Book Review - The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson #3) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Titan's Curse, Percy Jackson and The Olympians #3

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Miramax

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Format: Paperback, 312 pages

Genre: Juvenile/ Middle Grades Fiction, Fantasy

Summary from official website:

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he'll need his powerful demigod allies, Annabeth and Thalia, at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and... a ride from his mom.

The demigods race to the rescue, to find that Grover has made an important discover: two new powerful half-bloods whose parentage is unknown. But that's not all that awaits them. The Titan lord, Kronos, has set up his most devious trap yet, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.

They’re not the only ones in danger. An ancient monster has arisen — one rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus — and Artemis, the only goddess who might know how to track it, is missing. Now Percy and his friends, along with the Hunters of Artemis, have only a week to find the kidnapped goddess and solve the mystery of the monster she was hunting.

Along the way, they must face their most dangerous challenge yet: the chilling prophecy of the titan’s curse.

Review:

There was just something lacking in this book. Percy came off as a bit of an attention hog and a bit petulant. I think in Riordan had spent just a little more time (like two or three well placed sentences) helping the reader feel that Percy feels driven to complete this quest. Percy finds himself with something of an identity problem. He's fourteen, been looked up to and treated as a competent demigod, and suddenly Thalia comes back and its all changed. He feels discounted, like people don't see him anymore. It's not so much that he's looking for attention, but positive acknowledgement (something he'd previously only ever gotten from his mother) would help. It also doesn't help that Artemis and her handmaidens view all males as incompetent, egotistical, and worthless - poor Percy makes a handy target for them. Add general growing up and confusion plus gods who still want to kill him because something he might do- and viola! Angsty (and occasionally lippy) teenager desperate to help his missing friend. On the other hand, I don't think the target audience is going to notice this. Kids will see it as another fast paced mystery adventure with great new monsters. The Titan's Curse was a bit more character-driven than the previous three books, but also a bit slower. I realize it was necessary for the development of the overall story line, but I got a little bored with the quest between Washington, D.C. and Arizona. Riordan also explains why Mr. D (Dionysus) hates heroes and Percy sees first hand how they have hurt people. These realizations will influence Percy for the rest of the series.

Verdict:

Good character development, a good bad guy, creepy new minions, but a bit slow at times. But what bothered me doesn't seem to bother the middle grades kids, which is fine. I recommend picking up the audiobook from the library or reading to the family. It just seems that maybe those slow parts would be a bit more interesting if read out loud.

Overall, it was a good book and I liked the book - it gets 4 stars.

Related Reviews:

The Lost Entwife's review

Ellipses of a... Middle Grades Author review

Wands and Worlds review

Other online resources:

Rick Riordan's website (includes a recommended reading list for kids)

Rick Riordan's blog

Percy Jackson and The Olympians US website

Percy Jackson and The Olympians UK website

Giveaway Registration:

International giveaway for the complete set of Percy Jackson and The Olympians

US giveaway for a pre-order copy of The Lost Hero, The Heroes of Olympus book #1