The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

I don’t really remember the movie version of The Sea of Monsters, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew there was a cyclops, a search for the Golden Fleece, you learn that Hermès is a mailman. However, after reading The Lightning Thief, I knew that that didn’t really mean much. So, I started The Sea of Monsters with little knowledge and enjoyed every page of it.

(Source: Kelsey Darling)

Percy almost made it through the entire school year without any trouble when on the last day, he and his new friend Tyson are attacked by cannibals. Luckily, Annabeth had been on her way to Percy to tell him that Camp Half Blood is in trouble and was able to save them. However, she was surprised to learn that Percy had befriended a cyclops, something Percy had gone all year without seeing due to the mist. When the trio arrive at the camp, they find it under siege and join in the battle. The tree that has been protecting the camp for six years now had been mysteriously poisoned, and because of it, monsters are now able to come into the camp. Despite not having permission, Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson leave camp in search of the Golden Fleece, which also happens to be the place where Grover is being held hostage. It is up to them to save Grover and Camp Half Blood, but there will be many monsters along the way to try and stop them.

I enjoyed The Sea of Monsters a little bit more than The Lightning Thief, but I think that is for two reasons. I haven’t seen the movie a million times to cloud my judgement of what is happening; and I have finally gotten it through my head that the kids are younger than I want them to be, but, they’re a year older, so they’re closer to the age I know them as.

(Source: Giphy)

The plot of this book moves along even faster than the first book. The book starts with Percy having a dream of Grover being attacked, and from there, he is on edge and worried about his best friend. Not long after that, Percy himself is attacked. After that, the book moves at a steady clip (a little sea pun for the sea god). I love how Riordan has filled our world with monsters in the most believable of ways. When the trio come across a chain donut restaurant, Annabeth explains that chain restaurants are monster dens because in the 50’s, a monster learned that that was the best way to provide a place for more monsters. Circe, who now goes by CC, has turned her island into a spa for women to train them to be sorceresses and turns men into guinea pigs because she realizes pigs are too much work. All of these little touches are things that I really enjoy because it teaches basic knowledge of Greek mythology, but in a way that would be easy for a kid or teen reading the books to understand.

(Source: Giphy)

One thing that I cannot tell is if Tyson was supposed to become smarter as the book moved on, or if Riordan just took pity on the character. In the beginning, Annabeth explains that a lot of cyclopses are homeless, and because of that, they aren’t the smartest because they are never schooled. Tyson speaks in very broken sentences, usually just a few words. By the end of the book though, he is speaking in more full sentences and a few bigger words sprinkled in. Yeah, he still calls all horses “ponies,” which annoys me, but he is able to articulate to Percy that he asked Poseidon for a friend and then he met Percy, his half-brother. Because Tyson is missing for a part of the book, you cannot really tell if it happened gradually, but I did notice his better speech after he is reunited with everyone.

I really want to know about what the Oracle has predicted for a child of the big three, especially now that Thalia has returned to life. Knowing what I know about plots in general, I know that it will be Percy fighting Kronos in the end, but I am anxious to see how everyone else fits into it. Especially the whole part with Chiron being a child of Kronos. This is a part of mythology that I didn’t know (or wouldn't know if it is something done to progress the plot). All of this makes me want to learn more about Greek mythology. Or maybe I’ll just watch Hercules again.

(Source: Giphy)

Despite the book clearly being for a younger audience, I am really enjoying it. I am very invested in the character and the plot, and I cannot wait to dig into The Titan’s Curse! This has really been a good distraction from COVID-19.

Rating: 8/10
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Book 2 of 5)
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mythology
Dates Read: March 22-24, 2020