Review: The Battle of The Labyrinth (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #4) by Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth

by Rick Riordan

Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4

Source: Purchased

Book Summary:

Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears on campus, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse.
In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos’s army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth – a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

The book opens perfectly, with picked up threads and demon cheerleaders (but PLEASE, fantasy writers everywhere, I implore you, can I kindly get a portrayal of the Goddess Hecate that is NOT negative? Goddess of Magic and Queen of Witches need not automatically equal “bad guy”.)

*rant over. we now return to your regularly scheduled review*

[Edit: Since writing this review, I’ve read subsequent Riordan books in which Hecate gets a proper representation. Yay!]

 
Then we get to camp half blood, and THIS happens:

“You are okay?” he asked. “Not eaten by monsters?”
“Not even a little bit.” I showed him that I still had both arms and both legs, and Tyson clapped happily.
“Yay!” he said. “Now we can eat peanut butter sandwiches and ride fish ponies! We can fight monsters and see Annabeth and make things go BOOM!”
I hoped he didn’t mean all at the same time, but I told him absolutely, we’d have a lot of fun this summer.”

TYSON! Tyson is amazing. Possibly even as amazing as fish ponies.

We get to go into the Labyrinth! I want one. Okay, so it’s super-dangerous, full of monsters, nearly impossible to navigate and makes you go crazy? So what! It connects the whole country and has crazy adventures around every corner.

Annabeth finally gets to lead a quest! Against tradition, she chooses three, not two companions. Percy, Tyson and Grover. Tyson and Grover are both kind of scared of each other, which I found rather adorable. Inevitably they have to learn to work together and mutual respect develops, and it is a nice process to watch unfold. It felt like everyone really grew in this installment. Especially Grover.

Nico is freaking amazing. He got such a raw deal, but he’s so likable and such a bad-ass. I love how much of a presence he has in this book, his personal story-arc. Awesomeness.

Things are rather frenzied (in a good way!) in the Labyrinth. More Gods are met (excellent!), monsters are fought, volcanoes explode…oops, getting ahead of myself. It is neat how they go in and out of the Labyrinth as it transects the country. And eventually they go back in with…

Rachel: You’re a half-blood, too?
Annabeth: Shhh! Just announce it to the world, how about?
Rachel: Okay. Hey, everybody! These two aren’t human! They’re half Greek god!

(Naturally, in NYC, no one bats an eyelash.)

Rachel is great. A mortal who holds her own, and is just an intriguing character in herself. She bothers me as a potential love interest, and the fact that she and Annabeth don’t get along (while understandable) and that her presence causes friction between Percy and Annabeth (also understandable) makes me sad. I hated to see Percy and Annabeth at odds.

The ending was intense. Really sets the stage for what’s to come.

Grabby Paws: The Blood of Olympus & Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan

“Grabby Paws” is my version of the Waiting on Wednesday meme hosted by Breaking The Spine that highlights upcoming releases that I can’t wait to get my paws on. 🙂

Today I have grabby paws for…

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they’re stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it “might” be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea’s army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Why I have grabby paws…

I think that’s the Australian edition cover, but I like it better than the US cover so I picked it to use for this post. Because why not? Weird, because all through the series I’ve preferred the US covers. But I like how this one has all of the demigods on the cover. Anyway, I wouldn’t care even if the cover was hideous, I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK. I don’t want the series to end (NEVER!), but I need to know what happens! I need more Percy and Nico and Leo. All the demigods really. I’m going to miss them so much. *cries*

Releases October 7th

I also have grabby paws for…

A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, Can we do this anonymously? Because I don’t need the Olympians mad at me again. But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.

So begins Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic–and sarcastic asides–to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who’s who of ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. “If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that.”

Dramatic full-color illustrations throughout by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco make this volume–a must for home, library, and classroom shelves–as stunning as it is entertaining.

Why I have Grabby Paws…

Well of course I always want more Percy Jackson, and I love the classic Greek myths. I like that this gives a way for us to see some of the myths we haven’t seen yet (Riordan has managed to squeeze in TONS of course, but there are just so many). I’ve been curious since The Lighting Thief about which version of the Greek creation myth the series follows. Plus, the illustrations look lovely. THIS cover I’m all about. I’ve already got this one preordered.

Releases August 19th

Book Tour: Prophecy of the Most Beautiful (Oracle of Delphi #1) Guest Post + Giveaway!

Prophecy of the Most Beautiful 

(Oracle of Delphi #1)

by Diantha Jones 

Release Date: 03/01/12

She has a destiny so great that even the gods fear her.

Constant hallucinations and the frequent conversations with the voices in her head, have earned eighteen-year-old Chloe Clever the not-so-coveted title of “Whack Job” in her home town of Adel, Georgia. Fed up with prescription meds and therapists, she wishes for a life where she is destined to be more than the butt of everyone’s jokes and mockery.

Be careful what you wish for has never rung more true.

After a vicious attack and learning that her favorite rockstar is an Olympian god, she is thrust into her new life as the Oracle of Delphi, the prophesier of the future. Setting out to fulfill the prophecy she has been given, Chloe learns of how great she is to become, all the while fighting mythical monsters and trying to outwit the ever-cunning Greek gods who harbor secrets of their own. While on a mission to discover the Most Beautiful, she strives to uncover the mysteries of the demigod Prince who has sworn to protect her with his life…and threatens to win her heart in the process.

 

Wrangling the Myths: How I Did It

 

I didn’t really. Wrangle the myths, that is.

 

Greek mythology is so massive, it would take a lifetime to learn everything. Even then, I bet there’d be something you missed. It’s an impossible thing to take on. I’ve studied the myths for the past four years and still feel like a fish out of water at times. There’s just so much of it, so many interpretations, that in the end it all boils down to which tall tale you choose to believe.

 

When researching the myths for my Oracle of Delphi series, I started with…duh, the Oracle. That was easy enough, I guess. Then I moved on to the Olympians. That went well too…at first. Then I realized there was so much more to the big twelve than I had ever known. They are each the god of at least ten different things. They’ve also got a beast or two that is attributed to them, plus plants and other symbols. And let’s not start with the love interests! Out of control, I tell you.

 

But I didn’t stop there. To understand the ways of the Olympians, I had to also study the Titans (Kronos, Rhea, Hyperion, etc.) and the gods of the Cosmos (Uranus, Gaia, Nyx, etc.). Then came the myths themselves. My favorite is the story of Cupid and Psyche and how their romance came to be. But there are other cool myths as well, such as the quest of Jason & the Argonauts, and the twelve labors of Hercules, both which are important to the Oracle of Delphi series.

 

Then there are all of the minor gods and demigods who played major roles in Greek mythology. Really ya’ll…it’s a lot, but not for a moment have I ever felt bored with it. It’s all such exciting stuff! Each time I open one of my books or bring up a website, I’m excited wondering what new, amazing myth I’m going to discover. So have I conquered the Greek myths? Not even close. But I’m sure having a blast trying.

 Diantha Jones was born the day thousands of turkeys sacrificed their lives to fill millions of American bellies on November 22 which also happened to be Thanksgiving Day (Her mother says she owes her a turkey). She is a Journalism graduate who wants to be a career novelist (of books, not Facebook posts). When not writing or working, she is reading on her Nook, being hypnotized by Netflix or on a mission to procure french fries.

The Oracle of Delphi fantasy series is her first series. She is also the author of Mythos: Stories from Olympus, a companion series, and there is another fantasy series in the works. She also writes (new) adult fantasy/paranormal romance under the name A. Star.

 

Author Links:

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