The Titian’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3) by Rick Riordan | Mini Book Review [Spoilers]

Title: The Titian’s Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)
Author: Rick Riordan
Publication Date: May 5, 2007
Age Range: Middle Grade
Genre(s): Fantasy, Mythology
Source: Overdrive
Pages: 320
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Synopsis

When Percy Jackson receives an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he’ll need his powerful demigod allies at his side; his trusty bronze sword, Riptide; and… a ride from his mom.

The demigods race to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two powerful half-bloods, whose parentage is unknown. But that’s not all that awaits them. The Titan lord Kronos has set up a devious trap, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.

Hilarious and action-packed, this third adventure in the series finds Percy faced with his most dangerous challenge yet–the chilling prophecy of the Titan’s curse.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review:

“Love conquers all,” Aphrodite promised. “Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?”
“Didn’t they start the Trojan War and get thousands of people killed?”
“Pfft. That’s not the point. Follow your heart.”

So far on the reread, this one has been my favorite, but I think that’s because this book had so many characters that I forgot were introduced so early in the series. Specifically, we meet Nico and Bionca in this book. Y’all know how much I love the Trial of Apollo series and Nico has a minor role in that series. I also knew that Nico popped up a bunch throughout the series, I just didn’t realize he was introduced so early. Oh, and Myth-o-Magic and Nico’s love of it is the most precious thing.

I also like how this book took a bit of a dark turn. This book had some serious shit hit the fan and some tragic consequences. I love how the tone of the book was still light, but there were some seriously heartwrenching moments.

I can’t explain why, but this book felt super different than the previous two. I don’t know if it’s due to the use of dreams or Percy joining the quest as late as he does (and arriving separately), but I didn’t mind it. Riordan does a great job sticking to the formula he’s set up, yet tweaking it just enough so it doesn’t feel like the same story time and again.

This felt way more character-driven, especially with the complicated relationship between Zoë, Thalia, and Percy. Percy and Thalia are competing for this “top dog” role while both staring down the prophecy, Zoë is dealing with Artemis going missing and facing the truth of this new prophecy, and Percy struggles with Zoë refusing to take him on the quest. Honestly, these character relationships feel like the perfect level of complexity for a story based on Greek myth.

I also really liked how in the end Thalia decides to join the Hunters of Artemis to take herself out of the prophecy and not risk helping Kronos. I love how Riordan uses prophecy and the chosen one trope but manages to not make it feel convoluted. Each of the prophecies has a clear meaning, but the characters (and you, the reader), don’t fully understand the pieces until after the quest is completed. It allows the characters to be conscious of the decisions they make, without only doing a self-fulfilling prophecy take.

I totally forgot that this was the book that gives us the queen that is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. I love her so much and her first interaction with Percy is just wonderful. She is so sassy and I can’t wait for her to find out her truth. Ah, I love it so much.

Final Thoughts:

Yeah, I wish I had more to say about this book, but it’s the ultimate middle child. It had a super interesting quest plotline and we got to meet Atlas, so that was pretty cool. I think this was the quest turning point of the series that everything is now focused on the big battle with Kronos (compared to the first books that were separate quests that unintentionally tied into the Kronos bit). I really enjoyed the character dynamics and I really liked how emotional this book got, especially with the Bionca storyline. Like if you don’t feel all the feels for Nico, you’re lying.