Book Review: The Last Olympian

Synopsis

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of 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.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

My review

Rating: 4.5 stars

Spoilers ahead

Am I the only one that has a serious love/hate relationship with the last book of a series? You love it, you enjoyed it, it made you emotionally unstable, but you also kind of hate it because it’s the end to a story that you’ve fallen in love with… that was me with The Last Olympian.

This last book got right into the adventure. I was actually kind of shocked how quickly the battle started because it didn’t feel like there was much of a build to it. But then I thought… the first four books were the build to it, so what do I know?

Even though there’s obviously a ton of characters, it’s a little difficult to really pay attention to their personalities or character development since they’re fighting a literal war to death. But they’re great… as always. I’m sooo glad that the end of the book finally gave me the Percy/Annabeth romance I’ve been waiting for but I’m also a little annoyed it took FIVE books to get here. I loved that so many characters came together to defend Olympus against Kronos and his army. It was awesome to see even the centaurs make an appearance to help out the half-bloods.

The story itself was wonderful but it gave me so many different emotions. I was petrified for most of the book because I didn’t want all of my favorites to die in battle. The kids are trained and brave but they all tend to be a bit hasty. They take a lot of risks and it usually pans out in the end but sometimes the consequences are dire. Plus there’s that pesky Great Prophecy to keep in mind. I’m ashamed to say it but I was actually very worried that they might not end up saving Olympus… I have a ton of faith in Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, etc. but they definitely had the deck stacked against them.

Overall, it was a great ending to an amazing series. I absolutely love mythology and it was so fun to read five books based entirely on the stories you learn in middle school about the great gods and goddesses of Olympus. I certainly see why people love to reread it and consider it a favorite. It was wonderful. If you haven’t read the series and need some fun middle grade/early YA reads in your life, definitely take this for a spin.

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