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Series I'm Obsessed With: Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

Binge Worthy Book Series

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I thought I'd do a series of blog posts about the book series I'm obsessed with. These are the books that had me hooked from the first to the last in the series. My fan-girl books. The book series I recommend to anyone and everyone that will listen to me. The book series I adore.

Why I Love The Percy Jackson Series

To kick things off I thought I'd start with the Percy Jackson series. Everyone that knows me knows how much I love this series. I practically binge read all five books and elevated my fan-girl status with each one.

Warning some small spoilers ahead for those of you that haven't read the series yet.

Reasons why I love the Percy Jackson series:

1) Greek mythology

I find Greek mythology fascinating. Gods, Demi-Gods, Heroic quests... Not to mention all those fantastic mythological creatures. I mean come on, Blackjack is awesome. Who wouldn't want to go for a ride on Pegasus?

The novels frequently allude to Greek mythology throughout. Percy's journey as he undergoes his quest in fact has similarities with other Greek heroes. For example Hercules.

2) Cheering for the under dog

I always like books where I feel like I want to the under dog to win. Percy Jackson is one of those. Percy starts out as a troubled kid. He struggles at school, has problems at home with his step-father, never knew his real father, and he's never really had any friends for longer than a few months.

It's great seeing him grow through his adventures. The fact that he begins in such a mess, and that he makes mistakes along the way, just makes you root for him all the more.

3) Great characters

This series has so many great characters, and I'm not just talking about the main characters either. Even characters that appear for just a short period of time leave their mark.

Book Series I'm Obsessed With: Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

There are a lot of antagonists in this series but they are all very different from each other. Kronos is all bad and that makes him such a powerful adversary to beat. I personally preferred Luke though. Luke makes a particularly good villain as he has those "grey" qualities that make him seem more real.

There are plenty of heroes in these books too. It's not just Percy Jackson. I loved how varied the other heroes were. Nico, for example, is very different from the more standard heroes but plays an important role towards the end of the story.

4) Consistently good

Sometimes you discover a series of books and fall in love with the first one. You read the second and that's good too, but then you read the third, or fourth and feel a little let down. It's hard to find a series that makes you want to give 5 stars to every single book. Percy Jackson is one of those series. I loved every book in this series and when I got to the end I felt sad that it was over. I still wanted more.

5) Good for all ages

I'm 38 and loved reading these books. My eldest son is 11 and he enjoyed them too. My 7 year old, although he hasn't read the series himself yet, enjoyed listening to us read parts of it and joined in discussing it with us.

6) Empowering Differences

I love how ADHD and dyslexia (often seen as disabilities), are actually the result of being descended from gods. It attacks the stigma around these conditions by showing that people with these characteristics can be heroes, and that these differences need not always be negative. That definitely gets two thumbs up from me.

7) Camp Half-Blood

Camp Half-Blood sounds amazing. Sure some of the activities are just plain dangerous, but at the they all sound exciting. Obstacle courses, sword fighting, mythological creatures to chat with... and what about that private beach and the strawberry fields? Not to mention the food! What could be better than just thinking of what you want to drink and magically getting it? Those dining pavilion goblets sound awesome!

Athena's cabin sounds great with it's library and cupboards filled with materials to build things. If you could mix it with the sea views of Poseiden's cabin it would be heaven.

My Favourite Characters:

Grover Underwood - Usually upbeat and cheerful, Grover proves numerous times what a great friend he is.

As a satyr he has cool abilities like; woodland magic (which he can use to heal, control plants, and sometimes animals), the power to create empathy links, and the panic cry to name a few.

I loved his relationship with Juniper the wood nymph. They seemed to really care about each other.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare - Rachel is human but can see through the mist. I have to confess I was team Rachel pretty much from her first appearance at the Hoover Dam, and I was so pleased to see her take on a bigger role later on.

Rachel is brave, probably even more so than most of the other heroes in the books. She's not a Demi-God and doesn't have any special abilities in the beginning (other than seeing through the mist) but that doesn't stop her from fighting the baddies and helping her new friends even though she doesn't fully understand what is happening. She also makes a huge sacrifice in the end for the greater good.

Sally Jackson - I love that Sally would make Percy blue food, and that she told him his dad was "lost at sea" instead of saying he was dead. She didn't lie to him (she just couldn't be completely truthful about what happened).

I love that she's such a positive parent role model though out the series. Often this isn't the case in YA books. She even married abusive Gabe just to keep Percy safe.

She's brave and tough on so many levels throughout the whole series, and incredibly understanding. As Percy puts it "she's the best mum in the world".

She also showed just how bad-ass she is by fighting in the battle of Manhattan against the giants.

Some of My Favourite Quotes:

“My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room.” Percy, Chapter 3, pg. 36, The Lightning Thief

This is the first time we're introduced to Percy's mother and it perfectly shows how important she is to him, and sets the stage for their relationship. I love what a positive figure his mum is through out the series.

“A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?” Ares, Chapter 15, pg. 235, The Lightning Thief

Percy is desperate to prove his worth throughout the series. Certain characters, like Ares here, know this and use it to manipulate him. Percy's feelings of self doubt get him into trouble along the way, but they are also a source of motivation for him. It's one of the things that makes his character so relatable and inspiring.

“No gift comes without a price.” Annabeth, Chapter 17, pg. 283, The Lightning Thief

This quote shows that Annabeth inherited her mother's wisdom, and that everyone pays for the gifts they receive in some way.

"The Cyclops was an even more horrible sight than he had been in my dreams. Partly because his rancid smell was now up close and personal. Partly because he was dressed in his wedding outfit—a crude kilt and shoulder-wrap, stitched together from baby-blue tuxedos, as if he'd skinned an entire wedding party." Percy Jackson, The Sea of Monsters

This is just one of the moments in this series that shows something terrifying and yet also funny due to it's ridiculousness. I love how humour is used throughout the series. It creates a great balance with all the heavy themes, and serious events that take place.

“Love conquers all," Aphrodite promised. "Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?""Didn't they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?""Pfft. That's not the point. Follow your heart.” Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Lessons in love...

“People are more difficult to work with than machines. And when you break a person, he can't be fixed.” Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth

Simple truth. I love this quote.

“Remake the wild, a little at a time, each in your own corner of the world. You cannot wait for anyone else, even a god, to do that for you.” Percy Jackson and The Battle of the Labyrinth

This is from a moving scene with the Pan. There are lots of lessons about global warming, pollution etc but this quote sums up nicely how we can all help to make the world a better place, and do our bit for nature.

“She looked at me, like she was drinking in the fact that I was still here. And I realized I was doing the same thing. The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me was that she was alive.” Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

There are so many life lessons in this series. It's a real journey of discovery. One of the things I liked most was how the characters realise how important they are for each other. Whether it's watching each others backs in battle or just in life in general.