The first time I got to know Percy Jackson, I was still in high school. I found out that my school library had the first five books in their neat though nearly untouched collection—quite the irony. Who was I to let such a gem go wasted and dusty, I ask? Soon enough, you could see my nose buried in each book, and it was exactly the encouragement my mom needed to do the same.
As they say, good books come and go. As much as I loved Percy and Camp Half Blood, the inkling of rereading this series had never crossed my mind once I graduated. It was not until two years ago that I stumbled upon an online friend selling their beloved collection. Without much thought, I told her that I was interested to make a purchase, and friends, do blame me for only rereading it now.
Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief is the first book in Rick Riordan's demigods' world following a twelve-year-old boy named Perseus Jackson who has trouble fitting in at school. Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, the best Percy could score in school is D, but everything changes when his pre-algebra teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him.
It is only then that every weird thing seems to click into place. His mother finally sends him to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (half-man, half-god), where he finds out that he is a son of Poseidon, and there is a super dangerous quest waiting for him or else a big war would happen between the gods of the Olympus.
While I could remember fragments of Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief, I had honestly forgotten the rest of it, and so my rereading experience felt a lot like the first time. Albeit the prior had been as good as a blur, as I closed this book, I thought to myself how 'different' the experience seemed to be this time. Some aspects hit differently now that I matured. I became more aware of the little things too.
It seemed like our main character had everything come to him quite easily: no intensive training to master a difficult sword technique, and no struggle controlling the water at all. It was all fine by me though as the other aspects had made up for it: the exciting journey Percy had to go through, the badass Annabeth, and a genius touch of Greek mythology in a well-structured plot.
I could go on and on with my review, but let me make it short: I still have the other four books to finish, and I wouldn't want to spoil anything fun in case you haven't read it yet. In conclusion, I would recommend Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief for fellow middle-grade book lovers, either for a read or a reread. If you think middle-grade is not your cup of tea, this book might be an opening for your new interest, so why not try it yourself?
Actual rating: 4.5★
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