Book Title: The Titan’s Curse
Date of Publish: 1 May 2007
Publisher: Miramax Books
Author: Rick Riordan
This is a story consisting of fantasy and mystery. Adventure first kicked off when a young demi-god half Greek God, half human by the name of Percy Jackson was sent to retrieve two newly discovered half-bloods. However, fate had plenty more in store for Percy and his group of friends. He soon found himself tangled in a web of misfortunes, including a run-in with the Titan lord. However, all roads lead to one — rescuing his abducted best friend, Annabeth.
The author managed to illustrate the disposition of many characters well, not to mention crafting a plot which is unique on its own. This story effortlessly retains an aura of mystique and captured my attention from the very beginning. Every element included, such as the Ancient Greek deities and creatures helped bring the story to life.
However, the story would not have caught my eye right away if not for the characters. The most remarkable character to me was Thalia, the daughter of Zeus. She was one-of- a- kind— staunch, stubborn and daring, yet riddled with flaws. I appreciate how the author made an effort to build characters who were out of the norm, instead of fitting them into trite stereotypes.
The message conveyed in this story is neither straightforward nor easy to decipher, but all the same a significant lesson to learn. In the book, Percy releases an innocent looking creature into the wild, only to discover it to be the nemesis of demigods and gods alike with the potential to tear down Mount Olympus. This shows how things are not what they appear to be. However, another perspective is also brought forward when Percy defies the God’s vote to obliterate the creature out of trepidation. From this, we can see that anything or anyone built differently is ostracized, antagonized, and set apart from society. Many characters in this story, including Percy, deviate from “normal” social standards. The projection of unique characters in this book instead of common motifs can encourage young readers to understand different perspectives.
In general, this is a suspenseful and meaningful novel with a dash of horror for all ages. I highly recommend this book to you.