Hellooooo long weekend! I had such a nice three days off and guess what I did? That’s right, read! My bookstagram friends and I started a Percy Jackson read-along and where else would we start other than the beginning! The Lightning Thief was such a big book for me (not gonna lie, probably started my love of Mythology and the Greek gods!). So, I kind of zoomed through it (see I read it in less than 24 hours) and MAN do I have thoughts.
I hadn’t read this book in years, but I had seen the movie! And let me tell you… like every other person in this fandom, I think that the movie was way off track. First of all, Percy is freaking 12! They all are. And while I can’t believe that this would happen to a 12 year old, I’m not a demigod so I can’t really say (unless… no monsters have found me… which would be great – I’m def somehow a daughter of Apollo or something).
One awesome thing about this book is how easily everyone is eased into the mythology. Riordan really introduces it slowly, and while some of the gods have been kind of stereotyped (see: Poseidon) I think he did it in a way that makes it really available to younger audiences. Not everyone can read a Mythology textbook or Bullfinch’s mythology right away, and the PJO series (and Riordan’s subsequent works) are a great way to get more people involved in a kind of obscure topic.
And while I loved all the characters, I really love Annabeth. I love her brains, her resilience, and her courage. I think that you really get to see her grow up in this book, especially in how she views her father and family. I think what she learns is empathy, and that is such a cool thing to see in a children’s/teens book. Riordan is introducing big stuff early on, and I think that is so important!
I saw a lot of people on Goodreads saying that this series is a rip off of Harry Potter, and while I kind of see it in the trio… the subjects are completely different, the characters themselves are completely different, and no offense but there’s a big difference between the Greek gods and magic. I did not notice it at all on my read through, and I think you’d have to be pretty obsessed with HP to say it’s a copy of it. Similar dynamics, sure, but so many books have the smart-funny-leader trio. Not a big deal in my books.
Finally, I like that Riordan touched on something that is really important to me – chosen family. For the kids at Camp Half Blood, the other kids were their family, and it’s always nice to see authors talk about this. Sometimes, blood relations aren’t the best, and you need to find your own way. That just how it is – and Camp Half Blood always had each other’s backs. It makes me want to go there so bad haha.
So, on the off chance that you are a half-blood, which god do you wish was your parent? I wish I was a daughter of Artemis (but we all know that’ll never happen) so I’m going to go with Apollo!
I think my next post will just be a “what’s going on in my life post” so if you have any questions post ‘em below! I’d love to hear more from people!
Have a good week ducks, and to everyone who had a 3-day weekend, enjoy the shorter week!
Mon
Words, Pages, Books 