Author: Rick Riordan
Genres: Fantasy, Mid-Grade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 361 Pages
Publication Date: 4/7/2009
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
★★★☆☆
Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to diabolical.
In this latest installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.
Ugh. This book was incredibly difficult to rate. It was tough to pin down a specific star rating, and that brings to light the fact that Lightning Thief wasn't difficult to review because it was the first in the series; It was difficult to review because it was so disappointing.
If I had to characterize the fourth book in this series with a single word, that word would be disappointing.
I've read some reviews of this book, and many readers say that this was their favorite in the series so far. For me, I found that many characters that I had previously loved fell flat, that the relationships lacked texture, and that ultimately a book or series nearly always loses me when it introduces the (spoiler alert!)love triangle.
So let's talk about the things that made this book such a let down for me.
I'd like to start by saying that this book did redeem itself in its last third (or so), but that it took me a long time to warm up to Battle of the Labyrinth.
The book doesn't open well. By this point the reader is well aware that Percy has trouble staying in a school for more than a year, and the action in the beginning of the book does little to enhance his relationship with Paul Blofis (his mother's boyfriend).
It doesn't give us any new information other than introducing the idea that a formerly tertiary character may be important later, and a new type of monster.
Basically, while the beginning of this book does contain some action, it doesn't give us the jolt that we really expected following the previous two books. (The action took a while to build in the first book, too, so I'm not counting it). Especially following the opening of Titan's Curse, this one just fell flat.
Unfortunately, things didn't pick up quickly from there, as far as I'm concerned. The characters have become stale, and those who are the most interesting are those who we don't know as well: Tyson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and Quintus (in order of their introduction into the series).
Where there was tremendous opportunity to further develop both Percy and Annabeth, I felt that both of these two have stagnated, and that in contrast, Grover's character plunges ahead too quickly (in the developmental sense).
I debate whether or not to make the allowance for the fact that this is, in fact, mid-grade fiction, but I find it difficult to permit that excuse on my blog. Percy Jackson is better than that, and these are the novels that make readers for life. The reader deserves better than what this book gave.
If it hadn't been for the latter third (or so) of this book, I might have given it two stars. So what saved it?
Hades, this book is emotional. I don't know how else to explain it, but there are parts of this book that are going to make you cry if you have a soul. Once things reached the point that I read with tears streaming down my face, it started to take several minutes for me to leave the labyrinth (or Long Island) long enough to remember that I had to go back to living in the real world.
Unfortunately, the book took a bit too long to get there. I wanted more, earlier on.
Don't get me wrong: A book doesn't have to make me cry to be an excellent book, and if it makes me cry at any point during the book, it's generally a pretty good book.
But realistically, if this wasn't the fourth book in a series, I would have put it down days ago and not picked it back up. If that had happened, it never would have gotten to the point where it made me cry.
And that, my friends, is the real problem.
I will be reading The Last Olympian as a matter of principle, but as of this book I believe this series as likely slipped from a likely 5-star rating (re-readable) to a 4-star rating.
If I had to characterize the fourth book in this series with a single word, that word would be disappointing.
I've read some reviews of this book, and many readers say that this was their favorite in the series so far. For me, I found that many characters that I had previously loved fell flat, that the relationships lacked texture, and that ultimately a book or series nearly always loses me when it introduces the (spoiler alert!)
So let's talk about the things that made this book such a let down for me.
I'd like to start by saying that this book did redeem itself in its last third (or so), but that it took me a long time to warm up to Battle of the Labyrinth.
The book doesn't open well. By this point the reader is well aware that Percy has trouble staying in a school for more than a year, and the action in the beginning of the book does little to enhance his relationship with Paul Blofis (his mother's boyfriend).
It doesn't give us any new information other than introducing the idea that a formerly tertiary character may be important later, and a new type of monster.
Basically, while the beginning of this book does contain some action, it doesn't give us the jolt that we really expected following the previous two books. (The action took a while to build in the first book, too, so I'm not counting it). Especially following the opening of Titan's Curse, this one just fell flat.
Unfortunately, things didn't pick up quickly from there, as far as I'm concerned. The characters have become stale, and those who are the most interesting are those who we don't know as well: Tyson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and Quintus (in order of their introduction into the series).
Where there was tremendous opportunity to further develop both Percy and Annabeth, I felt that both of these two have stagnated, and that in contrast, Grover's character plunges ahead too quickly (in the developmental sense).
I debate whether or not to make the allowance for the fact that this is, in fact, mid-grade fiction, but I find it difficult to permit that excuse on my blog. Percy Jackson is better than that, and these are the novels that make readers for life. The reader deserves better than what this book gave.
If it hadn't been for the latter third (or so) of this book, I might have given it two stars. So what saved it?
Hades, this book is emotional. I don't know how else to explain it, but there are parts of this book that are going to make you cry if you have a soul. Once things reached the point that I read with tears streaming down my face, it started to take several minutes for me to leave the labyrinth (or Long Island) long enough to remember that I had to go back to living in the real world.
Unfortunately, the book took a bit too long to get there. I wanted more, earlier on.
Don't get me wrong: A book doesn't have to make me cry to be an excellent book, and if it makes me cry at any point during the book, it's generally a pretty good book.
But realistically, if this wasn't the fourth book in a series, I would have put it down days ago and not picked it back up. If that had happened, it never would have gotten to the point where it made me cry.
And that, my friends, is the real problem.
I will be reading The Last Olympian as a matter of principle, but as of this book I believe this series as likely slipped from a likely 5-star rating (re-readable) to a 4-star rating.
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