As a romance girl, reading a fantasy book is strange. Before I read the first Percy Jackson book, I was an avid and dedicated romance reader. I didn’t dare to step out of the comfort that romance brought me. When I read the synopsis for fantasy books, they didn’t intrigue me in the slightest. On December 19, 2023, the Percy Jackson show titled Percy Jackson and the Olympians came out, and I decided to watch it. While the show was good and something I’d would definitely watch again, after reading the first book, it didn’t compare. Percy Jackson is where Greek and Roman mythology and teenagers being teenagers collide. It is a perfect mix of both.
Initially, I wasn’t thrilled about reading this book. In fact, I didn't even want to, but my friend convinced me to. Since I was learning about Greek mythology in class, I figured there was no harm in trying. I wish I could say I was enamored by this book from the first page but, truthfully, I wasn’t. I had to trust the process and I’m so glad I did because if I didn’t, I would not have found this absolute gem of a book. I enjoyed seeing the incorporation of ancient Greek myths and Gods being placed into modern settings. Such as Mount Olympus being on the 6ooth floor of the Empire State Building which added a unique and fun twist to the text. The depiction of Dionysus, the God of Fertility and Wine as lazy, cruel and unimportant rather than fun, creative and passionate was a welcome portrayal. This was a nice addition to the story because it made the book much more fascinating- it gave me another perspective on how Gods behave. Since Gods have many offerings and subjects, it is easy to become egotistical, but this characterization makes God seem more down to Earth, more humane.
Percy Jackson symbolizes the hardships and the hurdles that come with being a teen. It highlights the mental anguish and burden that is placed upon young people's shoulders and how to overcome them. It depicts themes such as friendship, resilience and loyalty. As corny as it may be, Percy Jackson shows us that friendship can help lessen that burden. The chosen family counts just as much as the blood family does, maybe even more. Percy Jackson is indubitably a book that every teen should read at least once, I promise you won’t regret it!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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