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The Titan’s Curse Book Review

The Titan’s Curse is a 2007 fantasy novel by author Rick Riordan. It is the third entry in the franchise and a clearly darker turn for the series.

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“There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it“

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In this story, Percy and others must rescue Annabeth and the goddess Artemis from the titans who kidnapped them. ‘The Sea of Monsters’ was the most adventurous entry in the series up to this point, which is why it is my personal favorite. This third entry is not quite as fun, but it is definitely better than the first book.

Similarly to what happened in other young adult series (Harry Potter in particular), The Titan’s Curse is the point of the franchise where the story and the tone become significantly more adult and I appreciated that as an adult reader. Two characters even end up dying, which I certainly did not expect as the previous two novels played it safe in that regard. The stakes were a lot higher this time around and the emotions were running high as well.

The pacing is all over the place here. While I definitely admired the effort to actually slow the pace and momentum down for more genuine emotion and characterization, it went in the opposite direction where it slowed down way too much in the first half with the mid section being particularly problematic. This still remains the biggest issue for Rick Riordan when it comes to his writing.

The dialogue can be too winking and humorous at times, but there is a lot of charm to be found in that humor and some lines are quite memorable. Thematically speaking, the book is rather interesting for actually dealing with sexism on the opposite side of the spectrum. The Hunters an all-female group and they don’t like meddling with boys, which certainly provided for some nice commentary.

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There is also the added benefit of more different points of view included. It was quite ambitious and it really worked. It added a lot of emotional maturity and nuance to the series. As is the staple for the series, we again get a cliffhanger and it is a juicy one indeed. It ended the novel on a very high note and it made me excited for the fourth installment.

Nico di Angelo has a very strong arc. He is a new demigod who along with his sister got stuck in that casino from the first book for decades. His arc is quite moving and the twist about his heritage was quite intriguing. Zoe is quite memorable in her speech being all archaic and dignified. Her dynamic with others, especially Thalia was strained and complex in a great way. Speaking of Thalia, she is your typical spunky and independent heroine, but she gets elevated by the relationships that she has with others, including Percy for whom she develops genuine respect.

Speaking of Percy, he gets to grow as a person in this entry, which was refreshing and quite welcome. He is no longer just a kid and he starts feeling for others and their plight. Grover and Annabeth are both unfortunately shortchanged this time around, but the seeds of Percy-Annabeth romance are well planted here.

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As for Luke, he survives a great fall toward the end, which will hopefully lead to a meaningful arc in the next book. The Gods are back here and they get one very interesting and emotionally rich chapter while Kronos is a badass villain as this imposing titan and so is Atlas. The scene with him was both epic and so much fun.