so it's cool to see your thoughts on the books as a first time reader who is also older than the target audience, because you are not biased by previous reads like I have been when I've reread the series. I see what you mean about the predictability of the plot, but a lot of the story is based on Greek myths (obviously), so if you knew about the myths already it makes sense that you could guess more or less what would happen next. I have liked Rick Riordan's books in general, and if you're not way too tired of his writing after reading a series in a week I'd recommend some of his later books like Heroes of Olympus and Magnus Chase, because as he writes more books, Rick Riordan's cast of characters become more diverse and interesting and the setting (like you mentioned) is just as immersive and fun
ReplyDelete