Review Detail

The Titan’s Curse raises the stakes, the tension and the adventure by a tenfold. I could not tear my eyes away from the page to save my life.

The third novel in the Percy Jackson series picks up a few months after the conclusion of The Sea of Monsters. Thalia has been resurrected due to the healing powers of the Golden Fleece and she, Annabeth and Percy are on a quest to find and protect two suspected half-bloods, Bianca and Nico di Angelo. But the routine mission goes wrong, and Annabeth is kidnapped by Luke’s forces. Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, goes searching for a mysterious creature who Luke has recruited, but disappears. Percy is sure the two events are connected and the camp Oracle gives a furtive prophecy and quest which foretells the death and doom of several demi-gods as well as Artemis’ hunters. Percy, who is not invited on the quest, secretly tags along in order to find and protect Annabeth. What Percy and his friends discover is even more frightening than they had imagined.

Rick Riordan’s books just get better and better with each novel. The plot of The Titan’s Curse was astounding and left me perched on the edge of my seat. Percy had been plagued by dreams which were actually events he was watching as they occurred. Sometimes, this technique where the protagonist dreams important information could get a little dry as Percy’s dreams are not really explained, they just happen. I always just assumed Percy’s prophetic dreams were an extension from his powers from his father, Poseidon, but Riordan never elaborates on it. Despite the very obvious dreams, Percy, of course, is too dense to understand them. Once the dreams’ meanings were revealed, I almost threw the book at the wall. The last few chapters of the book were panic-inducing and so mind-blowing.

I should explain my comment about Percy: while he is a great protagonist and so funny and heroic, he reminds me a lot of Harry Potter. Harry is without-a-doubt the most ignorant and slow-witted character in middle-grade fiction in that he has absolutely no clue as to what is happening before it is too late. Many fans and readers even make jokes about Harry’s terrible perceptibility. Percy’s mannerisms and personality evoke Harry. Percy is still a wonderful character, and on the fast-track to becoming a favourite of mine, but Zeus, that boy can be dumb.

In The Titan’s Curse, we are introduced to two more Olympian gods, Apollo and Artemis, who were fantastic additions to an already incredible ensemble. Apollo was so hysterical; I laughed so hard at his jokes and haikus that I had stitches at my sides. I’m really excited to learn more about him in his own series, The Trials of Apollo. Artemis, who has always been my favourite Greek goddess, was a remarkable character. I loved her wit, personality and strength. I was particularly intrigued by her decision to present herself as a twelve year-old girl. Artemis’ Hunters were also phenomenal and fierce. I’m so thankful that Riordan included them in the novel. I always love reading about young girls who are strong and capable, performing such amazing feats.

The Tiran’s Curse was a fast-paced adventure-fuelled novel that I could not put down. The world-building increased and improved, the characters were marvellous and the central villain is getting closer to rising once more.