Percy Jackson is a young boy who happens to be the forbidden son of the god Poseidon. That was all it took to hook me on the premise of this book. That being said, however, I put off reading it forever! Maybe it was because the series was already in progress (and I tend to feel overwhelmed when that happens), maybe it was because I was wrapped up in some other amazing book, maybe it was because the movie trailer looked like it was trying really hard to be Harry Potter. Who can say really? But now I've listened to it and I've got to say I really liked the way this story built on the original Greek myths. Rick Riordan clearly spent a good deal of time getting to know those old legends. All the classic characters were present and all were wonderful. However, what was especially neat about this book was that the gods (and associated beings) weren't just static and traditional, they were adapted for the present day and it was not only creative but they were funny! This book made me giggle repeatedly out loud and it's not often I can say that about a novel. I had a lot of fun with The Lightning Thief. It starts off simple enough – young boy on a quest. We've all seen that before. But combined with some loveable characters and some interesting updates to the traditional Greek myths it didn't feel old at all. I can't wait to dig into the rest of this series and see what Rick Riordan comes up with next. Notes on the Audio This audiobook rocked! It was great story made even better by Jesse Bernstein's incredible narration. Each character had it's own unique voice and as a result it's own personality. I really felt like I was getting to know them personally. Bernstein's voice also had just the right level of enthusiasm and excitement without sounding to earnest. I found myself utterly addicted to this audiobook – my dog ended up going on multiple walks a day and I was constantly looking for things to clean so that I could start listening again. I will definitely be continuing this series in audio and I am interested to see what else Jesse Bernstein has narrated. This and other reviews at Christa's Hooked on Books -- http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com

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