Original Title: The Lightning Thief
Year Published: 2006
Published by: Disney Hyperion Books
Number of Pages: 377
First Sentence: "Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood."
Goodreads Rating: 5/5
Plot:
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
My thoughts:
I loved this book! It felt fresh and new (yes, I do know it was published quite a while ago but sometimes I'm slow), and I quickly got sucked into the story. The idea of writing a YA series about demi-gods and the Greek Gods is a brilliant one and I really loved how the Greek Gods were portrayed.
Percy is a good main character that you really care for. It was really nice reading a book with a male lead for once since a lot of YA books have females as the main character (not that there is anything wrong with that). I love the fact that he isn't overly cocky and self-confident, but instead have insecurities and knows that he isn't invincible. What makes him a hero is that he does the things he is scared of. That is the mark of a true hero.
Annabeth is a mystery for a long time, and it's hard to see if she is one of the good guys or just indifferent to the whole thing. She is driven and proud, but then shows great sides of herself. Without her, Percy would not make it far.
Grover, on the other hand, is a bit of a clown and mostly serves as a comic relief (at least that is how I perceived him). He has moments of greatness as well, and the trio slowly melds together during this book to make up a well-functioning team of three.
I was also positively surprised about this book. I had seen the film first (what a mistake) and had never really fallen in love with the story. I didn't have high hopes when I started the book, but oh boy was I surprised. It is just great and I suggest that you just don't watch the films. They have botched the books terribly and are not good representatives of the books.
Do I recommend it?
Yes, I do. It is a really entertaining story and I'm really glad that I bought the whole set at the same time. Looking forward to reading the rest.
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