The second book of this series was actually significantly better than the first because it was better structured and had a more reasonable plot. The explanation of the Bermuda Triangle was cool, and I really liked Tyson's character (I think the third book was hindered by his absence). Overall, this book was stronger than the first, and my favorite of the first 3 books in the series. ( )

This is a 3.5 Star book because it really breaks no new ground following the first volume and really doesn't acknowledge that the MCs are a year older (the difference between 12 and 13 is not a tiny one).

"The Sea of Monsters" is charming, morally wise, above-average YA SFF. Just when Riordan seems to have settled into telling over-trodden tales, he unfolds a serving of elegant mindfulness, of moral dilemma for the main characters to face; the strengths of this book are clearly of that sort, since much of the book is quick-paced, action adventure. The introduction of and role played by the new character Tyson really anchors Percy's growth and forwards the overall narrative: well-played, Mr. Riordan! I find it interesting that, of the Olympians introduced so far, the most accessible and _likeable_ is Hermes; but then, maybe it is not so surprising that the god of messengers is fair at communicating. Avuncular Chiron is more present and richly portrayed throughout, given more to say. He offers Percy and us this tidbit in the final act:

"Monsters never die. They are reborn from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization . . . they must be defeated again and again, kept at bay." ( )

Eh, this was alright. I'd still call it a good book, but it's definitely the weakest entry in the series. It feels like a spin-off story, for the most part. I don't mind spin-offs, but, considering this is book 2 of 5 of the whole series, I expected a bit more. It's probably my fault that I wasn't a massive fan of this book.

Anyway, a lot of what I like about the first book is present here as well. The jokes aren't as strong as they are in the first book, but they're still decent. Riordan's writing style is extremely entertaining. He doesn't beat around the bush. He just gets straight to the point. As a result, these books have very good pacing. They rarely get boring.

I thought Percy and Annabeth got some great character development here. Percy dealing with the shock of having a cyclops as his brother, and Annabeth being tempted by the singing of the Sirens: they both grow quite a bit as a result of these experiences, and it's great to read.

Though I like how quickly Riordan gets to the point in these books, I also sometimes feel that his books are a bit too short. What I love about the later Harry Potter books is actually their length. They really make the whole war against Voldemort feel like an actual war. Things move slowly, and there are lots of moving elements in the massive storyline. Here, things move along a little too quickly for my taste.

A major problem I have with the first book is the fact that a lot of the epic elements of this story feel undermined by the overabundance of jokes. It's even worse in this book. The battles on Luke's ship and the battle with Polyphemus were really silly. They feel really anticlimactic because a quip or a funny thing has to happen every five lines. It got on my nerves at times.

Anyway, despite the numerous problems I have with this book, I still enjoy it quite a bit. It's still Percy Jackson, at the end of the day, so it's quite hard for me to dislike it. ( )

The "Beyoncé?!" meme but Thalia Hahahah
Ahh. I’m hooked.

Magic