Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Seven demigods in one sweet ride are off to save Rome.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 81 kid reviews
Kids say this book is a thrilling addition to the series, filled with action, humor, and romance, particularly highlighting the moments between the beloved characters Percy and Annabeth. While some find the romantic elements and violence a little intense for younger readers, the overwhelmingly positive response emphasizes its engaging plot and strong character development, leaving readers eager for the next installment due to a significant cliffhanger.
- strong characters
- engaging plot
- mild violence
- romance elements
- cliffhanger ending
- suitable for older kids
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Leo's amazing flying/sailing ship the Argo II arrives in New Rome (California) to greet Roman demigods in peace and friendship and reunite with Percy Jackson. Unfortunately, the peace and friendship part doesn't go so well. Leo gets possessed by some vengeful spirits and starts shooting fireballs everywhere, necessitating a pretty hasty exit with Percy and Romans Hazel and Frank. Now they have all seven demigods on board for the prophesied quest (plus the crazy satyr chaperone Coach Hedge), but they're also being chased by Romans across the country—and they know where the Greek Camp Half-Blood is. There's no time for demigod infighting, though. The seven must follow the prophesy to Rome to save the world from certain destruction by garishly dressed twin giants. Luckily for Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth has another quest as well: searching for a symbol powerful enough to restore the rift between Greeks and Romans—a symbol only a child of Athena, like Annabeth, can find.
Is It Any Good?
These adventures add up to another great quest fantasy fans will want to embark on.
Holding a fast-paced fantasy-quest-adventure together with seven different heroes that deserve almost equal weight has the potential to really weigh the story down. And yes, sometimes the action stops and readers will want to get back to their old pal Percy again.
But, overall, every hero takes a turn at being awesome. Near the beginning, Leo's ruse against Narcissus is pretty hilarious. At the climax, Annabeth's trick against her particular nemesis (not giving anything away) is quite brilliant.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how each demigod hero contributes to the quest. What do Percy and Jason realize about each other by book's end?
All the demigods have some pretty cool powers, but how often do the they use brains instead of brawn (or tidal waves or lightning or fireballs) to get out of sticky situations?
Are you excited about the next installment? Do you like book series or stand-alone books better? Why?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Animals ( Ocean Creatures )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Disney-Hyperion
- Publication date : October 2, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 11
- Number of pages : 608
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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