The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)

I thought that The Titan's Curse was a fantastic read because the plot was about a boy around my age who seems to always be getting into trouble, but not just any normal trouble. The boy's name is Percy Jackson and his father is the god named Poseidon. Yes, his father is the ruler of the ocean and the brother of Zeus. However, because his mother is a mortal Percy is a demigod, which means he's half god and half mortal. Oddly enough, Percy is getting into trouble with Greek and Roman mythological monsters from Homer's epic adventure, The Odyssey. Some of the monsters Percy runs into are a manticore, an ophiotaurus, and literally bits and pieces of the Titan Lord himself. This book is part of an unfinished series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
There are a few reasons why I thought this book was such a great read. One reason I read this book with so much enthusiasm was because I was always on the edge of my seat. There was so much excitement that I had trouble setting the book down and doing my homework. Oddly enough, I would choose to read this book a hundred times over playing video games. Another reason I enjoyed the book was it had a steady pace. The book had a nice steady build up to the climax, and a nice steady decent from the climax. This made me feel like there was just the right amount of action and suspense throughout the book. A third reason I couldn't stop reading this book was I could relate Percy's life to my own. For example, Percy thinks he is more experienced than he really is. On page fourteen, Percy says, "The di Angelos were in danger. They might be long gone by the time I found my friends. I knew monsters. I could handle this myself." Sometimes, I think something similar when I become over confident after I do a good deed or make a funny joke.
There are many great parts in this story, but the best part is during the battle in San Francisco between a group of three demigods, a goddess, a huntress, and a small portion of the ever growing army of the Titan Lord. This battle is the best part because most of the action and excitement is released in this short blossom of words.
Even though the book is great overall, there could be some improvements. One improvement could be the dialogue. Sometimes I found the dialogue to be a little on the cheesy side. For example, Percy's demigod friend Annabeth calls him "seaweed brain" because he is a son of Poseidon. I understand that the author was trying to put humor into the book, but such an obvious nickname was more silly than humorous. However, even with the missed humor, many people would like this book. If the reader likes mythology, action scenes, and books in a series, they will absolutely love this book. If I could give this book a rating, one being the best and ten being the worst, I would pick one because I was so engulfed in the words and the story every time I picked up the book. Fortunately for all readers who like the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Titan's Curse is the third book, so there are two more wonderful pieces of work before this book, and the series still isn't finished because I am sure more will be written. But readers beware: once you start reading the series, you won't be able to stop.

This book thoroughly lives up to the quality of adventure and plot seen in the first two. It still has the savvy wit, and yet the characters are still visibly growing. I'm excitedly looking forward to the next book, because I absolutely have to know what happens next. :)

If you've been following this fascinating series, you'll already know that it is based on Greek mythology, with a touch of artistic license and a ton of humor. Apparently, the big three of Olympus (Poseidon, Zeus and Hades) had reluctantly agreed to stop popping over to earth and siring offspring with the local mortals, in order to nullify a prophecy that foretells certain disaster when said offspring reach the age of sixteen. However, gods will be gods, and as we pick up the story from The Sea of Monsters), we have two potentially dangerous demi-gods running around, namely Percy Jackson, star of the series and son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, and Thalia, who formerly had roots on Half-Blood Hill, and is the daughter of Zeus, Lord of the Sky. This is not to say that some of the other gods weren't busy as well, and the majority of the supporting cast is made up of children of the other residents of Olympus.

This third book of the planned five book series starts with a rescue mission to save two newly-discovered demi-gods from a monster attack, and during the battle, a daughter of Athena is taken, despite the timely arrival of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and her hunters. While Artemis sets off alone to hunt another monster that is destined to cause the downfall of Olympus, the rest are sent to Camp Half-Blood for their safety. While there, The Oracle (whose description makes her sound like Norman Bates' mummy) delivers a prophecy that leads to the rest of the action that packs book three from cover to cover.

To cut the story short, a team of five is chosen to set off in search of Artemis, but there is a last minute unplanned substitution, who has another quest or two to fulfill along the way. The route takes them through Manhattan and across the country to San Francisco, where our hero experiences what it's like to carry the weight of the sky on his shoulders.

Cool monsters, skeletal warriors and bad guys abound, as well as gods behaving badly and making bad haiku, but the most upsetting thing about this book is that after reading the ending, it will be a very agonizing and excruciatingly painful wait for books four and five. This is one of those series where you just gotta get them all.



Amanda Richards, May 11, 2007

Ok maybe not the best title for this review but true enough, this book is addictive just like the rest of the series. Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth start off together in the beginning but things quickly change when they fall into a trap; leaving Percy and Thalia to save the world and Annabeth and as usual, must do so in less than a week or witness a potential doomsday. With the usual humor and allusions to Greek mythology, this book keeps you hooked from start to finish just like its 2 predecessors (The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters). Before reading this book, it is best to read the first two as there is little character or plot introduction. Some lingering questions are solved from the first two books such as Thalia and Percy's ability to get along and Percy's fatal flaw is revealed. However, The Titan's Curse will leave you with many questions and hints at the future books (there is supposedly to be 5 books) and for sure it will leave you ready for the next book as the end introuduces a new adventure. All in all, Rick Riordan has done what many writers struggle with: he has actually written a great middle book. it maintains pace and action throughout the story, keeps the characters lively and original, and occasionally makes you laugh out loud which i something i didn't think i would ever do with dignity. anyone who wants to read a great story full of action, humor, and great characters just pick up this book.

The The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) ended with a bang, with another child of the three gods emerging from the tree guarding Camp Half-Blood. Percy Jackson now has his hands full in THE TITAN'S CURSE, the third volume of the series.

When he answers an urgent call from his best friend, Grover, at a school in Maine, unexplainable things start happening. Grover has found two more half-bloods, who are siblings, but the assistant principal is a powerful monster in disguise. Grover will never get the half-bloods to camp without help. Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia set off for Maine to help Grover, but don't realize that they're walking into a trap.

Dr. Thorn, the assistant principal, has some tricks up his sleeve. When Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, arrives, things get out of hand. Dr. Thorn falls off a cliff with Annabeth. Artemis goes after her and everyone else returns to Camp Half-Blood. Here, they try to act as normal as possible, but two camper's dreams indicate severe trouble with both Artemis and Annabeth.

The Oracle speaks and five campers must find and bring back Artemis before the Winter Solstice. For the first time, Percy remains behind, but not by choice, and not for long. When Percy meets up with the group, the enemies start showing themselves--and the race to reach Artemis and Annabeth alive becomes more crucial. Can Percy save both them before the Winter Solstice?

THE TITAN'S CURSE leaves the reader hanging, waiting for several important questions to be answered in the final two books of the series. This fast-paced novel, along with the action, makes it a great series for fantasy lovers, reluctant readers, and anyone looking for a good story.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel