Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods Book Review
It’s been years since I read a Percy Jackson book, (finishing Blood of Olympus the month that it came out in 2014) so I was slightly hesitant to jump back into this series. The old plot points are a bit fuzzy and I was a unsure if my “adult brain” would look at Rick Roirdan’s world differently.
When I started to read Chalice of the Gods, I was in the middle of A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin and The Infinite and the Divine by Robert Rath; heavy novels, both in their writing and concepts. What if my favorite childhood favorite characters suddenly seemed too immature and goofy? What if Rick wrote this book as another big cash grab, something to create more hype as his TV show airs? What if he never puts down the pen and inevitably ruins his own masterpiece?
But one of my best friends loved this book, so I put on my Camp Halfblood shirt, packed up the part of my brain that likes to tell me ‘I am too old for kids novels’ and began to read.
Going from the world of A Song of Ice and Fire to the Percy Jackson universe was like waking up from a cozy afternoon cat nap, to immediately chug two Adderall, a four loco, and a snickers before drowning in an ice cold kiddy pool. From the first page, I was locked in. I could have finished it in a night, if I didn’t have an adult life to keep up with. I truley felt 10 years younger; like I had just finished Blood of Olympus and immediately opened Chalice of the Gods. The pages didn’t exist; I was fighting off death chickens and wrestling gods right alongside Percy.
What about the plots of the previous 10ish books in the series? Solved! Every call back to a previous person, place, event, or item, is quickly explained in a way that isn’t intrusive to the current story but gives us enough information to continue forward, seamlessly.
“Years ago, we’d gotten stuck in a Vegas casino that offered a thousand reasons to never leave. We’d just barely escaped.” (In reference to the Lotus Casino)
And my concerns with the “immature” cast of characters? Pfffft! The characters have never felt more real! Percy and Annabeth’s relationship, Sally Jackson and Paul, Grover, Poseidon; none of them felt silly or too kid-like. Percy has some moments of genuine fear and anxiety that feel personal; who knew that the savior of the gods could have imposter syndrome!? Yes, Percy is still sarcastic and has the power to flood all of New York if he is angry enough, but he is trying. Trying to be a good son, stepson, student, boyfriend, demigod, all while the gods continue to put him through trial after trial. Even on his worst days, Percy does his best to be a good person, and that’s the type of role model that lasts through the pages.
This book had me so locked in, that I started crying in a Starbucks. In public. All because some 17 year old realized that he is going to live to adulthood; after being convinced since age 12 that he was going to die young. Relatable, even at age 25…
“I look forward to wrestling you for many years to come, Percy Jackson.” (For spoiler reasons I can’t tell you who said this, but just know I was sobbing.)
One of my favorite parts of this book is the return of the original format. A lot of my friends' and I’s biggest issues with the Heroes of Olympus series is the multiple points of view, with up to 7 or 8 characters that can take the focus camera at any point. It was exhausting trying to keep track of everyone’s inner battles when in reality, I only care about Percy and Annabeth getting out of Tartarus (I love the other characters, but when my best friends are in hell I could not give a fuck about anyone else’s problems). In Chalice of the Gods, Percy is the sole point of view with Annabeth and Grover joining him on almost all of his mini quests (within the minor quest, that is ⅓ of the major quest; which is to get Percy into college). But unlike the other series, this isn’t a word ending event. With less than 100 pages to go, Percy realizes this isn't a life or death situation and the warm fuzzy feelings were almost too much to strand.
“At that moment, though, both options felt okay…” (finish three recommendation quests to get into college with Annabeth or stay home with his family) “I could make either one work. Multiple positive outcomes? Wow. There was a first time for everything.”
Other parts of this book I want to highlight are:
Making the Greek gods awful, but not 100% lore accurate. Zeus is still awful in this book but Rick Riordan finds a way to show his mythologically accurate attitude, rather than say that the king of the gods is a serial assaulter.
“I do like to watch him walk away.” (vomit)
Chapter titles that make sense! They add to the story, hint at where we are going in the next section without being too obvious and they are soooo funny.
My Dad Helps Out* (*No help actually occurs)
Annabeth Conquers All with Herbal Tea
I Offer Relationship Advice. No, Seriously. Why are you laughing?
I Face a Dangerous Predator Who Is Possibly My Future Mother-in-Law.
Percybeth. Need I say more? It is hard for me to think of another book couple that is more perfect. He keeps her thinking positively, and she thinks for the both of them. They have each other's backs, and know when to give space. Ugh. Too cute.
“When you’ve helped each other through Tartarus, the deepest and most horrifying place in the universe, and you’ve come out alive and stronger than you were to begin with . . . well, that isn’t a relationship you could ever replace, or should ever want to.”
This book is one giant Percybeth update and their relationship has never been stronger. Give them a happy ending, Rick. Or else…
Now, despite all the positive points, I do have a few… issues that feel too strong of a word. Concerns? Idk.
“Kat doesn’t really jive with these parts of the book” list:
Rick’s descriptions of ADHD can be a little… iffy? Sometimes he gets it perfectly like this description:
“It felt like I was watching myself study more than I was actually studying.”
No notes! That is a great way to show ADHD and not tell. But then other times, Rick says stuff like…
“My ADHD was pinging around under my skin like billiard balls.”
“We were both ADHD, but I could’ve stayed like that for hours, perfectly content, appreciating the way...”
Of course, everyone experiences ADHD differently, but that billiard ball reference snapped me out of my reading. I know, I am being picky!
Sometimes the modern references felt forced. Yes Rick, we know you are writing under Disney. I don’t need a Wandavision reference. ESPECIALLY from a goddess!
“Her voice took on a sweeter, slightly pleading tone. “And then maybe we could do something together? Binge WandaVision?”
There are moments when Rick Riordan wants to make his reader believe that Percy Jackson himself is writing the book. Examples like:
“I got to the chorus and yelled, “This one’s for you, Hebe!” (I’d also like to point out that when I typed chorus just now, it initially autocorrected to curse, which seems right.”
I don’t know, maybe because it is hard for me to imagine Percy sitting down and actually typing out a book? It feels very Red Pyramid (also by Rick Riordan) where in the Cain siblings would “butt in” and add their own two sense, even if it wasn’t their POV chapter. Maybe because it happens so infrequently, but it feels goofy.
In addition to Percy occasionally popping out of his story to comment on something that is “currently happening to him”, Rick Roirdan also pops out of the pages sometimes! There will be moments where his internal views on a subject are so strong that Percy’s voice almost fades away and it feels like Rick is just telling you his opinion.
“The last thing the world needed was boomers aging backward, like, We enjoyed monopolizing the planet so much the first time, we’re going to do it again!”
Even the ending felt it a bit of as well? It was almost as if Rick called Percy Jackson personally and was like, “Hey this is the point of the book and your character arc in general!”
Overall, this was a fantastic book to read at the beginning of the new year. It was the perfect amount of nostalgia, reminding me why I loved to read these books as a kid. And that was the point! This book genuinely feels like Rick Riordan hugging ME and saying, “Hey, long time no see kid! Welcome back! Life has been hard and complicated for the past couple years but you are doing it, and you are doing it well. You got this, you aren’t alone.” With themes like accepting the past, embracing the present, and looking forward to growing old, I would recommend this book to any Percy Jackson fan. Especially those of us in our mid to late 20s who are realizing we made it out of our childhoods and have a lifetime ahead of us.
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Thanks for reading! If you want more of my thoughts on Chalice of the Gods you can read my page notes here!
