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The Sea of Monsters

Book 2 in the series:Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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In the second book of the Percy Jackson series, titled 'The Sea of Monsters', Percy Jackson, a demigod and son of Poseidon, embarks on a quest to save his friend Grover, the satyr, from a Cyclops. Along the way, Percy must find the Golden Fleece to save Camp Half Blood from the forces of evil amassing an army of monsters. The book is described as a rollicking adventure filled with action, humor, and Greek mythology woven into the modern world.

The plot of 'The Sea of Monsters' is fast-paced and focused on a single quest, introducing new characters like Tyson, Percy's half-brother, and providing more backstory for existing characters like Annabeth. The writing style is noted to be engaging, with high adventure well-executed, maintaining the flow from the first book in the series and keeping readers entertained with humor and unpredictability.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Percy learning about family, loyalty, and friendship, while new characters like Tyson are introduced to enhance the story.

Writing/Prose:

Riordan's writing style is humorous, engaging, and suitable for a younger audience, with a first-person narrative that allows for a deeper connection with Percy.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Percy's quest to save Camp Half Blood, which is under threat due to a poisoned tree, as he seeks to rescue his friend Grover and retrieve the Golden Fleece, with the help of his friends.

Setting:

The setting alternates between Camp Half Blood and the Sea of Monsters, integrating real-world locations with mythological elements.

Pacing:

The pacing of the story is quick and action-driven, maintaining high engagement throughout the novel.
I was standing on a deserted street in some little beach town. It was the middle of the night. A storm was blowing. Wind and rain ripped at the palm trees along the sidewalk. Pink and yellow stucco bu...

Notes:

Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon, a Greek god.
In this book, Percy discovers Tyson is his half-brother and a Cyclops.
The Sea of Monsters is also known as the Bermuda Triangle.
Thalia's tree protects Camp Half Blood but is poisoned in this book.
To save the camp, Percy must retrieve the Golden Fleece.
Percy and Annabeth go on an unauthorized quest to save their friend Grover.
The book includes many references to Greek mythology, notably the Cyclops Polyphemus.
Tyson is portrayed as kind and loyal despite his size and strength.
The story incorporates themes of loyalty, family, and acceptance of differences.
This book ends on a surprising cliffhanger, introducing significant future plot developments.

From The Publisher:

After a year spent trying to prevent a catastropic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson-a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.

But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters-the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia-only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name…the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends-Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson-must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family-one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

Ratings (190)

Incredible (55)
Loved It (84)
Liked It (36)
It Was OK (13)
Did Not Like (2)

Reader Stats (247):

Read It (223)
Want To Read (17)
Not Interested (7)

4 comment(s)

Loved It
2 months

Total: 4.75

Characters:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In my personal opinion, the second book is where this whole series really started to pick up steam. The first book is good. Not great, but good. This one isn't great either but he really starts to dig into what the series is really about. The two dimensional characters from the first book really start to get fleshed out. Percy isn't perfect, he cares very deeply about what people think of him. The interactions he has with one particular character show how he's not mature enough in the beginning to realize that the people you care about and the people that care about you are the only people you need to worry about keeping happy. We even see some depth from characters like Clarisse. It's a glimpse into the way Riordan takes these characters going forward and really brings them to life on the page in future stories.

Worldbuilding:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is probably the part of the series that makes the series so well known. The Greek mythology blending in with the modern world. There's probably not a lot to be said on this subject that hasn't been said a thousand times. It's good, as always. I particularly like bit relating to food and retail chains growing. Very creative.

Plot:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The plot is good. I actually find it to be a really well contained story. I certainly liked the very unusual start of the quest as opposed to just repeating how the quest started from book one. The characters and worldbuilding are definitely the bread and butter of this series but Riordan does a great job of keeping the each story interesting and giving them things to do that don't just feel like rehashing old problems.

Writing:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The writing continues to improve, but I still argue that it shows a really significant increase later. My main complaint with the writing is the same as the first book, in that some sections just feel incredibly rushed. There's one particular spot in this story where the heroes are sidetracked by another familiar mythological baddie. It's so painfully short and irrelevant to the rest of the story that it could have been axed and no one would have ever known the difference. Sometimes the story suffers from having too much shoved into too few pages.

 
It Was OK
3 months

No Comments :)

(because of gadgets)

 
Loved It
3 months

This book series is great! So much fun and legitimately funny, great pacing, fun little adventure stories and a unique way to learn more about Greek mythology. I loved the introduction of the new character, Tyson, a baby cyclops!!

 
Incredible
10 months

Has to be my favorite book of the series

 

About the Author:

Rick Riordan is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and the Heroes of Olympus series for children and the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. For fifteen years, Riordan taught English and history at public and…

 
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