Percy Jackson Series Mini Reviews & 50 Favorite Moments // Squealing Over Sword Fighting, Tidal Waves, And Percabeth

Hello everyone. It’s been a while. Two weeks? That’s a long time for me to not post anyways. Beyond that, these past two weeks have felt to me like at least two years, and I have a feeling some of you feel the same.

Anyways, I didn’t post at first because I was sent home from my college dorm 3 months early and was pretty much depressed for the first few days, and I didn’t want to do anything except lie around in my bed and cry.

But finally I picked myself back up and decided with all this free time might as well read. And read something comforting. So I decided to reread the entire Percy Jackson series in four days.

Seriously, I forgot so much of those books! I just remember loving them so much, as they really kicked off my love of Greek mythology (didn’t they do that for everyone??), but I barely remember anything. I’ve only read them once, when I was 10, EIGHT YEARS AGO. (Wow I’m old).

Anyways, I guess my reading level was lower when I read then back in the day because I remember them as being rather long and difficult but they were so fast and easy and fun to read now I just blew through them in a matter of hours. So here are my mini reviews of what I thought of them!!

***SPOILERS FOR PJO (the first series only, the original 5 books) BELOW***

The Lightning Thief 

Ahh, the book that kicked it all off. This book was so fun and whimsical, and I loved getting introduced to Percy and his world, and seeing him go from thinking he was a normal kid to seeing that he’s really the son of Poseidon!! I loved seeing him start to discover his powers! It’s fun to see them all innocent as just 12 year olds (so smol! I thought they were BIG when I read this book at age 10 tho), and before the bigger battle with Kronos really becomes prevalent.

Favorite Moments

• Percy fighting the minotaur! The beginning of the true hero ❤
• Percy meeting Annabeth and she’s just like… you drool in your sleep. Bwahahahahaha how things will change
• The trio getting a ride from a talking poodle is hilarious.
• Percy jumping off the arch into the water so far below, realizing that he’s really capable of amazing things as a son of Poseidon!
• Them entering the Underworld! I loved seeing them face this adversary and rely on each other, and also ohmigosh a callback to when he later returns to the Styx…
• The fight with Ares!! Amazingness!
• Percy finally getting to go to Olympus and meet the gods, including his father!

The Sea Of Monsters

This book really expanded on the lore from the first one and I love it! I loved seeing them on a boat this time, out in the open sea, which is basically Percy’s home turf, right 🙂 It was also cool to see them start to get along with Clarisse, at times and slightly more than they used to, anyways, to show people as a bit more developed. Tyson is so cute ahh and I love Percy’s development from telling everyone they’re not really related to embracing him and being like that’s my brother!!

Favorite Moments:

• Them first riding the hippocampi! Rainbow!
• Tyson just happening upon a random donut shop in the middle of nowhere ahaha whoops monster incoming
• Clarisse really be piloting a ship of Confederate soldiers ahaha I love it
• Annabeth eating the vitamins and being immune to spells on Circe’s island
• The siren scene! It was heartbreaking but I loved seeing Annabeth’s insecurities and learning about her fatal flaw–made me think about what mine is for sure. And I loved seeing Percy swim after her!
• Polyphemus’s determination with getting married–first to Grover then Clarisse haha
• The escape! Tyson showing up outta nowhere and helping them best the Cyclops!
• Thalia!!!

The Titan’s Curse

Another amazing book! I loved getting to see the hunters–hello eternal maidens joining the hunt with Artemis is that cool or what? The stakes are getting higher and the two deaths, prophesied but still shocking, were heartbreaking. I loved getting to see Thalia, amazing badass daughter of Zeus! Bianca and Nico are equally or even more cool too, and mysterious, and heartbreaking and amazing. I wish Annabeth had been there more though!!! And of course this dam book… 😉

Favorite Moments:

