The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

So I've been a bit lax on my reviewing this past month or so. Between working and moving, I haven't had any real time to myself. The only time I seem to get is when I can sneak away and jump into the pool to cool down and unwind after getting home from work before beginning the next round of work (or unpacking) at home. There seem to be so many things to do and so little time to do them in...

So without further ado, here is a review for your enjoyment!

The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not to be simplistic with my review but this is a great book! I really enjoyed it. Of course, I'm sure that all my readers will notice that I only gave it 4 stars. There is a reason for this. The author disappointed me a bit with his thievery from one of my favorite movies of all time, Labyrinth...

I'm sure that the movie took the 2-headed door guards from the actual myth but the lines that they use in the movie were taken almost word for word and transplanted into the book. As an author myself, I can't see how this is justified and it really irks me no end...

Now that my little rant has come to a close, I can definitely say this was a book worth spending time on. I loved studying ancient Greek mythology when I was a kid and I still have to do bits of research now and again to make sure that I don't get something wrong in my own work (some of my characters have a basis in old myths). Making my way through this series, I find that there are so many monsters and stories that I have never heard before and I love it! I knew that I didn't know everything and this helps to get the point across. I learned so many new things from the author and the research that he did and I appreciate the book and series more fore it.

Riordan is a great author and he knows how to appeal to his audience and to teach his readers. Mythology doesn't seem to be a subject widely taught in regular schools anymore and it really should be. Riordan has found a way to draw interest into the subject again without giving the feel of teaching but more of an exciting new approach to learning.

I would have given this book 5 stars if not for the issue mentioned previously. I was still able to work my way past that and truly enjoy the book and I know many that would enjoy it as well.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very entertaining start to what I hope is going to be a good series. Following Percy along on his dangerous quest, I found myself constantly curious as to what was going to happen next. What made this even better was the fact that the author thought out things in such a manner as to not provide hints of what was coming up. Riordan literally kept the reader in suspense.

Now I will say, the book is COMPLETELY different from the movie. For one, the movie portrays Percy to be a lot older than he actually is. The characters are different, as are the bad guys. Both were great though. It was actually kind of nice being able to watch the movie first and then read the book and find that neither ruined the other for me.

Usually, this is a major problem, when it comes to movies based on books. They always seem to be missing something or changing things that shouldn't have been changed. In this case, they did it to make the movie more interesting to a wider audience, as opposed to being mainly for kids. I can understand and appreciate it, but I did prefer the book.

I would recommend the book to anyone, child or adult, and I definitely look forward to starting up book two in the near future. So get the book and give it a shot. Young adult books are a fun and quick way to pass the time. And when you get done, go watch the movie and enjoy some popcorn...