The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 4.
My review of The Lightning Thief - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 1 can be found here
My review of The Sea of Monsters - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 2 can be found here
My review of The Titan's Curse - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 3 can be found here
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Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do.
As the son of a Greek God, I've had my share of near-death disaster. This summer, I didn't choose to battle the cheerleading squad, but when two hissing she-devils with fangs are heading straight for you, what's a half-blood meant to do?
That was just the beginning. This is the one where my arch-enemy Luke, is looking for a way to invade our camp via an ancient labyrinth. If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So it's goodbye sunshine, hello darkness as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond...
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It's still good entertainment, but it's also just getting a bit worn. The amount of things these kids manage to get themselves into and out of again is staggering, and even though this book is definitely darker than the rest it's still just a bit too much of a Disney fairytale. It also bugs me a bit that this great evil labyrinth which they make such a big fuss about is just a series of corridors really. Yes they get into a whole lot of trouble, but it's never truly the labyrinth out to get them, it's everybody else who happens to be down there or manning the exits.
The characters are pretty much at a standstill. We know who they are and this book is all about action. One main plot and a dozen sub-plots taking them out on short-cuts, detours and roundabouts. Percy is of course the main character, but equally important as always is Annabeth, Tyson and Grover, and new additions feature Rachel and Nico. The latter I'd love to learn more about as he seems genuinely interesting compared to Annabeth, who's just been stuffed full of all the stereotypical heroine ideals - strong, clever, broken heart, needs saving, etc.
I don't really know how to describe this book other than it's a good read all in all. I think it's easiest to compare it to some random cartoon on Disney Channel. It's something you'll watch while passing the time waiting for the more serious stuff and you'll find you rather enjoy it. The series as a whole is definitely worth a read, but now I'm also looking forward to reading the fifth and final book so I can put it behind me.
My review of The Lightning Thief - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 1 can be found here
My review of The Sea of Monsters - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 2 can be found here
My review of The Titan's Curse - Percy Jackson and the Olympians, book 3 can be found here
Honestly, blowing up another school was the last thing I wanted to do.
As the son of a Greek God, I've had my share of near-death disaster. This summer, I didn't choose to battle the cheerleading squad, but when two hissing she-devils with fangs are heading straight for you, what's a half-blood meant to do?
That was just the beginning. This is the one where my arch-enemy Luke, is looking for a way to invade our camp via an ancient labyrinth. If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack. So it's goodbye sunshine, hello darkness as four of us descend into the terrifying underground and beyond...
----------
It's still good entertainment, but it's also just getting a bit worn. The amount of things these kids manage to get themselves into and out of again is staggering, and even though this book is definitely darker than the rest it's still just a bit too much of a Disney fairytale. It also bugs me a bit that this great evil labyrinth which they make such a big fuss about is just a series of corridors really. Yes they get into a whole lot of trouble, but it's never truly the labyrinth out to get them, it's everybody else who happens to be down there or manning the exits.
The characters are pretty much at a standstill. We know who they are and this book is all about action. One main plot and a dozen sub-plots taking them out on short-cuts, detours and roundabouts. Percy is of course the main character, but equally important as always is Annabeth, Tyson and Grover, and new additions feature Rachel and Nico. The latter I'd love to learn more about as he seems genuinely interesting compared to Annabeth, who's just been stuffed full of all the stereotypical heroine ideals - strong, clever, broken heart, needs saving, etc.
I don't really know how to describe this book other than it's a good read all in all. I think it's easiest to compare it to some random cartoon on Disney Channel. It's something you'll watch while passing the time waiting for the more serious stuff and you'll find you rather enjoy it. The series as a whole is definitely worth a read, but now I'm also looking forward to reading the fifth and final book so I can put it behind me.
342 pages / published in 2008
Review by Iben Jakobsen, BoB, 2011
Review by Iben Jakobsen, BoB, 2011
I've read the first three of this series, and while I've loved them (the irreverent humour is my kind of thing) I agree that they are a little bit light and Disney. I've also read the first book of the Kane Chronicles which was much more developed and I really liked that too. I do intend to read the rest of this series, but with so many books to read I just haven't got to them yet!!
SvarSlet@mummazappa - :) I know just what you mean ^_^
SvarSlet