The Last Olympian.

The Last Olympian

by: Rick Riordan

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of a victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

A fantastic and thrilling conclusion to one of my new favorite series. These books are full of humor and fantastic action. these are beautifully written books that everyone should read.

Amazing and Heroic Hero: CHECK

oh Percy, you went from being an awkward twelve-year old misfit to being an awkward, butt-kicking hero. How the times have changed. In this book Percy learns that being the person to save the world is not more important than the world being saved. He learns to yield when the time is right, to put the decision (and the knife...) into other people's hands when the time calls for it. He has been told for the past four years that he was the demi-god of the prophecy, and while he is a big part of the prophecy, he's not the only part of it. He directed the half-blood troups well and held Manhattan for as long as they could. I was so proud of him when he gave up the chance to be immortal so that he could stay with Annabeth and the other campers. He is officially one of my favorite male characters of all time.

Brave and Smart Heroine: CHECK

I still love Annabeth. She can be prideful and jealous (but, then again, if some girl was trying to take Percy away from me, I'd be pretty jealous too...). But she always had good intentions and she was always incredibly brave. In the end, she saved the world just as much as Percy did. Her insistence that Luke was in there somewhere and that he could be an ally for them, even then. I was also a little overly excited when she got hired as the architect of new Olympus. She definitely deserves it.

Extraordinary Supporting Characters: CHECK

Beckendorf: The book started out on a note of heartbreak. I loved Beckendorf. and this line, oh my goodness, this line just killed my heart.

           

                      "Beckendorf was supposed to go to college in the fall. He had a girlfriend,

                            lots of friends, his whole life ahead of him. He couldn't be gone."



Silena: I dislike her, but I like her. She was a traitor, but she was also a girlfriend and a friend. She seemed like a sweet person and a good person. She simply got a little confused and misled by Kronos' magic. She meant no harm and she died a hero. I was so glad that Percy made the decision not to make her betrayal public, because he knew she didn't deserve the disgrace. She was, after all, the one who led the Ares children into the battle with the Drakon.

Blackjack: Because of Blackjack I really want a pegasus that is as hilarious as him. He showed up when he was needed with a fabulously sassy comment. My mythological wishlist now includes both an Ophiotaurus and a Pegasus.

The Stoll Brothers: They are hilarious (granted sometimes they made jokes at highly inappropriate times, but it was all in good fun.) I guess, they provided comic relief when the battles got intense.

May Castellan: Yet again Riordan gives you a completely unlikable character (Luke) and make you realize why you should have cut them some more slack... His mom was literally crazy. Yet you felt bad for her too, she thought she could handle the responsiblity and literally no one knew about Hades' curse.

Kronos: We all know that he is a convincing and well-written villain. However, almost every single time someone called him the "Lord of Time", I, of course, thought of The Doctor. But, that's beside the point. It must be awful to face a villain that you cannot kill, but who can kill you all too easily.

Clarisse: She gained even more depth in this book for her friendship with Silena and her relationship with her boyfriend (who put up with her surprisingly well). I loved when she completely took down everyone and everything (with the blessing of Ares, of course).

Nico: I am so glad he sorted everything out in this book. He found the answers he was looking for about his mom and didn't let her or Bianca's sacrifice go in vain. He stood up to his father and showed Percy how to be invincible. He was the reason that they were finally able to hold off the army of Kronos, because he was the one who convinced Hades to fight.

Ethan Nakamura: Another character that you felt bad for. He was just trying earn his mother some praise, despite her status as a minor god. He didn't live to see the time when he finally succeeded, but the point is that he did succeed. He earned the children of minor gods their spots at Camp Half-Blood.

Grover: He did it. He not only spread the word about Pan, but he earned himself a spot on the Council of Cloven Elders as a Lord of the Wild. go Grover!

Hestia: Okay, so I am changing my vote for my favorite goddess. Hestia is officially my favorite goddess. She was thought to be completely unimportant, but she was the Last Olympian. She was so often overlooked, yet she wasn't resentful about it. She was content to sit by her hearth as long as there was peace around her.

Tyson: I just really love him. I honestly can't see him as a big cyclops general fighting in wars and such, but it sure made him happy. So I'm okay with it.

Thalia: I didn't realize how much I missed her in the last book until she showed up again with all her Hunters. She got even tougher during her time as a Hunter, which I didn't realize was possible. 
Hades: Not only did we learn about Nico and Bianca's mom in this book. We learned exactly why Hades hated that his brothers broke the pact not to have anymore half-blood children. He hated Percy and Thalia, because while he lost Maria and had to hide away Nico and Bianca because of the prophecy, Zeus and Poseidon had kids despite the prophecy. Even after Zeus tried to kill Hades kids to prevent the prophecy, he went off and had a kid of his own who just as easily could fulfill the prophecy.

Excellent Plot and Unique Setting: CHECK

Another perfectly paced book with an intricate and compelling plot. Some authors are terrible at writing battle scenes, However, Rick Riordan found a way to write 2/3 of a book as a continuous battle and yet keep it very interesting. He writes a battle just clearly enough so that the reader can know what's going on and just clever enough to keep it funny.

Page Turners and Plot Twists: CHECK

Yet again the prophecy is clearly fulfilled, but in a way that didn't even occur to you as reading it. You read these books assuming that Percy is going to end up the hero. Then you read this one and he's not the hero, but you're okay with that. I mean, obviously these books are all enthralling. The evidence of that is that I read them within the time frame of 4 days and I did not even feel bad about withdrawing from society during that time. I just wanted to keep reading. That is how you know you're reading truly great plot-driven books, you just can't put it down.

Quotes:

"Percy, be careful! Do not let monsters kill you dead."

"It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one."

"She looked like someone who enjoyed sticking her fingers in electrical sockets."

"Sometimes the hardest power to master is the power of yielding."

"You're the greatest heroes of this millenium," I told them. "It doesn't matter how many monsters come at you. Fight bravely, and we will win." I raised Riptide and shouted, "FOR OLYMPUS"

"But these were New York river gods. I figured their instinct would be to get in my face."

"If I know anything, I know that you must walk your own path, even though it tears my heart."

"Because Hope survives best at the hearth."

"It's just...I've got a lot of life left to live. I'd hate to peak in my sophomore year."

"I remembered what she'd told me in New York, about building something permanent, and I thought-just maybe-we were off to a good start."