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review by a 11 year oldSep 06, 2010
WARNING CONTAINS MANY MANY SPOILERS!
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Percy Jackson is going to the Middle school orientation. He's very nervous, because he has been been kicked out of every school he's ever been to. Once, because he blew the school building up. But nothing could go wrong this time, right? Its just for one morning, and then he'll go hang out with his friend, Annabeth. It's not that easy though, because Percy is not a normal human. He is in fact, a half blood,half human, half Greek god, along with Annabeth. So that means ancient mythical monsters follow him where ever he goes. Percy doesn't make it through the orientation. Two monsters disguised as cheerleaders come attack him on the tour of the school. After he defeats them, he takes a taxi with Annabeth to Camp Half Blood. Dionysus has left the post of camp director to Quintus, an adult half blood, to go help with the war effort.
There are rumors that Luke and his army have been plotting a way to invade camp through using the Labyrinth, so Annabeth and Clarisse have been working on trying to find an entrance into the Labyrinth inside camp. So naturally when an entrance is found, a Quest is organized to explore the Labyrinth and stop Luke from demolishing camp. But the Labyrinth is not a place to be joked about; it is a place of trickery and traps. People have been killed or driven insane by the never ending passages. Will Percy and Co. survive, or even get out of the Labyrinth? Will they stop Luke from getting to Camp Half Blood, or will he leave it in ruins? Also, a demon not seen since the time of the Titans is awakening, and there is someone at camp who is not to be trusted...
The series just keeps getting better! This is the most action packed edition to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series yet! This book was five stars from the first chapter.
Another great Percy Jackson titleAug 18, 2010
Once again, Rick Riordan does not cease to impress me. When I finished The Titan's Curse I tried to move on to Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas but had to put it down after the first chapter because I was too busy thinking what would happen in the Battle of the Labyrinth. I'm certainly glad I read it - I was just as impressed as I was with the third book.
Riordan's writing is absolutely addictive. His characters are so true to life and well-rounded that you wish you could embark on their quests with them. I certainly wish I was a half-blood! This book in particular tied off several loose ends for me (I'm being vague on purpose - definitely think you should read it instead of me giving it away) and left me satisfied enough to take a break before reading the last book. The Titan's Curse left with a huge cliff hanger - this one, not so much. I'm going to take some time off before I read the last book - I want to try to "save it".
I wrote this in my review for the third book, but I really think that every young adult should read this book. I grew up with the Harry Potter books so I feel like I almost matured with Harry Potter. I feel like Percy Jackson could be like that too. Percy and his friends seem to mature through the books so it makes a nice progression. The plot line gets more serious, there is a little more romance (nothing too mature for a younger audience though), and they face even more dangerous situations than they do in the past. I'm so excited to read the last book, but I'm certainly going to be sad when there is no more Percy Jackson left to read. Oh well, I will just have to read them all again!
Essential book in the seriesAug 18, 2010
The Battle of the Labyrinth was a fun, adventurous read. This far into the series, if you've already read the first three books, this book is essential to completing the story. Percy and his friends grow up a little more and just like the title implies, battles with monsters and villains.
I like how this adventure story is combined with Percy's experience growing up in the world. The juxtaposition of these elements is what makes the series work so well. I also liked how the quest in this story is not Percy's but he is still involved with the trek. I find most of the humor when the gods are involved and make their cameos. We get more development on character from those we met in the previous book, Percy meeting more of his family and struggling with his identity and meet new characters as well. Grover's quest also gets closure.
I thought Battle of the Labyrinth was the most melancholy of the series as it was punctuated with several sad scenes and a whopper of an ending, but there was also adequate humor. The story sets up the final book very well.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Battle of the LabyrinthJul 23, 2010
Rick Riordan does it again. Another brilliantly entertaining and marvelous book in the Percy Jackson series. Percy is growing up and as he is growing, so are his powers which are becoming almost more than he can control.
The Battle of the Labyrinth involves Percy battling with a selection of Greek monsters. The first battle that Percy has is with two creatures called 'Empousai'. The two empousai (vampires) dress as high school cheerleaders and attack Percy and his new friend, Rachel Dare. The next battle is with a Sphinx. The third battle in the book is between Percy and Nemesis' son. They fight for hours until...well I can't say too much (but lets face it we know he survives because Book 5 follows on!).
A fantastic story for both kids and adults! If you enjoy fantasy, another brilliant book is 'Godstone - The Kairos Boxes' by G.A Williams and also the 'Roman Mysteries' series:
GODSTONE - THE KAIROS BOXES
The Thieves of Ostia (The Roman Mysteries)
1 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Keeps pace with the previous books :)Jul 20, 2010
In Battle of the Labyrinth, Percy is starting to become a real man. As he gets ready to officially enter high school as a freshman, Percy is looking forward to spending another summer at his favorite Camp Half-Blood. Of course nothing is as simple as it seems. Being the son of Poseidon tends to carry its hazards in the mortal world and what happens at orientation? Well naturally Percy is confronted and attacked by demon/monster cheerleaders intent on killing him. However, Percy finds a familiar friend at his new high school in Rachel Dare - the mortal girl that can see through the mist like few humans and even demigods can. With Rachel's help, Percy manages to merely cause minimal damage to the high school and as a result only the auditorium is burned down this time.
From there, we once again throw normal out the window and its the usual life of a half-blood for Percy and company. When Percy arrives at camp, he joins Annabeth in her newly anointed quest to go through the Labyrinth. The war between Percy/The Olympians and the Titan lord Kronos draws closer. Even Camp Half-Blood is no longer safe as the Titan Lord's army prepares to invade the once safe and impenetrable borders. The only hope that they have to stop the invasion is to go through the infamous Labyrinth of Daedalus - a vast and intimidating underground maze with surprises, traps, and monsters at every turn. The only problem is that Percy and his friends aren't the only ones looking to enter the Labyrinth and ask its 2000 year old creator some questions. Luke and company are back as well in their quest to resurrect Kronos and overthrow the gods of Olympus. What ensues is nothing short of an exciting race to the finish line to see who can learn the secrets of the Labyrinth while trying to contact Daedalus as both look to gain any advantage they can over the other side to complete their goals.
Overall, I felt the book was pretty good for the 4th installment in the series. You've got Percy growing up with battles on many fronts in high school, girls, and realizing his potential as as well as exploring/further developing his powers as the son of Poseidon. Since Book 1, I've really enjoyed this series for what it is and not what I disliked about it after Book 1. My only small qualm with The Battle of the Labyrinth was that the battle against Kronos' army at the end was a little disappointing to read through. I think mainly because it didn't have Kronos in it and it seemed like it was too short even though there was plenty of action on both sides. Then again, I suppose that's the purpose of a 4th book out of 5 right? To set up the last one of course :). It ought to be plenty interesting in Book 5 and I look forward to seeing how it all shakes down in the finale!
-Travis S.
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based on 206 reviews
