The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #5)

by Rick Riordan

[rakesandrogues]

Review Overview:

Loved that Manhattan was a battleground
Actual plot wasn’t as engaging because of the lack of a main myth tied to the plot
Overall, still a fantastic series that can’t be missed

While THE LAST OLYMPIAN was a fantastic conclusion to the epic Percy Jackson series, I admit that it was my least favorite of the books.

I absolutely loved the fact that Manhattan served as the battleground. Living in the city, it was fantastic to read about familiar places covered with monsters and demi-gods. I was easily able to map out the locations Percy mentioned. The map at the beginning of the book was a fantastic and beautiful addition to the book, especially those to who are not so familiar with Manhattan. I loved Daedalus’s automatons sprinkled around the city – mostly because the first one, William H. Seward, is only a few blocks away from me. Immediately after reading that Percy was on 23rd Street, I was already making plans to visit the automaton. How cool.

Though I loved the setting and the bits of mythology sprinkled throughout the book, the pacing of the book completely threw me off. I honestly wasn’t at the edge of my seat because it felt like Percy was always in battle. In a way, it did feel a bit anti-climactic because I felt like there was no build-up to the big battle between Kronos and Percy. I knew it was going to happen, and it became one of those events that I just felt like, okay, it’s going to happen, no big deal.

Furthermore, what made this story different from the others was that there was no main myth that was woven perfectly into the story. I guess I had such high hopes after reading The Battle of the Labyrinth. The story of Daedalus was integrated so well and THE LAST OLYMPIAN only had the prophecy to pull it to the end. Lack of a central myth was a huge loss to me as a reader. The prophecy only entertained me so much and it wasn’t engaging enough to me as a reader. There were no really jaw-dropping moments.

Despite my qualms with the book, it was still an enjoyable read. I still highly recommend the Percy Jackson series despite the fact that the last book was not as epic as I thought it would be. Riordan does a fantastic job tying up the series nonetheless. I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling, but at the same time, I felt like a connection between me and a close friend had been severed. I’m happy with the conclusion to the series as a whole, and I will miss the Percy Jackson cast tremendously. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a fantastic middle grade series that you cannot miss.