The Last Olympian

by Rick Riordan

Summary from Amazon.com:
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.

This book is the conclusion to the Percy Jackson series. From start to finish, the entire series is strong and so fun to read. Definitely recommended for those looking for an adventure and anyone who enjoys a bit of Greek mythology.

That was the nice, spoiler free version of my review. Short and to the point. There will be major SPOILERS in the rest of this post.

I've been looking forward to the final Percy since I read the fourth book last June. The Last Olympian was a great conclusion, but I admit I was a bit disappointed.

While reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows did you ever just wish they would get to the action? One certainly never has that wish with this book. The action starts in the first chapter and continues throughout. On the one hand, it was great, on the other hand it was battle after battle and I did find myself longing for them to get to the battle so we could wrap it all up! And, I actually found the final battle to be a bit of a let down.

I also didn't really like how everyone kept warning Percy about the risks involved with his dip in the Styx, yet we never saw any real consequence of the action. I wish whatever demon Achilles was warning Percy about had made a stronger appearance and had a bigger affect on the outcome. It seemed like Percy took the dip and became invincible, but that was it. No consequences whatsoever.

And the deal with Rachel Elizabeth Dare was simply bizarre.

On the whole these really are minor complaints. I think The Last Olympian just didn't quite live up to the expectations I had built up in my mind. The story wraps up nicely and it is a continually thrilling ride. I loved the tidbits that we learned about Luke and Nico (though it felt very Harry Potter 6-ish - it's strange to me how often I thought of Harry Potter while reading this one. I don't remember thinking about that series at all while reading the first 4 Percy books).

Have you read Percy? What were some of your thoughts on the conclusion?