*Please read with caution spoilers are ahead!*
Hey everyone so this my first book review on Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This book is about Percy Jackson a 12 year old boy who suffers ADHD and dyslexia. He has been kicked out of 6 different schools and now attends Yancy Academy but not for long. When he and his class go on a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan New York City, Percy's pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds attacks Percy by revealing she is one of the three furies from the underworld. Percy goes home to his stepfather Gabe ,which he nicknames him smelly Gabe, and his mother Sally. Gabe mistreats Percy and his mother but she takes him to Montauk in Long Island for a three day vacation. In the middle of the first night, Percy's closest friend and former classmate Grover Underwood, who is revealed to be a satyr, comes and warns Percy and his mother that they are in danger. His mother tries to drive them to a camp called Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods where he can train. On the way they are stopped by the Minotaur, which kidnaps his mother and takes her to the underworld but Percy kills him after it takes her from the throat. After he kills it he stumbles but enters camp with an semi-conscious Grover. Percy recovers from his sleep and meets another camper, Annabeth, who is a daughter of Athena. Percy moves into the Hermes Cabin, under the care of Luke Castellan, the cabin's counselor. During a game of capture the flag, the Ares cabin attacks and injures Percy. He steps into a river and is healed by the waters. After the game is won, Percy gets attacked by a hellhound, which gets shot by an arrow and dies. Percy goes back to the river and regains his strength, while Poseidon's trident appears above his head, that shows him that he is the son of Poseidon. His father breaks the oath between Zeus and Hades that they would never have anymore demigod children because they are to powerful and become a threat. Later it is revealed that Zeus's master bolt is stolen and accuses Percy of stealing it after he was claimed. To clear his and his fathers's name Percy is granted a quest to find the master bolt and return it to Olympus which Chiron, a centaur, believes Hades has stolen it. Percy is also given a deadline to return the bolt in ten days before the summer solstice. Luke gives a pair of magic flying shoes to Percy before he leaves to go on the quest with Annabeth and Grover. Percy has to travel west in order to enter the entrance of the underworld in Hollywood. While they are on the quest they encounter Greek monsters such as the furies, Medusa, Echidna, the Chimera, and Ares, the god of war, who tells Percy that his mother is alive. As they approach Hades' palace, Luke's shoes act up and drag Grover towards the edge of Tartarus, but manage to slip free. Percy confronts Hades, who believes Percy has stolen his Helm of Darkness, an object that allows him to become a shadow. After searching through his backpack ,given from Ares, he finds the master bolt and flees the underworld and is given no choice but leave his mother behind. Percy fights Ares and defeats him obtaining the helm which the furies, who witnessed everything, to return to Hades with the helm. Percy flies to New York, risking his life by entering the sky, the realm of Zeus. He returns the bolt to Zeus in Olympus at the 600th floor of the Empire State Building, where Olympus is now located. Zeus accepts the master bolt and Percy returns to camp. Luke reveals that he stole the bolt for Kronos and summons a poisonous pit scorpion which stings and almost kills Percy. Chiron curses him and Percy leaves to attend another school that his mother has found. Annabeth returns to live with her father and Grover goes on a search for the great god of the wild, Pan.
Characters:
Percy Jackson is a 12 year old demigod son of Poseidon.
Annabeth Chase is a 12 year old demigod daughter of Athena.
Grover Underwood is a 28 year old satyr that is Percy and Annabeth's friend.
Luke Castellan is a 19 year old demigod son of Hermes and serves Kronos.
Clarisse La Rue is a 14 year old demigod daughter of Ares and does not get along with Percy.
Chiron is a centaur and activities director of camp half-blood. He also trains heroes such as Hercules.
Overall Review:
I've read the book and heard it on audio because most of the time I didn't get most of the Greek stuff. After I refreshed my Greek mythology knowledge everything made sense and I suggest that if you don't know much of Greek mythology please re-read some and you will get this book. I absolutely love this book because of it's references and humor towards mythology of the Greeks. I didn't dislike any of it and I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it is an easy and quick book to read. If any of you like Greek mythology or young adult genres then read the series. I will review the movie and the rest of the 4 books soon! Don't forget to follow for more reviews on book series,movies, and twilight related stuff!
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