The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
MG Fantasy. 279 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
After a year spent trying to prevent a catastropic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson–a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any “normal” friends.
But things don’t stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters–the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia–only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name…the Bermuda Triangle.
Now Percy and his friends–Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson–must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family–one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon’s son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.
My Review:
I’ve read the first book in this series three times, but I’m finally deciding to continue the series – I hear it gets better as the series progresses. I hope so. So many people love this series, and I really like the premise a lot. I love Greek mythology and middle grade stories, so I’m determined to finish the series and see what all the fuss is about.
This one didn’t feel quite as slowly paced as the first one did. I do really enjoy the nods to the mythology and the fun modern twist on many of the creatures and stories. It was fun to see both returning characters and a few new ones. Tyson was a fun character and I enjoyed seeing more depth to Clarise.
The plot in this one was fun, too. I like the Odysseus nods, the monsters and obstacles and how Riordan both played to the known stories but also made them his own. The updated and modernized mash up fits super well in his world. The reveal at the end was also exciting and makes me very curious about the next book.
Content: MG story – no foul language, lightly implied crush, and some fantasy violence. As with the previous one, cool takes on some traditional Greek mythological characters and stories – the originals are violent and have plenty of content, but these are done at an appropriate for level for kids. I’d probably recommend this for 12+
More
The first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is The Lightning Thief (4 Stars)
Book 2 is The Sea of Monsters (4 Stars)
Book 3 is The Titan’s Curse
Book 4 is The Battle of the Labrynth
Book 5 is The Last Olympian
I haven’t read the rest of the series yet, but these should be read in order. Check out the links for more information on Goodreads!
On GraceBought
If you liked this book, you may also like these other MG titles:
Wonder, The Magician’s Nephew, The Giver, The Memory Spinner, Inkheart, Keeper of the Lost Cities, The False Prince, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key, or The Hobbit
or try one of these world-rich YA titles: