Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a bestselling fantasy series by author Rick Riordan. The series follows the adventures of the demigod Percy Jackson as he navigates a life where characters from Greek mythology exist in the real world. 

Purely based on reading level, this bestselling series is intended for middle school-age students. However, I recently read the series for the first time as a senior in high school, and I absolutely loved it. The “juvenile” humor combined with Riordan’s writing style and Greek mythology concepts creates quality novels, with lots to unpack. 

*NOTE: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK*

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a five-book series that is a part of the larger “Camp Half-Blood Chronicles,” also by Riordan. The main character–Percy Jackson–learns in the first book that he is the demigod son of the Greek god Poseidon, and that he must partake in a quest to stop the Olympians from fighting a war amongst themselves. 

We learn at the end of the first book that a fellow demigod–Luke Castellan, son of Hermes–is attempting to resurrect the titan god Kronos, and destroy the Olympians altogether. The rest of the series details Percy & co. ‘s adventures to stop Luke from achieving his goal. 

One thing that I think makes these books so good is the world concept. The events in the series mostly take place in U.S. cities or other real-life places–such as the Bermuda Triangle–with figures from Greek mythology existing in the real world. In addition to the gods themselves, classic Greek monsters like the Minotaur, the Furies, and Medusa all make appearances, with the latter two introduced originally as humans. 

Another one of the major draws of the Percy Jackson series is the Greek mythology element. Whenever a new figure showed up–be they a god, monster, or something in between–I almost always found myself looking up the lore behind the character. I had a rudimentary knowledge of the Olympian gods beforehand, but after reading, my knowledge of Greek heroes, demons, and even minor figures was greatly expanded. 

Moving away from the setting aspects of the book, the characters are what really make the series shine. Percy Jackson is the epitome of a middle school boy–and he’s hilarious. Percy lived in the “mortal” world longer than essentially every other demigod in the series, which lets him see the mythological world with more skepticism and humor than other characters. 

What others might consider sacred and deserving of the utmost respect, Percy finds a cheeky way to view. This eventually culminates in him essentially blackmailing the Olympians to “pay their child support” in The Last Olympian, so to speak, showing his devil-may-care attitude when dealing with literal GODS.    

In addition to Percy, the side characters in the series are incredibly well done, too. Annabeth Chase–a daughter of Athena who becomes Percy’s close friend and love interest–is far from female stereotypes in fantasy novels. She’s stubborn, nerdy, spirited, and possesses maturity far beyond her years, even in the first book. Clarisse La Rue–a daughter of Ares who serves as a minor antagonist-turned-protagonist–defies all expectations of “girliness,” and is a proud, hot-natured, tough-as-nail fighter with unexpected depth in the last few books. 

Some of my other favorite side characters include Grover Underwood, Percy’s best friend and a satyr (half man, half goat); Thalia Grace, the punk daughter of Zeus who protected a young Annabeth; and Tyson, Percy’s 8-year-old cyclops half-brother. 

I mentioned before that these books are intended for middle schoolers, but the themes within the books are surprisingly adult. Characters have to deal with loss and grief, abandonment, the weight of destiny, and overwhelming responsibility…all before they hit high school. The heavy themes lend a certain amount of maturity to the novels, making them appealing to older readers as well. 

All in all, Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a highly entertaining and surprisingly deep series; while intended for a younger audience, older readers might find it enjoyable, too. I absolutely loved my read, and I recommend it to anyone looking for their next book.