"The Lightning Thief" (2005) by Rick Riordan REVIEW

Here's how it went down: boy finds book, boy reads book, boy falls in love with book, boy finds out book is a series, boy reads entire series, boy continues onto spin-off series, final book in spin-off series is released, and boy decides to reread the entire series before reading the finale. Yes, this is my second time reading this book, and I rarely read books a second time.

Twelve year old Percy Jackson is struggling to make things right in his life. He's got dyslexia and ADHD, causing him problems when studying for school. At home, he's got to deal with his idiot of a stepfather. Oh, and monsters that seem similar to his Greek Mythology homework are appearing and coming after him. The only thing good in his life that he never wants to let go is his loving mother. However, when Percy and his mother take a trip to the beach, they are soon chased by another monster from the Greek myths. The monster kills his mother, and Percy barely makes it alive to a special camp for people like him, a camp called Camp Half-Blood. There Percy discovers he's not actually normal, but instead he is half human and half god and the Greek myths are real. All too soon, though, Zeus, god of the skies, blames Percy for the disappearance of his relic, the master bolt. To prove his innocence and bring balance to Olympus, Percy must embark on a quest with best friends Grover and Annabeth to find the master bolt, find the friend who will betray him, and come to terms with the father that left him.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1: The Lightning Thief is easily one of my favorite books. The writing flows together nicely, the pacing is fast and gripping, and, being told through the eyes of sarcastic Percy Jackson, the narrative is hilarious. Rick Riordan perfectly blends Greek mythology with the modern world, even including pop culture references for comedic effect at the perfect moments. The action sequences are detailed and fast, making sure you don't want to put the book down. Also, in my opinion, this book has one of the most satisfying conclusions I have read.

With a great concept, plot, writing, and characters, this first installment to the Percy Jackson series is a must read to not only its target audience (8-12 year olds), but for everyone of all ages! Seriously, this is one of my top picks in children's literature. It's a shame that the movies don't want to follow them.

5/5 Stars

You can order the boxed set of the series from Amazon right here!

Comments

"Need for Speed" (2014) REVIEW

I know I'm not the only one who thought this movie was going to be a flop. I mean, not only is it a high-speed street racing movie, but it's also a videogame movie. Still, I gave it a shot, but mostly for the D-Box experience. Even with the earnings from winning illegal street races, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) is still unable to keep his auto repair shop from his father open. For a chance to get $500,000, Tobey takes an offer from his street racing rival and successful car dealer Dino Brewster (Domonic Cooper) to finish building the Ford Mustang that Caroll Shelby was working on when he died. After building the car and selling it without Dino's consent, Dino challenges Tobey and Tobey's friend, Pete, to a street race for the money. Nearing the end of the race, desperate for revenge, Dino pushes Pete over a bridge and drives away, leaving Tobey to be blamed for vehicular manslaughter. Two years later, fresh out of prison, Tobey seeks out to knock Dino off his p...

Books on Film by Black Authors

There's no real order to this list, nor can I guarantee which ones are worth reading or not. However, the quality of the books are not the point, but rather we should lend these voices our eyes, ears, and time, giving them a stronger voice than they would have had without at least mentioning them. Titles link to the Goodreads page for the specific book and additional links will be listed to buy the book from Barnes & Noble and/or Thriftbooks (non-affiliated). Don't forget to see if your local bookstore might have these in stock! Missing your favorite? Tweet me @AuthorKLau and I'll update the article! Independent Visions: A Critical Introduction to Recent Independent American Film by Donald Lyon Far from the big money movie machine of Hollywood lies the cutting-edge, artistically fresh world of American independent film. These independent filmmakers, working outside the formulas and constraints of the big studios, produce today’s most exciting and innovative movies. In ...

Blue Beetle Rebirth Vol. 1: The More Things Change (Rebirth #1, #1-#6)

2/5 Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle has interested me and been on my reading list for a while. When I first discovered the character watching Batman: The Brave and the Bold , seeing Jaime as a relatable teen arguing with the sentient suit that gives him his powers, his New 52 line had already been cancelled. Then Geoff Johns wrote Rebirth and added a little scene with Jaime Reyes that I thought was both very interesting and promising. In short, Keith Giffen doesn't deliver in this volume until issue #6, where he kind of gives a small splice of what the series could be. Getting the obvious out of the way, the dialogue here is absolutely horrible. I tell myself it feels like a first draft, but then there are moments of repetition and sentences upon sentences of nothing going on. By then, it feels more like a very bloated outline with the characters speaking mostly hot air. The dialogue here isn't flat, it's completely empty. This, in turn, makes all the charac...

Kevin Lau

Search This Blog