Review by an 11 year old 2010-08-26

Reviewer:

WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS
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Percy Jackson is finally on his last day of school. If he can make it through today without creating a minor explosion, or vaporizing a teacher, this will be his first completed school year. Percy had never completed a school year without being expeled. Freak accidents always seem to follow him, accidents involving horrific scenes of ancient greek monsters that only he can see. Monsters follow him wherever he goes because Percy isn't a ordinary guy. He is a half blood, half god and half human. To half bloods, the only haven in a world full of monster is Camp Half Blood. So, when Percy is attacked by 8ft tall cannibals, and is accused of the crime of blowing up the school building, he and his two friends, Annebeth (a demigod daughter of Athena) and Tyson (a young, homeless cyclops who saved Percy multiple times durring the attack on the school), rush off to Camp Half Blood only to find it in chaos. The boundaries have been injured when Thalias tree was poisoned. A quest will have to be authorized to find the golden fleece that will heal Thalias tree and restore the poisoned boundaries of the camp. But will Percy be given the quest? And if not what will he do? Will he stay in Camp Half Blood while the events unfold? Or sneak off and risk exile from the Camp?

I don't think Riordan could have done a better job on a sequel to the Lightning Thief than what he wove together with The Sea of Monsters. I liked it even more than the first.

Hilarious second book in the series 2010-08-18

Reviewer: dirtjarproductions

Of course after reading The Lightning Thief I had to get this book immediately to satisfy the curiosity of what happens next. The Sea of Monsters is hands down the funniest story of the series. The combination of the characters Dionysus, Tantalus, Tyson, Grover and situations in the camp and on their adventure create humor that made me laugh hysterically the first time I read it. Tantalus is my favorite character simply for how the author weaves his backstory and resulting character in the book.

The Sea of Monsters is pure entertainment. It felt like The Odyssey in some places but still remained original enough to keep my attention, which is always important. The story ends on a cliff hanger which is frustrating but only gives you that desire to read the next book.

Again, I recommend reading this book to anyone with a love for adventure stories. Excellent work Mr. Riordan.

Sequel Slump 2010-08-17

Reviewer: Worcester

*NOTE: There are spoilers peppered throughout this review*

The Sea of Monsters lacks the originality and cleverness of its predecessor, The Lightning Thief.

Many twists in the plot that were utilized in the first book were repeated in this sequel. In The Lightning Thief, Medusa's lair and the Lotus Casino lured the heroes into a trap through the temptations of food, fun, etc. This same plot point was reiterated with CC's island. How many times must we endure the heroes falling for the same trap, time after time after time? This repeated lack of common sense is out of character and it makes the heroes look idiotic.

The plot of The Sea of Monsters was also too simplistic. I enjoy the modern twist given to Greek mythology in this series, but The Sea of Monsters blatantly mimics Odysseus's travels and confrontation with Polyphemus, making the plot highly predictable and uninteresting.

That aside, there were many parts of The Sea of Monsters that I greatly enjoyed. To be brief:
-Annabeth's reaction to the Sirens' song (potential foreshadowing?).
-Cliffhanger: Thalia emerging from the tree
-Grover's dialogue with Polyphemus

Overall, The Sea of Monsters was a quick, forgettable read. Hopefully the third book in the series will have some fresh ideas.

Just as good as the book 2010-08-14

Reviewer: C. Moore

I am a big fan of the audiobooks. I love to read but its nice to have a book while driving in the car. Percy Jackson is great to listen to and lets the story unfold before you.

"Families are Messy. Immortal Families are Eternally Messy..." 2010-08-14

Reviewer: R. M. Fisher

Truth be told, I wasn't hugely impressed with the first Percy Jackson book: The Lightning Thief. It was entertaining, yes, but somewhat convoluted, derivative and predictable. Well, with "Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters," I take it all back. With a more rewarding plot, stronger characterization, and smoother pacing, the second book in the five-part series is an improvement in every respect.

Percy Jackson has recently discovered that his missing father is none other than the sea god Poisedon, and as a demi-god he is constantly under threat from various Greek monsters that still roam the earth. Enrolled at a summer camp for training half-bloods, Percy's last adventure involved (among many other things) coming to terms with his parentage, learning about the powers he possesses, making friends with Grover and Annabeth (a satyr and the daughter of Athena, respectively) and learning about a plot to overthrow the gods.

It was a hectic, frantic, sprawling plot, but now that the characters and world have been introduced, the second book is on much firmer ground. There are less time-wasting side quests, and the characters are more comfortable with their powers, motivation, and relationships. The fact that most of the action takes place outside Camp Half-Blood means that there is less room for comparison with Harry Potter's Hogwarts (though the presence of a monstrous half-brother inevitably brings Hagrid and Grawp to mind). The villain's master-plan that bubbles below the surface of the hero's quest is far less convoluted (not to mention less obvious), and culminates in a genuinely clever twist. Essentially, there is just more time to *breath*.

After a deadly game of dodge-ball at his newest school and a series of troublesome dreams about Grover, Percy is whisked back to Half-Blood camp by Annabeth. There he finds the camp in chaos thanks to the poisoning of the great oak tree on its borders. It was once Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, who was turned into a tree after being fatally wounded. The tree protects the land around it, but now that she's dying, monsters are invading the camp and endangering the students housed there.

A plan is formed: to rescue Grover and retrieve the Golden Fleece (an object which will heal Thalia), and Percy and Annabeth sneak away with Percy's large-but-slow friend Tyson in tow, a character who ends up being more than what he seems. With a rival camper determined to beat them to it, and the reappearance of an old enemy on their tails, Percy and Annabeth have a legitimately nail-biting quest ahead of them. The story hurries along at a swift pace, with several cameo appearances from the gods, though frustratingly, the protagonists are *still* walking into obvious traps which only exist in order to introduce an updated version of a Greek monster.

Rick Riordan is clearly having a lot of fun updating certain aspects of Greek mythology and placing it into a contemporary setting. Some of these innovations are ingenious (having established that the gods' power moves with the centre of Western civilization, it makes perfect sense that the Sea of Monsters is in the Bermuda Triangle), some...not so much (apparently the reason that fast-food chains are so lucrative is because they're magically linked to the life force of a monster....or something).

Characters are improved though; Percy's first-person narrative is less annoying and Annabeth is less stand-offish. Grover is a little understated, but some interesting shades of grey have been mingled into Clarisse, the daughter of Ares, who was previously just a one-note bully. Now that the traitor of the last book has been unveiled, there is a personal element to the foe that the protagonists are facing, and although each book so far has a kidnapping/rescue mission (Percy's mother in the first, and by the looks of it, Annabeth in the third), the fact that we're already interested and invested in Percy's friendship with Grover means that the stakes are higher, something that wasn't particularly apparent when Sally Jackson was snatched. (Plus, there's always the chance that Grover could fall to the dead best friend cliché...)

All things considered, I think "Sea of Monsters" is a vast improvement on its predecessor. The plot is better structured and not as needlessly complex, and merging of Greek mythology and urban life is more successful, and the characters are more familiar (and therefore more likeable) this time around. I hope the trend continues for The Titan's Curse.