The Lightning Thief {book review}

This book in six words : A new spin on old myths.

Almost a year ago while visiting my family in Florida, my younger cousin told me how much he loved The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I said I would check it out when I got home…. and forgot about it completely. Fast forward a few months and my TV is blowing up with previews for the movie based on book. I’m a pusher of reading the book before seeing the movie so I finally picked up a copy.

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school…again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. – via Amazon.com

I was little worried about the comparisons to Harry Potter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a HUGE HP fan. I just didn’t want to read the same story over again. This is not like Harry Potter. Yes, it’s the same age-range. Percy deals with finding out he’s something other than just human. And there are the family issues. That ends the similarity (in my opinion).

I wasn’t sure if I would like Percy as a narrator. However, I grew fond of the little half-blood and his version of the story often made me smile. The story is packed with action, tension, friendships, disappointment, treachery, and growing-up. There are enough characters to keep you interested. Some of them you may have heard of if your a Greek myth fan like myself. However, you’ll get to learn a little more personal details about your favorite gods.

I’d recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, Greek mythology, anyone trying to get a child to read, and those looking for a fun, easy read. I will definitely be looking for the rest of the series and will let you know what I think about the movie adaption (as soon as my dad finishes the book so we can go see it).