The Titan's Curse

Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Young Adult / Supernatural
Pages: 312
First Published: 2007
Series: 3rd book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (Read series in order!)
Series Order:

1. The Lightning Thief
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan's Curse
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
5. The Last Olympian

First Line: "The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school."

Synopsis: When Percy is summoned by his best friend and favourite satyr Grover to a private boarding school he, Thalia and Annabeth rush to Grover's side. They soon find out that it was a trap and in the melee Annabeth is kidnapped. When the teens return to Camp Halfblood they learn that the goddess Artemis has been kidnapped as well. If Artemis is not back to Mount Olympus by the winter solstice for the Olympian Council meeting her missing vote could greatly influence whether or not the gods begin a war with the Titans.

Before Percy can begin his quest to save Annabeth and Artemis he first has to figure out what creature Artemis was hunting before she was captured ... a creature so powerful that it could doom the gods forever. Percy and his friends set off on a journey with some unlikely allies in order to save Artemis and Annabeth. Along the way they meet various monsters from mythology whose goal is to stop them at all costs.


My Thoughts: Once again Riordan gives his readers an action-packed read full of great mythical creatures and infamous gods. This book is great for it's intended 9-12 year old audience ... and/or for people slightly older (say in their 30's) who want to relive some of the Greek mythology they learned 'way back when'. I cannot believe how much I'm remembering from a Greek Mythology course I took back in university!

That being said, if you're in the mood for a good, action-packed read with a hint of teen angst this is a great book to pick up. It's got a good, quirky sense of humour and I love the fact that Riordan puts in strong female characters. No weepy 'come save me' kind of women here. Artemis is a tough girl with her band of merry .... girls. ;) Annabeth, even though she was kidnapped, still holds her own in this book.

Lots of new characters, including the manticore, Artemis and her hunters and the infamous Atlas. Add on the silly humour, some mystery and a bit of a budding romance and you've got an interesting and entertaining read.

I highly recommend reading this series and I especially recommend getting this series to kick start your kids into their summer reading. A wonderful series full of imagination.

My Rating: 4/5 stars