Book Review: Demigods and Monsters

Whenever a parent asks me to recommend a book series for their child, I turn to Percy Jackson first. I love how the author, Rick Riordan, mixes the ancient mythology of Greek g-ds with a modern United States. The story behind his story is even more interesting when you learn that it began as a bedtime story for his own child who suffered from ADHD and dyslexia. The character of Percy Jackson was written to explain that his differences were strengths, not weaknesses.

I recently received a copy of Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series which features short essays that use the characters from the Percy Jackson series to discuss real topics. I've read similar books based on Twilight and Harry Potter so I was interested to see how Percy Jackson could be used to spark discussion on topics other than learning disabilities and Greek mythology.

The only part of this book that is written by Rick Riordan was the introduction. He explains the history of Percy Jackson and how you don't have to analysis a story to enjoy it, however seeing how others have analized his writing in turn has made him a better writer.

The nice thing about this type of book is that you don't need to read the chapters in order or all at once. Each chapter is an individual essay written by a different author. Each explores a different part of Percy Jackson.

Demigods and Monsters is currently available for sale. It was originally released on March 1, 2009 but was recently rereleased with an update in anticipation of the new movie, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

Book Rating for Demigods and Monsters

Disclaimer: This review e-copy was sent to me free as a blogger to facilitate my review. I was not compensated and all opinions are 100% my own. Any links to the book's Amazon page will be affiliated. Please read the Making Cents of It disclaimer for more information.

Movie Review: Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters

Do you know the truth behind why things disappear in the Bermuda Triangle? If we are to believe the fantasy world that was created by Rick Riordan, the Bermuda Triangle is really a place called the Sea of Monsters. This is where our heroes must travel in the sequel to Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief.

Let's start by answering the question that all fans of the book want to know. Yes, they completely changed things again. Luckily this time the movie was better than its predecessor. Scenes were removed which I'm assuming was for time but the scenes we do see are entertaining. If you've never read the books you won't have the same issue as fans and the movie will actually be enjoyable.

While the younger cast remained the same, a few of the adult actors were replaced. The most noticeable was replacing Pierce Brosnan with Anthony Head as the centaur teacher, Chiron. I felt that Head did a great job in the role, but the costumes worn by Brosnan fit the character better. Chiron is a warrior, not a librarian. There were also additions to the cast for characters that were not seen during the first story. Nathan Fillion, in those UPS shorts, did a great job as Hermes.

The 3D in Percy Jackson was alright however I feel it was over used. There was one scene where something exploded and things flew into the audience. It was enough that some children sitting near me reached out to touch the images. I'm still not a fan of 3D movies in general but I can understand why the industry is continuing to produce in the format.

My personal opinion of Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters is that it did not live up to expectations. From the time production began, fans were led to believe that they would stick closer to the books and they failed to succeed. If you haven't read the books I think you will really enjoy Percy Jackson because you're not aware of all the things they removed. I enjoyed the film but as a fan of the book series I was disappointed in the differences.

Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters will be released nation wide on August 7, 2013. Check out my weekly post, Making Cents with Cori, on Cinemit for weekly specials on tickets and concessions.

Movie Rating for Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters

The passes for this pre-screening were won through Gofobo. Follow their Facebook page to attend free screenings near you. Check out my information post for more information about free movie screenings.