• The hunters showing up! And Thalia immediately starts bickering with Zoe haha.
• Thalia and Percy’s fight is so amazing literally her zapping him with lightening and him raising all the water in the creek if that’s not the best thing ever what is.
• Bessie literally Bessie Percy finds a monster and names him Bessie how Percy is that?
• Percy showing up out of nowhere barging in on their quest with a bunch of skeletons after him
• Aphrodite looked like Annabeth ❤
• The whole dam scene. I swear that scene is literally the only thing I remembered from this book from 8 years ago and it was equally perfect this time around. And Zoe’s cluelessness makes it so much better. Ahh puns.
• Rachel Elizabeth Dare! Loved getting introduced to her and she’s like whoa there did you try to kill me!
• Percy and co meeting Annabeth’s dad and he cares ❤
• The whole ending fight scene… including Percy literally holding the world up wow
• Nico’s ending act with a giant fissure in the ground… wow don’t mess with Hades

The Battle of the Labyrinth 

This was probably my favorite book in the series! The stakes are much higher as the heroes travel into the labyrinth and try not to lose their minds, all with the threat of an invasion of Kronos straight into the heart of their camp. There’s even some romantic tension between Percy and Annabeth (and she’s totally jealous of Rachel and Percy is so clueless I’m living for it) and oh my gosh. And Percy’s really developed his powers now, so he never understood what he was capable, son of the earth shaker, and now he’s summoning water from nothing and causing explosions and I am in so much awe over this hero.

Favorite Moments

• Rachel Elizabeth Dare showing up out of nowhere and saving Percy… again
• Percy and Annabeth accidentally randomly finding the camp entrance to the labyrinth
• The sphinx literally has a 20 question trivia quiz and scantron machine that it hilarious!
• Percy starting to discover his power by summoning water from seashells and washing away all the horse poo! He almost lost control…but not quite
• The monster education lesson to basically a bunch of puppies haha
• Annabeth kissing Percy when she thinks they’re going to die ahhaoisdjf
• Percy’s amazing power causing a gigantic blast at Mt. Saint Helens! Every scene where he struggled with his enormous power was so amazing!
• The fact that Rachel just takes it all in stride and is able to perfectly navigate the maze! Ariadne who?
• The heroes flying on the bronze wings!
• The death of Pan 😦 Sad but such a powerful scene
• The whole ending fight! Things are getting real!!
• Poseidon randomly showing up to Percy’s birthday how is that not so random and funny haha

The Last Olympian

This was such an amazing climax and finale to the series! I already knew the outcome but I was still on edge the whole time I was reading it! I loved all of Percy’s development that brought him to being such a strong hero at the end, his mortality and tether to Annabeth, and of course, at the end realizing he’s not the hero.

Favorite Moments

• Percy finally getting to visit Poseidon’s palace under the sea
• Percy getting to hear the great prophecy and having all the weight of it fall on his shoulders wow
• Percy and Nico visiting Luke’s mother… so heartbreaking but also made me understand his motivations which made it even sadder
• Percy’s mom giving Percy her blessing knowing full well that he’s likely to die… so powerful
• Percy’s dip in the styx… and Annabeth anchoring him to his humanity and pulling him out
• Percy leading the demigods to protect New York, tell them how to seal the city
• Thalia and the hunters showing up again to help! Yes love them!
• The two rivers arguing over who is more polluted and who gets the sand dollar haha
• Statues coming to life everywhere, including a taking down a literal flying pig
• Annabeth knowing that Percy is in danger and taking the blow for him ❤ These two
• Silena dressing up as Clarisse and leading Ares in battle, and the Clarisse slaying the drakon! Heroes to the end
• Percy sitting on Poseidon’s throne to get his attention haha I love this
• The final stand at Olympus… you are not the hero, Percy
• Luke coming back from Kronos and stabbing himself... so sad so heroic
• Annabeth and Percy at the end–the best underwater kiss of all time ❤

Let’s Chat

Which is your favorite Percy Jackson book? Who is your favorite character? I’d love to chat in the comments below.

also

****NO SPOILERS FOR HEROES OF OLYMPUS OR TRIALS OF APOLLO**** or I will end you because I somehow haven’t read them yet and I want to read them next!!!

and also

#DisneyAdaptPercyJackson