It’s About Damn Maritime – a RE-view of The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Life was at its peak when I was 11 years old, and I don’t think anything best resembles this peak or symbolises it than the Percy Jackson series, which I read at that age. And we’re continuing that journey with one of the best books in the series.

Percy, demigod son of Poseidon, must return to Camp Half Blood as his home away from home is in peril. The magical defenses that protect the camp are deteriorating and his best friend Grover has gone missing. Their only salvation is the trap that Grover has fallen into – the Golden Fleece. Percy, along with Annabeth and his long lost half brother Tyson, sets out on a quest off the coast of Florida to retrieve his friend and the fleece.

Back in 2011 when I first read this book this is what truly got me hooked into the series, with so many surprises, laughs, smiles and shockers throughout. That being said, I didn’t remember much about it all these years later. Or not as much as I’d have hoped. You just get left with a lot of feelings instead, and this novel had it all. So much to get you excited. That’s all that I remembered before going into it, aside from Nobody and Monster Donuts.

My god did I have so much more to look forward to.

We’ve got character strengths galore in this novel! They own the whole novel. Percy with his narrative voice, quirkiness and relatability. Annabeth’s maturity and traumas being brought to life. Tyson being introduced and having so much heart and power from the get go. And this is just the golden trio of this novel. There is so much more that needs talking about about the villains and gods without mentioning spoilers. And yes, I’m leaving out spoilers even though this book has been out for ages because I want people late to the party to still enjoy it like mad. And also with the web series coming out.

As usual, the worldbuilding was well done and super rooted into American and Greek cultures. I don’t know how Riordan is able to do this, to come up with a way to link every myth to something in the USA, but he does, taking a maritime and marine turn in this obviously maritime and marine story. My personal favourite was Circe’s incorporation into the world and the developments that were brought out as a result.

What needs to be talked about here is how Riordan master quirkiness and heart. Compared to the Greek God and Greek Hero retellings, where the balance of the two is off kilter, it is absolute perfection in Sea of Monsters. He recognises the spectacle and unusual nature of Greek myth in the modern day and makes it so much fun. But to balance it out and not make it seem like such a camp fest, he gets so deep into the characters we know, love and hate. That’s when you know you’re in a damn good series in my books. It makes sense how this aligns with some of my other fantasy favourites, as it makes the quirkiness and comedy such a normal part of their world. Comedy is such a natural part of life that a lot of stories just seem to remove and thus make it fall flat.

But Riordan knows what he’s doing. He knows it so well.

The Sea of Monsters gets a score of 5/5. I felt 11 years old again reading this.

Yours in writing

Amy